Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
I don't think that Tkachuk brings his team into the battle. I have started seeing it as he is bringing the battle to his team.
I 100% think that the players see it as an issue if Tkachuk is doing this every night. Remember when the Flames "owned" the Kings? That elbow happened, the rivalry happened, and suddenly the Kings sucked but were always up to the challenge when meeting the Flames.
Know why rivalry games are exciting? Because they are emotional and you can see all the players GAF metre going up. Tkachuk making everyone a rival - what does that do? It simply makes every team put more of an effort against the Flames, no?
So I have stopped looking at Tkachuk dragging his team into the battle. I see him as dragging the battle to the team all the time, and he himself often disappears in those games. The playoffs is where the battle and effort get ramped up to the max (or it should!), so in the playoffs that's great. Only Tkachuk hasn't exactly performed well there.
Yeah, I don't think it is in the Flames best interests to have a battle for every game of an 82 game season. I don't think it is wise to have the other teams circle the dates they have against Calgary. It is not going to help this team win more if every game means a battle against an opponent that really wants to make sure they beat you MORE than beat the other teams they play.
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This 100%
I've used the analogy before but it's like the loud, mouthy friend who you go to the bar with.
At first it's fun. His antics attract girls at times, he makes some funny jokes, and you don't hate having to maybe get into a bit of a scrap to stand up for him.
But as time passes it just gets old. You're sick of every single night at the bar ending in some type of drama, and really you just want to be able to go and have a fun night out without the headache.
I think this is the problem with Tkachuk. His antics get himself fired up, and maybe get him more involved in the game, but it also means that all 20 guys on the other roster might be more fired up as well and soon the guys on this roster are sick of every shift with him ending in a scrum.
Tkachuk can do that all he wants, but if he is going to whine that his teammates don't have his back then he needs to learn how to do it at the right time. Instead of just every shift.
And as mentioned I think that it's impact on improving his game is overstated. I actually find that sometimes when it's the big rematch, or even in the playoffs his game actually goes the other direction and he's actually less effective because he's focused too much on the extra curriculars.