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http://www.crashthecrease.com/2010/02/02/sens-fans-coaching-and-success/
It just reinforces the value of coaching and team chemistry. We
may not have the greatest lineup but we’re getting more out of them
than others, making us a better team.
The team on paper is not necessarily the team on the ice.
I thought this was a pretty interesting assessment from Hoags, a
member on GMHockey.com. In fact, there are a lot of very interesting
takes on the Ottawa Senators and their current nine game winning
streak. There were even more interesting takes when the Senators were
on a five game losing streak that looked to put a dent in their playoff
hopes. So what’s made such a difference since that fateful night in
Atlanta, a night where the Sens ducked out of the way and were utterly
destroyed? Coaching. It’s one word, but what does it really mean? The
concept is simple, you practice, you do drills, you make plays – over
and over and over again until it’s something of a second nature to you.
The players hear the coaches wishes, ask questions, make adjustments –
then they do it all again – and again until they’re executing a game
plan. Then they transfer this onto the playing surface and try to
execute it in the heat of an NHL game. Sometimes it takes some time for
the players to trust that if they leave their position, someone will be
there to cover for them. Or they know that three of them need to
assemble in the neutral zone and force dump ins for the D-men waiting
back in the zone. They practice what to do when they make a soft dump
in, they practice what to do when the dump in is done incorrectly and
suddenly they need to be back in defensive posture. Somewhere along the
way they learn to trust each other to such a degree that they’ll drop
their gloves and protect a teammate if need be.
Another job of a coach is to push and prod a player until they start
clicking. Among the benched this year: Peter Regin and Erik Karlsson.
Since then both have blossomed into regular NHLers. Peter Regin came
into this season as a player who could legitimately challenge for a
center position on the team. His stellar two-way play aside, Regin can
dangle with the best of them and has a penchant for scoring highlight
reel goals. Every game that goes by, this young Danish born player is
starting to fill out and gain confidence.
Meanwhile, Erik Karlsson started slowly enough, finding his feet in
a man’s league at the age of 19 and seemingly learning as he went
along. He was sent to Binghamton to hone his skills as a power-play
quarterback and did an admirable job. He then was sat down for three
games and something clicked for this young man that have most Ottawa
fans very excited. All of a sudden Erik Karlsson started to display the
staggering skills that made him one of the NHL’s top prospects, he can
pass, he has an incredible shot and he’s very creative and savvy with
his stick when playing in the defensive zone. He has made such a
startling transition these past few weeks that he’s already cemented
himself as a fan favourite.
Seaway Sens Fan writes: Even with the ups and downs, I wouldn’t
even say that there are any disappointments aside from Spezza’s
production. Let me be clear, not Spezza, just his production. I haven’t
really seen anything in his game that was unexpected or a sign of
eroding skills.
Dash writes: I find that Spezza’s overall game has improved,
which once he finds a balance in the offensive and defensive sides,
should be a complete player.
Clutch writes: Hopefully he turns it around in the second half of the season and his GWG the other night is a good start.
This is a fair size elephant in the room for some Sens fans, not
exactly what you’d call ringing endorsements for a player making 7
million dollars a year for the next 5 years. And this isn’t a minority,
this is probably hovering around 50% of all Sens fans who feel this
way. Why? Jason Spezza has the size at 6′2″, 220 to move guys out of
the way on the forecheck, win the puck and make a play. He has the
surprising speed to blow by guys, and he possesses one of the premiere
passing abilities in the NHL, so why are people complaining? Jason
Spezza could be an aggressive player in the NHL, a guy who fights for
pucks below the goal line and a guy who fights for space in front of
the net – like a Ryan Getlzaf, but instead he shows glimpses of
competing the way Sens fans dream about, then he reverts back to his
old ways. Some would laugh and say that his old ways were above a
point-per-game in the NHL – not really something to be chastising him
about – and they’re right to a degree, but this team is well-coached
now, it fires as a unit, soft-dumping the puck into the zone and going
in hard after it, what we don’t do is give the puck away in soft
places, places where we’re in big trouble – an odd man rush, a
breakaway – something that involved a major risk in what’s usually a
tight game. Some people question if Spezza can handle being a go-to
player, others insist he will not be, but one thing is true right now,
and that’s that Spezza is a fantastic talent as he’s shown in 4
straight games since returning from injury, but he also needs to
continue to build on his game. Listening to everything Cory Clouston
says would be a good start.
DASH writes: Brodeur is a huge surprise. Here’s a guy that has
been around the league, mostly in the AHL, and only played his first
NHL game this season, and in 3 games has a G.A.A. of 1, a save % of
0.966 and recorded 1 S.O.
Brodeur started something here – and there’s no one in Ottawa who
should forget what he did. He came up from Binghamton in relief of an
injured Pascal Leclaire (shocking!) and a sick Brian Elliott and was a
hero for this team.
Then Brian Elliott went on a run that is so spectacular it’s almost
beyond words. His GAA in the last 7 games is hovering around 1.00, his
save percentage was in the .970 range. What, really!? Yes, really, this
is the reason why the Ottawa Senators are on a 9 game winning streak,
not just that they’ve come together as a team, but because they’re
receiving elite goaltending. A lot of people talk nervously, is this a
streak, or is this for real? No one can answer that yet, but Brian
Elliott has clearly taken the ball and run with it this time, he’s
relegated Pascal Leclaire to an on-looker when he returns – and most
importantly, he’s propelled the Senators into a very cozy 5th place as
of January 30th. What an incredible story this is.
Lastly, dennycrane writes: (pleasant surprises this year are)
Jarkko Ruutu – He is on pace a career-high in points. Chris Neil – He
has been getting worse over the last two years. He has become a force
on home ice when the coaching staff get their match up with that line.
Chris Kelly – He too has surprised with some offense after a dismal
start.
This might be the biggest thing besides goaltending. The line of Jarkko
Ruutu, Chris Kelly and Chris Neil are strong, they’re aggressive and
they can burn you with goals as well. No longer is it an advantage to
have your first line come out against these guys, now teams are trying
to put separation between the skill and the sandpaper. Not only that,
it aggravates teams, baiting them into penalties as well as throwing
the skilled players off their games. It would be a disservice not to
talk about these three guys (or the most expensive 4th line in the
NHL). All of this suggest a possible advantage to the Sens when they
play on the road, a place that hasn’t been especially kind to the Sens
this year – although, they’re playing well on this current streak.
So many things have to go right for any kind of winning streak in
this new NHL, luck plays a part, skill, hard work, desire – there’s a
whole list of cliches to choose from, but with this current Ottawa
Senators team there’s the feeling that no matter what happens during
the course of a game, they can always bounce back. If it’s a tough
goal, they believe in themselves and Clouston’s system and continue to
plug away. If they make a mistake, Brian Elliott is there to bail them
out, if they need a timely goal, someone will step up. And for the
first time in a long, long time that could literally come for any of
the 12 forwards or 6 defensemen. It’s refreshing to see such a
revitalized product on the ice, one that looks fresh and one that looks
like it’ll work for every inch of the ice.
Keep playing like this and the sky’s the limit…
It just reinforces the value of coaching and team chemistry. We
may not have the greatest lineup but we’re getting more out of them
than others, making us a better team.
The team on paper is not necessarily the team on the ice.
I thought this was a pretty interesting assessment from Hoags, a
member on GMHockey.com. In fact, there are a lot of very interesting
takes on the Ottawa Senators and their current nine game winning
streak. There were even more interesting takes when the Senators were
on a five game losing streak that looked to put a dent in their playoff
hopes. So what’s made such a difference since that fateful night in
Atlanta, a night where the Sens ducked out of the way and were utterly
destroyed? Coaching. It’s one word, but what does it really mean? The
concept is simple, you practice, you do drills, you make plays – over
and over and over again until it’s something of a second nature to you.
The players hear the coaches wishes, ask questions, make adjustments –
then they do it all again – and again until they’re executing a game
plan. Then they transfer this onto the playing surface and try to
execute it in the heat of an NHL game. Sometimes it takes some time for
the players to trust that if they leave their position, someone will be
there to cover for them. Or they know that three of them need to
assemble in the neutral zone and force dump ins for the D-men waiting
back in the zone. They practice what to do when they make a soft dump
in, they practice what to do when the dump in is done incorrectly and
suddenly they need to be back in defensive posture. Somewhere along the
way they learn to trust each other to such a degree that they’ll drop
their gloves and protect a teammate if need be.
Another job of a coach is to push and prod a player until they start
clicking. Among the benched this year: Peter Regin and Erik Karlsson.
Since then both have blossomed into regular NHLers. Peter Regin came
into this season as a player who could legitimately challenge for a
center position on the team. His stellar two-way play aside, Regin can
dangle with the best of them and has a penchant for scoring highlight
reel goals. Every game that goes by, this young Danish born player is
starting to fill out and gain confidence.
Meanwhile, Erik Karlsson started slowly enough, finding his feet in
a man’s league at the age of 19 and seemingly learning as he went
along. He was sent to Binghamton to hone his skills as a power-play
quarterback and did an admirable job. He then was sat down for three
games and something clicked for this young man that have most Ottawa
fans very excited. All of a sudden Erik Karlsson started to display the
staggering skills that made him one of the NHL’s top prospects, he can
pass, he has an incredible shot and he’s very creative and savvy with
his stick when playing in the defensive zone. He has made such a
startling transition these past few weeks that he’s already cemented
himself as a fan favourite.
Seaway Sens Fan writes: Even with the ups and downs, I wouldn’t
even say that there are any disappointments aside from Spezza’s
production. Let me be clear, not Spezza, just his production. I haven’t
really seen anything in his game that was unexpected or a sign of
eroding skills.
Dash writes: I find that Spezza’s overall game has improved,
which once he finds a balance in the offensive and defensive sides,
should be a complete player.
Clutch writes: Hopefully he turns it around in the second half of the season and his GWG the other night is a good start.
This is a fair size elephant in the room for some Sens fans, not
exactly what you’d call ringing endorsements for a player making 7
million dollars a year for the next 5 years. And this isn’t a minority,
this is probably hovering around 50% of all Sens fans who feel this
way. Why? Jason Spezza has the size at 6′2″, 220 to move guys out of
the way on the forecheck, win the puck and make a play. He has the
surprising speed to blow by guys, and he possesses one of the premiere
passing abilities in the NHL, so why are people complaining? Jason
Spezza could be an aggressive player in the NHL, a guy who fights for
pucks below the goal line and a guy who fights for space in front of
the net – like a Ryan Getlzaf, but instead he shows glimpses of
competing the way Sens fans dream about, then he reverts back to his
old ways. Some would laugh and say that his old ways were above a
point-per-game in the NHL – not really something to be chastising him
about – and they’re right to a degree, but this team is well-coached
now, it fires as a unit, soft-dumping the puck into the zone and going
in hard after it, what we don’t do is give the puck away in soft
places, places where we’re in big trouble – an odd man rush, a
breakaway – something that involved a major risk in what’s usually a
tight game. Some people question if Spezza can handle being a go-to
player, others insist he will not be, but one thing is true right now,
and that’s that Spezza is a fantastic talent as he’s shown in 4
straight games since returning from injury, but he also needs to
continue to build on his game. Listening to everything Cory Clouston
says would be a good start.
DASH writes: Brodeur is a huge surprise. Here’s a guy that has
been around the league, mostly in the AHL, and only played his first
NHL game this season, and in 3 games has a G.A.A. of 1, a save % of
0.966 and recorded 1 S.O.
Brodeur started something here – and there’s no one in Ottawa who
should forget what he did. He came up from Binghamton in relief of an
injured Pascal Leclaire (shocking!) and a sick Brian Elliott and was a
hero for this team.
Then Brian Elliott went on a run that is so spectacular it’s almost
beyond words. His GAA in the last 7 games is hovering around 1.00, his
save percentage was in the .970 range. What, really!? Yes, really, this
is the reason why the Ottawa Senators are on a 9 game winning streak,
not just that they’ve come together as a team, but because they’re
receiving elite goaltending. A lot of people talk nervously, is this a
streak, or is this for real? No one can answer that yet, but Brian
Elliott has clearly taken the ball and run with it this time, he’s
relegated Pascal Leclaire to an on-looker when he returns – and most
importantly, he’s propelled the Senators into a very cozy 5th place as
of January 30th. What an incredible story this is.
Lastly, dennycrane writes: (pleasant surprises this year are)
Jarkko Ruutu – He is on pace a career-high in points. Chris Neil – He
has been getting worse over the last two years. He has become a force
on home ice when the coaching staff get their match up with that line.
Chris Kelly – He too has surprised with some offense after a dismal
start.
This might be the biggest thing besides goaltending. The line of Jarkko
Ruutu, Chris Kelly and Chris Neil are strong, they’re aggressive and
they can burn you with goals as well. No longer is it an advantage to
have your first line come out against these guys, now teams are trying
to put separation between the skill and the sandpaper. Not only that,
it aggravates teams, baiting them into penalties as well as throwing
the skilled players off their games. It would be a disservice not to
talk about these three guys (or the most expensive 4th line in the
NHL). All of this suggest a possible advantage to the Sens when they
play on the road, a place that hasn’t been especially kind to the Sens
this year – although, they’re playing well on this current streak.
So many things have to go right for any kind of winning streak in
this new NHL, luck plays a part, skill, hard work, desire – there’s a
whole list of cliches to choose from, but with this current Ottawa
Senators team there’s the feeling that no matter what happens during
the course of a game, they can always bounce back. If it’s a tough
goal, they believe in themselves and Clouston’s system and continue to
plug away. If they make a mistake, Brian Elliott is there to bail them
out, if they need a timely goal, someone will step up. And for the
first time in a long, long time that could literally come for any of
the 12 forwards or 6 defensemen. It’s refreshing to see such a
revitalized product on the ice, one that looks fresh and one that looks
like it’ll work for every inch of the ice.
Keep playing like this and the sky’s the limit…
I had a feeling actually...