Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
He does make an interesting point, however, on the Pats going straight downhill ever since they acquired JD Watt.
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To me it seems that Watt just exemplifies a problem that Regina has/had with Watt or not.
That is a big desire to prove how tough they are, to the extent that it sometimes trumps playing the game and a lack of mental toughness.
In Lethbridge Watt was the best Pat for the first two periods. Early on in the game it seemed the team, Teubert, Bender, Mitchell and Kennedy especially, seemed to want to make the big hit rather than a smart defensive play. Watt was the one guy that was forechecking effectively and causing trouble.
Once Lethbridge scored the 3rd goal the Pats whole team completely tried to goon it up and looked like they had no desire to try to get back in the game.
In the third Watt exploded, an assistant coach exploded and Leffler exploded as well all for no reason at all. If anything the Pats were getting the calls and were getting away with a lot.
Also despite them scoring 2 goals in the 3rd the Pats team absolutely quit.
I think Watt is the wrong guy for that team but their are bigger issues than just him. I think it starts with Brent Parker, who seems like a loose cannon and goes down from there. The Pats have some talent but need to get rid of the "we are the toughest SOB's around" mentality and play hockey.
Look how many ridiculous fights they have been involved in this year. There is something wrong in Regina and it goes beyond Watt.
One last thing as this ended up longer than I thought. Was there anyone who really thought they had the best defense in the league? They looked pretty ordinary out there and would in my view be middle of the pack in terms of Eastern play-off teams.