Firstly, I think that after the panic of the 1-3-2 (with vigorous debate about games that could have been won and weren't) and now being at 3-3-2, there seems to be a gradual shift in mindset here.
I have noticed a few things.
Active sticks: Somebody will skate around a Flame, and they still are fighting for the puck on the back side while positionally disadvantaged.
Putting the puck in a place where there is a decent likelihood of retrieval: I see this even with little pokes of the puck into areas where the Flames are likely to retrieve it.
Neutral zone transition, puck support, and speed: I like to think I see improvements here.
Penalty kill: Ugh. Maybe need to look at some game tape. I never like to agree with Doug Maclean.
General disposition/fun/confidence/whatever: So under Keenan, a deficit was never a great concern. You always knew there was something else that would happen, good or bad. A deficit was not a disaster. Then again, the team could implode any given game as well. A losing team the past couple of years by contrast seemed demoralized with little resiliency.
It looks to me like some of the new guys have good habits and some of the old guys have bad habits, and the current zeitgeist is directionally in favour of good habits.
I'd be interested in general takes on what people see differently under Hartley, comparing and contrasting, for better or for worse, based on the limited sample of activity so far.
Defense can jump up on the rush
Much better passing in the offensive zone
Tenacious pressure when on defense, when it's a normal rush not caused by Jbo falling down the other team has a really really hard time setting up chances
Most of all I like that there are guys flying at the opposing goalie waiting for a pass, last year it was all perimeter garbage chances.
We have some weaknesses obviously, but this team is way more fun than under Sutter's reign. Hartley is willing to try new things as where Sutter would try to jam square pegs into circular holes over and over to the point of insanity
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The biggest flaw last season was lack of speed coming through the neutral zone. This went both ways - forwards were never able to push defensemen back and command their respect. On the other side the Flames d-men were constantly getting pushed back and lack of back pressure by forwards meant the other team could hem them in for long periods of time.
The team refused to use the net D on the breakout and always looked to throw it up the near-side boards first, an avenue that was easily anticipated and exploited by aggressive D.
Mike Babcock is correct in his analysis - the team pushes the puck up ice much quicker this year, they are actually attempting to dictate the pace of play. Dennis Wideman has been huge in that facet.
It's really important the Flames grab as many points as possible in the early going here - their new style of play is going to surprise teams in their first meetings (like it did to Chicago and Detroit) and that element won't work come the stretch run/playoffs so they need to rack up some wins here.
It's not all roses however. The D still allows a lot of shots from the slot without much physical resistance and the penalty kill is frightfully bad. Would it kill them to actually put some pressure on the puck carrier?
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The biggest flaw last season was lack of speed coming through the neutral zone. This went both ways - forwards were never able to push defensemen back and command their respect. On the other side the Flames d-men were constantly getting pushed back and lack of back pressure by forwards meant the other team could hem them in for long periods of time.
The team refused to use the net D on the breakout and always looked to throw it up the near-side boards first, an avenue that was easily anticipated and exploited by aggressive D.
Mike Babcock is correct in his analysis - the team pushes the puck up ice much quicker this year, they are actually attempting to dictate the pace of play. Dennis Wideman has been huge in that facet.
It's really important the Flames grab as many points as possible in the early going here - their new style of play is going to surprise teams in their first meetings (like it did to Chicago and Detroit) and that element won't work come the stretch run/playoffs so they need to rack up some wins here.
It's not all roses however. The D still allows a lot of shots from the slot without much physical resistance and the penalty kill is frightfully bad. Would it kill them to actually put some pressure on the puck carrier?
In regards to that, the Detroit play-by-play guys talked about how Hartley is really pushing us to use the long lead passes way way more. According to the Detroit guys implementing this effectively makes the team way faster because it drastically decreases our time in the neutral zone; it forces their offensive rush to have to turn around as soon as we touch the puck and it takes away a lot of the support when they are breaking into our zone.
Who knows, Hartley might tank us into last but atleast he's not Sutter. Watching him force Olli with Iginla down our throats for years made me want to punch my tv.
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Yeah, I don't know if this team is going to win much more than the last few years. They lack size and toughness but they'll be more exciting. So it's a good job by Hartley as he's using his talent well.
Hartley wasn't my first choice but I wasn't upset when he was hired as I feel he's a good coach and his resume in the NHL is pretty solid. Now that the team is slowly adapting to his system they look more inspired than past years. If this team finishes out of the playoffs it won't be his fault.
Let's talk about Bob Hart-ley
Let's talk about Stajan and Jay B.
Let's talk about all the good things on the ice
We're starting to see
Let's talk about Czechs
Let's talk about Czechs
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the one I'd add is the removal of no-no's for passing. The Flames don't appear to have any areas on the ice where they're not allowed to pass the puck. As a result you see a lot more risk in throwing the puck d to d tight, or in front of our own net on a break out, or across the rink below the hash marks.
It's higher risk, but also very hard to defend because the normal channels of exiting the zone aren't the only options.
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He promised an up tempo style of play, and that the team would play hard and aggressive all over the ice....he promised they would be a team Flames fans would proud to watch and support. Eight games in and so far he's delivered on that IMO.
I love the positivity I am seeing as well.....from the coaching staff and players. It's fun to be a Flames fan again. Keep up the good work Bob.
Hopefully the wins start to pile up as well.
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It is interesting to the see his system starting to take form. You can definitely see that he wants to emphasize a quick transition game with forwards leaving the zone and making long passes. The Flames are definitely not physically intimidating team but it hasn't really been a problem aside from the Sharks game, and perhaps some of Ducks game.
One thing I've noticed is the D are not as willing to give up in the offensive zone. In previous years, once the puck was loose in the offensive zone, the D seemed to already be halfway to center. Now, they're willing to fight for the puck, and that has drastically improved our time and pressure there. I think it also forces the other players to support each other better, which is a bonus.
We got burned for it last night on their third goal, but once in 8 games isn't bad.
The biggest thing I have noticed is the overall change in attitude towards the players.
Angry upset Sutter
Happy Bob Hartley
Hartley has nothing but praise for his players and even after a loss he doesn't trash them. He finds the positives and tries to keep the workplace environment happy. He seems like the kind of coach you would go to war for.
Sutter had a mopey demeanor about him. Always head down, angry, swearing. For him it was always about the system. About buying in and how some players weren't. I know its still early, but its pretty apparent that the system he had wasnt right for the team.
Hartley promised us fans an uptempo game, more entertainment, and that the Flames would be a team the whole city could be proud of. 8 games in and I'm on board. He has kept his word and I'm loving this team that will go down swinging until the bitter end.
I have hope for this season, and even if we don't make the playoffs I am damn proud of this team.
Last edited by Huntingwhale; 02-08-2013 at 08:13 AM.
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Hartley has nothing but praise for his players and even after a loss he doesn't trash them. He finds the positives and tries to keep the workplace environment happy. He seems like the kind of coach you would go to war for.
Sutter had a mopey demeanor about him. Always head down, angry, swearing. For him it was always about the system. About buying in and how some players weren't. I know its still early, but its pretty apparent that the system he had wasnt right for the team.
The mental issues of this team over the last 3 years have been no secret. Wild inconsistency and just a crazy, intense environment. I really think that it came down to an issue of confidence and these guys would lose it so quickly when something went wrong. It's only been 8 games but the entire atmosphere around the team right now is so much different than that Sutter era - these guys actually seem to be having fun.
Just from a 'technical' standpoint I think there was one statement from Hartley's Presser last night that summed it up. He said that he's philosophy was to create a system that supported the strengths of his players and that would put his guys in a position to win. Maybe my memory is terrible, but I don't think we ever heard anything like that from Sutter. We saw the exact same thing for 3 straight years regardless of roster makeup and it was all about 'hard work' and 'doing things the right way' (aka his way). I get that the players should be listening to the coach but everything about Sutter seemed so restrictive.
Who knows if this team makes the show come April but I see some positives that we haven't seen in years (hopefully they get the PK and some of the in-zone issues cleaned up though).
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Let's talk about: Bob Hartley
