Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
I'd still say that failure to work a game plan properly is on the players. When the Flames have been successful this season it's because they've done as they were told. When they are not successful, it's pretty obvious that certain players are sliding into old habits and ways of doing things.
Tactically, I don't see a whole lot of flaws in the approaches of various coaches. They are simply different styles, and each should have worked with this group. But yeah, my point was about motivation and that the guy you held up as an exemplar, Hartley, wore out his welcome, especially with guys who are still central to the team. At some point, like I said, the character of the team has to be questioned. Especially the team's star player.
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Sorry, I understand why you say that but just can’t come around to agreeing with this. I have so many times seen the Flames get the puck in their zone, go D to D wide and forwards stop at the far blue line, and turn the puck over within 5 seconds. That has been repeated so many times that it is coached. It’s too often ineffective.
Johnny skating in to 3 guys is also a function of the game plan. Gio starts skating out of the zone, does the sideways turn, drops it way back to Johnny, who surveys his options and tries to work up a head of steam while his teammates watch and hope something happens, and the opposition sits there licking their chops because Johnny has nobody moving with him, so a large proportion of the time they can just outnumber him, keeping their eye open for the little backhand pass. That’s a system issue, another thing they practice, and it is countered way too often.
Now once in a while things do work. The other teams have humans who miss their assignments too, and sometimes Johnny makes a silky play, but in general, you must recognize these two examples as things you have seen many, many times this year.
That’s not anything to do with motivation, those are elements of a game plan that aren’t working often enough. And being ineffective becomes frustrating and demotivating