Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the opinion of an online acquaintance of mine. Disclaimers: He is a life-long Maple Leafs fan and currently lives in Hong Kong and has not seen the vast majority of hockey taking place this year, especially Flames games (who he hates), but still makes "authoritative comments" based on the premise that he plays in a rec league in HK.
The problem isn't the Flames coach. There's a lack of leadership in the ice. Players aren't stepping up their game to the playoff level in general and to fill the void left by injuries. With Regehr injured, there's a massive gap on the blue line and Wings are exploiting it.So the Flames problems are more about lack of leadership, heart, grit, depth and talent (compared to the Wings).
The only hope the Flames have is that their fans can give them a boost to at least give them a fighting chance against the Wings. I doubt it will be enough.
And another response of his:
Your idiot blogger says the Flames has lots of leaders, and then says the team is rudderless. Maybe that's cause none of the "leaders" are leading, eh. If Playfair isn't organizing the team, then why don't the "leaders" step in and lead.
Your idiot blogger talks about Tanguay having playoff experience, but anyone who does playoff pools knows he rarely performs well in the post-season. He had one good playoff run years ago. And Yelle, he's a great checker, can lead by example, but a leader who can turn a team around... yeah, right.
What really shocks me is that you're a Flames fan, but don't know that Regehr didn't play the first game because of injuries and was playing injured in the second game. His injury was so bad that he had to sit out the last period. If you know anything about playoff hockey then you would know a guy like Regehr doesn't stop playing unless the injury was really bad.
And as a Flames fan, you should know that last year, Regehr and Leopold were the pair that shut down the other team's top lines. This year, the Flames have struggled to find a d-man who can work well with Regehr. With Leopold traded and Regehr injured, there's a massive Hole in the flames blue line corp.
How can you not know this? How can you say there is no massive gap?
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Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who points to "heart" as a contributing factor doesn't really have any idea of what they're talking about. Define "heart" for me and explain how it contributes to success...in some sort of measurable fashion.
In addition, the Flames do have an entire dressing room filled with leaders: Warrener, Tanguay, Conroy, Iginla, Yelle. Before this showing, Iggy was considered a premiere leader and play-off performer. Warrener, Tanguay and Yelle have all been deep in the play-offs on several occassions, the latter two having won cups in the past.
Anyone actually watching the games can see that the Team is completely rudderless - either Playfair hasn't communicated an effective strategy or the players aren't listening to him (or both). Players like the talent we have on this roster don't just suddenly start "not caring" to the tune of being humiliated by their opponents.
Ultimately, the blame for this debacle rests on the head of the man who's job it is to form a winning plan and ensure the team follows it: the coach.
In addition, anyone who thinks the Flames don't stack up talent-wise to the Red Wings doesn't know what they're talking about.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteThe core of the team isn't significantly different from last year, when we were playing well without any weird evil-twin kidnappngs, or even from the Cup run.
I am worried that even being royally embarrassed on the ice isn't resulting in drastic results. That's the worst symptom of whatever has been breaking down.
And right now, I just can't hide in denial anymore...
MG:
ReplyDeleteI quoted your post to him. His response:
Your idiot blogger says the Flames has lots of leaders, and then says the team is rudderless. Maybe that's cause none of the "leaders" are leading, eh. If Playfair isn't organizing the team, then why don't the "leaders" step in and lead.
Your idiot blogger talks about Tanguay having playoff experience, but anyone who does playoff pools knows he rarely performs well in the post-season. He had one good playoff run years ago. And Yelle, he's a great checker, can lead by example, but a leader who can turn a team around... yeah, right.
What really shocks me is that you're a Flames fan, but don't know that Regehr didn't play the first game because of injuries and was playing injured in the second game. His injury was so bad that he had to sit out the last period. If you know anything about playoff hockey then you would know a guy like Regehr doesn't stop playing unless the injury was really bad.
And as a Flames fan, you should know that last year, Regehr and Leopold were the pair that shut down the other team's top lines. This year, the Flames have struggled to find a d-man who can work well with Regehr. With Leopold traded and Regehr injured, there's a massive Hole in the flames blue line corp.
How can you not know this? How can you say there is no massive gap?
He is spouting off here.
The Flames are being outshot 51-15. He actually thinks that Regehr's absence explains this?
ReplyDeleteThe Flames were terrible on the road all yearand pretty garbage down the stretch - and Regehr played all year. "Blueline gap"??
How does Regehr's absence explain the total lack of execution by the forwards?
I said they were rudderless, because the man who is supposed to come up with the plan, ie; the primary leader of the team (the coach), has failed in that regard.
Ask him to explain leadership to me if he doesn't consider Yelle, Iginla, Warrener et al. Leaders - is Bertuzzi the guy igniting the Red Wings? Calder? Datsyuk, the biggest play-off choker in the league (till now).
"Leadership": the amorphous, undefinable quality in the lockerrom that everyone loves to point to and yet know one understands. Who was the leader for the Flames in 04? Gelinas? Notice the teams that were filled with "leaders" that the Flames dispatched on their way to the finals that year?
Garbage.
Tanguay not a play-off peformer? He has 51 points in 83 games, including 21 points in 23 games in 01. Does your friend even look stuff up or just go by fuzzy, half-baked recollections he has in the back of his mind?
Tell the Leafs fan that 1.) I probably know more about hockey than him in general and 2.) I most assuredly know more about Flames hockey than him. Especially since, I, you know actually watch the games.
Calgary gets outshot by more than 60 shots in 2 games and his brilliant, long-distance conclusion is "leadership and Regehr's injured". And he has the gall to call other people "idiots".
I want to make it very clear, he is not my friend. ;)
ReplyDeleteI've made fun of him for years for his hockey opinions. Namely that the Leafs were one of the best teams this year, and that the Flames would finish in the bottom 8 of the entire league this year.
His stupidity continues. :D
ReplyDeleteYou watched the game, but you don't seem to understand what is happening.
You don't know what a checking forward is.
You did not seem to know that Regehr was playing injured.
You don't understand that the Flames without Regehr and Leopold are a completely different team.
You don't know what leadership on the ice means.
You don't understand that in the end, players decide what they do on the ice. They're not puppets controlled by the coach.
And anyone who calls a game "hopelessly lost" when the score is 2-1 doesn't know what they are talking about. If the score is 3-1 with 14 minutes remaining, the game is not "hopelessly lost."
Even if the shots are 35-11 against after two period, there is still hope, although for the Flames against the Wings, it is a slim hope.
No player is going to give up and go to the locker room when the score is 2-1 in a playoff game unless they have to.
You say that Regehr's injury doesn't leave a gap, and yet the Wings are dominating the Flames and no Flames d-man has stepped up to fill the gap. There's a gigantic gap.
Coaches can do a lot, but a coach is at a disadvantage when there is no leadership on the ice, when the players have given up and when the team lacks the talent to compete against a far superior team.
And MG, in response to your comments. I told him to come here to respond, but I doubt he has the balls.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you posting this idiot's comments? If he wants to join the discussion, then let him.
He's either isn't reading all my comments, or he is another fool from Alberta.
For instance, I mentioned that during most of the year, the Flames were not able to find a d-man to partner with Regehr like Leopold did. That's one of the reasons why the Flames have struggled defensively this year.
Regehr has nothing to do with the lack of play from the forwards. The forwards are screwing up on their own.
The coach is not the primary leader of a team. The primary leader is the team captain or another player, not the coach.
The coach's job is to develop the overall strategy, organize training and meld all the egos into a team. But when it comes to implementing the strategy, the leadership is on the ice. If there is no strategy, then the players have to step up.
The first rule of leadership is lead by example. Where are the leaders on the Flames?
As for the Wings, Dasyuk has stepped up his game this year. He's scoring goals in the post-season. He is leading the team. What has Iginla done?
Then there is Lidstrom, the veteran who still outperforms the kids. Warrener is no Lidstrom.
And Tanguay, yeah he has 51 points, but take out the Cup year, seven year ago, and he's got 30 points in 60 games. Not impressive.
The reason why the Flames are losing:
1) Detroit has more talent;
2) The Flames forwards are playing like slugs;
3) There's no leadership on the ice;
4) The Flames d-men are not doing their job;
5) The absence of Regehr has left a massive hole; and
6) Playfair hasn't adjusted his game plan.
Tell your buddy that you don't need his help. And invite him here. He's at least somewhat more informed about hockey than you, which actually isn't saying much.