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Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Those are all fair points, so maybe I just don't understand what you meant by how much of that was out of their control? Is there anything more within your control than preparation?
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I think it depends. For players I am not sure there is much control—players live and die by routine, so I expect that preparation in the playoffs doesn't look at all different from how it looks in the regular season. This is where coaches make a difference, and yes, for coaches this is something over which they do have control. We will see what sort of a difference a year makes, but I expect Bill Peters and company to have the team better prepared the next time around.
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Or you're saying that none of it was the Avs doing and so there is nothing to learn for other teams?
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I wouldn't say "none of it was the Avs doing," because they obviously played that series very well, and they frustrated the Flames. There are strategies to play the Flames, of course—there are for every team, but I don't think this makes the biggest difference in the playoffs. Every year a very good team wins the Stanley Cup, but the team that wins is also the one that is playing their best
at the right time. THAT's the magic ingredient that no one can control—you can't get around it, and it is impossible to manufacture.