Passing

Probably the most important (and underrated) skill in hockey is passing. One reason that passing is important in all levels of hockey is because the ball always travels faster than any athlete. When you’re in trouble with a defender, a pass to an open space can not only get the pressure off of you, but it may spring your team on a breakaway. It doesn’t always have to be you scoring the goal, assists are counted with the same importance as goals in your individual statistics.

Passing is also important because it builds team chemistry and makes your teammates work for you during the game. If your teammate knows that you will pass, they will work harder to get open for a pass. If they know you won’t pass, they sit still and become spectators and wait for you to either take a shot or turn the ball over. It doesn’t matter how good of a player you are, if you don’t pass you will eventually turn the ball over. Wayne Gretzky couldn’t even score when 5 opponents were on top of him.

Hockey is one of the most beautiful team games ever created when the team plays together. Passes come from the heart, so you have to become a family and develop a love for your teammates. That is when you can start making the “impossible” pass look easy. When your pass allows a teammate to score, and you feel just as happy for them as you would if you scored, then you have come one step closer to perfecting the art of the pass.