Jared Bednar Discussion
- Thread starter Northern Avs Fan
- Start date
- Jul 27, 2021
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I haven't shared this before, but I grew up in Huntington, West Virginia, and I'm pretty sure I saw Bednar's second ever professional game as a player (and his first ever home game). It was the Huntington Blizzard's inaugural season in the ECHL and Bednar was a fresh-faced teenager just out of the WHL. By plus/minus, Bednar was the worst player on that very poor team, sporting a -82 in 66 games.
Bednar was on the Blizzard for an additional two-and-a-half seasons, with the most significant event for him during that time was meeting a local gal and getting married to her.
Of all of the players that played for the Blizzard in the seven years of their existence, only three ever made to the NHL as players, combining for 44 games played and 3 assists total.
Crazy to think that someone on that inaugural Blizzard team, which was very bad even by ECHL standards, would go on to make a mark in the NHL. Doubly crazy that he ended up making that mark on my beloved Avalanche, who were my favorite professional sports team ever since I started following hockey in 1993 and I randomly chose Quebec as my favorite team.
Bednar was on the Blizzard for an additional two-and-a-half seasons, with the most significant event for him during that time was meeting a local gal and getting married to her.
Of all of the players that played for the Blizzard in the seven years of their existence, only three ever made to the NHL as players, combining for 44 games played and 3 assists total.
Crazy to think that someone on that inaugural Blizzard team, which was very bad even by ECHL standards, would go on to make a mark in the NHL. Doubly crazy that he ended up making that mark on my beloved Avalanche, who were my favorite professional sports team ever since I started following hockey in 1993 and I randomly chose Quebec as my favorite team.
Foppa2118
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- Oct 3, 2003
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Bedsy taught this team both how to play winning hockey and how to stay focused and even keeled under pressure. His finger prints are all over this Avs Cup win.
Best coach in Avalanche history.
Best coach in Avalanche history.
Markster
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- Oct 13, 2019
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Though they also won Cups with the Avs, in my view, he's a significantly better coach than Marc Crawford or Bob Hartley ever sniffed at. Not even close.
Spleenless Wonder21
Done like dinner
I don't think Bednar figured out what 'winning hockey' was with his current system until the Edmonton series. The players don't simply sit on a lead unless the coach tells them to like they were against the Blues. The way the Avs defended the lead in the 1st two rounds was night and day compared to how they defended the lead in the last two rounds.
Foppa2118
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- Oct 3, 2003
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That's not true at all. Teams sit on a lead while their coach is telling them to play on their toes in the O zone all the time. It's just human nature.
No way Bednar was telling them to just sit back. That's not the philosophy he beehives in and not how his system works with a strong forecheck being so important to it.
It clearly was - it's been like this for the past few years. The previous Avs iterations had two styles - a high octane offense that played the same way with the lead or try and turtle and beat the clock. There was no in-between, Bednar couldn't figure out how to coach the players to play a simpler, safe game and still maintain the transition.
For awhile he tried a more trap-style approach once they had a lead but it didn't play to the Avs' strength. The Avs got a reputation of being a team that couldn't defend for a reason - they couldn't figure out how to close out games until this run.
Foppa2118
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- Oct 3, 2003
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Just because there's a narrative out there about the Avs not being able to defend, doesn't mean it's true. Just like the "Bednar can't adjust" narrative and the "Bednar got out coached" narratives.
Avs gave up the 3rd fewest goals last year and the 5th fewest the year before that. He taught them to defend a long time ago, they just got better at it, and the D core was relatively healthy.
Their execution and consistency playing his system properly was the only thing that improved this year. Not Bednar.
It doesn't make it completely true, but usually there is a semblance of truth in all things.
The Avs as a whole were a great defensive team because they dominated possession stats. I guarantee you if you broke down the Avs' system of playing with the lead against St Louis and how they played against Tampa you'll see the adjustments.
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Richard88
John 3:16
- Jun 29, 2019
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10 of the 16 wins were comeback wins, tying a record. So much for the narrative that this team can't come from behind to win.
katfude
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- Sep 25, 2015
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cinchronicity
Registered User
I'm not here to continue my typical Bednar onslaught. He was better this year. Bednar's lasting legacy - at least with this group - will be their ability to come from behind this past year. It was not a strength in the past, and he drove the point home, and that paid the biggest dividend at all.
That said, this entire narrative actually played out on the ESPN feed. They showed Landy looking to Bednar to see if he wanted a 1-2-2 pressure or 2-1-2. The announcers pointed it out on live TV. So it is incontrovertibly the case that Bednar preferred the 1-2-2 in the past and up through the St. Louis series. I do not know how nor when the epiphany came, but he finally figured out that a team built within his system really can't play a defensive shell. But make no mistake about it, the 'protection' strategy is dictated by an NHL coach, not the players.
I would prefer scoring the first goal, but I guess we needed that initial push to play better. Too easy otherwise.
brentashton
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- Jan 21, 2018
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SirLoinOfCloth
Registered User
Fo' realz?!
That season, finals and especially that third period of hockey was Bednar hockey. His systems, him getting complete buy in and dedication from this team.
I think you're kidding yourself if you think that Bednar was just a passenger in this cup run.
Shinjuku Calling
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- Jun 20, 2017
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Did he use a timeout once these whole playoffs? lol
Metallo
NWOBHM forever \m/
For Bednar, getting to the SCF was the bare minimum. Anything less would have been an upset and should have put his job on ''some'' danger.
Now he gets credit for building a strong system that allows integration of depth players as replacement parts really easily. We are not as much at the mercy of injuries as before due to that structure that starts from the back end allowing us to attack and defend as 5 man units.
Good job Bedsy!
Now he gets credit for building a strong system that allows integration of depth players as replacement parts really easily. We are not as much at the mercy of injuries as before due to that structure that starts from the back end allowing us to attack and defend as 5 man units.
Good job Bedsy!
MarkT
Heretical Wood
- Nov 11, 2017
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Someone didn't watch the team this season closely enough. They've been pushing the play when they had a lead all season. That's why they had so many 7 goal dominant wins. Sure, they sometimes slid back into letting their foot off the gas, but that certainly wasn't be design, at least not this season.
flyfysher
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- Mar 21, 2012
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Disagree. JB's job never should have been in any danger although I think at least getting to the WCF was the expectation barring some unforeseen circumstance. It's still a little early yet but JB is going to be a great, great NHL coach.
Richard Doll
Registered User
This team's way of playing and Bednar's way of coaching is a perfect match.
