CBC Digital Archives

Howie Meeker Hockey School: Blue line stand

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.

"Those guys are going around you like hoops on a barrel," exclaims Howie Meeker to the B-team defencemen after a round of one-on-one against A-team forwards. Showing the boys how to use up the middle of the ice and hit the blue line skating fast enough to stop their man, Meeker gets the B-team ready to master the attacker almost every time. Make the forward go to the left or the right, he insists, but do it at the blue line.
• In several episodes, Howie Meeker challenges viewers to spot the problems with skaters' skills as he rolls film of practice. As he says in this episode, "you can't cure an ill until both the pupil and the teacher recognize the ailment." As an analyst for 30 years on Hockey Night in Canada, Howie Meeker regularly used instant replay with a telestrator to give viewers insight into game play and instruction on the finer points of hockey.
Medium: Television
Program: Howie Meeker Hockey School
Broadcast Date: Nov. 2, 1975
Host: Howie Meeker
Duration: 11:10

Last updated: March 21, 2012

Page consulted on March 26, 2013

All Clips from this Topic