Centre (ice hockey)
Centres are ideally strong, fast skaters who are able to backcheck quickly from deep in the opposing zone.
They also generally are the most defensively-oriented forwards on the ice, as they are expected to play the role of the third player in defense, after the defencemen.
Where the centre tends to play in the offensive zone is usually a matter of coaching and personal preference.
Centres are responsible for keeping the flow of the game moving, and generally handle, and pass the puck more than any other position player.
Because of this, most good centres tend to score significantly more assists than goals because the play goes through them as they try to find open teammates.
The slot area is notorious goal-scoring territory because of its proximity to the net and the difficulty the opposing team has in defending it.
Possessing the puck here gives the centre many different options, as well as a central position in the offensive play.
Additionally, without the puck, the centre can choose to occupy this space looking for deflections of long shots or rebounds.
The disadvantage of this position is that it is easily defended, and the centre generally does not have much time to survey the ice looking for an open teammate.
The half board position here is made easier to play because the centre has more time to look over the ice surface, and is not pressured by the defenders as much.
Again the centre's role is to move the offence through himself/herself looking for passing lanes to open players or roving the slot area looking for deflections and rebounds.
Often successfully defending the neutral zone leads to fewer opportunities for the opposing team to have offensive possessions.
This is a much older strategy and is less commonly employed at elite levels, however it was most recently used extensively by the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes on their way to their first Stanley Cup.
In a basic fundamental break-out, the puck is controlled by the defence behind the net who then passes up the boards to a forward.
The centre curls at the strong side faceoff dot and begins to break out alongside the puck carrying winger.
The centre's role does not differ appreciably from any other forward, though they are almost always included on the penalty killing unit for the purpose of taking the faceoff.
Depending on what formation the penalty kill uses, the centre along with the other forward on the ice will play high side defence, trying to cut off passing lanes in the slot.
Smaller, quicker centres may employ swiftness tactics such as trying to contact the puck before his opponent has a chance to get his stick in the dot, or the slide technique where he allows his opponent access to the dot easily so he can slide his stick underneath and pull the puck back out.
