NHL 09: The Lonely Defenseman

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I play Goalie and I can say without a doubt, that quality D-Men can be lifesavers. They definitely deserve more appreciation then shown. It takes a great amount of skill and dedication to play that position. To be able to stay in chemistry defensively with your Goalie, makes things alot easier on us Goalies, pressure wise.

The defensive set-ups and only giving the opposition a specific shot/angle, and all the Goalie has to do, is to be set in the right place will result in instant success.

[flamingarmadilo]

I play only D for a very good and totally legit 360 club, the Pawtucket Patriots. This is a very good guide for a new D-man. As people have mentioned before, there are times where a good d-man can savely jump down low in the offensive zone, it just takes experience to know when those times are.

One thing I'd like to add from my real-life hockey and EASHL experience, is that when your defensive partner is winding up for a slapshot, and a guy is coming out to block it, or your partner is pinching the point, you should drop back to around the center faceoff dot in case the puck comes out off the block, or the pinch fails. I can't even count the number of times I have done this and stopped breakaways.

Also for me the safe hit zone extends all the way to the faceoff dots in the defensive zone, and hitting a guy during a one-timer is definitely the best defense. I stop an average of 4 sure goals a game this way.

[kerosene31]

Quote: Originally Posted by statnut

"Defenders who venture below the outer edge of the face-off circles are simply playing too deep in the offensive zone and are liable to give up a scoring opportunity at the other end of the ice." I have to disagree with this. A good offensive defenseman will recognize that there are opportunities to slip in for a quick shot below that mark, without getting caught. I play mostly defense for a good club, and no one has any problems with this.

Communication is key on this obviously. I play D as well and I spend most of my time chained to the blueline firing bombs, but I will pinch when the situation dictates.

Whenever I go in, I check to make sure too many guys from the other team aren't behind me, and that someone from my team on the opposite side can get back.

As long as you play with forwards who are good at (and care about D), they will gladly cover your point while you move in as long as you tell them. Most of the guys on my team will tell me they have me covered as I pinch without me saying anything.

This also comes down to knowing your opponent. If you are playing a team with guys with a ton of speed attributes, I won't pinch. Not only will I not pinch, but I'll actually back out of the zone if a puck is close to being turned over.

By the way, I love playing D on EASHL (other than the glitches). I'm one of those players who has zero desire to play forward. There is nothing better than shutting down another team. The best is when you stop a cross crease cheese play and knock the shooter on his rear before he can get the shot off.