Quote:
Originally Posted by AcGold
It's how the team works together that matters. A very small team probably could excel under the right conditions as could a very big team, it's how the coach utilizes the individual strengths of each player. The opposite of this was demonstrated by Brent Sutter that tried shoving each player into the same mould and never worked. Kris Russell is a great example, a small guy that plays a big game and could compete with the best in the league because the coach knows how to use him.
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I think there's a lot of truth in that. I hated the way the Flames played under Brent and Brian's defense first method.
If there was anyone on the Flames who stepped up his game, and was responsible for the Flames success after Giordano went down, it was Kris Russell...he absolutely shone under Hartley. His excellent play didn't go unnoticed by other teams, as evidenced by their interest at the trade deadline.
I really hope Hartley wins the Jack Adams. He got the most out of each player, in spite of their various deficiencies, as perceived by others. And he moulded the team into an effective unit whose success exceeded the most optimistic of prognosticators.