3 Hockey Tips For Scoring With A Great Shot

Let’s face it, everyone wants to score goals; well, unless of course you’re a goalie.  And when it comes to shooting and scoring, players don’t just want to score goals, they like to score with the jaw dropping shots that tickle the twine and make everyone in the crowd go crazy. 

The fact of the matter is that most dream of scoring the big goal, but very few properly prepare for that moment.  Do you have the determination to become a great goal scorer? If so, it all starts with developing a great shot and after covering some great tips in a previous blog post, here are three tips to help you start lighting the lamp more often.

Tip #1 Perhaps the biggest and most important factor to developing a good shot and increasing your scoring chances is taking the time for off-ice shooting.  Think about players that you know who have a shot that is much better than everyone else’s.  Why do you think this is?  It’s because they’ve shot pucks at home, in their garage or basement day after day and have probably shot thousands more shots than their peers.  These are the players who are the goal scorers.

Tip #2  Shot Diversification. I’ve watched hundreds of players shoot pucks in unstructured environments and what I found is that the majority of players do the same thing over and over.  They get a pile of pucks, line them up about 15-20 feet from their shooting tarp or net and start ripping wrist shots, snap shots and slap shots.   Very few take the time to shoot pucks in game-like situations. Players need to develop a variety of shots. To do this, move in tight and work on elevating the puck quickly. Put time into developing your backhand shot, both close to the net as well as from a distance.   Shot diversification is the key to on-ice success and beating the goalie.  You have to be dangerous from more than one area on the ice and have the ability to score with a variety of different shots. 

Tip #3 If you want to score more goals, you have to shoot the puck.  Year after year the top scores in the NHL not only lead the league in goals, but also more importantly, lead the league with shots on net.  Goal scorers know that in order to get the biscuit in the basket, they need to get pucks to the net. I had the pleasure of playing with the Russian Rocket, Pavel Bure, for three years with the Florida Panthers. Bure’s objective each and every game was to get six to eight quality shots on net.  He knew that if he achieved this, he’d end up with at least one goal most games.  His career numbers, including more than 400 NHL goals, speak for themselves.

And so can yours, it just takes the time, dedication and a plan to get there. 

Remember, always work hard and dream bigger than everyone else!