Editing Defenceman (section)

=='Stay-at-home' and 'offensive' defence==
Defence players are often described by the amount that they participate in offence. The extreme of non-participation in offence is a "stay-at-home" defender, who plays a conservative, risk averse game and does not score much, instead focusing on defensive assignments towards the opposing team. A good example is [[Rod Langway]], who won the {{NHL Year|1982|end}} Norris Trophy after having scored only three goals that season, as the award winners before and after him were primarily offensive defencemen such as [[Bobby Orr]], [[Denis Potvin]], and [[Paul Coffey]]. Other examples of stay-at-home defencemen include [[Leo Boivin]], [[Chris Chelios]],<ref>http://thecapitalsportsreport.com/2010/09/01/chris-chelios-retires-after-26-nhl-seasons/ {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> [[Tim Horton]], [[Harry Howell (ice hockey)|Harry Howell]], [[Tom Johnson (ice hockey)|Tom Johnson]], [[Jacques Laperrière]], [[Kevin Lowe]], [[Brad McCrimmon]], [[Bill Quackenbush]], and [[Scott Stevens]].

The other extreme of participation is an ''offensive defenceman'', who gets aggressively involved in the team's offence. To accomplish this, the offensive defence player often “pinches in” to keep the play from going [[Offside (ice hockey)|offside]] and moves towards the [[Ice hockey rink#Half boards|halfboards]] and [[Slot (ice hockey)|high-slot]] area for scoring opportunities. This makes it difficult for the opposing team to protect their net from being scored upon if the team can maintain control of the [[Hockey puck|puck]]. However, this can lead to more odd man rushes and [[Breakaway (ice hockey)|breakaway]] opportunities for the opposing team if the defender does not succeed. Bobby Orr's end-to-end rushing allowed him to defend effectively as well as attack, helping his teams win two [[Stanley Cup]] Championships. By contrast, Paul Coffey enjoyed high offensive production but his defensive play was considered mediocre for most of his career; he helped his teams win four Stanley Cup Championships, often paired with a "stay-at-home" defender.

===Defensive zone play===
When in the [[Hockey rink#Zones|defensive zone]], the defence player is responsible for keeping the opposing forwards' opportunities to a minimum when they are on a rush, forcing them to the corners and blocking both passing and shooting lanes. The primary responsibility is to cover areas of the defensive zone that would otherwise pose a clear goalscoring threat from the opposing offence.

When the opposing offence is putting pressure on the defence's team, the defence skater usually plays closer to the net, attempting again to block shooting lanes but also ensure that the goalie is not screened (prevented from being able to see the puck at all times). It is especially critical for the defenceman to keep opposing forwards from being able to move effectively in front of the net, which is why defencemen are frequently tasked with playing physical hockey in front of their own net. If a shot on net is made, an unguarded forward can often redirect it too quickly for the goalie to adjust or else score on a rebound. Another important duty is clearing rebounds away from the goal, and preferably to the defenceman's teammates, before opposing forwards can get to them. Often, defence players end up covering the opposing team's wingers while in the defensive zone, while their centre will cover the opposing team's centre.

===Neutral zone play===
In the [[Hockey rink#Zones|neutral zone]], the defence hangs back towards his or her own blue line, usually playing the puck up to other teammates. According to Jay Leach, who writes for NHL.com's "learn to play hockey" section, the defence must "Move the puck hard and quick to the open man. Join the rush, <nowiki>[but]</nowiki> do not lead it." Because of this responsibility, defencemen must read the other team's defensive strategy effectively in order to make an effective first pass that furthers the offensive momentum without leaving the defenceman out of position should his team lose control of the puck. In certain situations the best option could be to skate the puck into the zone to maintain offensive speed as well as preventing an offside.

===Offensive zone play===
In the [[Hockey rink#Zones|offensive zone]], the defence skaters usually "play the blue line". It is their duty to keep the puck in the offensive zone by stopping it from crossing the blue line that demarcates where the offensive zone begins. Should the puck cross this line, the offence cannot touch the puck in their opponent's zone without stopping play (see [[offside (hockey)|offside]]). Defencemen must be quick to pass the puck around, helping their forwards to open up shooting lanes, or taking open shots themselves when they become available. The defence must also be able to skate quickly to cut off any breakaways, moving themselves back into the defensive zone ahead of the onrushing opponent.

Essentially in all three zones of the rink, the defence is the backstop for the puck. It should never go behind the defence, unless the player intentionally lets it for strategic reasons. The defence keeps the momentum of play squarely directed towards the opposing goal, or at least away from his own.

Because defencemen are often expected to shoot on the opposing net from long range, these players often develop the hardest and most accurate [[slapshot]]s. This is because taking a more stationary position on the blue line rewards pure accuracy and patience, rather than the adept hand–eye coordination attributed to forwards. [[Al MacInnis]], who was seven times decorated with "Hardest Shot" in NHL skills competitions, was able to score frequently from the blue line because his slapshot was simply too fast to block effectively.

When a team is on a [[power play (sport)|power play]], a defence player can set up plays in the offensive zone, and distribute the puck to the teammate that he or she feels is in the best position to score, similar to a [[point guard]] in [[basketball]], a [[playmaker]] in [[association football|soccer]], and a [[quarterback]] in [[American football]] and [[Canadian football]]. For this reason, a defenceman will often be described as the power play "quarterback", in particular if an umbrella power play formation is used (where a single defenceman is occupying the point, in the middle of the ice). This is also referred to as "playing [[The point (ice hockey)|the point]]" (this term derives not from the basketball position, but from an older name for the defence position in hockey itself).