Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part 1)

[beastintheeast]

Ah, fair enough.

Also, the weather is going to be good for people who are outdoors. Sunday at 2 is a death sentence for attendance. add the fact that they play on Saturday. It makes sense. Also, Saturday's game starts at 4, so BFD is making an attempt to make it sane.

All Earl basically did (after Howard opted out) was basically open the front door. That method work wonders through the early 80's until Killer left cause the 67's were the only real deal I town.

All playoff games would average around 7K and sellouts were very common.

I can go back to the mid-70's as a kid going to the games when Joly, Higgins and Smith were around. Sure I wouldn't remember too much about attendance numbers but in the early 90's I went back to the Ottawa Public library and researched the hell out of the 67's playoff runs from 1967 to about 1984. No wonder Oshawa hated us. An upstart Ottawa team beat and upset the big bad Generals in 72 under Bill Long.

When Kilrea took over in 74 he already had acquired the nasty rivaly between the 67s and Gens. Things didn't get much better than seeing Paul Therault lose his shit across the ice from Killer. Lol. Theriault would have this stick that he'd firmly grip along the bench. Man those were some fierce battles.

Still remember the 3-0 Oshawa lead in 88. Things looked bleak in Oshawa for game 4 on the road. They had us beat in the third with a few moments to go and the Gennies fans thought about celebrating a sweep until Matt Smyth scored in overtine to send the series back to Ottawa for game 5 even with the 67s being 33 seconds away from elimination. I remember going to Oshawa for game 6 on the booster bus.

The next night Ottawa forced a 7th game and while I was school my Dad the lineup for tickets. I remember him telling me the lineup was out the front door and around the corner on Bank Street. Had to be the greatest comeback in CHL history with over 10,000 in the old barn. Good times....

You also have to take into account that back then, is was common for school buses of fans to show up from the other city

 

[Race Dawg]

In terms of coaching, I'm not going to speculate on whether DC has "lost the room" or not, as I/we may never know one way or another.

Remember when DC was heavily out-coached by Kilrea when his St. Michaels Majors went down 4-0 to a much more eager Ottawa 67's?

Yeah I do lol

 

[ecraigs]

RIP Paul Therriault. He died last year. He proved that when you pickle things, they last longer…..

I remember Theriault taking over the Greyhounds from Muzz MacPherson and adding Dan Lucas to the line with Gretzky as a bodyguard. Oh, and not playing Gretzky every second shift. They took Ottawa to the 8th game in a best of seven series and just wore them out.

 

[PuckStop75]

As to the team's performance, the 67s have demonstrated they can carry the play and win games against quality opponents. Why they are so inconsistent in doing so, and why they more or less stopped doing so down the stretch starting with the Erie game (not counting games vs. Peterborough, Barrie, Niagara), can be a result of several factors but personally I think that stretch of play was ultimately unsustainable due to not having the "right" personnel, and coaching decisions.

I think the 67s are a good team, but they are outmanned in terms of depth at F and D against stronger top to bottom teams like Brantford, particularly in terms of roster construction for a playoff run. The 67s lack size and physicality in their top 9. The smallish, speedy guys are able to pressure the puck and cause turnovers, but when push comes to shove they are inconsistent in their ability to get to the net and generate scoring opportunities from the prime areas. The desire is there for the most part from Pinelli, Kressler and Gerrior, so I'm not faulting that...but at some point its simply a size and strength issue.

In terms of coaching, I'm not going to speculate on whether DC has "lost the room" or not, as I/we may never know one way or another. However, I do see a fairly poor PK and PP down the stretch, lack of discipline from the leadership group, inconsistency in terms of effort, and some questionable D pairings, forward lines and allocation of playing time. @OMG67 mentions above that Mayer is able to play 30-35 minutes/game. I certainly don't disagree, but when Ottawa's backs were against the wall last year vs. Peterborough, DC continued rolling out three D pairings (including a Mews/Marrelli pairing - both 16/17 year-olds) when he had Jack Matier and Pavel f*****g Mintyukov available, so I don't think he is going to suddenly decide to shorten his bench. I just don't see it. #2 on D plays a ton at ES and on the PK and consistently gets walked or caught out of position in the d-zone. Why is he playing so much? That one I can't understand.

The special teams play, lack of discipline, inconsistent effort, and line/D pairing construction and allocation of playing time falls on the head coach, and in my personal view he shouldn't a passing grade at this point. Note that all of these issues are possible even in a scenario where DC still commands the respect of his players (or in a scenario where he does not). I just don't see this team as being as good as the sum of its parts, and it turns out the parts probably weren't good enough to make a run anyway.

Regardless, Ottawa isn't exactly in a bad position at this point. MacKenzie may be in a groove, which will make things difficult for Brantford. We'll see what this evening brings with a probable dead crowd.

Not sure I would say they have carried the play against any of the top teams, they play a solid system and when they get goaltending they have stayed in games and found a way to win. Down the stretch the goaltending was just not what it was prior to the break and the results reflected that against the better teams.

The system Ottawa plays is much more effective when they have the lead, they can remain patient and really just wait for Brantford to make the critical mistakes which lead to scoring chances. The more Brantford presses the more chances will present themselves. Brantford lost their composure a bit when they didn't score on the PP the way they did in game 1, the grips tightened and mistakes were made to Ottawa's benefit.

The thing with DC's coaching strategy is he coaches not to lose, which means instead of assembling lines that can dictate the play he balances out all the lines in an effort not to make one line weaker than the rest; by doing this it puts a premium on the system (This can be interpreted as being all about Dave). Sirman and Smyth are not top 4 D but when they pair them with a top 2 partner they become an average 2nd pairing which makes them less vulnerable. Players like Mintyukov and Mayer conversely go from being 1st pairing to 2nd pairing effectiveness.

The strategy can be frustrating for the better players as they are never truly paired with line mates with the intent of success. Separating Pinelli and Kressler is a prime example of reducing offense in an attempt to create more balance. People can argue it puts the team first, but in junior hockey eventually a teams best players have to be the best players in order to win.

 

[OMG67]

Not sure I would say they have carried the play against any of the top teams, they play a solid system and when they get goaltending they have stayed in games and found a way to win. Down the stretch the goaltending was just not what it was prior to the break and the results reflected that against the better teams.

The system Ottawa plays is much more effective when they have the lead, they can remain patient and really just wait for Brantford to make the critical mistakes which lead to scoring chances. The more Brantford presses the more chances will present themselves. Brantford lost their composure a bit when they didn't score on the PP the way they did in game 1, the grips tightened and mistakes were made to Ottawa's benefit.

The thing with DC's coaching strategy is he coaches not to lose, which means instead of assembling lines that can dictate the play he balances out all the lines in an effort not to make one line weaker than the rest; by doing this it puts a premium on the system (This can be interpreted as being all about Dave). Sirman and Smyth are not top 4 D but when they pair them with a top 2 partner they become an average 2nd pairing which makes them less vulnerable. Players like Mintyukov and Mayer conversely go from being 1st pairing to 2nd pairing effectiveness.

The strategy can be frustrating for the better players as they are never truly paired with line mates with the intent of success. Separating Pinelli and Kressler is a prime example of reducing offense in an attempt to create more balance. People can argue it puts the team first, but in junior hockey eventually a teams best players have to be the best players in order to win.

I think there are many people inside and outside Ottawa that don’t understand how Ottawa has won so much.

They did so with strong goaltending, that is for sure. I cannot dispute that.

The main way they were able to control games so much was their aggressiveness without the puck in the offensive zone. That puck pursuit and consistent pressure extended through he neutral zone because they forced the opposition to make very quick decisions that often led to turnovers or very awkward zone entries or dump ins where Ottawa was able to use its speed to take more puck control.

What I am seeing now is far less aggressiveness in the offensive zone without the puck. They are pulling guys out of the O-Zone earlier to get back to defend. So, when I say they are trying not to be scored on, that is what I am talking about. They are taking a more traditional approach ensuring there is only one puck pursuer in the O-Zone and everyone else tries to get back quick.

The problem with that approach to defending is teams can lean on the 67’s. The 67’s need to have puck control more and they have a hard time getting it back when the opponent has control in the O-Zone and can break out effortlessly with their first pass.

The 67’s were keeping two guys deep in the O-Zone trying to force turnovers. They aren’t doing that now. It allows the opposition to gain more control, keep more puck possession and forces the 67’s to play the game of the opposition. When they are in that situation, it is really hard for the 67’s to beat stronger teams.

That is why I mentioned that it was cool we won by playing the game of Brantford. We beat them at their game.

I’d like to see Ottawa get back to forcing the play more in the O-Zone without the puck. Use their speed and tenacity to force turnovers and quicken the first pass and force mistakes. To do that, they likley need to have two quick and speedy lines and one more traditional defensive line. The defensive line wouldn’t play the puck pursuit style but the other two would. IT is the bast way to leverage their lack of size and focus more on their quickness.

 

[PuckStop75]

I think there are many people inside and outside Ottawa that don’t understand how Ottawa has won so much.

They did so with strong goaltending, that is for sure. I cannot dispute that.

The main way they were able to control games so much was their aggressiveness without the puck in the offensive zone. That puck pursuit and consistent pressure extended through he neutral zone because they forced the opposition to make very quick decisions that often led to turnovers or very awkward zone entries or dump ins where Ottawa was able to use its speed to take more puck control.

What I am seeing now is far less aggressiveness in the offensive zone without the puck. They are pulling guys out of the O-Zone earlier to get back to defend. So, when I say they are trying not to be scored on, that is what I am talking about. They are taking a more traditional approach ensuring there is only one puck pursuer in the O-Zone and everyone else tries to get back quick.

The problem with that approach to defending is teams can lean on the 67’s. The 67’s need to have puck control more and they have a hard time getting it back when the opponent has control in the O-Zone and can break out effortlessly with their first pass.

The 67’s were keeping two guys deep in the O-Zone trying to force turnovers. They aren’t doing that now. It allows the opposition to gain more control, keep more puck possession and forces the 67’s to play the game of the opposition. When they are in that situation, it is really hard for the 67’s to beat stronger teams.

That is why I mentioned that it was cool we won by playing the game of Brantford. We beat them at their game.

I’d like to see Ottawa get back to forcing the play more in the O-Zone without the puck. Use their speed and tenacity to force turnovers and quicken the first pass and force mistakes. To do that, they likley need to have two quick and speedy lines and one more traditional defensive line. The defensive line wouldn’t play the puck pursuit style but the other two would. IT is the bast way to leverage their lack of size and focus more on their quickness.

Ottawa's system can work well against inexperienced teams, better teams who have the ability to handle the puck will work to the weak side and create odd man rushes through the neutral zone. A team like Brantford converts these chances or best case scenario has an easy zone entry and setup.

With the shorter neutral zone in Brantford, trapping in that area is a little easier. Be interesting to see how the two teams adjust now that they are in Ottawa.

 

[OMG67]

Ottawa's system can work well against inexperienced teams, better teams who have the ability to handle the puck will work to the weak side and create odd man rushes through the neutral zone. A team like Brantford converts these chances or best case scenario has an easy zone entry and setup.

With the shorter neutral zone in Brantford, trapping in that area is a little easier. Be interesting to see how the two teams adjust now that they are in Ottawa.

That’s sort of the funny part. They’ve gotten away from a two man press without the puck in the O-Zone and not just against Brantford. That strategy worked well against London, SSM, Sudbury, Saginaw etc. Some of those game in the second half when those teams were rolling pretty good. What I am seeing now is the 67’s abandon that pressure and as soon as the puck is not in possession, they retreat and stack the neutral zone and blueline with a more standard defensive setup.

It is almost like they don’t feel it would work against the stronger teams after it had proven to work against the stronger team previously. Abandoning that heavy pressure in the O-Zone is directly allowing teams to make that first pass without any pressure. The better teams take advantage of that easy first pass to break through the defensive alignment.

even when they weren’t lifting sticks and causing direct turnovers in the O-Zone stealing pucks, they were causing the quick decisions and we saw a lot of turnovers in the neutral zone with Ottawa simply pushing right back into the O-Zone. This created a lot of situations where Ottawa had loads of puck possession. The opposition cannot score if you have the puck all the time.

Ottawa isn’t strong enough to keep heavier teams to the outside in the D-Zone. So, they need to limit opportunities to get set up. It is one of the reasons why their PK is so bad. So, by actively creating turnovers 100+ feet from their own net on a consistent basis, they limit the oppositions ability to create their own opportunities.

Abandoning that strategy is allowing the opposition to have more puck possession. The more puck possession the opposition has, the worse it is for Ottawa because they cannot muscle the puck away along the boards as effectively as most teams. Their speed is neutralized when the other team isn’t rushed and the better teams have size AND speed so it makes it even more difficult.

If the 67’s choose to continue abandoning their aggressive puck pursuit in the Offensive Zone, I don’t see how they will win a series against a half decent team. They did manage to beat Brantford on Sunday but I think the 67’s were fortunate in that game. I’m not very optimistic of them winning much in the playoffs abandoning the offensive zone pressure without the puck. If they play the same as they did on Sunday, they would be relying on special teams and some puck luck to win playoff games.

 

[OMG67]

Gardiner not in the lineup. Dever set as 3rd line centre.

 

[AGranderson]

Gardiner not in the lineup. Dever set as 3rd line centre.

We will miss Gardiner tonight, that being said Dever was very good in game two, Yani making his playoff debut tonight will see if DC gives him a couple shifts I’m quite surprised they are throwing him into the fire before some of the other guys that had much more GP this season. MacK needs to be MacK tonight looked like he had a good warm up. Big game 3 ahead

 

[OMG67]

For those not aware, Jaeden Nelson ended up with quite a bit of hardware this year:

CCHL Top Prospect
CCHL Rookie if the Year
CCHL All Rookie Team
CCHL Goaltender of the Year

 

[mianjo]

Down 1-0 after 1:14 of first

1-1
GOAL
#20 Luca Pinelli (3) scores 1st 12:58

 

[OMG67]

That first goal by Pinelli is exactly what I am talking about. Pressure the puck and stay with an aggressive mindset in the O-Zone. Guy behind pressures the puck carrier and he rushes the pass and Pinelli steps into it. THAT is the way the team needs to play.

 

[Race Dawg]

Pathetic crowd tonight Ottawa.

IF you don't want junior hockey then I am more than sure that ownership could find some eager recepiets in other cities wanting a franchise. No excuses that it is a Tuesday night.

You're not going to convince me otherwise of any excuses TBH.

Anyways 1-1 now after a giveaway in thr Brantford end

 

[Race Dawg]

Andlauer in attendance tonight. Cheering on his Dogs I suppose...

 

[OMG67]

Pathetic crowd tonight Ottawa.

IF you don't want junior hockey then I am more than sure that ownership could find some eager recepiets in other cities wanting a franchise. No excuses that it is a Tuesday night.

You're not going to convince me otherwise of any excuses TBH.

Anyways 1-1 now after a giveaway in thr Brantford end

OSEG does the lowest common denominator marketing. They try to sell the easy group tickets all year at a heavy discount. If they had a product worth buying/selling, they’d be trying harder to actually bring in hockey fans. Those hockey fans buy season ticket packages and come to playoff games because they are FANS, not bystanders.

 

[OMG67]

Another heavy puck pursuit in the O-Zone leads to the turnover and goal….. THAT is their game.

 

[mianjo]

2-1

GOAL
#12 Braeden Kressler (2) scores. Assists: #5 Bradley Horner 2nd 0:30

2-2

3-2

GOAL
#20 Luca Pinelli (4) scores. Assists: #27 Jacob Maillet, #23 Will Gerrior
2nd 7:00

4-2

GOAL
#28 Caden Kelly (2) scores. Assists: #17 Brady Stonehouse, #18 Jack Dever
2nd 12:02

67's lead 4-2 after 2

SHOTS ON GOAL

Teams	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
BFD	7	5	0	12
OTT	12	11	0	23

 

[OMG67]

Another heavy pressure turnover in the O-Zone…. That’s THREE

 

[Race Dawg]

OSEG does the lowest common denominator marketing. They try to sell the easy group tickets all year at a heavy discount. If they had a product worth buying/selling, they’d be trying harder to actually bring in hockey fans. Those hockey fans buy season ticket packages and come to playoff games because they are FANS, not bystanders.

Well that's the issue right there. There aren't enough true fans.

Build the 67's that shiny new arena they've been talking about. A new toy should help with sales.. .

 

[mianjo]

5-2 en

GOAL
#12 Braeden Kressler (3) scores.EMPTY NET
3rd 18:39


67's win 5-2

SHOTS ON GOAL

Teams	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
BFD	7	5	13	25
OTT	12	11	8	31

 

[OMG67]

Well that's the issue right there. There aren't enough true fans.

Build the 67's that shiny new arena they've been talking about. A new toy should help with sales.. .

The issue is they don’t try to cultivate fans.

 

[OMG67]

Attendance was 2623? For real? I call bullshit on that….

 

[gadder]

The crowd was bigger than 2600. Good raucous noise in the GA anyways.

What happened tonight? Very few penalties. We turned the other cheek without being wimpy. And our best players - Pinelli and Kressler- were our best players, along with some some admirable efforts by among others Horner, Marelli and Dever.

Brantford all night lined up 3 on our blue-line and we lined our guys up and broke out. Patience won out. In the 3rd, us up 4-2, Brantford still lined up and waited for us to come at them. I wondered, what if we didn't come out and just dithered around our zone? Maybe we'll see next game.

 

[beastintheeast]

Attendance was 2623? For real? I call bullshit on that….

Got to wonder how many of them are corporate season ticket holders

Weekday games are difficult for most teams unless you are the only game in town.

The challenge is that Ottawa has a lot of good Junior hockey as well as the Sens all fighting for the hockey dollar.

Ottawa has never had good weeknight sales when the team is not at the top. Let's face it: a lot of people, Me included, had them written off.

It will be interesting to see how they do ticket-wise on Sunday.

do we have any numbers on weeknight playoff games last year?

 

[NordiquesForeva]

Good gameplan, with back to basic 67s hockey and textbook execution by the players. I thought Marrelli, Horner and Kelly in particular had really nice games (in addition to the more obvious names). Three goals created by o-zone and n-zone pressure and several other good chances.

Brantford set us back on our heels a bit in the 3rd so it’ll be interesting to see what adjustments they make for Thursday. I thought they were less than impressive this evening overall. Their goaltender was beat cleanly on wrist shots for three of our goals.

Brantford’s second goal was off an faceoff win in their o-zone, with Stonehouse taking the draw (Dever deferred to him). Acknowledging we were missing Gardiner this evening, Cameron needs to tighten that up, even if it means sending Kressler or Maillet to take the draw and a quick change thereafter. Wingers shouldn’t be taking d-zone draws (obviously). But overall, the 67s did well on the faceoff dot this evening.

Attendance was 2623? For real? I call bullshit on that….

I was there, and guessed 2500. So 2623 seems realistic.