I’ve been on the Burn for what, 5 years now and I haven’t really developed a signature move. I say this because I see others on the team with their move or working on a move and figure I should probably become proficient at something.
The Tear Drop
Pete has a way of approaching a puck that is along the boards where he puts himself in between the puck and an opposing player and then cuts backwards with the puck. Very effective and not his only move.
The Wedge
A move that Wints has perfected where an opposing player will try to beat Wints along the boards, but Wints will take an angle to a point on the boards just ahead of the other player. Most of the time he will make contact with the player and bump him off the puck, usually forcing contact with the boards. Wints will say if you drop your arms so they are not up when his shoulder contacts the other player, it’s not a penalty.
The Wall
When Goats is playing defence, this seems to be his move. Skating backwards Goats will let the opposing player just cross that blue line and stand him up which will allow his partner to grab the puck. Effective yes, but it quite often results in a penalty. I’m fine with the move as it gives the team grit that I’m not inclined to provide.
The Staple.
This is Nik’s new move and to be honest, it’s killing us. Two games in a row he’s brought it out and basically just nailed someone against the boards. Boarding is a 4 min penalty and we have given up a goal on the PK both times. We could have given up 2 last night, but we killed the final 2 mins.
The D Train.
Nik used to do this in his early years until everyone started to watch for him. But this is Dave’s move. This move has surfaced at pickup and league games. It’s simple, when an opposing players starts to skate east to west instead of towards the goal inside our blue line, Dave line’s them up and can deliver a direct hit while making a check. He very seldom takes a penalty probably because he will fall as well, but it does separate puck from stick. I’ve played with Dave a long time and know he’s agile enough to move out of the way if he wants to as I’ve been in the way a couple of times and he has avoided me. And boy do I appreciate it. Anyway, not many can match the pure force of Dave on a direct, low hit.
I was hoping that I could develop some kind of offensive signature move, like Jokinen’s paralyzer, but that would mean I have to be consistent. So what do I do consistently? The list is pretty long and none of it good, so I’m making it a goal to find something to perfect. Stay tuned folks.