HOCKEY PROMPT

I do think trick plays are being done in hockey in general, but the sport does give some limitations. One example I have is the alley-hoop play where the defense in their own end just send the puck high up in the air making it tough to see for the opposition that are not expecting this type of play. The forwards know that this play is coming and is instead focusing on building up enough speed to break away from the staggered defense and pick up the puck when it falls down back on the ice in the offensive zone. They do not even try to follow the puck in the air during this play because they know where it will fall. Another type of trick play is the amount of variations the Zorro-goal (technique from floorball) allows the team to have, either faking a goal behind the net and moving in the opposite direction, passing to another player in the opposite flow of the play, lobbing it in front of the net etc.

One of the main limitations hockey has when it comes to these trick plays is the relatively small playing surface and the amount of possessional rules like offside and icing that limit the way players can act on the surface. If there would be more space and less rules on where the players and the puck can be during a play, I think we would see a lot more of trick plays being utilized.