My thoughts on going to get a stick...
The NHL is VERY traditional. It has always been the 'wisdom' that you continue to play without a stick. But in the past, there were 2 things that are very different than today: 1) the players are much faster now - some were down right glacial, back in the day, and 2) you can't play the body like you used to.
Before, if you lost your stick, you would simply take a player out and basically hold him on the boards. Now, you can't do anything remotely close to that, and the game is played with sticks, not bodies.
So the old notion of playing without a stick is antiquated. You're useless out there. Go get a fricking stick! Even in the 2nd period, it is only 4 to 5 seconds each way.
Last night (and typically), they were playing 'short' in their own end for maybe 20-30 seconds and were under pressure like they were killing a penalty anyway. It was - as it usually is - a tire fire. So just go get one and get back in the play as fast as you can.
Ten seconds is not a lot of time for a team to 'set up the power play' and exploit an open man. If they do, good on them. But the current strategy guarantees pressure in your end anyway, and usually for much longer.
I think it should also be mentioned that Monahan played it really well. He did pretty much everything he could do, considering he had no stick. However, if he did have one, he would have been able to clear the zone faster than they were able to.
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