guitarguyvic
Registered User
- Mar 31, 2010
- 9,071
- 7,619
I have brought this up that it’s been the biggest challenge since the Lou era ended. And it’s not just the team on the ice, what is this organization’s identity?What is this team's identity? Until that's addressed and fixed, even if it's unpopular, expect more of this clown show.
Certain people here scoff at the idea of team chemistry being a key component of success. The closest thing we had to real chemistry and an identity since Lou left was two years ago with the balanced lineup of homegrown talent and immense speed. The problem there is that speed alone is not good enough to be a real contender. So we traded away pieces to address areas of need but the replacements don’t seem to have the chemistry. I look at our top four forwards and they have these flashes of individual talent, sometimes together on the ice, but it never feels consistently cohesive. Contrast that with a line like ZZ pops from years ago…that line was a force, together as a unit, almost from the very beginning for three straight seasons. We have at least four top line talent forwards, yet nothing resembling a ZZ pops line. This is a big problem that rarely gets acknowledged. There’s also the issue of how our forwards don’t seem to have a ton of talent outside of individual offensive production. I believe this can be taught and addressed with the right coaching and systems, but perhaps there’s still a limit there that hampers team success. Organizationally, what do we stand for? Who are the kinds of players we target? “Talented individuals” is not specific enough. There needs to be cohesiveness from the ownership all the way down to the towel boy. That’s what builds a consistent expectation and lifts everyone higher than their individual talent.