Saucer pass
Encyclopedia
The saucer pass is an ice hockey
term, which means passing the puck to someone else so it flies in the air like a flying saucer
. This makes the pass very difficult to intercept by opposing players but will land flat on the ice making it simple to control for the receiving player. The saucer pass is used nowadays widely due to the difficulty of intercepting of it. Under normal conditions it needs a very skilled player to intercept a saucer pass with an ice hockey
stick. Usual height of a saucer pass depends on the number of opposing players surrounding the player initiating the pass. If the pass is in front of the goal within a few metres radius, it usually raises a maximum of 30 centimetres above the ice level. In the case of "a torpedo
attack", a tens of metres saucer pass from own defence area, the pass can easily rise over 3 metres high from the ice to avoid it being captured by an opposing players's glove
(capturing a pass with a stick over ones own shoulder level or goal
's height at close range of goal is prohibited).
The inventor of the saucer pass is commonly considered as the Finnish ice hockey legend, Raimo Helminen
. According to the book "Raipe - Vaatimattomuuden lyhyt oppimäärä", he invented the pass when he was playing against grown-up men from his neighbourhood when he was young child in Koivistonkylä, Tampere
, Finland
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
term, which means passing the puck to someone else so it flies in the air like a flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
. This makes the pass very difficult to intercept by opposing players but will land flat on the ice making it simple to control for the receiving player. The saucer pass is used nowadays widely due to the difficulty of intercepting of it. Under normal conditions it needs a very skilled player to intercept a saucer pass with an ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
stick. Usual height of a saucer pass depends on the number of opposing players surrounding the player initiating the pass. If the pass is in front of the goal within a few metres radius, it usually raises a maximum of 30 centimetres above the ice level. In the case of "a torpedo
Torpedo system
The torpedo system is an ice hockey on-ice system, used extensively by the Swedish national hockey team in international competition. The system converts the traditional hockey layout of three forwards and two defensemen, into two torpedoes up front, two halfbacks, and one lone defenceman...
attack", a tens of metres saucer pass from own defence area, the pass can easily rise over 3 metres high from the ice to avoid it being captured by an opposing players's glove
Glove
A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each...
(capturing a pass with a stick over ones own shoulder level or goal
Goal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...
's height at close range of goal is prohibited).
The inventor of the saucer pass is commonly considered as the Finnish ice hockey legend, Raimo Helminen
Raimo Helminen
Raimo Ilmari Helminen is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He is often called "Raipe" or "Maestro" by his fans...
. According to the book "Raipe - Vaatimattomuuden lyhyt oppimäärä", he invented the pass when he was playing against grown-up men from his neighbourhood when he was young child in Koivistonkylä, Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.