Beer League Frustrations Vent Thread III

jayarebee

Registered User
Oct 17, 2012
20
6
Union County, NJ
I sadly quit playing Adult/Beer League about a decade ago.. We have quite a few decent leagues here but they are rather expensive.. even the crappier leagues are just too much $$$ for me. Plus the games got too late, getting home at 12:30am and having to wake-up at 6am to be at work by 7am was getting too harsh.

But every game was the same, we'd have 10-11 really good players + our goalie who was always stellar show, and we'd get up a few goals early in a game, try and hold the lead, and usually have a team of older guys comeback and make a game out of it... Unfortunately too many games where the older guys were wacking away at the younger guys because they couldn't keep up, and referees that do men's league games really don't care it seems. Eventually always lead to one of the younger guys swinging back, then the fun would start... scrums over what... a freaking recreational adult game? Jeez.. get off the ice if you aren't having fun!

I guess I can speak from experience as I've recently become an Official.. but I try my best whether it's Adult B/C/D or PeeWee AA/A down to Squirts AA/A/B. Some guys just do it for the money sadly, I did a game last night outdoors, just a fun league, Adult "B".. Whoever was assigned the game cancelled last minute and I got the call 45min before game start and was excited to get out of the house and go skate... even if it was reffing an outdoor game in 30 degrees F with 25+ mph winds @ 9pm. I let the guys play, most of the guys knew one another so I knew it was a friendly game, they also knew that they almost did not have an Official so they were appreciative, I let them play hard and have fun, it's great when there are absolutely no knuckleheads on the ice and everyone is there to have fun. I've made the mistake of "letting guys play" before and seeing it turn into a circus, especially the last 5-10min of a game, whether it's close or not.

Most of the other leagues I've either played in or Officiated it always seems like 1 out of every 4 games there is always an incident. Always some bender or clown that blames the Official's for not calling every little infraction, honestly if Officials called 100% of the infractions in any game at any level the game would last close to 2 hours. The longest game I've officiated was 110 minutes for 3 15min periods.. because the players were just being knuckleheads. If you are playing a game starting at 10:30pm you probably aren't getting the "Wes McCauleys" of Officiating.. you'll get either the young hungry guys like me who want the work or mostly the older guys who don't care and want the game to end ASAP because they are more worried about work in the AM.

I used to give refs a hard time but after signing up and becoming one I feel bad for some of the guys, especially the kids (who shouldn't be reffing Adults to begin with), but there is a shortage of Officials... Lots of great young guys/kids sign up, do the seminar, do a few games, and quit. Because of A-Hole 10u Coaches @ the AA levels blasting them non stop the whole game. I've had to throw one coach out who just wouldn't stop complaining... his team was getting crushed (on the scoreboard) and they started getting too physical, then I saw kids dropping the shoulder.. So yeah, any Official is going to start calling it a little tighter once they see kids (who aren't even old enough to body-check) trying to head hunt.

I loved playing but my days are behind me, 9 years of travel club + 4 years of HS Varsity, with a few years of adult leagues after that I just got spent. I rarely want to play anymore, I just love coaching been doing it for 10 years, and recently started Officiating and kind of enjoying it more than coaching to be honest... maybe it's the money, but who would have thought the kid who lead the NJYHL consecutive years in a row at the "A" level back in the 90's would be Officiating.. not me :P

It's been a pleasure to play in the 90's when hockey was "tough", and I may be a little more lenient come penalties, especially with the younger levels where the kids are learning.. if something happens away from the play I'll just talk to the kids and "warn" them and their coaches. Coaches sometimes don't realize Officials have 0% invested in either team, there is no favoritism, when I'm doing well I'm consistent both ways, even when I'm doing "poorly" I'm still consistent both ways...

Regardless it's a blast, especially helping the younger kids at the A/B levels. As for the AA Minors/Majors those games need a little more discipline and no matter what you do it's always the "Ref's fault" with those levels, Coaches never take themselves into consideration... and I just smile at them when they start chirping.. if they go over the line they get a bench minor, 2nd offense is another bench minor and a match penalty. No referees want to throw coaches out, trust me it's silly.. the Refs looking to toss folks are either having a bad day or doing a game they shouldn't be, whether because of past issues with the club/coaches or they are used to Bantam/Midgets and are stuck doing a Squirt/PeeWee game and are just unhappy (because they don't pay as much).

I wish USA Hockey did more to train young Officials, sadly all we get is a short 6-8 hour seminar, where you get maybe 30 minutes of instructions in the classroom and about 30 minutes on the ice just dropping pucks and backing away from the circle. I'd like to get to Level 3 so I can do HS games, but I'm not ready.. I'll admit that... and I played competitive travel from age 5 to 18 (then a few years of adult league). Decided to start coaching, been doing that for 10 years, and now Officiating and the past 3-4 months have been the best! I may not play anymore, mostly because I've had too many injuries and just can't move like I used to and it's aggravating. I wish I still could but it's not going to happen, so I've found my new nitch.. Coaching & Officiating.. sadly I feel like Officiating will overtake Coaching as there isn't enough time in the weekend for both.
 

Fremitus Borealis

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Feb 4, 2007
9,262
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I don't think anyone really disagrees with your first paragraph. You obviously want guys to try hard (because being successful in sports is fun and why even be there if you don't care enough to do your best), but at the end of the day none of it matters and nobody really cares about whether you were able to break the record for most goals scored in beer league. People treat it like they are in the show (overly aggressive, angry, super emotional if things don't go their way), and that is what a lot of people like me take issue with.

This has been bothering me with my team for a while now. It's not that the guys don't care per se, but we've blown basically every lead we've had this season because it feels like half the guys use going up 1-0 on the other team as an excuse to not break a sweat for the next 50 minutes.
 

Esq

in terrorem
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Feb 5, 2009
7,904
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Tie game with 90 seconds left. I rifled a shot from the point right into the winger's shin pads. It bounces to center ice and he goes down on a breakaway and scores. We lose 2-1. ****.
 

Solmors

<3 Data
May 3, 2010
2,052
795
San Jose
Tie game with 90 seconds left. I rifled a shot from the point right into the winger's shin pads. It bounces to center ice and he goes down on a breakaway and scores. We lose 2-1. ****.
You play beer league on off nights, Brent Burns?
 

DougKnowsBest

Registered User
Feb 6, 2004
7,241
922
Newark, Ohio
not a vent so much as i gotta say it.

I hurt my shoulder in may in a 3 on 3 tournament. wasnt wearing shoulder pads, my beer to water ratio was way off. went into the boards yadda yadda yadda i had surgery in august. was cleared to play in early january. i had a vestchomy in late december. that put my return to mid january. Last week my stomach was nervous as heck, I was nervous like it was my first time. During the game i quickly realized how out of shape i was, i played like total trash, had no energy. I spent most my shift making sure no one bumped me. I actually threw up mid game... then after the game.... then when i got home... then all night... I was actually sick not nervous and out of shape!

so tonight, I felt like my old self and it was such a treat. Dont get me wrong im horrible and still out of shape, but i felt normal again and its been a long road back. I could feel my legs coming back, I could feel my shot coming back along with using my stick with just my off hand. Enjoying a pop in the locker room with the boys and busting my ass up and down the ice felt so good
 
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TheDawnOfANewTage

Dahlin, it’ll all be fine
Dec 17, 2018
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not a vent so much as i gotta say it.

I hurt my shoulder in may in a 3 on 3 tournament. wasnt wearing shoulder pads, my beer to water ratio was way off. went into the boards yadda yadda yadda i had surgery in august. was cleared to play in early january. i had a vestchomy in late december. that put my return to mid january. Last week my stomach was nervous as heck, I was nervous like it was my first time. During the game i quickly realized how out of shape i was, i played like total trash, had no energy. I spent most my shift making sure no one bumped me. I actually threw up mid game... then after the game.... then when i got home... then all night... I was sick!

so tonight, I felt like my old self and it was such a treat. Dont get me wrong im horrible and still out of shape, but i felt normal again and its been a long road back. I could feel my legs coming back, I could feel my shot coming back along with using my stick with just my off hand. Enjoying a pop in the locker room with the boys and busting my ass up and down the ice felt so good

Reminds me, I had mono midseason as a teen.. talk about somethin that’ll kill your fitness. Enlarged spleen meant i was out a month regardless, but then when cleared I came back for a practice.. holy hell, it was shocking how quickly I ran outta juice. I could not have loved the game or wanted back out there more at that point, but had to tell the coach I needed another week to get my crap together. He saw how it took me 2 minutes to spit that out between breaths after only like 3 drills and fully understood. Injuries/illnesses suck in general, a cheap shot resulting in a broken collarbone that I rushed back from (resulting in two rebreaks) spelled the end of my hockey prime.

As to adult league complaints.. 1) guys who don’t know their stuff telling others what to do. The captain of my last team was a nice, sociable guy, but he just knew f***-all about hockey. He wanted like 3 guys on the puck carrier, no one should move up ice until it’s past our blue line, just all sorts of nonsense that got us hemmed in our zone. I’m not really one to contradict someone 20 years my elder, but he finally asked my advice and I gave him what I know (which aint much, but better than his nonsense).

2) on the flip side, young’uns who don’t play the game the right way. I was, like, 25-27 when I played on this team, most of the guys were 35+, and there was one father/son duo with the son’s friend tagging along. They were good, playing way below their level, and they were like 18, so some immaturity is forgivable- but they’d just sit on the bench away from others shit talking our teammates. Not good. Then, one game they’re pullin that crap and we’re down by 1, and they took (I kid you not) a 4-5 minute shift where they gassed themselves, couldn’t get back on D, and gave up a goal. Then the son threw his stick over the boards, said the goalie needs to stop somethin, and I lost my f***ing mind. I really, really don’t lose my cool easily (I’m a teacher for chrissakes) but I was spittin with rage, top-of-my-voice, “skate or get the f*** off the ice, dont f***ing blame others, that’s. On. You.” Pretty sure I looked like a crazy person, but the point seemed to get through, kid was better the rest of the year and didn’t take it personally. And he was incredibly nice off ice, just on it he could be a massive turd.

3) overly physical nonsense. Had an opponent who loved catching guys in the head as he turned, he pulled that crap against me 3 times in one game. Like, away from the puck, nothin precipitated it, he just wanted to hurt people? Because I get it happenin once by accident, but thrice? And each time pretty obvious to me, and impossible for the refs to catch- I’m skating straight forwards towards the play, for some reason he’s cutting the wrong direction and only manages to make contact with my chin ala Cooke on Savard every time. Friggin goon. The other one that sticks out is a time a guy pinned me to the boards for a solid 5 seconds. A bit heated at the blatant hold I swung my elbow back- not trying to hit/hurt the guy, just trying to kinda spin off him with an effective physical play myself (he was directly behind me and had me fully pressed against glass, couldn’t really hit him even if I’d intended to, it was more to give me leverage to pivot off his arm). His response was to lift his stick which was between my legs, lift me off the ice with his stick/bottom hand, and flip me over onto the back of my head, and because the puck had long since moved on there was no call..

4) bad refs. I get that it’s a thankless job and they’re severely underpaid, but I’d say 75% of the refs in SJ leagues want to call as little as possible in order to get outta there quicker. Usually backfired as things escalate and they gotta deal with scrums and such.
 
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cowboy82nd

Registered User
Feb 19, 2012
5,043
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Newnan, Georgia
4 or 5 minute shifts... Just because you don't skate hard or back check and generally cherry pick, doesn't mean the rest of us have to get cold while waiting and watching you do it.

Skate hard for 90 seconds, even just flash some effort for 2 or MAYBE 3 mins and change already... I realize it's non competitive, but pick up the pace Dennis lol

Who's Dennis and I take it he's a bad teammate?
 

Yukon Joe

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Aug 3, 2011
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Yeah - guys taking extra-long shifts are a perennial problem. And it's a self-compounding problem: if the D pair out before me was out for 4 minutes, I'm not going to take the opportunity to change on a whistle after 60 seconds (even though I probably should) just so I can get my share of ice time.

This doesn't count being caught in your own zone being unable to change - but rather when it's already been 2+ minutes, the whistle goes, yet guys are lining up for the face off...
 
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Jan 21, 2011
5,146
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Massachusetts
Just started a new roller hockey mens league that plays on late Sunday Afternoon-into-Night, everybody seems like they are nice and everything. We start a group chat so it's easier to communicate and these two knuckleheads on the team are already blowing up our phones talking about scoring chicks after the game and speaking non-sense. Had to leave the phone on Do Not Disturb and Notifications off on the group chat.

I can already see it now.. Full team to start with, and we'll barely have any players by mid February.

@jayarebee We have similar stances when it comes to mens league for ice hockey. It is just too expensive and the games are usually on late Sunday nights where I'm from. I get that High School, travel teams, AA/AAA, etc. play during the week, but with other times? You could schedule something around that. I would love to have a mens league actually be scheduled properly (but will never happen). Would love to have a Friday/Saturday Night league from 7-9, with no BS but doesn't look like that will ever come around.
 

DougKnowsBest

Registered User
Feb 6, 2004
7,241
922
Newark, Ohio
im 3 or 4 games back from shoulder surgery. im finally getting my legs back under me. For the past couple weeks i moved to wing so i wasnt skating as much and didnt feel comfortable taking faceoffs. Tonight i moved back to center, skated well I felt. Sucked on faceoffs going 1 for 5 or so. Made some stick plays with my recovering arm one handed on my stick. Got out in my truck after the game turned out of the rink noticed my arm was sore. not hurt. but sore. The slap shot I took off the front of my ankle didnt hurt at all....... yet. so that is actually kind of a good feeling. (although secretly its always nice to limp around the office on tuesday so the secretary asks whats wrong and I get to sound all tough)

from a rant perspective... Id like to rant about the players our league had to take in this year. The games are more uptempo but it makes running the league so much more complicated. I miss my slow D league and not having to deal with some of these higher skilled guys and the drama that comes with them.

also goalies... im sick of emailing and texting f***ing goalies every week. I wish i wanted to play goalie it would make my life easier
 

shoeshine boy

Registered User
Aug 14, 2008
756
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im 3 or 4 games back from shoulder surgery. im finally getting my legs back under me. For the past couple weeks i moved to wing so i wasnt skating as much and didnt feel comfortable taking faceoffs. Tonight i moved back to center, skated well I felt. Sucked on faceoffs going 1 for 5 or so. Made some stick plays with my recovering arm one handed on my stick. Got out in my truck after the game turned out of the rink noticed my arm was sore. not hurt. but sore. The slap shot I took off the front of my ankle didnt hurt at all....... yet. so that is actually kind of a good feeling. (although secretly its always nice to limp around the office on tuesday so the secretary asks whats wrong and I get to sound all tough)

are you using any KT tape on your shoulder? I used it on mine after coming back from a shoulder injury and it helped. just a little bit of support while it got stronger. and make sure you ice afterwards. hopefully won't be too long before you're 100%. :)
 
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JayfromNB1219

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Mar 27, 2019
2,087
1,171
New Brunswick
I have a permanently screwed up right hip because a no-talent ********* couldn't take me stripping him of the puck every time he had it, so he corkscrewed me from behind.

How I miss playoff games between adult men in a recreational league, when some players are under the illusion that the lives of their families are on the line. FFS, I don't miss it.

Holy sht...I mean I am as competitive as they come ( I hate losing in anything so I literally work my ass off) but corkscrewing someone from behind...the worst i'll do is treat it like it's a game when I was younger (if someone is dirty) and give them a pop as we race into the corner...
 

JayfromNB1219

Registered User
Mar 27, 2019
2,087
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New Brunswick
I mean I am as competitive as they come...I absolutely hate losing with a passion...but some of these stories make my blood boil...I don't know if it's a small town NB thing or whether it tends to be all over the place but has anyone noticed the dirtiest players tend to be guys relatively new to the game or lacking in skill (or wearing full shields as opposed to half shields) I got high sticked in a game, luckily his stick went through my visor and out the top (leaving me with his stick stuck beside my face...doesn't this jacka$$ decide he needs to pull the stick out himself and narrowly avoids my eye with the tip of his blade, he gets it out and I casually skate up to him and tell him "if you ever do that again I promise you we will drop the gloves and you will see why size doesn't matter (i'm a whopping 5'4 he was 6'0 tall) doesn't this genius then try to spear me in the mouth (newer guy to hockey so he lost his balance and missed my head by inches) so I shove him over as the ref skates over and sends me to the box for roughing...their ringer scores on the PP and we lose by 1...I have never been so pissed off in my life...I sometimes wonder, is it worth it to absolutely drill some of these newer guys just to send a message about the code when it comes to gentleman's hockey... like jayzus I almost lost an eye on that one...
 

Solmors

<3 Data
May 3, 2010
2,052
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San Jose
I mean I am as competitive as they come...I absolutely hate losing with a passion...but some of these stories make my blood boil...I don't know if it's a small town NB thing or whether it tends to be all over the place but has anyone noticed the dirtiest players tend to be guys relatively new to the game or lacking in skill (or wearing full shields as opposed to half shields) I got high sticked in a game, luckily his stick went through my visor and out the top (leaving me with his stick stuck beside my face...doesn't this jacka$$ decide he needs to pull the stick out himself and narrowly avoids my eye with the tip of his blade, he gets it out and I casually skate up to him and tell him "if you ever do that again I promise you we will drop the gloves and you will see why size doesn't matter (i'm a whopping 5'4 he was 6'0 tall) doesn't this genius then try to spear me in the mouth (newer guy to hockey so he lost his balance and missed my head by inches) so I shove him over as the ref skates over and sends me to the box for roughing...their ringer scores on the PP and we lose by 1...I have never been so pissed off in my life...I sometimes wonder, is it worth it to absolutely drill some of these newer guys just to send a message about the code when it comes to gentleman's hockey... like jayzus I almost lost an eye on that one...
Not saying you were wrong to be heated, but this is 100% inaccurate. There are weight classes in fighting for a reason. Unless you are a BJJ black belt or have significant fighting experience (and the bigger guy has none at all) you would get beat badly.

I've trained in martial arts for over a decade, and while I enjoy sparring, I don't do it competitively. On occasion I spar with a friend who is 6" shorter and 50lbs lighter than me who is an amateur MMA/kickboxer (muay thai, bjj, karate, and western boxing), so his skill at fighting is better than mine. He has never beat me once. Moral of the story, size matters so don't pick fights you can't win.
 

JayfromNB1219

Registered User
Mar 27, 2019
2,087
1,171
New Brunswick
Not saying you were wrong to be heated, but this is 100% inaccurate. There are weight classes in fighting for a reason. Unless you are a BJJ black belt or have significant fighting experience (and the bigger guy has none at all) you would get beat badly.

I've trained in martial arts for over a decade, and while I enjoy sparring, I don't do it competitively. On occasion I spar with a friend who is 6" shorter and 50lbs lighter than me who is an amateur MMA/kickboxer (muay thai, bjj, karate, and western boxing), so his skill at fighting is better than mine. He has never beat me once. Moral of the story, size matters so don't pick fights you can't win.

this guy is pretty new to hockey (horrible balance) so i figured if I gave him a sharp tug he would probably fall thus giving me the opportunity to feed him a couple...it's either that or show him how to spear someone in the mouth and mean it lol...i'm a small guy but I can't let people take advantage of me just because im short lol
 

Lil Sebastian Cossa

Opinions are share are my own personal opinions.
Jul 6, 2012
11,436
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One of my big frustrations happened on Sunday. Frustration with my own team and with a guy obviously a league below..

Dude was cherry picking all ****ing game. Had a shutout through 55 minutes. He'd had about 7 breakaways in this time and I stopped them all. One, he damn near ran me. Full head of steam, and glancing blow as he skated by.
He rips a shot in to tie it 1-1. Fine, that sucks, but I'll deal. He then gets another breakaway with a defender on him, gets a clean shot away, but the ref had a boner to call a penalty shot. He scores on that penalty shot. Then 30 seconds later another breakaway. Basically, dude had a natural hat trick in three minutes because he got four unmolested breakaways in a row.

How you
1) don't realize that he's blatantly cherry picking so drop a D back with him at all times
2) don't capitalize on the essential game-long PP for more than one goal.

The third goal he got was because I was livid from the previous two and that one came from a bull**** awarding of a PS. The even dumber thing? This guy was literally the only talented player on the other team. Through 9 games for them, he has 10 goals. Nobody else on their team has more than 1.
 

Yukon Joe

Registered User
Aug 3, 2011
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How you
1) don't realize that he's blatantly cherry picking so drop a D back with him at all times
2) don't capitalize on the essential game-long PP for more than one goal.

Playing mostly as D, I hate the cherry pickers. But I don't really know the best way to defend against them. So I'll ask here.

You're actually pointing to two mutually exclusive plays. As a D man I can certainly drop back to cover the cherry picker. But then we're no longer playing with a permanent power play - now it's just 4 on 4 with two players largely out of the play. But if I leave the cherry picker to play 5 on 4 then if he can get the puck it's a breakaway.

Now normally I tend to be aware of the cherry picker, but continue to play my position normally. Usually at my level that player is doing it not because they are talented, but because they are not, and I figure I can probably backcheck hard and catch up.

So what's the best way to deal with this situation?
 

Lil Sebastian Cossa

Opinions are share are my own personal opinions.
Jul 6, 2012
11,436
7,446
Playing mostly as D, I hate the cherry pickers. But I don't really know the best way to defend against them. So I'll ask here.

You're actually pointing to two mutually exclusive plays. As a D man I can certainly drop back to cover the cherry picker. But then we're no longer playing with a permanent power play - now it's just 4 on 4 with two players largely out of the play. But if I leave the cherry picker to play 5 on 4 then if he can get the puck it's a breakaway.

Now normally I tend to be aware of the cherry picker, but continue to play my position normally. Usually at my level that player is doing it not because they are talented, but because they are not, and I figure I can probably backcheck hard and catch up.

So what's the best way to deal with this situation?

It's got two mutually exclusive answers.

If they're cherry picking and suck, the goalie can handle it. If they're cherry picking and doing dangerous things, even if the goalie stops it some times, you should notice that. Especially when sitting on a 1-0 lead. So, it's kind of up to you how you read the play. If the cherry picker can barely skate and you can catch up, play like a PP. If the guy/girl gets dangerous opportunities, hang back with them.

In my case, we were up 1-0, so there was no reason they should have been pressing. The other goalie stood on his head so we couldn't capitalize, but the safer route would have been to have someone shading the one good forward on their team.
 
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Filthy Dangles

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Oct 23, 2014
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Playing mostly as D, I hate the cherry pickers. But I don't really know the best way to defend against them. So I'll ask here.

You're actually pointing to two mutually exclusive plays. As a D man I can certainly drop back to cover the cherry picker. But then we're no longer playing with a permanent power play - now it's just 4 on 4 with two players largely out of the play. But if I leave the cherry picker to play 5 on 4 then if he can get the puck it's a breakaway.

Now normally I tend to be aware of the cherry picker, but continue to play my position normally. Usually at my level that player is doing it not because they are talented, but because they are not, and I figure I can probably backcheck hard and catch up.

So what's the best way to deal with this situation?

Don't overthink it, just try to stay above the man at all or most times, i.e keep him in front of you. If he wants to concede 4-on-4 zone time for your team, let him.

Generally it's the weakside defenseman who has to keep tabs on the guy who might try and blow the zone. So just be aware and tell your partner to be aware. If there is a cherrypicker, you don't want to spread out too far in the offensive zone as the WSD like drifting outside the dotline to get open for a pass, as it will open the middle of the ice. Just sag and stay closer to the middle and keep him in front of you.
 

SaintMorose

Registered User
Jul 21, 2009
3,928
520
One of my big frustrations happened on Sunday. Frustration with my own team and with a guy obviously a league below..

Dude was cherry picking all ****ing game. Basically, dude had a natural hat trick in three minutes because he got four unmolested breakaways in a row.

How you
1) don't realize that he's blatantly cherry picking so drop a D back with him at all times
2) don't capitalize on the essential game-long PP for more than one goal.

It can be tough dealing with cherry-pickers as they take awareness and skating which at half the levels of beer league don't exist.
If your D-men are receptive to feedback let them know that they should take the PP when your team has 100% control of the puck but every time it gets contested immediately have the weak-side D start skating back towards the red line. Hockey is all about momentum and if he gets skating back at least a second before the cherry picker can gain proper momentum he'll catch the guy every time.
 

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