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November 10, 2011 at 2:50 pm #4769

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HITCHCOCK HIGH ON LEAFS

By TERRY KOSHAN, QMI Agency, Nov 10 2011

As he worked for the Columbus Blue Jackets between head-coaching gigs, Ken Hitchcock kept a dossier on each of the other 29 teams in the National Hockey League.

The recently hired coach of the St. Louis Blues isn’t swayed by the Maple Leafs’ two-game swoon.

“I watched them play live twice, and they are dynamic,” Hitchcock said on Wednesday. “They’re on the wrong side of things now, but only for two games, and they only need a crack about this big (said as he held a finger and thumb about a puck-width apart) to score.

“They’re the top rush-attack team in the league. To me, there are not many teams in the league that can score off the rush, but they can. They make plays that not many teams try, and that’s always a little bit unnerving if you get careless.”

How to beat a club that is quick in transition?

“They’re like any other team with top-end skill on a lot of lines,” Hitchcock said. “You have to make them defend more than they want to.”

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So… the best defence is a good offence! If you have the puck more often, they are playing defence! Puck possession is the key (duh!)

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
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