Great to see the 1-3-1 making a comeback. I remember when Pat Quinn coached the Canadian Juniors and he was using the 1-3-1 with great success. Funny how some old things become new! Brandon used to use a 1-3-1, especially on the 5 vs. 3, against us while I was in Moose Jaw in the mid-nineties. It was tough to defend against; plus they had skilled players in the right roles. I have used it since and the opposition has really struggled to adapt.
Great to see the Bruins play so well and get rewarded with the Cup. They sure work hard and it is nice to see hard work rewarded. You are bang-on with the comment on how backpressure impacts the other team's offense and it is a big reason why the Sedin's were held off the score sheet for the most part. Raymond is indeed more of a N-S guy with blazing speed and with him out of the lineup, this really helped the Bruins.
Dan MacDonald emailed me this today:
"The Bruins work harder with less than any team I have ever seen. Julian was 1 loss away from being tanked and now he is the Stanley Cup Champ. Good for him. What a fun team to watch from a sense of working together, doing what ever it takes etc.
I read a great quote the other day that said,``when your giftedness out weighs your character, implosion is always on the horizon.`` Not the case with the Bruins, more like the Senators."
Myself, I thought it would be a short series with Vancouver coming out on top. They had impressive depth. Goaltending (Luongo) was a question mark for me and it proved to be one of the reasons they lost. I watched Boston practice in Calgary this year and was really impressed with the athleticism, compete level and yet good-natured personality of Tim Thomas. He played up a few saves to the fans watching practice, gave them a wave and did a few commentaries; then spent time talking to them afterwards. Very different than most of the other players on a game day. He won me over as a fan that day! Very nice to see him win the Conn Smythe as well. I have always had a soft spot for the Bruins and Thomas clinched it for me. Chara hoisting the cup and giving it to Recchi (who announced his retirement) - the first Cup for Boston since Johnny Bucyk raised it in 1972, was pretty neat!
Disappointed with all the rioting after the game. Idiots. It's a black eye for Vancouver and then indirectly, the Canucks, the NHL and Canada. Could this be "the behaviour at sporting events in the new millennium"? I hope not, but it has happened in other cities. The lack of respect in today's kids is in drastic contrast to even 15 years ago, in my opinion. I compare these different eras based on when I coached two different minor hockey teams, at the same age level, in the same association.
Kids today have changed. First it was the Baby Boomer generation, Gen X, Gen Y, and now I think the buzzword is Millennials. They think differently and need to be coached differently. Sadly, our education system is still based on 1800's thinking. We need to update the methodology and take advantage of the technology (like you are doing Tom! I still want to see your Blackberry Playbook!)
Anyways, back to Hockey in the New Millennium.
Does anybody else use technology in their coaching? Does anybody else feel that kids have changed?
Dean, when I was coaching for the Red Bulls in Austria two years ago each coach was given a laptop with Steva installed on it. This program can break down the game into any kind of parts you want. Make folders and put goals, hits, focus on one player etc. All the coaches were in one room and most of them spent hours each day editing their last game. Video presentations were created and shown at the team meetings or coaches meetings.
The game is turning into constant pressure. Finland defeated Sweden at the IIHF Worlds this year by going north and south on offense and back checking hard. (more contain in their own end than pressure).
Boston created defensive outnumber situations on the rush with back pressure, they clogged up the slot, finished checks, had sticks in the lanes all the time and took away the east west style of Vancouver. They played north and south on offense and when the defenders outnumbered them they created offensive 2 on 1's by taking the ice behind (crossing) and making the Canucks make decisions on man to man or to switch. They used the 1-3-1 Diamond on the 5-4 PP and the 2-1-1 Spread on the 5-3.
Page has had great success in Europe winning in Germany and Austria by playing a super aggressive 1-3-1 system 5 on 5. Always 4 on the attack, always 3 on the strong side forecheck, always the 4th man going to the back door on the cycle. On the pk he is super aggressive on the pressure with everyone rotating. He practices the PP 1-3-1 and they constantly go to the net. In some practices he wants a shot every 3 seconds.
There have been great offensive defenseman starting with Bobby Orr over the last 40 years but now each team needs at least one in each pairing and if they want to play Total Hockey both have to be able to join the play. That is where the game is going and if it continues we don't need bigger ice surfaces, just more skill.
I am going to attach a few pictures of a golfer you will always let play through. He was on the first fairway of the Jasper golf course a few weeks ago. You are still invited to join me coaching but you have to talk to him about leaving the ball alone.
'Enjoy the Game'