Tim Murray on Team 1200

Would appear so.... if nobody likes each other other in there.

Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

shabbs wrote:Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

What is he honestly supposed to do. Force people to like each other? Force people to sign by a camp fire?

If players dont care, they dont care.

Neely4Life wrote:

shabbs wrote:Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

What is he honestly supposed to do. Force people to like each other? Force people to sign by a camp fire?

If players dont care, they dont care.

Coaches get fired for the same reason, Alfie needs to get a hold of his dressing room.

Either he needs to lead by example or motivate his teamates so they do care.

And we need to can all the BS about players "trying hard", we are past that now we need results. Trying hard is for house leaguers!

TeamRenzo wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:

shabbs wrote:Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

What is he honestly supposed to do. Force people to like each other? Force people to sign by a camp fire?

If players dont care, they dont care.

Coaches get fired for the same reason, Alfie needs to get a hold of his dressing room.

Either he needs to lead by example or motivate his teamates so they do care.

And we need to can all the BS about players "trying hard", we are past that now we need results. Trying hard is for house leaguers!

Yeah, Alfi is Moses and has set down the 10 commandments for the team. If guys dont care, they dont care. You cant change a player like that.

Alfie already leads by example. Even last year, he had to wave at his linemates to join him on a rush when they were floating behind him. This year he routinely outworks his linemates.

At this point, and I already saw signs of this last year, appealing to individual pride or any kind of team spirit or emotional or moral component is just futile.

This is tiring Dung. Time to kick Donkey and trade names. Rebuilding is an ugly word but looks like what we are in for.... a massively premature rebuild. The nucleus here is in it's prime for Diddle sakes... Some sad Dung to say the least....

shabbs wrote:Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

Yes it does. Leadership has always been an issue on this team, at least within the dressing room. They have always needed that smack-you-in-the-mouth leader. Alfie? Heatley? Fisher? Phillips? No chance.

Time to turn Jason Smith loose on the room. No change in lettering, but people like Spezza and Kelly need a slap in the face.

dennycrane wrote:

shabbs wrote:Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

Yes it does. Leadership has always been an issue on this team, at least within the dressing room. They have always needed that smack-you-in-the-mouth leader. Alfie? Heatley? Fisher? Phillips? No chance.

Time to turn Jason Smith loose on the room. No change in lettering, but people like Spezza and Kelly need a slap in the face.

You could start with that, and then go from there! LOL

dennycrane wrote:

shabbs wrote:Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

Yes it does. Leadership has always been an issue on this team, at least within the dressing room. They have always needed that smack-you-in-the-mouth leader. Alfie? Heatley? Fisher? Phillips? No chance.

Time to turn Jason Smith loose on the room. No change in lettering, but people like Spezza and Kelly need a slap in the face.

Isn't that what he was brought in for in the first place? I don't understand why things are still as bad as they are with the leader of all leaders in Smith.

Spezza with Neil and Ruutu eh.... If he doesnt show some pop on that line in a physical or hard working sense, the other team is gonna eat him alive. Good luck producing there big guy.

Well, all he's gotta do to get back to the lower number lines is put in the effort; skate hard, work hard and you'll be rewarded Jason. I think it's just what the Dr. ordered

Neely4Life wrote:Spezza with Neil and Ruutu eh.... If he doesnt show some pop on that line in a physical or hard working sense, the other team is gonna eat him alive. Good luck producing there big guy.

Wow! Talk about sailing a guy down crap river. What is he going to do with those two guys?

jamvan wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:Spezza with Neil and Ruutu eh.... If he doesnt show some pop on that line in a physical or hard working sense, the other team is gonna eat him alive. Good luck producing there big guy.

Wow! Talk about sailing a guy down crap river. What is he going to do with those two guys?

Bang, crash, and agitate.

*Snicker*

Seriously, tho', what a waste. Spezza is a top-6 player on any team. If you want to punish him to send a message -- which I totally get -- then limit his ice time and take him off the top PP unit, etc., but at least put him with guys who are remotely offensively oriented. Say, any two of Zubov, Winchester, Foligno, and Vermette. This is over the top and counter-productive to the team's single most urgent need, which is to produce more goals.

That line won't last the 1st two periods.

504Heater wrote:http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=584804

Team chemistry - Inside the locker room

I have heard from a very reliable source (mods PM me for the info as I will not post it in the thread) that the chemistry in the Sens locker room is a source of major concern.

The source quoted a player in the room as confiding to them that he had been on numerous other NHL teams and had never seen a group of players who were so distant from each other emotionally. They are not a group of friends or buddies. The team does not hang out with each other very much off the ice, if at all.

The player in question was even apparently considering hosting some sort of party or get-together to try and stimulate some team-building, bonding, etc. I'm starting to wonder if this may have been part of the spark that got the mustache growing contest going.

Apparently, the team players are pretty much 'all-business' and the guys in the room are really not having much fun and are not a very close bunch of guys.

Now how does a GM or coach solve a problem like that?

I think this was pretty evident personally. The team isn't a 'team'.

Ice fishing and skidooing will make a team out of anyone!

rooneypoo wrote:

jamvan wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:Spezza with Neil and Ruutu eh.... If he doesnt show some pop on that line in a physical or hard working sense, the other team is gonna eat him alive. Good luck producing there big guy.

Wow! Talk about sailing a guy down crap river. What is he going to do with those two guys?

Bang, crash, and agitate.

*Snicker*

Seriously, tho', what a waste. Spezza is a top-6 player on any team. If you want to punish him to send a message -- which I totally get -- then limit his ice time and take him off the top PP unit, etc., but at least put him with guys who are remotely offensively oriented. Say, any two of Zubov, Winchester, Foligno, and Vermette. This is over the top and counter-productive to the team's single most urgent need, which is to produce more goals.

That line won't last the 1st two periods.

Agreed. I think Harts will keep the big 3 apart for at least a game, but I anticipate alot of other tinkering. Also, the point about pairing Spezza with offensive type players is well taken. It's setting Spezza up to fail (and become that much more of a lightning rod for criticism) pairing him with guys who cannot take advantage of his playmaking skill.

I'd also say that Jarkko Ruutu is underrated offensively. He's just so damn good at the agitator role, that we hardly see it.

Neely4Life wrote:

shabbs wrote:Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

What is he honestly supposed to do. Force people to like each other? Force people to sign by a camp fire?

If players dont care, they dont care.

Think Messier would let this go on?

shabbs wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:

shabbs wrote:Isn't this is the kind of stuff that falls on Alfie's shoulders though...

What is he honestly supposed to do. Force people to like each other? Force people to sign by a camp fire?

If players dont care, they dont care.

Think Messier would let this go on?

Alfi is no Messier. Alfi is a good leader, I would hardly call him great though. He shares some blame for sure, Ill even say a lot, but to change a person or a team mate isnt reasonable. People still expect Spezza to be forced to do things, and forced to want to try. The guy makes 7 million dollars a year, has the biggest contract in team history, its on him, not Alfi, not Heatley, not the ccoach.