At first glance, the drop of the puck for a faceoff sends a hockey game back into a whirling maelstrom of activity, with players scurrying left and right, side to side, up and down. The puck's in motion, the linesman is retreating out of the way and the mosaic of NHL hockey is back in business.

So, to the uninitiated, a faceoff may appear to be just an exercise in controlled chaos. But as those who ply their trade in the League know, and what's clear to hockey's legion of savvy fans, is the faceoff is an important – if not vital – strategic weapon in a game.

A faceoff, after all, establishes possession of the puck, and even the novice knows that puck possession is key. And since faceoffs are contested dozens and dozens of times in an average game, there has to be more method than madness in the faceoff circle.

And there is. While winning a faceoff may not qualify as a science, in and of itself, becoming an expert at winning draws is an art, the art of the draw.

To go back, or not to go back? Go to the forehand? Use the backhand? Tie up the opponent? Go for the outright win? Pass back? Move the puck to the side? Shoot right off the draw? These are some of the questions asked before each and every NHL faceoff.

Aside from questions, there is technique -- lots and lots of technique. Some players like to turn over their wrist on their stick in an effort to draw the puck back, while others prefer to stay on their forehand and win it forward. But no matter the grip or the method, each player has one thing on his mind during a faceoff -- winning.

"I think a majority of the faceoff guys -- most centermen -- usually feel the strongest winning faceoffs on their backhand," San Jose Sharks center Wayne Primeau said. "I mean you look at a guy like Joe Sakic. He turns his wrist over and with his hand-eye coordination is pretty good at getting it back pretty quickly to the point. Then there are guys like Joe Thornton who are very creative and tries to sometimes push the puck forward in the offensive zone and take it to the net or pass it over to his winger."

Tampa Bay's Tim Taylor, who was ranked seventh in the NHL in faceoff winning percentage last season, doesn't agree with the philosophy of players trying to go forward on a draw. Taylor likes to take all his faceoffs on his backhand, even though years ago that was frowned upon by coaches who believed their players were tipping their hand as to where they were going on the draw.

"One thing that used to be a myth was that you should never twist your arm because you'll show you're going back with a draw," Taylor said. "You know what, I do it all the time simply because I don't agree with going forward. You can try to go forward 10 out of 10 times in a game, but you might only make it through once. I don't think you should try that. The odd time you could trick someone, but I believe -- especially since most of my draws are going to be in the defensive zone -- in getting it back, so my stick is over and I'm just trying to time the referee's hand."

"I turn my bottom hand so I have more strength to pull back and basically I think every faceoff guy has a couple of ways to take faceoffs depending on what side you're on and if you're righty or lefty." -- Sharks' veteran Vincent Damphousse

Even Vincent Damphousse, who's logged more than 1,200 regular season NHL games in his career, believes in going back.

"I turn my bottom hand so I have more strength to pull back and basically I think every faceoff guy has a couple of ways to take faceoffs depending on what side you're on and if you're righty or lefty," he said. "I have a power move with my hand turned over at the bottom so I got a pull motion that's easier. That's what I'll use 95 percent of the time and then try to out-strength the center and out-quick him. Sometimes I also may just take the body and use my feet to bring the puck back."

Forwards also rely heavily on communication with their teammates when they're out on the ice taking faceoffs.

"Communication is huge," said Primeau, who won more than 50 percent of his faceoffs last year. "There's a big percentage of faceoffs being won by the wingers helping out or the defensemen moving up and helping out as well. The majority of the faceoffs are won by the center, but you can win a good percentage with your wingers helping out."

"There are set faceoff plays that you do in the defensive zone, the offensive zone and that's something that you usually talk about with your wingers," Damphousse said. "You usually play with the same guys and I tell them what I want and that certainly helps.

"A lot of the faceoffs are won or lost by the wingers," Damphousse said. "There's a lot of ties in faceoffs and in order to make the difference your wingers come in and help you out and take the puck and get it back to your defensemen. They have to be quick to respond to where the puck is going. If we're in the offensive zone sometimes they'll set up a shot. If I win it I want the guy in a certain position to shoot on net right away and I know from experience if I win it clean where it's going to come out, so I position my winger in the offensive zone so he can take a shot sometimes."

Players must keep their cool in the circle before the puck is dropped because the new faceoff rules that were put into effect last season don't allow the centers to jostle for position.

"Some players like to go forward with the puck, while some guys like to go behind. So communication is huge," Taylor said. "You have to let the guys that are on the ice with you on your team know where you're going with the puck so they can react. Lots of time you might lose a draw. The opponent might win the faceoff through his legs and if your winger knows what you were going to do and sees what happened he can get right through there and get the puck and get it back to your defenseman and turn that lost draw into a win. Every guy on the ice is just as important as a centerman on a draw."

Another key element in faceoffs these days is patience. Players must keep their cool in the circle before the puck is dropped because the new faceoff rules that were put into effect last season don't allow the centers to jostle for position as was the case in the past. As a matter of fact, if a player does make contact with his opponent or jumps the gun before the puck is dropped, he'll get tossed out of the faceoff pronto. This ejection from the circle will also put his team in jeopardy of playing a man down.

"It used to be where linesmen would let you get away with a lot more, but now the rule is cut and dry. You hit, you're out of the circle. Then when the second guy comes in he has to be careful because if he hits the guy or jumps then you have a penalty," Taylor explained. "So it's changed in that aspect."

While the rules may have changed a bit for faceoffs, the players still have to rely on their abilities when they take their position. Each successful forward brings a unique style to the circle, combining skills such as quickness, strength, timing, knowledge of the official and/or opponent and confidence when he's called upon to take a faceoff.

"Faceoffs are definitely a combination of quickness, strength and timing, but to me the most important thing on a faceoff is confidence," -- Tampa Bay forward Tim Taylor

"Faceoffs are definitely a combination of quickness, strength and timing, but to me the most important thing on a faceoff is confidence," said Taylor, who won 57.8 of his draws last season. "If you go into a faceoff, you might be getting beat by a guy that's 35 percent throughout the whole year, but he's beating you and he's in your mind. Now you might be going in thinking and become antsy and start to jump instead of relaxing. You're not doing the things you normally do.

"I find it's really important early in the game whether the faceoff is in the neutral zone, your end or the offensive zone is to try to win every one off that particular player you're matched up against because down the road in the game when there's an important draw and you're against him again you'll have the edge because you've won all these draws. He's going to have to try something different -- something that's he's not used to doing -- so you'll have him beat mentally. You'll have the advantage when it comes to a big draw."

"Strength, quickness and timing all play a role," Damphousse agreed. "But you also have to read very well when the faceoff is coming down. The best players are very quick and very strong and they mostly have one power move and that's how they get successful. You look at (Yanic) Perreault, who's consistently one of the best, and (Joe) Nieuwendyk; they don't have too many moves. They just stick with the ones they're comfortable with and they're very good at it."

Namely the art of the draw.