[KipperFaNaTic]

Originally Posted by Locke

Thats the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

I've coached numerous tournaments, granted, not at this level, but you keep them together at almost all times.

You can give downtime, but you never, ever, sacrifice practice. Like KFF and others have said, it doesnt have to be bag-skates or laps or whatever, but you keep the team together, you work on this or that.

I remember after one tournament where we played in Calgary and my players all got to go home with their friends and families and were completely unfocused when they they came back I coached another tournament, in Calgary, and still put the kids up in Hotels.

Granted, that was an Elite team with a budget, but it meant that for the duration of that tournament, despite playing in your home-town, your teammates were all that mattered. You have all the time in the world to spend with your family. Later.

In the meantime? Theres a job to be done.

You can have downtime, together, but you focus on the job.

What is absurd is that this is common sense to us low level youth coaches, yet foreign to an NHL coach like Cameron at the highest level.

How do they not value practice? Right before a big knockout game? After already skipping a couple before?