Very little glory is paid to the lowly technique of dumping a puck in. From comments like “Why would you give up the puck in the first place?” to “Only 4th line grinders need to dump the puck.”, respect for this element in the game of hockey probably couldn’t be much more diminished in these halcyon days of puck possession.

So I want to bring some love to dump-ins (probably because I was, and am still, a fourth line grinder). Shed some light on this overlooked skill that even the most skilled centre must do from time to time. Since you have to do it, you may as well do it right, right?

Two Golden Rules

For me, there are two things that you cannot do, on pain of death, if you are going to dump the puck.

1. Never, ever, ever, hit the defending team in the shin pads on a dump-in. Never… No, never.

Unfortunately, I see this all the time and I can’t understand it. You have a defender who takes up about 2 feet of the 85-foot width of a rink. You have 83 feet to put the puck through and you still hit them in the shin pads. Why? And double why, can you hit their shin pads but not the net. It’s three times the width.

My opinion is… lack of attention to detail from the player and no reinforcement from the coaches, particularly in practice, when dump-ins are done properly and improperly. If you do not demand proper execution in practice it won’t happen in games.

2. The puck mustn’t end up behind the opposition’s net.

The purpose of the dump-in is to gain a tactical advantage. You cannot take a direct line to the puck if it’s behind the net. This gives the opposition time and space to make something happen. There is no tactical advantage if they have the puck behind their net.

Now I will put my sport psych hat on for a moment here and say that you should always frame a directive with a positive valence (saying what you should do instead of what you shouldn’t). So, when a puck is dumped in, it should end up in a corner. This is a great place to attack and limit the opponent’s options.

Dump-in Execution

There are three ways to get a puck into a corner and which one you choose (a topic for another post) depends on the context in which the player finds himself.

Way #1: The Soft Dump
The player needs a bit of touch to avoid sending the puck behind the net (BAD!) but the puck is laid into corner on the same side of the ice as the player sending the puck in. It’s essentially a chip to space behind the defender.

Way #2: The Cross Dump
In this method, the puck is sent cross-ice into the opposite corner from where the player begins. In my experience, this method has a much lower frequency of shots into the defenders shin pads, but it’s also the toughest one for the same player dumping the puck in to retrieve. You need your teammates to be on board for this to be effective.

Way #3: The Rim
This is the grand daddy of dump-ins and the source of so many blooper goals from peewee through the pros. In this method, the attacking player hammers the puck down the boards where it catches the corner and shoots behind the net to the opposite side. At the young ages hard is the only requirement. Once goalies get mobile and can play pucks, getting the puck up on the glass helps too. Funny hops off the stanchions make it an adventure.

Coach’s Tips

Understanding how the puck deflects off the boards on a dump-in is important. Each rink has it’s own nuances. Whether the one corner has the Zamboni doors or a really lively kick can make a difference in your ability to retrieve the puck. Details matter.

Also, if you are working with young kids on breakouts, this is a great opportunity to start showing them how to dump the puck in properly too. Don’t have them stand around while another line is working. Have them send the puck in or have them predict how the puck will bounce.