Quote:
Originally Posted by Monahammer
Man, this viewpoint can't stand when Edmonton makes the cup finals two years in a row. Against another historical "loser" franchise in Florida.
There's no permeation. Culture means very little or nothing. It's all about star power.
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Edmonton needed a lot of years to get over that culture as did the Panthers.
However, pretty sure McDavid and Barkov are both reasons those cultures changed. Say what you want about McDavid, but he has clearly been on a mission in the last couple of seasons, not just putting up points but finally also focusing in his two-way game.
Barkov was more of a slow burner in development, but he was always a hard-working perfectionist who believes in offense through defense, and by many accounts his work ethic and attitude have been contagious in Florida, meaning he is a big reason they play the way they do.
Many teams in the league have similar stories about the effect a star player can have on their team.
I do think tanking can create an atmosphere of losing... but I think being perpetually frozen in mediocrity can just as easily corrupt a teams mentality. Calgary has had a lot of hard-working teams, but we've also watched many seasons of uninspired mediocrity... teams that fought hard enough to look good at times, but always faltered when the stakes got too high. A culture of mediocrity. Disappointing at big moments is basically a trademark of the Flames.
Bennett was always somewhat frustrating as a player here, but one thing I miss about him was that you could absolutely rely on him being noticeable in big games. Not always in the best way, but always definitely showed up
