Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay Random
I think the whole team was on a bit of a heater, especially offensively, and Kadri fed off that and was motivated by it. One thing I have often noticed is that teams that are hot just before Christmas tend to cool off after the break, and teams that are stone cold before Christmas sometimes play better after. I think in both cases, the holidays, and the time away from the routine at the rink, help to break the pattern, and when the team gets back to work, it has to find its own natural level again. For that and other reasons, it's hard to sustain that kind of intensity for very long.
(The CBA-mandated break in each season seemed to have a similar effect; which is why so many fans and players hated it. You get in a groove, and then have to stop and twiddle your thumbs and start over from a standstill. Only with that break, each team gets it at a different time and comes back cold when their opponents have been playing all along.)
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You hear it all the time with hot and cold players. Fans read it as wavering levels of interest or heart or whatever, but it’s often just a timing thing.
It’s like the idea of a “flow state.” When the timing is on, the game slows down, guys get loose, confidence goes up, and things just seem to go in for them.
When the timing is off, there’s no rhythm to the game, guys tighten up, confidence goes down, and even easy plays feel difficult.
Probably similar to why a guy like Parekh can seem like he’s struggling to even see a play in the NHL but go to a top international tournament and set records. That talent is there, the effort is there, but if you can’t find the right timing you’re kind of hooped until it clicks back into place.