CBC Digital Archives

Howie Meeker Hockey School: Offence one-on-one

Howie Meeker Hockey School changed the way kids learned Canada's game. From 1973 to 1977, CBC Television captured the lessons and spirit of the school with four seasons of Howie Meeker Hockey School aired on the full network. Truly one of the greats of the game, the former Toronto Maple Leaf brought his incredible knowledge of hockey and endless enthusiasm as a coach to players, coaches and fans across the country. In 15 minute-long episodes, Meeker puts a class of young skaters in St. John's through their paces, teaching the fundamental skills needed to play hockey.

"Don't go looking for trouble, let trouble find you and then maybe you can beat it," Howie Meeker tells his forwards in this 1977 episode on how to get around the defender going into the offensive zone. In one-on-one trials, simple tips get the boys thinking: don't put the puck on the defender's stick, don't get too close to him and make him chase you. If you can get halfway into the zone, Meeker exclaims, use the defender as a screen and shoot!
• The final season of Howie Meeker Hockey School on CBC Television aired from September 1976 to March 1977 on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. on the full network. The Howie Meeker Hockey School, a school which predated the show and had several locations including Stanstead, Que., and Port Hope Ont., continued to teach young hockey players long past the end of the series. Other hockey schools even started to advertise that their instructors were trained in "the Howie Meeker method."
Medium: Television
Program: Howie Meeker Hockey School
Broadcast Date: Feb. 13, 1977
Host: Howie Meeker
Duration: 11:10

Last updated: April 26, 2013

Page consulted on April 26, 2013

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