Steve Phillips is a native of southern California, growing up in the Los Angeles area.   He played minor hockey in California before getting the chance to play college hockey with Northeastern University.   After college Steve turned pro and played with the Nashville Knights and Roanoke Express of the ECHL, Bakersfield Fog of the WCHL, and the Oklahoma City Blazers, San Antonio Iguanas, Madison Monsters, Columbus Cottonmouths all of the CHL.

During this time Steve was part of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization and was preparing to move into the NHL when he was forced into early retirement by a rare digestive disease in late 1996.

After his playing days were over Steve moved into the coaching side of hockey and after a successful first year of coaching in 1997 he founded a hockey performance business "Phillips Hockey" in Simi Valley, California.   Throughout this time Steve has hosted many camps and clinics for amateur hockey in California. You can learn more about Steve on his website www.hockeycontractor.com. 
 

Questions for Steve

Question:  My son is a pee-wee goaltender and has taken some lessons in the past which may or may not have helped him. He is fairly small for his age and most of the goals scored on him are high in the net. I don't know much about goaltending, but I was told that he is being taught the "Butterfly" style, which has him on the ice a lot. Can you recommend anything for my son that may help him stop the high shots?

Answer:  I see this a lot with goalies today of all ages, and especially since the rise in popularity of Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. The "Butterfly" style of goaltending is simply not meant for goalies under 6 feet tall, no matter what the skill level. The reason is that smaller goalies will not take away the upper part of the net when they are on their knees and will, in turn, make it easier for a shooter to score high. Most youth hockey goalies lack the necessary strength to perform this move as well and once they go down to make a save they usually cannot recover for the rebound.

I would first recommend that he develop his leg strength with an off-ice plyometric program along with developing his reflexes with tennis or racquetball wall tosses. Do not have him use free weights as they will develop the slow twitch muscle fibers and may lead to injury. If you can send me a video of him playing I can develop a personal training program for him that will be the most beneficial toward improving his game. Hope this helps and if you have any more questions feel free to contact me at any time. 
 

Interview with Steve

Question:  What was the transition like from playing amateur hockey to playing professional?

Answer:  It became much more competitive as you were not only working hard to win the game, but to keep your job as well.

Question:  What was the biggest thing you noticed hockey wise with regard to playing at the pro level...(ex. faster skaters, the quickness of the play, etc.)?

Answer:  The speed does increase as a professional, but it actually became easier to play because more of the players were skilled. 


Question:  How much conditioning did you do when you were playing amateur hockey and what were the things you did as a pro?

Answer:  As an amateur growing up in southern California in the 70's I had to do a lot of traveling to try and pick up any extra ice time and would practice at least 4 hours a day off the ice by puckhandling, shooting, and doing plyometric exercises.  As a pro, the majority of my conditioning was done during the summer or preseason since you don't have much time with the amount of games you would play.

Question:  In talks with coaches what is the biggest thing (or things) a hockey player can improve on?

Answer:  Skating is always the thing that requires the most work and it the key to every other skill and therefore should always be practiced.


Question:  What tips would you give to junior players looking to move into the college or professional ranks?

Answer:  Do whatever you can to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Most successes are gained through continued hard work.


Question:  You have a 106 mile an hour slap shot.  Most guys in the NHL don't have that fast a shot...how the hell do you do that?  Any tips?

Answer:  I have practiced shooting on and off the ice for over 30 years now and would spend at least 3 hours per day shooting pucks off the ice from age 8-18. The best tip is to realize that power is the least important aspect of the shot and that accuracy and quickness of release are far more important.


Question:  What mistakes did you make in hockey that could be prevented by other players?

Answer:  For me there were many opportunities in my career that I missed or simply passed on due to lack of information. I also trusted my trainers with my health, which lead to the early end of my career. The key thing to remember is that you are responsible for yourself and be prepared to take criticisms with a grain of salt and learn from them because they are simply someone else’s opinion and not necessarily fact.


Question:  What do you miss most about playing professional hockey?

Answer:  I actually miss warm-ups because I got to acknowledge the fans and show them that I appreciated their support…. and they always played good music too.


Question:  How important is school in a hockey players life?

Answer:  The best thing about school is that is teaches you that you are responsible for your own accomplishments and that there is always a solution to a problem.


Question:   If you could pick out the top three qualities a hockey player might have that would help you get him to the next level what would they be?

Answer:  The three best qualities would be skating ability, hockey sense or someone who thinks very quickly and makes good decisions, and the final skill which cannot be taught, size.


Question:  What did you used to eat before playing a game or going to practice?

Answer:  I actually didn’t pay much attention to my eating habits for the most part, but being a picky eater to begin with, I was eating most of the stuff that I should have been anyway.


Question:  Any tricks of the trade (hockey) you have learned along the way that you want to pass on to others?

Answer:  Patience is the key to a great hockey player. If you feel that you have only one opportunity to do something, whether it be in life or in hockey, than you usually miss several other opportunities that may even be better in some cases. The fact is that in a fast moving game like hockey, opportunities come and go and just because you miss one chance to shoot, pass, or anything else, it doesn’t mean another opportunity will not soon follow.

Return to Ask the Experts Main Page