In hockey, a 3-way line is a set of three players – two defencemen and a forward – who are positioned in a line along the rink edge. Their primary function is to defend the puck carrier and prevent the opposing team from scoring by icing (touching the puck and ending the play before it reaches the opposition’s end). Typically, the two defensive players stay close to their own end of the ice while the forward controls play in the middle; however, the exact positioning of each player along the line changes based on the situation and league rules.
The concept of a 3-way line came from ice hockey rules and the forward pass, which was first implemented in the NHL in the early 1970s. The name stemmed from the fact that each player on the line would usually pass the puck to the players on their right or left before they begin their attack on the puck carrier. Before the forward pass, if a player lost the puck or had it stolen by the defenders, they would drop back to their own zone to initiate a new play. The 3-way line allowed them to maintain offensive pressure while preventing the other team from re-entering the game through a transition game. The rule was designed to increase offensive pressure and scoring chances while decreasing the number of defensive-minded games played between teams in the NHL. This could also be considered a variant of the trap.
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Origins Of The 3 Way Line In Hockey
The origins of the 3-way line in hockey are linked to the game’s fundamental design, which requires teams to defend territorial possession of the puck. In 1883, the Ontario Rugby Football Union played its first game, where teams would now line up in a line to rush the ball. In 1894, the first American football game was played, and teams had 11 players in each huddle – the predecessor to today’s line-up. And so, in that spirit, here is how the 3-way line in hockey originally came to be:
In the 1903–04 season in the National Hockey Association (NHA), the Montreal Canadiens’ George Pellat played a 2-way game for the first time against the Toronto St. Pats. The team was scoreless until the final minute of the game when the Habs’ Cy Denneny crossed the ice and beat the Pats goaltender, Hugh McIntosh, with an indirect slap shot from the blueline. The goal was registered, but the official scorer mistakenly credited Gardeur Laffray instead of Denneny.
Two years later in the NHA, the St. Pats went one step further and implemented a 3-way line. After watching their opponents rush the puck up the ice against the slowest defenseman, the St. Pats’ players decided to create a counter-ploy against their nemesis, Denneny.
The Toronto team had a slowest defenseman, George Morrison, and so they aligned him with two of the fastest wingers in the league, Alf Smith and Billy Coutu. As the three of them were the only players capable of keeping up with Denneny, the Toronto players dubbed the alignment the “3-Way Line.”
In the 1906–07 season, Denneny, now with the Bears, scored a then-record 25 goals in what would be his last season in the NHA. He went on to play seven more seasons in what would become the National Hockey League, during which time he scored 150 goals. When NHL play began in October 1917, Denneny took his place alongside the other greats of the era, including the legendary Frank Boucher and the legendary Rube Foster.
While Denneny scored more than 300 goals during his time in the NHL, he is most remembered for his contributions to the sport with his exceptional defensive play and his leadership on the ice. Indeed, Denneny once said, “A good defence is just as good as a good attack. You have to work equally hard at defending your goal as you do at scoring one.”
3-Way Line: A Simple Explanation
Before we move on, let’s put the 3-way line into context by looking at its simplest definition: a 3-way line is three players positioned along the ice (two defencemen and a forward) who are responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring by icing (ending the play before the puck gets to the opposition). When a team wins the face-off, the players from that team will be responsible for defending the puck and preventing the opposition from gaining a scoring chance by putting the puck into their own net or by passing it to a teammate. If the opposing team members gain the puck, the responsibility of preventing the other team from scoring lies with the other two players on the line – the forwards.
With that in mind, let’s now take a closer look at the 3-way line as it is used today:
How 3-Way Line Is Different From A Trap Or A Scramble Line
The terms trap and scramble line are often used interchangeably when referring to the 3-way line, but they are actually two very different formations. A trap line is a unit of three forwards and two defencemen who are aligned in a line along the boards (near the opponent’s goal) while a scramble line is generally used when a team is attacking near their goal. The difference between a trap line and a 3-way line is that a trap line is generally used when the opposing team is applying pressure while a 3-way line is there to prevent the other team from scoring. Thus, when an offensive team is applying pressure, the 2 defensive players in a 3-way line will usually skate towards the middle while the two forwards stay near the boards – creating a sort of “V” formation along the ice. Once again, the positioning of each player changes based on the situation and which team is applying offensive pressure. For example, in the offensive zone, a 3-way line can become a trap line with the two defenders skating towards the middle and the two forwards staying near the boards. In terms of play, a trap line is similar to a 3-way line because the puck will be shared between the players along the line, but a 3-way line is generally applied when the pressure is offensive in nature while a trap line is used when the pressure is defensive or neutral.
The reason for this difference is that a trap line is generally used when one team is attacking and the other team is defending or when the teams are of equal strength. In that case, neither team wants to give the puck away, so both sides rush the puck up the ice while keeping an eye on the opponent’s net to prevent the other team from scoring. This often leads to the puck being in the air a lot, with many icings performed during a game. Because a trap line is usually used to prevent the other team from scoring, the emphasis is on defense rather than offense, and several defensive plays can happen before an offensive play even takes place. In contrast, a 3-way line is there to prevent the opponent from scoring, so it is generally applied when the team behind the play is stronger than the team that is being defended. This is likely to happen when a weaker team places a greater emphasis on defense rather than offense, and several offensive plays will take place before a defensive one.
Let’s look at an example of how a 3-way line is played today:
How A 3-Way Line Helps The Defence
Let’s say that you are a coach for a team in the NHL, and you decide to put Shane Doan, a great playmaker, on the line with Jordan Eberle and Paul Stastny. You want to create a play that benefits the defense, so you decide to form a 3-way line with three defenders and put Doan on the right side while Eberle and Stastny are on the left side. When a player is placed on this line, they will be responsible for intercepting any pass that is made towards the opponent’s net and clearing the puck out of there. As a result, this line will improve the team’s defense because they will be able to cover the entire width of the ice.
Let’s take a look at what happens if Shane Doan receives the puck while playing against the Colorado Avalanche: