It’s cliche but true: Defence wins championship.
At TCS Live, hockey’s top coaches dive deep into the tactics needed to help you take your team on a championship playoff run.
In this edition of Best of, we take a look back at some of our favourite presentations on the defensive side of the game from last year’s event.
Whether it’s closing out the championship game, helping players understand the importance of puck support in the defensive zone, or selling your players on team defence, we’ve got you covered. Check out our top presentations on defensive tactics.
Best of TCS Live series:
- Best of TCS Live Presentations: Skill Development
- Best of TCS Live Presentations: Youth Development
- Best of TCS Live Presentations: Offensive Tactics
André Tourigny – How to Teach and Sell Team Defence
Arizona Coyotes Head Coach André Tourigny is not, admittedly, a patient man. He wants his players to play fast in all three zones. He understands the importance of defence, but doesn’t want to spend more time on it than is obligated.
“As a coach, I’m an offence first guy…but I like to win even more than I like offence, and if you want to win, you have to be good defensively, you need to be structured and you need to know what you’re doing.”
At last year’s TCS Live, Tourigny went into detail on how everything his teams do defensively, is to create offence.
Tourigny’s defensive zone coverage is nicknamed TSN for the roles of trenchmen, supportmen and netmen, which he explains, in addition to a 1-1-3 neutral zone forecheck, offensive zone forecheck and tracking, specifically how to hunt the puck carrier and provide back pressure, taking away their options, and transition tracking to d-zone coverage.
Gain valuable tips on tips and tricks from the Yotes bench boss to get your team committed to team D.
Dan Muse – The Importance of the Second Player in Puck Support
In his current role as Head Coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team, Dan Muse is coaching the future of pro hockey, all with outstanding skillsets. The importance of puck support is something he noticed not many players have fully grasped, so his TCS Live presentation in 2022 focused on just that: the vital role players play away from the puck.
“I really believe that right now the players coming up in today’s day and age, they can skate, they’ve got great puck skills, they can shoot, but away from the puck, as coaches, we have to help them continue to get better. It’s going to be extremely important for them as they reach the higher levels.”
The big picture focus points for Muse’s presentation include how to work with players away from the puck, how players should support the puck with purpose and the difference between being an option and the best option, and the importance of creating game like environments that will develop spatial and situational awareness and reads.
Cam Abbott – Playing with a Lead
On March 1st, 2022, Cam Abbott and his team Rögle BK clung to a narrow 2-1 lead over Finnish club Tappara, late in the 3rd period in the championship game of the Champions League.
Do you encourage your team to sit back or do you apply pressure? Under what circumstances do they ice the puck? What is the strategy when you have a face-off in the D-zone and the other team has pulled their goalie?
These aren’t minor decisions. These are decisions that decide championships.
“Do you want to go for the empty net regardless of what the score is or if you’re up in the game by two or three or one goal? What’s your plan? What about if there’s 30 seconds left? Have you addressed these things with your team?”
Abbott’s 2022 TCS Live presentation will challenge whether you and your team are actually prepared to go all the way.
