Practice Notes March 9 - Surly Rancher 2.0

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by bdubbs

I still remember the days when Hartley emphasized high tempo practices so that the Flames would be the best conditioned team in the league. Hopefully Darryl does something to motivate these lazy bums.

It accounted for the many third period comebacks.

[djsFlames]

No more sandwiches, Andersson et al.

[Flames1217]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

It accounted for the many third period comebacks.

Still think Hartley was let go of too early.

[shotinthebacklund]

I come back to if your entire roster is having a Down year, There is much more to it then just players. 100% believe Sutter will fix many issues.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I am not directing this at you, but there are certainly posters here who were not as careful in their criticism to make these distinctions between plan and execution, which is exactly what I was getting at.

I suppose.

I always try to respond to the better posters and the well thought out comments. I try to ignore the weaker posts, because, why bother?

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Flames1217

Still think Hartley was let go of too early.

I think he was hired too early on.

Think of him working with the Flames from '17-'20 and those significantly better rosters at his disposal.

Sure, they'd despise him just as much by the end of it but I would've been intrigued to see the results with those teams.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Honestly they are out of shape, they just can’t do it for 60 mins

Lol, yes, that's it. Bunch of coach potatoes on skates. Especially that Giordano guy, he is ready for the old age home.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Locke

The fact of the matter is though, that every system needs adjustments.

Glen Gulutzan believed that if you went out and did the same thing over and over and over and over but....eventually better? That statistically over the course of the season it would work.

Thats insane.

You can have a core system, and core values, but at the end of the day the adjustments made in the moment are what is going to slip the knife's edge over to victory or defeat.

No question. I agree 100%. And I think that was a big problem with Ward.

Sutter is great with adjustments.

Also, even though Sutter said the system is fine, I fully expect that we will see some changes. For instance, I expect that they will look to move the puck out of their zone, and up ice, much quicker.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Lol, yes, that's it. Bunch of coach potatoes on skates. Especially that Giordano guy, he is ready for the old age home.

I think Gio's legs are actually improving from the start of the season.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I believe believe Sutter saying the system will be the same is mental manipulation of the players to convince them not much has changed, while actually changing a lot of things.

It’s good reframing. Players are more apt to buy into a mere stylistic change.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Lol, yes, that's it. Bunch of coach potatoes on skates. Especially that Giordano guy, he is ready for the old age home.

Freudian slip, weekly prize winner right there.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I think Gio's legs are actually improving from the start of the season.

You need a sarcasm detector

[Calgary4LIfe]

I am super excited after that media availability.

I will start this off by saying that we shouldn't expect a drastically different team on Thursday than what we have been seeing. This is going to take time to turn things around and make them play well. I am just hoping for wins - either deserved team wins or undeserved steals by the goalies - until this team is turned-around.

I am pumped because of practices. I asked if anyone knew how Ward had this team practicing, but nobody knew it seemed. Sutter is running uptempo practices at game-speed. That's so critical, and I don't understand how coaches are employed when they aren't running games at full speed. Yes, there are things you slow down when teaching or fixing an issue, but practices should be 100% game speed - that's how you make things become second nature.

Hartley's practices were at game speed, and I clearly remember those being lauded by media types around the NHL during games. He would run a fricken game-day skate at full speed. Flames were always ready to compete and played at a high level all the time. I remember the contrast with the Edmonton Oilers at the time, and how slow their practices were.

If you are always practicing at a slow speed, doesn't it just seem obvious that you would have a bit of trouble when things start happening at game speed? It throws all your timings off.

As for 'the system' - yes, Darryl said that the system is not the problem, but the style is. It is how they are playing within the system that is the problem (and I linked speed and being hard on pucks as to what he meant by style). However, he also is stressing "Protecting the goalie" - I don't think either goalie has been protected at all this season. He wants the wingers to protect the boards, the centre to protect the middle of the ice, and the defencemen to protect the middle of the ice. I think we are going to see a reinforcement of structure on this team that is much needed and greatly overdue - I must sound like a broken record continually whining about how this team bleeds chances over and over again, and I did my best this season to not do that during the wins.

I like the message today. I like how this is changing again. It is 'back to being business' at practices - work hard. Back to being defensively responsible. Sutter also said that the PP needs work (felt it lost them the game on Sunday). He also said the first period by the Flames on Saturday against Edmonton was the best period that any team in the NHL played this season.

So for me, the big takeaways were:

• Uptempo game-speed practices
• focus on protecting the goalie
• wingers protect boards, centre middle of the ice, defencemen middle of the ice as a defensive structure
• wants to generate more offence, and thinks it will happen by playing with speed
• won't be much in the way of a systems change, just some adjustments in a lot of areas

This is really what I wanted to see happen. Ticks off every box for me

[The Yen Man]

Obviously this is all speculation because I'm not a player on the bench, but it could very well be that Ward being in over his head, he himself doesn't know how to coach the team to come back from a deficit, or against adversity. So he stubbornly just does the same thing over and over again, even if it doesn't work. To me, it just looks like he fails to adapt, and the team just caves when they see any adversity. When the team has no confidence in the coach directing them to a comeback, you get players looking lost on the ice, trying to do too much, etc.

[djsFlames]

Should practice sprinting up the ice when gaining the puck in the d-zone. They looked like they were going for a leisurely skate in the park with the pace they moved the play north. It's no damn wonder they had no space or time once they entered the neutral zone.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Bunch of coach potatoes on skates...

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Obviously this is all speculation because I'm not a player on the bench, but it could very well be that Ward being in over his head, he himself doesn't know how to coach the team to come back from a deficit, or against adversity. So he stubbornly just does the same thing over and over again, even if it doesn't work. To me, it just looks like he fails to adapt, and the team just caves when they see any adversity. When the team has no confidence in the coach directing them to a comeback, you get players looking lost on the ice, trying to do too much, etc.

The only adjustment he made when down a goal or two late was bring out the line blender. He had no other play. The approach would remain the same. Outside of that third against Ottawa, there was no aggressive play like that where we would take risks or pinch. Was mind blowing.

And he wouldn't shorten the bench much either. Wasted shifts on our offensively inept guys when we needed a goal.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

I am super excited after that media availability.

I will start this off by saying that we shouldn't expect a drastically different team on Thursday than what we have been seeing. This is going to take time to turn things around and make them play well. I am just hoping for wins - either deserved team wins or undeserved steals by the goalies - until this team is turned-around.

I am pumped because of practices. I asked if anyone knew how Ward had this team practicing, but nobody knew it seemed. Sutter is running uptempo practices at game-speed. That's so critical, and I don't understand how coaches are employed when they aren't running games at full speed. Yes, there are things you slow down when teaching or fixing an issue, but practices should be 100% game speed - that's how you make things become second nature.

Hartley's practices were at game speed, and I clearly remember those being lauded by media types around the NHL during games. He would run a fricken game-day skate at full speed. Flames were always ready to compete and played at a high level all the time. I remember the contrast with the Edmonton Oilers at the time, and how slow their practices were.

If you are always practicing at a slow speed, doesn't it just seem obvious that you would have a bit of trouble when things start happening at game speed? It throws all your timings off.

As for 'the system' - yes, Darryl said that the system is not the problem, but the style is. It is how they are playing within the system that is the problem (and I linked speed and being hard on pucks as to what he meant by style). However, he also is stressing "Protecting the goalie" - I don't think either goalie has been protected at all this season. He wants the wingers to protect the boards, the centre to protect the middle of the ice, and the defencemen to protect the middle of the ice. I think we are going to see a reinforcement of structure on this team that is much needed and greatly overdue - I must sound like a broken record continually whining about how this team bleeds chances over and over again, and I did my best this season to not do that during the wins.

I like the message today. I like how this is changing again. It is 'back to being business' at practices - work hard. Back to being defensively responsible. Sutter also said that the PP needs work (felt it lost them the game on Sunday). He also said the first period by the Flames on Saturday against Edmonton was the best period that any team in the NHL played this season.

So for me, the big takeaways were:

• Uptempo game-speed practices
• focus on protecting the goalie
• wingers protect boards, centre middle of the ice, defencemen middle of the ice as a defensive structure
• wants to generate more offence, and thinks it will happen by playing with speed
• won't be much in the way of a systems change, just some adjustments in a lot of areas

This is really what I wanted to see happen. Ticks off every box for me

If you don't practice at full speed, how can you possibly expect to play at full speed? (note: I have no idea how hard they were practicing under Ward, but based on the way they played, I can certainly guess)

As to the bolded: I remember this, and the sharp contrast between the teams. I was not at all worried about the Oilers putting it together, because they did everything at such a slow speed. People were quick to say that guys like Hall sucked, but they just looked unprepared, and unable to execute at speed (they looked a LOT like this year's Flames).

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

If you don't practice at full speed, how can you possibly expect to play at full speed? (note: I have no idea how hard they were practicing under Ward, but based on the way they played, I can certainly guess)

As to the bolded: I remember this, and the sharp contrast between the teams. I was not at all worried about the Oilers putting it together, because they did everything at such a slow speed. People were quick to say that guys like Hall sucked, but they just looked unprepared, and unable to execute at speed (they looked a LOT like this year's Flames).

I had no idea how practices were being run by Ward either. I remember Gulutzan's didn't have the same pace as Hartley's, and I can't remember Peters'.


To me, that was the single biggest takeaway - the practicing at game speed, which apparently wasn't happening under Ward. Tanev specifically said: "Best practice of the year" too. Love it.

[The Boy Wonder]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I think Gio's legs are actually improving from the start of the season.

To be fair though it would be difficult for them to have gotten any worse