Forechecking Makes Things Happen

Different teams have different philosophies on the forecheck

Dec. 21, 2007

By Dave Starman

Special to CSTV.com

	DAVE STARMAN Dave is a CSTV game and studio analyst, and contributes regular insight to CSTV.com. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- STAR TREATMENT 1/18: Irish Not Just About Football 1/11: Been There, But Not Done Yet 12/30: Tech Is Back 12/30: Michigan Is A Team Again 12/29: History Made, Revisited At Great Lakes Invitational 12/29: From Stripes To Suits 12/27: Go West Young Men 12/21: More Questions Than Answers 12/21: Forechecking Makes Things Happen 12/19: Not All Holiday Surprises Are Happy Ones 12/7: Feeling The Love 11/30: How About Next Time? 10/19: Home Sweet Home 10/10: What's The Worst That Can Happen? 9/27: A Shot In The Heart 9/25: CCHA Media Day Notebook 9/25: DelCastillo's Balancing Act 6/20: College Well Represented at NHL Draft 5/16: Morris Back in the Saddle 4/6: Numbers Game At Frozen Four 4/6: Notes On The Frozen Four 4/6: At Maine, There Is No Off-season 4/6: Behind The Scenes 4/5: Heart On Your Sleeve 4/5: Nothing New For Cavanaugh 4/5: Frozen Four Storylines 4/4: Even Keeled Whitehead Suits Maine Just Fine 4/3: Comley Calm Behind Spartans' Bench 3/24: The X-Factors: Saturday Edition 3/23: The X Factors: Friday's Semifinals 3/23: Sitting On The Panel 3/12: Two Expressions Told It All, One Is Lasting 3/7: Officiating, Conference Alignment and More 3/1: In A Fantasy World, Five Trades In College Hockey 2/7: Here They Come Again 1/31: Revamp The NCAA Tournament 1/26: No-goal Controversy Needs Another Look 12/29: Team USA Has Talent To Be Much Better 12/14: Composite or Wood? 12/6: Making Sense of the Senseless 11/24: Hensick Working On His Two-Way Play 11/7: Wisconsin is Fully Equipped 11/3: Pooley Receives Ultimate Honor 11/2: Off Wisconsin 10/6: NCAA Rules Committee Lays Down Law 6/27: NHL Entry Draft Thoughts 6/16: Collegiate Stars Making Mark In Finals 4/7: Damon and Moore: Maine Men 3/25: Women’s Frozen Four Notebook 3/23: At The Frozen Four With SLU 3/23: UW's Slusar Wins Off The Ice 3/7: Questions Asked And Answered 2/16: Pioneering Spirit 2/15: Playing Five Questions 12/20: Christmas Edition

"The forecheck is the greatest weapon in hockey."

Barry Trotz told me that in an empty dressing room in Binghamton, N.Y., when I was just a young pup learning everything I could from a from a professional coach.  Trotz is now a decade into his tenure as the head coach of the Nashville Predators. Then, he was an assistant with the American Hockey League's Baltimore Skipjacks.

"The ability to pressure the defensemen, especially some of the slower ones, allow you to gain possession in an advantageous situation with a little hard work by your first guy.  Really, if it's a smart dump in, the puck does most of the work getting into the offensive zone.  You just have to have guys who want to go get it."

Sounds simple, and it is theoretically.  However, a good forecheck is predicated on determination, a smart dump in, angling, and first man pressure. 

"The first forechecker is the guy that dictates everything," said Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien earlier this season.  "He has to get in there quick and establish contact.

The second man in must read the play and determine which way the puck might move. My personal feeling is that if the dump in dies in a corner or if it's not behind the net, the second man should think of taking away the short side wall.  If the first forechecker forces a turnover, the second has to win the puck. If an opposing defenseman fires a pass, the second man should anticipate where the puck might be headed.  Most likely in that case, it's going to the weak side because there is more open space and less pressure"

"That second guy's got to be there to pick up the loose puck," said Julien. "If he's going to be a little late and delayed, there's no use in having two guys running out of position and getting beat with one pass. You have to be smart and be able to read those situations. We talk about reading off each other. That's the perfect example."

Providence head coach Tim Army watched the Bruins earlier this season and saw how Julien was implementing his forecheck.

"Whatever you are trying to do system wise, you are trying to force a turnover and turn the puck the other way," said Army.  "I'm watching Boston practice and that's what they are working on, the forecheck and neutral zone play and trying to create turnovers and go the other way."

The forecheck serves many purposes and coaches are varied in their beliefs. 

The biggest misnomer about a forecheck, according to the late Roger Neilsen, was that the neutral zone trap, or the 1-2-2 forecheck, was all about defense.  Roger insisted that the trap was an offensive minded system predicated on quick counters off turnovers in the neutral zone.

However, many coaches see the forecheck as much of a defensive weapon as an offensive one.  Some, like Army, don't even call it that anymore.

"I use the term pursuit. I think there are too many systematic words in hockey," said Army. "At Providence, we talk about pursuing the puck.  We try to force loose pucks, and then whatever you want to do is transition off that loose puck.  Bottom line is you are trying to put the opposition in an area where they'll be forced to be a little sloppy with the puck."

Coaches will often preach to their team to control what they can during a game.  That includes your emotion, your level of play, and the tempo of the game. 

"The forecheck is one way where a coach can control the game's tempo," said Dartmouth associate head coach Dave Peters.  "Do you want to pressure aggressively and force turnovers down low, or do you send one man in and try to get it back higher?  You can also send two deep to play the D man on man, but that involves one of your D crashing down to cover a winger."

"A forecheck is obviously the first aspect of defense; that's where it initiates from," said Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson.  "With the way the game is played today there's so much involved in not just the initial forecheck but back pressure from the forecheck and then trying to outnumber people, and creating advantages off turnovers."

There's the difference in philosophy.  Is the forecheck an offensive weapon to be used aggressively, or is it more of a defensive system like the Devils used in the mid 1990's?  Do you want to limit time or limit space, or both?

Air Force coach Frank Serratore's forecheck theory will forever be known as "asses and eyes."  He makes it very easy to read situations on the ice to eliminate hesitation.

"'Asses and Eyes' is nothing more than a slang phrase used to reference visual cues for forechecker's in pursuit," said Serratore.   "If the opposing puck defenseman is looking at the pursuit forechecker, the checker is most likely late indicating a containment situation. Conversely, if the pursuit forechecker sees nothing but the backside of the opposing defenseman, he is more than likely creating pressure indicating an aggressive pursuit situation."

A few years ago, forechecking was countered by forwards getting back and holding up forwards, or defensemen holding or obstructing forwards chasing pucks at full speed.  It looked like a football team rushing the quarterback and the offensive line blocking.  That changed a few years ago when the standard of play initiative eliminated water skiing on players at high speed, using the stick as an instrument of obstruction, and defensemen taking a hand off the stick and stopping forecheckers' progress.

"In the past, you used to be able to rope a guy down and put a saddle on him and ride," said Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin.  "My experience in Hockey East is that we don't invite enough forchecking. I'd like to see teams play more aggressively on the puck.  Teams seem to want to recover pucks before the offensive blue line as opposed to beneath the goal line.  The days of the 2-1-2, defensemen pinching down, all kinds of excitement below the circle, seem to be over. Turnovers in that area below the goal line produce quick scoring chances. That's exciting."

Now, you can get in quicker and with less traffic, but once you get to the puck and the defensemen protecting it, the rules of engagement change the old philosophy, which might be why Cronin sees less "turnover and attack the net" play than during his time in professional hockey.

"We think the forecheck is a way to create turnovers and generate offense,' said Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson, whose team plays an ultra-aggressive style, especially in the small confines of Yost Arena.  "However, with the new rules, players have to be ready to make a change in their forechecking.  They are still looking to jump in and create turnovers, but you can't just plaster a guy against the boards when he has his back turned."

Princeton's Guy Gadowsky grew up in Edmonton and watched the Oilers pursue with speed and create havoc in the defensive end.  As much as he'd like to use speed to get to the puck quickly, Gadowsky feels that the new rules have a lot to do with what is perceived as a lack of old style pressure and punishment of defensemen.

"They are not letting you get in and use the body as much anymore.  They allow you to get there quicker but don't allow you to do as much when you get there," said Gadowsky, whose Alaska teams were among college hockey's most tenacious forecheckers.  "Teams that are successful on the forecheck are the ones whose players can adapt as they go."

The emphasis on eliminating hits from behind and protecting players has definitely taken the edge off the physicality of forechecking in college hockey. The pursuit forechecker cannot recklessly barrel into an opponent without the risk of being severely penalized. Of course, we all feel that is a good thing.

"I personally do not have a problem with this as I believe the safety of the players must come first and finishing a check should be more about separating the puck carrier from the puck and less about intimidation'" said Serratore.  "At Air Force, we coach our forecheckers to be in control of their bodies like it were a vehicle. If the opportunity presents itself to finish a check with authority, great. If not, they must be prepared to contain their opponent, either way, we want our forecheckers to get there and get there as quickly as possible."

The players see forechecking as a chance to keep their blood pumping and turn momentum in their favor.  On the ice, you know when an opponent is intimidated, and relentless pursuit of the puck when teams are in areas of the ice that has little wriggle room is a great way to wear a team down physically and mentally.

"Defensemen, they will look over their shoulders all night if they know that they are being chased and drilled every time they go back and get a puck," said Nebraska-Omaha forward Bryan Marshall.  "You absolutely can use that as a mental advantage.  It's a reason to get in there every time."

However, how your forecheck works depends on your players.  Former Cornell forward Cam Abbott was an intimidating forechecker, with size, speed, and desire to hit anything that moved.  Conversely, someone like Nathan Gerbe of Boston College can't spend all night dishing out hits because his game is to put pucks in the net.

Bowling Green has improved this year, and has employed an up-tempo style that sees forwards get after pucks.  Being first on the puck and making contact is a huge part of their game.  As former Flyers coach Fred Shero always said, "arrive first, and in ill humor."

"The forecheck is definitely an offensive weapon," said Falcons captain Derek Whitmore.  "You need to forecheck with a purpose though, you just can't get in there and run around looking to hit people.  Big hits are exciting and get the crown going but in our system we use our speed to get to specific places and get pucks."

In the CCHA and ECAC Hockey, the uniqueness of the ice surfaces makes forechecking a huge part of the game. Michigan and Michigan State have no corners, so action is hot and heavy below the goal lines.  Cornell is similar; it's hard to avoid contact in the quiet zones below the goal line.  Notre Dame has a little more corner area, but at Harvard, Clarkson, Union and Bowling Green, it gets crowded down low quickly. Less space means more puck battles.

However, "I think the forecheck can get overemphasized at times," Gadowsky said. "I think if you have to rely on it to create offense, you probably won't score much." 

Rink size and dimensions play a part in this also.  At Colorado College, with its square corners and Olympic sheet, getting a good forecheck is tough.  At Duluth, it's a bit more cozy which is why George Gwozdecky feels that in the WCHA, you probably see the widest array of forechecking styles in college hockey, especially on the big surfaces at Minnesota, Wisconsin, and CC.  Freshmen might not have much experience on the big sheet, making angling an issue.  If you are in a league that doesn't have a big sheet you may be hesitant to commit to low too quickly in non-conference games.

In the end, a good forecheck takes several things: hockey sense, aggressive pursuit, hard work and desire. 

"It's just a relentless thing.  The mentality of, `I don't care what you put in my way I'm going to get to you, hit you, and cause a turnover,'" said Alaska head coach Doc DelCastillo  "It is a mentality of being hard to play against, making it miserable to be a defenseman who has to go back and pick up pucks."