Keep your power play simple to score more goals. It's really that simple.
Running an effective power play is a daunting task. A power play set-up alone can be very complex and in the words of Derek Lalonde, a little bit scary.
“Sometimes people run from it and I can say that confidently because earlier in my career, I did that!”
The Head Coach of the Detroit Red Wings was in charge of the penalty kill in a former role with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now in his second season at the helm in the Motor City, he could fully dish the PP off and make it someone else’s responsibility, but he hasn’t done that.
To be clear, Alex Tanguay and Jay Varady are responsible for the day-to-day approach of Detroit’s power play, which improved from 26th in the NHL to 17th in 2022-23, and currently sits 8th overall 23 games into the 2023-24 season. That’s an impressive turnaround, one Lalonde understands the ins and outs of fully having embraced everything to do with the man advantage.
No more running, just power play goals galore.
At TCS Live in 2023, Lalonde presented on simple habits that make a power play effective. His 30-minute presentation is filled with incredible takeaways, like his three key PP habits (being face off ready, executing proper breakouts, and having healthy in-zone habits), plus power play drills for your team.
Lalonde, who served as an Assistant Coach for Team USA during the World Championship in May 2023, also discussed how he ran the power play with that team. With many of the players being young in age and with a quick turnaround for the tournament, Lalonde decided to simplify everything. In this video you'll see the exact clips he showed his team prior to the tournament, focusing on puck retrieval, being shot-ready, and attacking the blueline simultaneously.
With many coaches already overcomplicating the man advantage, Lalonde has mastered the ability to simplify the power play and put his players in the best position to succeed.
Noteworthy timestamps:
- 01:20 Power play can be a tool for growth
- 03:50 Three key PP habits
- 04:10 Being face off ready
- 06:40 Breakout execution
- 10:20 In-zone habits
- 16:30 PP process during the World Championships
- 29:10 Power play drills
