Yeah, some guy named Peter Laviolette said it took the Hurricanes about twenty games to get in the proper conditioning and gain the understanding of his system to play it effectively.
20 games to get them to play the way he wanted them too. Nowhere in that article, unless i missed it, does it say it took them 20 games to get into shape or conditioning.
They weren't out of shape. No one that steps on a NHL ice surface is "out of shape" by any standard you want to apply. However, that doesn't mean they're in good enough shape to play the style that Laviolette advocates.
Why not? Teams exit training camp without their system fully pulled together. The first 20 games of the NHL season every year are messy, sloppy, and just generally poorly played hockey. Some of that is guys getting physically into the groove, but a lot of it is that team play simply doesn't coalesce until you hit the middle point of the season (when Laviolette came in).
So, you're expecting a coach to come in midseason and implement a new system and get it up and running with a quickness during a stretch of games on an every-other-night basis (meaning he had little good practice time)? If he'd pulled that off he'd be the best coach in the history of the sport.
good enough shape= semantics. you know what i mean. They were not in good enough shape hockey wise. I said 20 games shape wise, not knowing the system wise. As i said earlier not knowing the x and o's as well as other tidbits i can understand. That isnt what i am talking about at all.
20 games to get them to play the way he wanted them too. Nowhere in that article, unless i missed it, does it say it took them 20 games to get into shape or conditioning.
Getting into shape is part of getting to where they're playing the system the way it's supposed to be played.
Laperriere said there is another reason for the turnaround. "When we come to the rink for practice, everybody is ready to go," he said. "That's a big difference. We needed to be in better shape to play this system and we are in better shape now."
good enough shape= semantics. you know what i mean. They were not in good enough shape hockey wise. I said 20 games shape wise, not knowing the system wise. As i said earlier not knowing the x and o's as well as other tidbits i can understand. That isnt what i am talking about at all.
You've heard the parlance of "game shape" vs. "not game shape," right?
Well, "game shape" under Laviolette is a LOT more demanding than "game shape" under other coaches. Every single skater on the ice has more asked of him than you see with other coaches (Stevens being one of 'em). The forwards spend more time doing deep forecheck runs, and then need to hustle on the backcheck to stay in the play defensively. The defenseman are activated with greater frequency and spend more time down below the circles than you see normally (and previously). This system demands more skating of players...and therefore a higher cardio fitness level to maintain the pressure Lavy wants to see.
It's an active system as opposed to a more passive system (the trap, for example, where the forwards pick up their defensive responsibilities at the blue line and are, therefore, waiting for the other team to come to them). There is nothing shocking or untoward about the Flyers not being ready to play at the pace Laviolette wants them to play at. They weren't physically prepared to play for that in training camp.
good enough shape= semantics. you know what i mean. They were not in good enough shape hockey wise. I said 20 games shape wise, not knowing the system wise. As i said earlier not knowing the x and o's as well as other tidbits i can understand. That isnt what i am talking about at all.
Being in condition to play one system doesn't mean that they'd be in condition to play a more aggressive, more active system. Playing a system like New Jersey's requires a lot less skating than a system like Buffalo's. That means that you need a higher conditioning level to play Buffalo's system.
Being in condition to play one system doesn't mean that they'd be in condition to play a more aggressive, more active system. Playing a system like New Jersey's requires a lot less skating than a system like Buffalo's. That means that you need a higher conditioning level to play Buffalo's system.
You are comparing apples to oranges.
not all. just simply saying most of these guys were not in "good enough" shape no matter who the coach was or system in place they play.
Am I the only one who sees the irony of Pens fans crashing the main board to call Richie a whiner and then in the same sentence, asking how many Flyers fans would be posting in the thread if it were Crosby?
LeBrun has a blog up on ESPN (that has probably been talked about already) about the whole situation. He talked to Lindros, Clarke, and Primeau and they all seem to think it's not a big deal. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Even if he never speaks to the media again, as long as he keeps producing who gives a ****.
Am I the only one who sees the irony of Pens fans crashing the main board to call Richie a whiner and then in the same sentence, asking how many Flyers fans would be posting in the thread if it were Crosby?
My favorite one of those ever during the whole firestorm over Richards "running" MAF earlier this year and a dude showed up in the thread to blast Flyer fans for whining in a thread put up by Pens fans *****ing about said play.
LeBrun has a blog up on ESPN (that has probably been talked about already) about the whole situation. He talked to Lindros, Clarke, and Primeau and they all seem to think it's not a big deal. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Even if he never speaks to the media again, as long as he keeps producing who gives a ****.
It isn't a big deal. As much as the media likes to act like it's primary gig is as a conduit between its readers and that which it covers, in sports it's really an almost purely parasitic relationship. Of course it will be fine. Why? Because Mike Richards is the captain and they need to be able to talk to him to do their job of reporting on the team.
LeBrun has a blog up on ESPN (that has probably been talked about already) about the whole situation. He talked to Lindros, Clarke, and Primeau and they all seem to think it's not a big deal. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Even if he never speaks to the media again, as long as he keeps producing who gives a ****.
It isn't a big deal, at least not as big as the media wants to make it.
The hack is trying to sell papers. Wasn't the Inquirer in severe danger of going under this past year? It only makes sense that he's now parading around attempting to be controversial (a la Eskin) to make a name for himself.
Haven't read the thread so I don't know if this already posted, but I just saw this on cbc.ca
Party's over for Philly captain Richards
Quote:
1. Captain Richards and Philly reporters at odds, again
There appeared to be a thawing period between Flyers captain Mike Richards and the team's beat reporters until he gave a recent interview with The Hockey News.
After stating in the article that rumours in Philadelphia start flying when you're losing, Richards was asked after the Flyers' 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday to clarify his remarks.
"The drinking articles and things like that," he said. "That the players were drinking too much, that Richards and [Jeff] Carter were out all the time."
Richards wasn't happy that he had to revisit the rumours and innuendo that surfaced earlier this year, resulting in several weeks in which Richards did not talk to reporters.
Last summer, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren admitted in an interview that concerns were raised by the coaching staff about the lifestyles of the younger group of players that lived in downtown Philadelphia.
Earlier this season, in an interview with ex-Flyer Joffrey Lupul, who was traded to Anaheim in the Chris Pronger deal, Lupul was asked if he thought his trade, and Scottie Upshall being moved to the Phoenix Coyotes, were tied to the nightlife concerns.
"Sure, we went out a lot for dinner and stuff, and although we all are young guys — Richards, Carter, all of us — we still knew how to handle ourselves in a professional manner," Lupul said.
My favorite one of those ever during the whole firestorm over Richards "running" MAF earlier this year and a dude showed up in the thread to blast Flyer fans for whining in a thread put up by Pens fans *****ing about said play.
It was just perfect.
Just a very strange fanbase. It's funny because I always think of Philly as kind of a loser city when it comes to sports, but the inferiority complex that Pitt fans seem to have is just massive.
How is he blaming his supposed shortcomings as a leader on the media? He was asked an irrelevant question after a tough loss, a question that was largely personal because the reporter took offence to the Hockey News article, and he answered it. The reporter got in his face when he didn't like the answer. Who wouldn't be upset with him given the **** they make up and then he gets in your face after you give an honest answer? He's a nerdy little reporter grilling a hockey player about a different interview instead of the game. It was dumb.
Way to read too much into it.
Well, well said. I think that about sums this up.
People are in shock because a hockey player had an adverse reaction to a dumb question by another annoying reporter? What is this, a private country club?
Just a very strange fanbase. It's funny because I always think of Philly as kind of a loser city when it comes to sports, but the inferiority complex that Pitt fans seem to have is just massive.
There are obviously some that are fine...but some of them are just ridiculous compared to other groups.
Pens fans never have to worry about this with crosby, because the media will never ever write anything bad about him, and do you really think we are going to see any photos of him drunk and partying with WOMEN?
Wow, that's a helluva good quote by Pronger. Maturity, understanding and pure leadership.
Pronger's been saying the exact same things since he got here. I'm surprised it's taken so long for others to realize how awesome his statements have been.
How a guy like Bill Meltzer is writing hockey as a sideline while Sam Carchidi is making his living at it is baffling to me.
Meltzer has long written he's very happy with his day gig. Panaccio was terrible with the Inky but has improved somewhat at CSN. Carchidi is pathetic. Seravalli is an upgrade over Moran, who was dreadful.
