Advice: Holding the point with cherry pickers

[Jarick]

I wouldn't think, or at least I dont, consider a flying weak side winger on the breakout a "cherry picker". I feel like a guy that basically stays in the neuteral zone to be cherry picking. If you're in the Dzone helping out and your team gains possesion its your job as the weak side guy to get up ice to open up the neutral zone and make the defending team back off their foreheck a bit to give the guys a little more space. As a D man even if I cant get you the puck you are relieveing some pressure by getting up ice when your team gains possesion.

This.

Cherry picking is when you are in the neutral zone while the play is going on in your defensive zone, and you're circling around looking for a pass. Not a bad play if, say, you're down a goal and have the goalie pulled for the extra man...a good flip pass will give you a breakaway. But bad when it's 5-on-5 (and way worse 4-on-4).

A winger who's playing his position waiting for the breakout pass is doing his job.

 

[Thesensation19*]

If its during a game, WHO CARES. I dont cherry pick but I could care less. Its up to the defensive team to adapt to the offense. Cherry picking is a gamble and you might win big or you might lose big. Either way its as simple as having 3 players attacking in the zone trying to obtain or keep possession. 1 player staying high in the zone in case of a dump or adding extra man. But then 1 player must be almost shadowing the cherry picker. Best thing for that player to do is play 4-7 feet away from the cherry picker and in front of him. Ready to intercept any dumps or passes and also ready to defend if the pass is complete. Problem is that everyone thinks in a game (amateur or pro) the game should be played a certain way but thats not the case and it should be played within the regulations and rules however the coach/team wishes to play.

I hate cherry pickers during pick up games, practices, open hockey, shinny, what have you. These are locations to have fun, play a smart beautiful kind of hockey. Not about how many goals you can rack up in a friendly or a practice where its meant for learning and practicing.

Open hockey is the worse. Why hang out on the other side, just to score a goal? Play with the team. And I dont mean guys who just leave the zone for a break when their team retains possession. We are talking about real cherry pickers, the guys who r lazy and go for a glory that no one even cares about...

 

[Thesensation19*]

Meh, as a person who has been accused of this, I don't care if someone's attempts to shame me. If I anticipate my team will be taking the puck away and I see a scenario that may result in a breakaway, I'm taking off.

When your team retains possesion of the puck in your zone. Or looks like they will. You have every right to play hockey smartly and rush up. Thats not cherry picking. Though let me give you a tip and (idk if you do this but) dont skate in a line up. Skate more in a curve or horizantal so you can get a proper pass... That is of course unless you have a STRAIGHT break and then you go like lightning and wait for a dump pass.

Either way. Cherry picking is when your team does not have possession, in fact is playing defense. And you wait in the neutral zone for your team to get it and then you wait for a pass in hopes of a 1 on 1 or break away. Not exactly what u described what u do

 

[Wildturkey12]

Cherry pickers really do take the fun out of playing D for me.

 

[#66]

I'm a big time cherry picker but I wait until my team has the puck. Sometimes I'll do it to get a break away pass but I'll also do it to push the defenseman back so that a team mate can carry the puck up my wing and enter the zone with speed.

If I was a defenseman I would use it to my advantage. Keep track of where he is, stay between him and the puck and stay two stick lengths away.

 

[Burke the Legend]

Cherry pickers really do take the fun out of playing D for me.

Agree, not fun being the dman who has to take himself out of the play, sit back and cover the selfish cherry picker. People who say blah blah it's a calculated risk legit tactic are dumbasses.

It's a selfish play you're screwing over your team, making the game boring with stupidass hockey that would never fly with any kind of coach in a non-beer league setting, all so you have a chance at living out your superstar thrill of getting an easy clean breakaway which is all you really want.

Cherry pickers are selfish ******** who should go play on a pond to get their cheesy self indulgent thrills instead of ******** up a game for 21 other guys who spent time and money trying to organize a quality hockey game.

 

[Clint]

Meh, as a person who has been accused of this, I don't care if someone's attempts to shame me. If I anticipate my team will be taking the puck away and I see a scenario that may result in a breakaway, I'm taking off.

Exactly. If a defenseman is chirping at me for getting behind him then I'm doing something right.

 

[SJGoalie32]

You gotta drop back a bit to cover him well cuz even tho he is being useless and lame for his team by creating a 4v4 situation which helps your team on offence,

Pretty much just this.

You're a defender. Drop back and cover him. Don't let him get the breakaway.

On the one hand.....yes, leaving the blue line will make it easier for them to clear the zone. But on the other hand.....making it a 4-on-4 in your team's offensive zone increases the chances of your team scoring on offense. Fewer opposing defenders to control the slot, wider passing lanes, more time and space to find open forwards and pick targets to shoot at on the net.

And if the cherrypicker is a faster, more talented skater than you.....your team comes out way ahead. Your team gets to eliminate one of their better players and prevent him from breaking the puck out of the zone in exchange for losing a mid-level defenseman. Advantage your team.

If he wants to give your team the advantage by not backchecking......so long as you prevent the easy breakaway, I say let him.

 

[tarheelhockey]

As long as you're between him and the puck, it doesn't matter what zone you're in -- your team is at an advantage.

Say he's standing at the red line and you drop back to cover him. Just stay in front of him with your eyes on the play, and you'll have a step on him when the puck comes out of the zone. There's a good chance you will, at worst, cause him to have to battle for the puck and end up stalling in the neutral zone while you wait for support.

If the other team really gets possession and starts to rush out, he's not going to have much room to move around and get open anyway, so he's actually in a worse position than if he had been playing properly.

Cherry picking against a halfway-intelligent defenseman is really not a smart move. He's basically surrendering a 4-on-4 to your team in his own defensive zone, AND giving you the advantage in positioning against his own rush. There's a reason coaches don't allow this stuff.