Had to share this as it is so relevant to what we are teaching @maphockey. The 1st part of the clip is bad Defense Away From the Puck. The @NHLFlames D guesses and cheats the net cycle. We talk about "discouraging with your body" and "disrupting with your stick" when defending away from the puck. Neither happens here. The 2nd part of the play, the @GoldenKnights F does a quick shoulder check, thus has great Player Awareness of both opposition and his teammate.

Despite the challenges of not playing the remainder of the season, the NAHL still lived up to its mission to be the League of Opportunity. #NAHL50th | #50in50

Defense at the Puck - 2 of the 3 goals the @MapleLeafs gave up last night were a direct result of them not stopping on the puck battle. In both cases the player they did not finish their check on, makes an outlet pass to the eventual goal scorer.

From the Coach - Such a great story for the @Capitals F, Matt Phillips. HC Spencer Carbery talks about how Phillips just kept working hard in practice even though the deck was stacked against him. Drafted 166th overall by @NHLFlames in 2016. He listed as the smallest player in the NHL at 5'8" and 160lbs. Up till this season had played only 5 games in the NHL for the Flames. Last night he scores and assist on the other Caps goal against his former team. What a great message to young players on perseverance.

My apologies for the @Senators love this morning. My brother who lives in Ottawa is coming to visit me in AZ this week so I've been watching lots of Sens clips. Lots of good things to love about this team. This is the epitome of finishing yours checks and wearing down opposition's D. Defensemen #36 of the @NHLFlyers is hit twice just seconds apart resulting in a turnover and G. This is "winning hockey".

Offense Away from Puck - Here is a great example of the @Senators #81 Kubalik changing with the puck deep in the @TBLightning zone. The eventual goal scorer, Tkachuk comes on the ice and goes to soft spot that is difficult for all teams to cover. Very unslfish and smart of Kubalik. So often young players don't to change when the puck is in the offensive zone for fear they may miss out on "getting points". This is "winning hockey" as well!

From the coach -@Senators HC D.J. Smith when asked about Tarasenko. His repsonse is focused on his puck management and not forcing plays. D.J. called it "winning hockey". It is that simple, the team that manages the puck the best, may not win every night, but they won't be giving the game away. Oppostion will have to earn it.

Offense at the Puck - Puck Management on Entry A couple of similar clips from last night. Players need to understand that when choose to carry the puck in on entry, it forces their teammates to have to slow down or stop to avoid offside. Thus, any turnover results in an odd man attack the other way. Specially with how teams attack with 4 players now.

From the Coach - I love the message @BlueJacketsNHL HC Pascal Vincent sends after game 1 loss. He speaks of how the game is about 1x1 battles and that where his team came up short last night had nothing to do with talent, just hard work and competing.

From the Coach - Empowering Your Staff Stick taps to @MapleLeafs HC Sheldon Keefe. Last night he gave credit to his staff who all played critical roles in the Leafs win. AC Dean Chynoweth who runs the PK, AC Guy Boucher who runs the 6 on 5 and Video Coach Jordan Bean who spearheads the video review decisions. I love that he shared the praise.

Mike Sullivan of @penguins on D Marcus Pettersson. Pettersson who was a healthy scratch last year now being paired with current Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. When asked how he accomplished this, Sullivan said a couple of things; 1. He just cam to the rink with a great attitude and wored hard. 2. The coaches really like working with him. Players, your attitiude goes a long way in your development and your coaches being in your corner.

Patrice Bergeron of @NHLBruins in his press conference yesterday talked about what he wanted to remembered by most. He states that it would be his desire to connect with people and get to know them. I posted a few weeks back about @NHLJets DOPD telling the dev camp players about building relationships. This explains why Bergeron was respected not only by his teammates but his peers throughout the sport.

Great job by #90 Johansson of the @mnwild impacting the play without ever possessing the puck. First in coverage he shows great player awareness and adjusting his stick placement and disrupting the pass. He quickly then gets his toes up ice and stretches thus backing off oppositions D which allows #12 to have a clean exit and attack through the N.zone.

A few weeks ago I posted several clips on "situational awareness". I wish I had found this clip then, better late than never. Don Granato of @BuffaloSabres talking about what veteran players bring to a team, most importantly, "situational awareness" which the Sabres have struggled with. Making the right decisions at the right times is critical to success.

Let me preface this tweet by saying this is related to players/coaches at the Jr. levels and higher. Don Granato of @BuffaloSabres stating the bottom line for a player when being evaluated is, "can they help us win". A harsh reality for some, but the truth. Players have to ask themselves, "how do I make this team better, and can I help them win?"

Rod Brind'Amour of the @Canes during Dev. camp sends one message to the young players, "You must be competitive". As players start attending camps this month, they need to understand that this is the foundation for all championship teams. Youth coaches, find ways to make your drills competitive, otherwise you are doing them a disservice.

Director of Player development for @NHLJets on the importance of building relationships at Dev. camp. He talks about putting your phone down at dinner and talking to the guy across from you. We all want a "good culture", it starts with good people and strong relationships.

Two simple terms when teaching your players how to defend away from the puck. 1. Discourage with body positioning. (be in the way) 2. Disrupt with a good stick. (1 hand on stick on the ice) @DallasStars Robertson get's caught with 2 hands on his stick & doesn't disrupt the pass.

Defense Away from Puck - As many players are going to camps this summer, remember what you do away from the puck matters. You have the puck less than 4% of the time you are on the ice. Here @FlaPanthers Duclair has poor stick positioning & then little effort to block the shot.

Offense at the Puck - Great example of @TBLightning Kucherov taking what's given. He receives puck and instantly attacks the net. In doing so, he freezes the D but more importantly forces the @MapleLeafs G to get to the top of his crease which does not allow him to recover.