Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
Not in those terms. But his message does lead to those things.
When he tells them things like
"Only play 50/50 Hockey"
"Play simple at home"
"Don't be cute at home"
"Play north south, not east west"
"only 5-8 foot passes"
These are all "negative" messages that cause guys to get away from their best hockey. Even his "Attack in fives" message slows the tempo down. I point to this interview of his messaging to Jankowski before his first game:
The messaging is not being delivered in a way where guys can play the system yet still play free. More simple messages that had less apprehension and tightness like "Attack hard, but backcheck hard too", "Get to rebounds and just go" and "Support and trust each other and attack" would probably have the team playing better, even if a few more blatant mistakes came along with it.
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Go back and look at the exit interviews from last year and specifically Versteeg.
Coaching staff has made hockey fun again.
This is like Chicago where players have a voice and an opinion.
The statements you are referring to are simplifying statements that you give to a tight team. It's the right thing to say.
You guys don't have to agree with me, but I see player execution issues all over the ice right now, and that's not coaching. This isn't Mike Keenan screaming at them, the media has been pointing out how wired Gulutzan is this week because he's showing emotion for the first time.
This isn't a team that has been brow beaten into nervousness.