Alright folks, grab a seat. Wanna talk about this Liam Devlin guy and his hockey plays. Kept hearing whispers about ’em, supposed to be magic on ice. Simple but deadly effective? Yeah right, heard that before. But the hype just wouldn’t quit, so figured I’d actually try running them myself during practice this week. See if the juice was worth the squeeze.
Kicking the Tires on Devlin’s Setup
First thing Monday morning, dragging my gear bag into the cold rink. Honestly? Sceptical. Like, how special could basic passing patterns really be? Pulled up those Devlin clips everyone’s buzzing about – the ones circulating. Looked… straightforward. Deceptively simple. Focused entirely on quick puck movement and finding the soft spots in coverage. No crazy dekes or rocket shots. Just heads-up hockey. Okay, fine. Let’s give it a shot.
Gathered the guys early before full practice. Needed bodies willing to be guinea pigs. Explained the gist: move the puck fast, support your teammate immediately after passing, look for that open ice Devlin loves. No lingering. Just boom-boom hockey. We started slow, just skating the patterns dry – no defenders. Felt kinda awkward at first, almost too robotic. But the core idea was drilling into our skulls: make the simple play, always be an option.
Hitting the Ice – Reality Check Time
Dry run felt okay, time to add pressure. Threw some defenders out there. Boom. Instantly chaotic. Old habits die hard. Someone would hold the puck that extra second looking for the hero pass, killing the whole flow. Defence jumped the lanes, cut off angles. Suddenly that simple pattern looked like Swiss cheese full of holes. Got wrecked. Couple guys groaned, looked at me like “This it?” Took a deep breath. Gathered everyone again.
“Forget the flashy stuff,” I barked. “Stick to the damn pattern. Pass. Move. Support. If it’s not there, recycle low, start over. Keep it simple, stupid.” K.I.S.S., right? We ran it again. And again. Focused purely on the basics Devlin preaches:
- First pass has to be crisp and on the tape. No wobblers.
- The passer immediately busts ass to get open for the next option.
- Guys without the puck? MUST be moving, constantly, finding quiet ice.
- No fancy crap. Shoot for rebounds or high-percentage shots if you get a look.
Persistence started paying off. Slowly, the machine started humming. Passes got sharper, movements became instinctive instead of forced. We weren’t thinking as much; we were just reacting within the structure. Saw defenders getting frustrated, chasing shadows. That beautiful moment when a quick three-pass sequence opened up a lane right down Broadway… chef’s kiss. Felt unreal.
The Verdict – Why This Simple Stuff Actually Works
Ran variations Wednesday and Friday. Didn’t always work perfectly – pressure will expose lazy feet or slow decisions every time. But here’s the kicker: even when it broke down, it broke down cleaner. Guys knew roughly where their help should be, making puck recovery or defensive scrambles less panicked.
So why IS it effective? Plain and simple:
- It forces everyone to be an option. No puck hogs allowed.
- Quick puck movement exhausts defenders. They can’t sag off or cheat.
- Creates constant, small advantages. Beat one guy with a pass, pull another out of position, suddenly you’ve got numbers.
- Relies on IQ and effort, not superstar skill. Any line can run it.
Is it earth-shattering? Nah. But it’s hockey reduced to its efficient core. No wasted energy. Just sharp, smart puck movement and constant motion. Feels obvious once you feel it clicking, but takes reps to unlock. Worth it? Damn right. See you at practice.
