neutral-zone

The seeds of this remarkable game were planted by Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher, who has molded the Lightning into a formidable force on the strength of a confounding bit of hockey strategy: something called the 1-3-1 neutral-zone trap.

The Worst Hockey Game Ever

They took only 20 shots and coach John MacLean praised the team's stick placement and puck management — buzz phrases that may have been borrowed from the glory days of neutral-zone traps.

Devils Struggling With New Identity

The neutral-zone trap, which the New Jersey Devils popularized in the mid-1990s, was easy to implement and so effective that the rest of the league copied it.

A Hockey Team With a Turbocharger

For all the credit given to their innovative and stultifying neutral-zone trap for their three Stanley Cups, even the New Jersey Devils wielded the likes of Stephane Richer, Alexander Mogilny and Petr Sykora—players whose primary purpose was to score goals and ask questions about the team's exceptional defense later.

Do the Rangers Have Cup Pedigree?

In hockey parlance, the tactic is known as gapping-up, or stepping up to challenge the puck carrier near the neutral-zone redline instead of the defending team's blue line.

The Blueprint for Stopping Ovechkin

` ` We didn't handle the puck very well in the neutral-zone area, and we give credit to them, '' Andy Murray said.

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Owen Nolan forced a neutral-zone turnover 4: 31 into the second period that set up Koivu's 3-on-2 feed to Miettinen, who put a shot through Huet's legs that made it 2-1.

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But back to the legitimacy of the lawsuit itself, perhaps the argument is that Harper can sue, but really he just shouldn't because it's the political equivalent of the neutral-zone trap in hockey: sure it works, but its kind of a cheap tactic and it ruins the flow of the game.

Archive 2008-03-01

Coach Jacques Lemaire this week implored Demitra and Gaborik - who frequently face top defenseman from other teams - to dump the puck in the corner and follow up with a strong forecheck when necessary, instead of trying difficult, fancy passes through neutral-zone traffic.

USATODAY.com - Hockey - Dallas vs. Minnesota

The neutral-zone edges of the blue lines will be 64 feet from the attacking goal and 75 feet from the end boards in the offensive zone.

USATODAY.com - NHL's rebirth: CBA approved, rules changed, Crosby on way