How to Coach a Power Play

A power play in hockey occurs when a team is penalized for an infraction and the offending player is removed from the ice to spend a specified amount of time in the penalty box, thus giving the opposition a man advantage on the ice. There are a number of different penalties that can be assessed during a game from which a player is ruled off the ice for a time period.

Some of Minor penalties, (2-minutes) or Major Penalties, (4 or 5-minutes) offenses include:

Bench Penalties: Delay of game, too many men on the ice
Physical Fouls: Clipping, fighting
Restraining Fouls: Hooking, tripping
Stick Penalties: High sticking, slashing
Other Penalties: Embellishment, handling the puckhttp://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26295

When a team has a man advantage on the ice, the coach then implements different techniques to capitalize from the situation.

Step 1: Rules of Penalty Play

When a penalty is given to someone for an infraction, there are stipulations attached.

In a Minor Penalty situation, if the team with the man advantage scores before the two minutes are up, the penalized player may return to the ice immediately following the score.
In a Major Penalty situation, the player penalized must serve the entire time in the box, whether his teams scores or not.
For a Misconduct Penalty, the player receives ten minutes in the box, however a substitute is permitted to replace him. There is usually a minor penalty assessed at the same time. The team must play shorthanded for two minutes, then the player called for misconduct begins his ten minute off ice time. This is often referred to as the "Two and Ten" penalty. Most teams will put two players into the penalty box, then after two minutes, the non-offending player will return to the ice.
In a Match Penalty, the offending player is ordered to the dressing room and is suspended from play for the remainder of the game. A replacement is allowed to take his place following a 5 minute player disadvantage.
If a player is ejected from the game due to Game Misconduct, he can be replaced immediately.http://www.njyhl.org/pages/hockey101/101_penalties.html

Step 2: Preparing The Team for Powerplay Action

The coach, knowing the importance of having a good power play strategy, must insist that his team seize the opportunity for a score. It's crucial for the team to keep and control the puck, and exhibit patience in setting up for a goal. The players must keep their eyes open. If the person with the puck is approached by an opponent, that automatically means that a teammate is open.

Finding that person and determining if there's a clear shot to him is a split second decision. Slapshots are often used in executing power plays combined with expert rebounding. Similar to special teams in football, in a power play situation, the coach will send out his most "able" players. That is, he would send out those players able to score quickly and under pressure, those able to get to loose pucks quickly and return them to their offensive play, those able to tie up the opponents and prevent them from getting control of the puck. A coach will require that his players watch videos of their opponents and look for patterns that often result in open space availability and to determine whether they put out their own "special" penalty killing team. The coach will use his "go-to" guys, those most aggressive and will not tolerate slackers during the man advantage period.http://5wnhu.acrw2.servertrust.com/v/hyperlinks/powerplaystrategies.pdf/ ref>

One of the most used strategies is the "umbrella." In this play, the best shooter takes his place in the center of the ice, just inside the blue line and to his right and left are forwards a little further down the ice and closer to the boards. One of the others, usually a stronger player or "tough guy" stays in front of the net, and the fifth player stays in the middle of the ice about half way between the net and the blue line. The puck is then passed among them until someone has an opening for a shot.

Step 3: Take Advice from Mike Keenan

According to Mike Keenan, a controversial, but tough coach who ranks fourth in all time National Hockey League wins, suggestions for successful power plays include changing positions, avoiding long passes, try to avoid face-offs in a penalty situation, and make the goalie move. Be aggressive and take control of the situation. The trick is to take every advantage every second of the power play.http://5wnhu.acrw2.servertrust.com/v/hyperlinks/powerplaystrategies.pdf.