The saucer pass is an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

technique in which the puck is passed to another player in such a way that it flies in the air like a

flying saucer A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has g ...

. This makes the pass more difficult to intercept by opposing players but it will still land flat on the ice making it simple to control for the receiving player. The saucer pass is widely used nowadays due to the difficulty of intercepting it. It requires a high degree of skill to perform a saucer pass to a team member while also making it difficult for an opposing player to intercept it. The typical height used for 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 meters, it usually rises a maximum of 30 centimeters above the ice level. In the case of a "

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

attack"—a saucer pass covering tens of meters, often starting from the passer's defensive zone—the pass can easily rise over 3 meters from the ice to avoid being captured by an opposing player's glove (capturing a pass with a stick above one's own shoulder level or above

goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ...

height is prohibited close to a goal). The inventor of the saucer pass is commonly credited as the Finnish ice hockey legend

Raimo Helminen Raimo Ilmari Helminen (born 11 March 1964 in Tampere, Finland) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He is often called "Raipe" or "Maestro" by his fans. He is the world record holder for most international games played by a hockey p ...

. According to the book ''Raipe - vaatimattomuuden lyhyt oppimäärä'', he invented the pass when he was playing against grown-up men from his neighborhood when he was a young child in

Koivistonkylä Koivistonkylä (also nicknamed Koikkari among the locals) is a district located in the southern part of Tampere, Finland. It borders Nekala in the north, Rautaharkko in the west, Taatala in the south and Veisu in the east. Many ice hockey playe ...

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

.Laitinen, Vesa, Raipe: vaatimattomuuden lyhyt oppimäärä, 2004

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saucer Pass Ice hockey terminology Ice hockey strategy