If that persists one solution is to intentionally go offside on him. Every time, on purpose. He'll get mad, he might scream and shout at you in front of everyone. Smile at him and tell him you won't change things until he does. What better proof to headman the puck when you can reach the blue line before him. He'll start passing.
I used to play goal in a full contact industrial league. My first season I noticed one defenseman made the same mistake on dump-ins to our end. I'd stop the puck behind the net, and he'd come flying in, pick up the puck and immediately pass it straight up the middle in the slot. Every other team knew he'd do that (guess it had been going on for years), and I'd face a one-timer slap shot from just above the hash marks. Probably half of those went in. I asked him repeatedly to stop passing the puck up the middle, to no avail. Finally one game I altered things, and would skate behind the net on dump-ins but wouldn't stop the puck. I just went for a skate around the net and got back in the crease. He'd come flying in and end up chasing the puck behind the net and through to the far corner where he was met by their forechecker. Wham! -- drilled into the boards. Over and over. I did it four or five times in succession in one game. Finally he came to me furious, screaming at me to stop letting the puck go behind the net. I told him, "I'll stop the dump-ins when you stop passing it up the middle." He never passed the puck up the middle again, but he also never spoke to me off ice ever again either. It was a fair trade as far as I was concerned.
Last edited:
