Quote:
Originally Posted by shadowlord
I still don't understand how Bob Hartley got fined for putting out his 4th line to start that game.
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I like Torts, generally, but that has to be one of his all time dumbest moves.
Flames submit their starting line up first. Torts sees it and has two options. Think to himself "sweet, Hartley is an idiot, I'm gonna start my first line and give us an instant match up advantage, giving us a great chance to go up 1-0 early and establish some momentum."
His other option, the one he followed, was to get into a pissing match he knew he couldn't win. We were tougher than they were. But Torts strikes me as the kind of guy who can't walk away from a fight when you call him chicken or yellow belly.
And that one idiotic decision basically cost his team that season and a playoff series. From that point forward, they didn't have a chance against us. We were in his head and in their player's heads.
Truly a masterstroke from Bob.
As for the fine, I get they fined him based on the outcome, but the set-up was all on Torts. It is unusual to start your 4th line but not unheard of. Some coaches like to reward opening line ups based on which line is hot or based on hard work. Especially in a road game, it wasn't that far fetched for a coach to want a bang and crash energy line out there to start the game.