The Hip Check is Very Effective in NHL 17

Whenever I’m starting to feel like I know everything there is to know about NHL 17, I start lurking reddit and low and behold there is something that slipped passed me. This time it’s the hip check! Thanks to Brianstormed for sharing this on reddit.

I’ll embed his YouTube video here for convenience. As soon as I watched it I had throw my skates on and give it a try – more on that after the video:

***Brianstormed has a lot of other awesome NHL 17 tips on his channel too. Worth a sub! Brianstormed YouTube Channel

My Attempt

First off, as mentioned in the video – to perform a hip check press in the right analog stick(R3).

After giving this a try, I totally agree that it will be best used while forechecking. As Brianstormed alluded to in the video, there is always that risk of getting a penalty when hitting someone on the forecheck – whether it’s hitting from behind or charging. The hip check basically eliminates that risk altogether.

I didn’t waste any time getting my ass into the corner… literally.

I’m a huge fan of the dump and chase in this game as you will already be aware if you’ve read my 6 Useful NHL 17 Tips post. Combining the dump and chase with the hip check just makes it even more effective! I strongly recommend it, unless you are playing against me in which case you should try to skate directly into my defender and also always pass the puck out with your goalie…

How Not To Hip Check

Okay so you’ve seen how it can be effective; now for how it won’t be effective while also making you look like an idiot – a twofer! Don’t worry, I purposely made myself look like an idiot to provide these examples so you don’t have to… Yeah I’m sticking with the on purpose story.

1. You should have some momentum before initiating the hip check…

Sort of sends the wrong message when you don’t have any momentum… depending who you are, I suppose 😉

2. Make sure you know which direction your opponent will be going! If you’re not sure then it likely won’t be worth the risk… You’re not going to catch up to them while bent over, that I am sure of.

Thanks again to Brianstormed for originally sharing this. Great tip and hope this post will help spread the word. Hip checks are back! Get your ass out there.

See ya in the corners.