Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
Of course it starts with Sutter, but players have to buy in and be involved.
Your top players have to do their job, of course. But so do the depth guys, and I don't think fans appreciate that enough. Fans want goals, and see 'event hockey'. But the little battles matter. Shutting down the other team matters. Doing your job every shift, definitely matters.
And it isn't just that they know how to do that, it's the professionalism they bring every day. Not just every shift, but also in practice. And having that confidence and maturity rubs off on the young guys.
It's a hard thing to put your finger on and identify. But coaches and players have been saying it for as long as I have been watching (the sixties), and no doubt long before that. Experience, and in particular championship experience, matters, according to pretty much everyone who has made it to the highest level.
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My point is, the idea that a past leader (for instance Mark Giordano) couldn't have brought the same or better professionalism as Brad Richardson, a guy who played around 8 minutes a night on the Kings, and didn't even participate in the Cup Final, is more fantastical than rooted in reality. It makes a great narrative, but is it fact?
I think it was telling that Gio was selected to be Captain by a championship winning coach back in 2013. Hudler had the championship experience. Cammalleri had been on deeper playoff runs than Gio too. A guy like Bob was the epitomy of merit for this organization, because he didn't have championship experience goggles (for other guys too - Bollig or Raymond for instance)
Of course to some extent you want guys who have been through the wars. No one is discounting the experience of Gelinas for us in 04, or Justin Williams for the Kings. And in that sense, the experience of someone like Milan Lucic who was not only a champion in 2011, but also had some major on-ice playoff heartbreaks in 2010, 2013, and 2014 is invaluable. Thr most important thing however to note is that Lucic was here last year, and here the year prior. Where was the culture shift then? Didn't the team culture get worse replacing Neal with Lucic?
I just take exception to the idea that a guy who was just along for the ride is somehow causing a trickleup effect on this team's best players. This team had some pretty important leaders in past years. It reminds me of how much Gulutzan kept insisting Troy Brouwer's experience was vital to the team's success.
You don't have to have won, to be a winner in terms of how you carry yourself.
You don't have to be a winner, to have won, either.
I'm sure Richardson and Lewis make the coach happy with their attention to detail, habits, consistent effort etc. But I'm equally sure, for instance, 2019 Ryan and Hathaway would have made the coach equally happy, even with zero experience in the postseason.
Winning makes a guy like Richardson or Lewis seem heroic. But the results come before, not after, that.