Quote:
Originally Posted by memphusk
When he says this team isn't mature enough, he's not wrong.
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Yeah.
Johnny's hissy fits really epitomize that immaturity. You wouldn't see Jarome slamming gates and frustrating himself. He would simply dial back in with even more focus. He learned early how to direct frustration the right way.
Between the ears even some of these 26 year olds have to mature, harden a bit and drop the woe is me routine. Frustration only exacerbates the issues. You have to respond with intention and action. Switch up your pre game routine, simplify your game, focus on throwing a hit, or just finishing the next shift right.
The kids have this mentality that if they can't play the hero and score the big goal and something goes wrong then they should throw in the towel. It's about commitment and responsibility shift to shift and being a reliable cog in the wheel, even if you're not producing. You let down your end and get complacent like a number of players did and the game blows up on you.
Play the right way even if you're on your way to a loss. It's about getting to the point where playing smart, responsible and engaged is your baseline.
You'll still lose some games even playing that way (goalies, bounces, calls will not always favor you), but in the end you WILL win more than you lose. And you won't lose by a landslide. And that's the point.