The Bayonne Bleeder

Guys,

Thought we would take a break this week from Dman specific stuff. I am travelling to Nationals this week so instead I thought I would just share with you a story I came across that I really like for a few  reasons. Just a little Positive Mental Attitude stuff to keep you sharp.

The Bayonne Bleeder

You have to believe in yourself so strongly that you are willing to bank on it.

Chuck Wepner never learned this lesson. As a boxer he earned the name “the Bayonne Bleeder”, due to the punishment he took even while winning. In the boxing world he was what was called a “catcher” a fighter that uses his head to block the other guy’s punches…..Wepner continually pressured his opponent until he either won or got knocked out. He never cared how many shots he had to absorb until he could deliver a knockout blow to his opponent. His trainer Al Braverman called him, “The gutsiest fighter I ever met. He was in a league of his own. He didn’t care about pain or embarrassment. If he got cut or elbowed he never looked at me or the referee for help. He was a fighter in the purest sense of the word.”

When Wepner knocked out Terry Henke in the 11^th round in Salt Lake City, promoter Don King offered Wepner a title shot against then heavyweight champion George Forman. But when Ali defeated Forman, Wepner found himself scheduled to fight ‘The Greatest’. Mohammed Ali!!

On the morning of the fight Wepner gave his wife a pink negligée and told her she would soon be sleeping with the Heavyweight Champion of the World. 

Ali scored a technical knockout with only 19 seconds remaining in the fight. But there was one moment, one glorious moment in the ninth round when a ham-like paw to Ali’s chest knocked the reigning champion off his feet. Wepner recalled, “When Ali was down I remember saying to my ring man Al Braverman, ‘Start the car we’re going to the bank, we’re millionaires!!’ and Al said to me, ‘You’d better turn around…..because he is getting up….’

After the fight, Wepner’s wife pulled the negligee out of her purse and asked, “Do I go to Ali’s room or does he come to mine?”

That story would be nothing more than an odd boxing footnote except for the fact that a struggling writer was watching the fight. Suddenly it struck him, “there it is!” he said to himself. So he went home and started writing and he wrote for three days straight. 

That is how writer and actor Sylvester Stallone described the birth of the Academy Award winning movie Rocky.

The movie studio offered the struggling writer an unprecedented $400,000 for his script. But Stallone refused the money, choosing instead just $20,000 and the right to play the part of Rocky for actor’s minimum wage, a paltry $340 per week. He felt strongly that this script and part would catapult him to fame and fortune. He was right.

The studio also made an offer to Wepner since the movie was based on his life. He could receive a flat fee of $70,000 or 1% of the movies gross profits. Wanting the guaranteed payday, Wepner took the $70,000, a decision that ultimately cost him $8,000,000.00………

Chuck Wepner retired to Bayonne, NJ and worked as a liquor salesman.

The moral of the story? A few of things I guess……..

1. Marry someone with a good sense of humor.

2. You never know what your individual efforts will lead to or what results will come from your hard work.

3. Be willing to bank on yourself.

Have a great week everyone! Let me know if you liked the story.

Huff

"Don't get hit in the _ _ _ _!"

Guys,
This week we are going to briefly touch on blocking shots and how important it is now for dmen to be able to effectively do it.
Not that long ago dmen were only encouraged to block shots as a last resort when something defensively broke down. A huge mistake was probably made and the only thing left was to block the shot. Dmen were taught to move players out of the front of the net and clear the lane so goalies could see the shot. As the game changed and evolved and the new obstruction rules were enforced, defensive systems adjusted and now dmen are coached to get in the lane at all costs and get your body in front of any shot. You can no longer 'tie up' a player and try to move him out of the way. You will be called for interference. So now a lot of the time your only way to defend is to try and block the shot. 'Shot blocks' has now become one of the biggest stats when evaluating dmen.
Here is the good and the bad. The good, equipment has improved dramatically as a result of the new style of play. There is tremendous high absorption, low weight gear that really helps ease the pain. The bad news. The new equipment also applies to sticks and shooters are shooting the puck harder than ever. But there is now way around it. To play effective d, you have to be able to block shots.
So let's get some very basic, simple advice and take a look at some things that might help out with overcoming the angst and help keep you healthy.
I went to one of our pros and asked him the simple question, "What advice would you give young dmen when blocking a shot?" His answer, "Don't get hit in the _ _ _ _!" Great advice.....Thanks. I pushed him some more on the subject and the one thing he told me that stuck out to me was this, "You have to have the mindset that blocking a shot is every bit as important as a forward scoring a goal or getting an assist. It can change a game. We all want to impact every game and blocking a shot can and is our way to do that. Sure it hurts sometimes. But it only hurts for a while. Not blocking the shot and causing a goal hurts for a lot longer." Well said. One of the common themes is to close the gap on the shooter as quickly as possible. Get to the shooter fast. Do not allow him the time and space to really wind up or lean into his shot. There are some other simple things and techniques that can help you out.

Below are some great examples and videos.. Michael Sauer starts it off and sums it up pretty well. Click on the link.

Michael Sauer- Dman-NY Rangers

Coach Butters- Wisconsin

More tips

Sometimes it is the Dmen who get to hit the forwards though!!! This shouldn't make me smile but for some reason it does.....

Let me know if you liked the last one as much as I did!!!

What Type of Dman Are You?

This week we are going to touch on the different types or styles of dmen.

As you get older players start to develop into specialized roles that suit their specific strengths, and as you get to the higher levels, Dmen start to get categorized and put into certain roles.

Typically, Dmen get categorized as a Number 1 or 2, and then a group known as 3-6.  

Number 1 or 2s.

These are guys that play in all situations. 5 on 5, 4 on 4, Power Play, Penalty Kill and log big minutes on the ice. These players are usually very physically gifted and play hard and close to the edge. In my opinion two to the best Number 1’s of all time were Chris Pronger and Nick Lidstrom. Chris was a very nasty and snarly player and was effective that way and Nick was not as physical but both were excellent at every part of playing the position. Usually every great team has one or two Number 1’s. If you look at every Stanley cup winning team they usually have at least two of these types of players.

Numbers 3-6

The next group is usually the guys that fall into Number 3-6 slot on a team. Usually these guys play a regular shift and then contribute on the Power Play or Penalty Kill but usually not both. They are typically good offensively or defensively (shut down guys), but not both. Some are very physical presences or some are very talented playmakers that contribute to the offense. These guys are not as highly revered as a Number 1 guy but there are far more of these players and they are really important pieces of any team. 

One of the things you have to try to do is do some honest soul searching and look at yourself and figure out what ‘type’ of d man you are. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What role do you help your team the most in?

More importantly, you have to think about what type of Dman to you want to become. Be realistic and then work your tail off to become the best whether you strive to become a 1 or 2 or a 3 thru 6 guy.

One of the best things any athlete or hockey player can do is visualize and practice visualization. Today everyone prepares and trains off the ice and in the gym. The difference between the good players and the very good players is how they train their minds.

Everything starts with a dream. So dream about what kind of Dman you want to be. Find a player or a few of them who you envision your game being similar to and study them. Watch them play. Absorb all the nuances of how they play, how they act. Become a great actor. Study the part. Become that person. Imitate excellence and you will become excellent. Whether it is a Number 1 like Shea Weber or a shut down guy like Dan Girardi, find a player you want to strive to be like.

     

“Great athletes train their minds as well as their bodies. There are various mental conditioning techniques many use when preparing for an event. Perhaps the best known technique is visualization, creating a mental image not only of the desired result, a gold medal, a new world record, a hole-in-one, but also of every move that will be taken en route to the ultimate goal.” Michael Jordan.

So think about what type of dman you are or are working to become.

Let me know your thoughts.

Here are some examples that might help you out. The first two videos are of Pronger and Lidstrom. The third is of Shea Weber. All great examples of Number 1s.

The two other links are a list of some other great Dmen.  The second link shows you how important the Numbers 3-6 can be to a team. 

And the last Video is for all the Dads and Moms!!!!!! Enjoy.

So who are you??

Chris Pronger

Nick Lidstrom

Shea Weber

Top 50 Dmen

Top 5 Underrated Dmen

Number 4 Bobby Orr

Dealing With Coaches

Hey Guys,

Hope you are well.

Have a little Audio/Video session for you to check out this week.The second video is one of my all time favorite coaches! Plus it features one of the best dmen of all time Chris Chelios. Whenever you have a problem with a coach, think of this guy!!!! Enjoy J

Feedback to give me when you can.

What is the worst experience with a coach you had?

What did you learn from it?

Who was the best coach you have had and why?

Thanks!
Kerry

Welcome!

Welcome to the Dman Summit Club.

Why Summit? I look at playing the position of Defense as an expedition. Players have to climb the mountain and work hard in certain areas to reach the summit of Dman play. Every day you work a little harder, learn a little more and step by step you work your way to the top. My goal is to just be one of your guides along the way.

I have or will be sending you info on how to join the group thru google groups. It is a very secure way to communicate and it is by invite only.

Each week on Mon. or Tues. there will be a new post. We are going to be covering a lot of stuff. Some of it might be boring or you may think it might not apply to you at this time but trust me, over a long period of time, a lot of the topics will relate to you at some point in your playing career.  I like to think of it like you are part of an online class. Don’t worry, there are no tests or exams but occasionally I might give you a little research to do.

Just remember that if you post or reply to me, it only goes to me and not to the group so it is all confidential and I will ask your permission to post anything to the entire group if I think it is relevant.

The other important thing is for you to be involved. I need feedback. I played a long time and at almost every level and have watched a lot of hockey in my life but by no means do I know everything or have experienced everything. We are all always growing, learning and improving. There are also things and opinions that I might express that you or one of your coaches do not agree with. That is fine too. I am very open to talking about Dman play with anyone and getting opinions from good sources. You don’t have to do a lot of homework but I ask that you reply to each week’s topic in some way. Liked it, hated it, whatever.

I also want to have some suggestions on topics or subjects you guys might want to cover. 50 weeks in a year gives us a lot of topics to cover and a lot of areas to work on and improve upon.

Finally guys, just remember that although I am older, I still feel and think like a Dman. I always will. The vast majority of players that I work with are Dmen. I look at it like we are part of a 'special' group! Remember. Goalies are crazy, forwards are glory mongers but Dmen are the pillars of the game! I look forward to working with you and remember, we work hard, we work smart and we work fun!

Kerry Huffman
Pulver Sports
Register or get more info at www.khhockey.comunder the Dman Summit Club tab.

Our Summer Dman Summit Club is tentatively set for Aug. 8-10^that Wilkes Barre, PA.