JMS Hockey

I play JMS maybe once a month but have been part of the program since 2004. There are a couple of general hockey common sense "Pet Peeves" that I have seen happening lately that I would like to address. 1. If the goalie is not facing you in warmups, DON'T shoot the puck at them!!! I know this has been brought up many times previously, but if I am sideways in the net grooming the crease area during warmups, I'm not seeing the shot you are taking. Sure, you may think your putting it top shelf on the other side of the net, but we all know none of us are in the NHL. I don't appreciate getting hit in the side of the calf. 2. After a goal is scored, the scoring team needs to retreat to the RED LINE and give the other team a chance to breakout.Typically the pickup hockey rule is to wait to forecheck until the puck at least gets out of the opposing teams zone. SO many times I have seen the scoring team retreat only to the opposing blue line, then start a forecheck before the puck even gets brought past the goal line by the defense. Thoughts by the general populous? I love skating JMS... typically good skates across the board and I am appreciative for the opportunities Barb and Crew provide as well as the dedication by them and all the Captains. Cheers!

Hi, Rob. I have a question about comment #2. The opposing team retreats on either a goal scored OR when the puck is frozen/held by the goalie. How far back should the opposing team retreat on a frozen/held puck? Thank you.

Should really be the same, for the most part. Typically as long as the other team gets out a few feet past the blue line and doesn't aggressively forecheck. I see more of these issues in the middle and lower level skates. The upper level skaters typically understand.

I would have to disagree somewhat with #2. As a skater and a goalie I can understand both sides. When skating I personally retreat to mid ice and wait for it to come up. However, when the game is moving slow and it's taking a minute or so for them to move with the puck I will move up and forecheck to make them move. I find it annoying as both a skater and a goalie when people stand around. If you're tired, go to the bench and let someone else come on. Many of the Captains want to keep it moving. Another note, when the players move into the league games they need to know how to handle the forecheck. They will not learn if it's not allowed. Just my opinion from both sides of the issue.

To clarify, it wouldn't be to go back to the red line to just stAnd there. More of a constAnt movement along the lines of "touching up".

I stopped taking warmups as a goalie because too many people can't control their shots. I Took multiple slapshots to the head at close range. Completely unnecessary and dangerous. I even had a guy hit me as I was entering the ice at Breck. Shooters need to be more cautious and more courteous in warmups PERIOD. That's what I wanted to put on the table as a goalie.

When I captain games, this is what I do. For Icings, off-sides, puck touches the netting, goals, or goalie-freezes, I instruct the opposing team to 'touch-up' on the blue line, wait a beat or two for the other team to breakout and then forecheck. I want to accomplish two goals: 1. Give the one team time to breakout and get the puck moving the other way; and 2. Keep the game moving I don't want teams waiting a full minute to make a change and slowing the game down after a freeze of the puck. I also don't want teams to completely stop forechecking. It's hockey. Touching up on the blue line and giving them a 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi before forechecking should be plenty of time to break the puck out and get the game going.

Here is a good tutorial for warming up a goalie. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FJRrtO2NAJk

I'm with Steve. Pushing people back to the red line would encourage the team pushing it up to take their time. Restarting play is already slow (mostly in lower level games) and this would just exacerbate the problem. I would also like to see more deference to the goalies, particularly when getting settled after the change. If you have the puck and are waiting to restart, just watch both goalies and make sure they're both done getting a drink, geared up, facing forward and set before restarting the play.

They don't stop at the red line... everyone keeps moving.

Puck frozen or out of play, offensive team retreats to the blue line. It's sufficient and anything else is arbitrary. Following a goal, the team that is SCORED ON fires the puck into the opposing (scoring teams) end. Scoring team falls back, retrieves the puck and game on. This does several things: - Acknowledges that a goal was scored - Allows each goaltender a drink break - Allows for line changes - Punishes the team that was scored on Given the number of possession changes on any given shift, which team starts with the puck after a stopage is of little consequence. One mans experience...

Blue line, red line... whichever. My main point is I see players not even getting out of the zone, turning and aggressively forechecking

Agreed. That is annoying. Set a good example and ask your captain to make note of it to everyone in the pre-game talk.

My biggest peeve? Huge green loogie piles on the bench. Come on guys. Nobody wants to see your boogers. Stand in your boogers. Get sick by your boogers.

Best open hockey game (which is basically what JMS is in terms of format) I've ever played in had a 2 minute timer for shifts and you'd change immediately once it hit. The one exception might be a breakaway. Ideally this wouldn't be needed but the amount of out of shape people who play open hockey or JMS and won't get off the ice when they're tired gets annoying for goalies who constantly have to deal with the odd man rushes and breakaways due to zero backchecking. To some extent as a goalie you expect this in open hockey and it's fine. But when you go from something that actually resembles real hockey for the first 30-60 minutes to multiple 3 on 0's for the last thirty minutes, it gets annoying. Obviously goalies play for free so they get held to a higher standard and it's expected that they won't just leave if the game goes to shit. At the same time you probably want them to keep coming back so it'd be nice if these things get acknowledged.

I like open hockey where you play first to 5 goals then the goalies switch sides. Keeps it more interesting and guys are more likely to play a little defense since their is a competitive incentive.