Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
All theories/opinions.
Does Bollig on the bench actively stop Gaudreau from getting cheapshotted? Nope. Johnny gets cheapshotted every game.
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You'll never stop Johnny from getting cheap shots. The point is that if Engelland goes and has a chat with someone who gets a little physical and threatens them, Johnny FEELS protected. If nobody says anything Johnny FEELS like no one has his back. It's a psychological factor. If you FEEL like a bunch of 6'2 220 lb guys have your back (Ferland, Bollig, Engelland) you aren't going to be scared to go into the hard areas. If you don't feel anyone has your back and you're scared a team is starting to take cheap shots then you may play scared.
So much psychology in sports. So much attempt to reduce it away with stats that don't capture everything going on.