06/15/2026
Did YOU Know 🧐
A big misconception in hockey is that the shortest pass is ALWAYS the safest pass.
In many ways that can be accurate. Especially if the defense is moving in, or if the defense has doubled up. There’s plenty of reasons and examples as to why the short pass is the safest pass.
It’s also logical.
A teammate is only a few feet away so getting them the puck should be easy and smart.
On paper, it’s the right choice.
But just because they’re both white, doesn’t make them equal. Hockey isn’t played on paper.
It’s played on ice where defenders have the right to make changes and constantly are trying to do whatever it takes to stop that pass.
Thus creating problems because SOMETIMES that “easy” five foot pass is actually the hardest play on the ice. Meanwhile a 10 foot pass can be clean and effortless.
It’s got nothing to do with the distance.
And everything to do with the angle.
A passing angle is simply the path that a puck has to travel from one player to another.
Imagine, for a moment, drawing a line from you to the person you wish to pass to. Along that line is there anything in that line?
If the answer is yes, may it be a stick or a sled or a body, or even another teammate, then that passing angle becomes compromised and far riskier than it needs to be.
The puck may only have to travel a few feet BUT if it has to squeeze through traffic, the odds of a turnover increase dramatically.
You could also use a more “practical” imagery. Think about driving. Would you rather take a one-mile route that’s COMPLETELY blocked by traffic? Or a 3 mile route on an open highway? (Ask any Texan who’s been stuck on I35…we have our answer…and we got the dirt ruts in the grass next to I35 to prove our point😅)
MOST people would choose the open road, they know that it’ll get them there quicker, and safer.
Passing works the same way. A slightly longer pass through open ice is often safer (and quicker for a play to develop) than forcing a short pass through congestion. Those open lanes give pucks room to travel, your teammates time to receive it with control, and a play to develop with less fear of a turnover.
In the end, passing further actually could get you to a goal quicker.
You also have to remember that a good defender won’t always try to simply steal that puck directly. No, they know all about passing angles and will 100% position themselves to block the most likely passes.
Instead of going straight to the puck, they’re creating congestion al while asking themselves:
🥅 where does this player WANT to pass?
🏒 which teammate is the easiest to interfere with?
🥅 how can I make the option disappear?
And IF they take away the obvious angle, they force a puck carrier to rethink the entire strategy OR make a mistake, and they POUNCE on either. Which is EXACTLY why an experienced player don’t make the “easy” or close passes. They scan for the clearest route.
🥅 Sometimes that means sending the puck across the ice to someone
further away
🏒 Sometimes that means bouncing it off the boards
🥅 Sometimes that means passing back towards the defenders sitting on the blue line to reset a play
🏒 sometimes that means switching the ice
🥅 sometimes that means making the short pass
🏒 sometimes it means making a long pass
It can mean MANY things because they’re constantly evaluating if a lane is open, if it’ll stay open, can their teammate receive the pass cleanly? Can the teammate control it? Does this pass give us a better position?
For an experienced player it’s less about who’s nearest and more about who’s available.
(It’s also another aspect of panic passing) a newbie might think “I gotta get this to a “better” player” but in that mindset they’re missing who might be available despite the skills. It’s awareness. It’s taking three milliseconds to pick your head up and seeing the ice in front of you.
And those three milliseconds can truly change the game because as we know all too well, in sled, changing directions and rebuilding speed takes effort and energy. A bad pass doesn’t just lose possession, it can force teammates to stop, to find themselves out of position, to take a bad turn, or reach awkwardly, all costing valuable momentum
A well chosen pass can create momentum and build the play to a scoring opportunity. And if you take the split second to check, you might find an angle that the defense missed. And a good passing angle can change the whole moment because a GOOD passing angle can
🏒 keep possession under pressure,
🥅 stretch the defense,
🏒 open shooting opportunities,
🥅 reduce turnovers,
🏒 and make the game feel easier for everyone on the ice.
By skating into a better lane, a player isn’t just “getting open” they’re creating a better angle for their teammate to make that pass. They’re creating momentum. They’re creating a scoring opportunity.
The BIG takeaway is that the best pass ISN’T always the shortest. It’s the one with the highest chance of reaching its target in a way that HELPS the play develop.
Experienced players don’t ask “how close is my teammate?” They ask “WHO can get this pass the safest?” That small shift in thinking can turn forced passes into smart plays and quite possibly goals too.
