Yelling at another player ON YOUR team to pass the puck to you: bush league or no?

[HIFE]

Inspired by the last thread I wanted to get some opinions on this matter.

My entire experience playing youth hockey I never once called for a pass, and I honestly can't remember a team mate doing it either. In adult or pick-up I notice this trend a little more.

My feeling is "dude of course I will pass it if you are the better option and I can"! I don't need to be told to make a slick pass, and sometimes you need to make a move first to pull it off. I think it can really give the play away to the opponent as well, announcing the opportunity. I also find that it makes me nervous, rushed, or throws me off and the play gets jacked up usually when someone is screaming for a pass.

A current league team mate and good friend disagrees with me. He says it's good communication and pros do it constantly.

Any thoughts on what you have experienced? Is it proper communication or too juvenile?

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[predfan24]

Simple. If your calling for the puck just because your a puck hog and want it then it's not right. If your calling because you are open or a viable outlet etc. not only is it not immature it's a good tactic. Lots of times your teammate are not going to see you if you don't express where you are verbally. It happens in the NHL all the time.

 

[Royal Canuck]

Depends on the situation. If you're wide open, then call for it. If you're calling for it just because you want the puck, different story.

 

[AndreD]

We got a new coach last week who is a pretty experienced player (Midget AAA, College hockey, English Premier League) and if we are not constantly shouting at each other he will stop the drill and make us start over. Communication is so key to playing effectively. Without it you can be 5 individually world class players but until you can communicate effectively on the ice you will never be able to play as a good team.

The only thing I would say in relation to the OP is that as well as shouting whenever you want the pass you must also always be shouting when you don't want the pass to make it clear. If you skate around silently how is the puck carrier meant to know who is open and who isn't and where everyone is all the time, it leads to sloppy play and turnovers.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

On-ice communication is a big part of the game. A lot of guys simply don't have the vision to see the entire ice, so verbally communicating where you are is a good thing.

I guess maybe some guys can get rubbed the wrong way if they don't know how to express themselves in a polite way? Pesonally i always find myself saying things like "i'm with you" or "i'm up top" or "i'm all alone" or something so they can pick up my location just by hearing my voice. I don't like shouting "give me the puck" or "pass it here".

 

[torero]

Cats are superior hunter to dogs.

So Dogs, to survive, formed a pack and communicate ... which makes them better.

++

Hockey is fast ... so their is the limitation. I still believe that communication is veeery important.

(for kids , the trainers may want to limit communication ... because kids are famously wild communicators )

 

[Guffaw]

Great topic. If it's because you are open and you are trying to help your team win, yes. If not then don't call for the puck.

Also, don't whine if I 1) don't hear you 2) don't see you or 3) decide not to pass. I tend to have my head down more than I should so I've missed people. What I can't stand is the whining all the way back to the bench and then some. I've had to tell more than one to shut the **** up. This is in pickup hockey

 

[Jarick]

I always tell my teammates when I'm yelling for the puck, I'm not demanding it, just letting them know I'm an option.

 

[mbhhofr]

Verbal communication is a necessity for success.

 

[beenhereandthere]

IMO, even in rec hockey, it's great to yell and tell your teammates, that you're an option for a pass. It's weird though, if you're big time wide open and the other guy still decides to keep it, unless it's a two on one or two on none rush.
Some guy said though his defense about not falling for a jerk that is not on your team, calling for a pass, is to assume that it's someone from the other team. Makes a little sense. In other words don't trust anyone, unless you can actually see them?

 

[hyster110]

there is nothing wrong with communication on the ice, it fact it may help win games,

 

[HIFE]

Yes I think I was wondering about talking in general. The responses are pretty eye (and mind) opening for me. I realize that verbal communication is a part of the game that no one ever taught or brought up in my time developing. I've always been a very quiet player. When you are not used to it you may get flustered easily.

 

[Triple Deke]

You don't have to be constantly yelling. Just pick the appropriate times.
I know I don't take offense when a teammate yells out simple phrases like "boards" or "middle".

 

[capebretoncanadien]

You don't have to be constantly yelling. Just pick the appropriate times.
I know I don't take offense when a teammate yells out simple phrases like "boards" or "middle".

Pretty much this. As long as you don't whine or criticize when I don't pass it to you give a yell. It can get a little annoying when you can see the person as clear as day though.

 

[ponder]

I'll call for a pass when I'm wide open, and the guy with the puck doesn't happen to be looking my way. You don't wanna be a ****** about it, but communication on the ice is important, as long as everyone's on the same page the whole team should be fairly verbal. The guys who get frustrated when they don't get passed to, that's a different story, but most of the time when you call for the puck you're just letting the puck handler know that you're a good/open option. I've played hockey since I was 8, and for the most part there's always been plenty of talking on the ice.

 

[damacumich]

I communicate as much as possible on the ice. I admit I am guilty of being angry when it is a two on one and I am wide open for a tap in, my teammate has his head down the whole way, and I shout at him and tap my stick on the ice. When he tells me on the bench that he didn't see/hear me I will be extremely mad. This is beer league.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I'm the guy who skates around on NHL12 stick-tapping nonstop.

 

[Thresh]

I'm glad this thread came up. I'm one of the most verbal players on my team when on the ice and it's always polite and in a "i'm with you" or giving them an option kind of way, but since the start of the season there have been some serious opportunities missed because i was wide open and vocal and the puck carrier had a shot under pressure instead or whatever.

In fact, i can barely recall a single scenario where my team mates have used me as an option when i've been vocal about being open.
This never really bothered me until this week gone, when two huge chances went begging and we lost a crucial game 4-3.

So my question is, how do you get your team to wise up and learn that they need to listen out for players and communicate more?

 

[noobman]

It depends who I'm playing with. If I'm playing with guys who aren't that great or just don't usually see passes, I will call for passes or yell instructions to them. If I'm with solid players I just open up with my stick on the ice. Nine times out of ten they'll find me, and if not it's because they're taking a shot or moving the puck to someone else. I sometimes worry that the defender will hear me call for the puck and take me out of the play.

Personally, I have a hard time seeing more than the obvious pass, so I like it when a guy calls for the pass. It's better than having the guy stand around idly at the blueline, not get the pass, then scoff at you for it.

 

[Sony Eriksson*]

Its completely warranted to yell "pass the puck". A guy that used to play on my team that i played with for 3 years had great stick handling skills but was slow as **** would not pass the puck to save his life. So therefor yes its appropriate.

 

[Wedontneedroads]

Have a guy on one of my teams that refuses to pass the puck. It annoys the hell out of me

I honestly don't care about scoring goals. I much prefer to set them up. However IMO guys should know when the smart play is to pass the puck. Yea we all make mistakes, but there are some very obvious situations when you need to pass the puck forward because the puck travels 10x faster than you do.

Mention it to them on the bench first, but if they continue to keep their head up their rear then I'm all for yellin at them when it's a clear passing situation.

 

[Ozz]

Lots of goals are scored by calling out. If someone is always calling because they always want the puck regardless of positioning, then that's different. Lots of no-look passes are made on my team thanks to good communication.

 

[Loyal2TheOil]

For me it really depends on a lot of variables. Where we are on the ice, who I'm playing with. I'll never call for a pass just because I want it, so when guys do that I consider that bush league. If we're breaking out of our zone, I'm usually saying stuff like 'man on you' and 'you got boards' etc just because in the defensive zone I think it really helps out. If I'm playing with a playmaker I usually keep quiet because I'm confident he'll find me when I'm open. I think verbal communication is a really important skill for a team to be successful because it forces players to keep their head up and alerts them of 'danger' and possible options.

the one that bugs me the most is when the puck hog gets its on his stick. i hate when those guys try to go 1 on 2, 1 on 3 and deke everyone out when they have a chance to cycle or open man so I'll be pretty vocal and call for a pass, if I'm in good position, when those guys have it on their stick. nothing worse than one guy trying to do it all and take the team game out of it.

 

[hockeymass]

For me it really depends on a lot of variables. Where we are on the ice, who I'm playing with. I'll never call for a pass just because I want it, so when guys do that I consider that bush league. If we're breaking out of our zone, I'm usually saying stuff like 'man on you' and 'you got boards' etc just because in the defensive zone I think it really helps out. If I'm playing with a playmaker I usually keep quiet because I'm confident he'll find me when I'm open. I think verbal communication is a really important skill for a team to be successful because it forces players to keep their head up and alerts them of 'danger' and possible options.

the one that bugs me the most is when the puck hog gets its on his stick. i hate when those guys try to go 1 on 2, 1 on 3 and deke everyone out when they have a chance to cycle or open man so I'll be pretty vocal and call for a pass, if I'm in good position, when those guys have it on their stick. nothing worse than one guy trying to do it all and take the team game out of it.

Nothing makes me madder than dudes who refuse to head man the puck or cycle it.

Calling for it is pretty useful if your guy can't see everyone. One example is if he's scrapping for it in the corner, you can let him know he has help along the boards or maybe he has a clear lane to toss it towards the guy in front of the net. But yeah, trying to get your teammate to make a bad pass for the sake of being a puck hog is indeed bush league.

 

[mobilus]

I was coaching one of my son's teams a few years ago (they were aged 10 at the time). I asked them in the dressing room once, "Hands up, how would you guys like it if we installed microphones and headsets in all your helmets so you could speak to each other on the ice?" Everyone's hands went up with a couple whoops and hollers in support. I then told them they were already installed, each of them had a mouth and two ears for transmitting and receiving. Yak it up out there, the game isn't an ambush and you're not going to be giving away any secrets.