Anyone can identify skating. This organization has moved away from identifying hockey sense as a primary tool. Dorion certainly did not have that ability. I don't think it was very high on manns list either. It's not an easy thing to pick up on, but some people are capable of it.
Poulin was a very cerebral player, its one thing to see it in a pro that's already in the NHL. It's another to identify it in a prospect. I do think that having played the sport at a high level really helps in identifying this trait. When Poulin was an analyst he was capable of showing it in clips. So I'm really happy he is talking about it. Thats one of the reasons I liked the hire. I hated when I saw people on here saying they just hired another t.v personality. Like all of them are the same... Poulin is way more cerebral than Button or Mcguire for example. Two guys that are just loud, never played and are frankly not very good at evaluating talent or breaking it down.
Speaking of good analysts big fan of Frankie Corrado. Very intelligent hockey mind, he would be a great scout if he ever decided to go that route He breaks down the play really well and articulates it in a way most people can understand. He has some amazing breakdowns on Twitter. If you're looking to educate yourself on the sport I'd encourage you to follow him.
When I log into TSN 1200 I usually listen to the morning clip. They interview one of Pounder, Johnson, Corrado and Dreger. Dreger is useless he says nothing. Don't bother listening to him. The other three are good. In terms of actual relevant content I'd rank them 1. Corrado 2. Johnson 3. Pounder. But all are really really strong.
thehockeywriters.com
