Know Thy Enemy
a comment on Golbez's 'Blame Game' post
To be honest, and this is coming from a Leafs fan who has been pro-Quinn, the players were not provided the best chance to succeed. The constraints of the system scream "SAFE", which has been a proven base to work from in the NHL and in this tournament. SAFE without calculated risk taking will get you to about .500 over a long season, but it will get you bounced in a short elimination tournament.
What struck me about Russia's play yesterday was how they used the neutral zone not only to advance the puck, but to eliminate defenders. On one particular rush, the puck never moved more than 10 feet east to west, but three players peeled off the puck and took defenders with them. It was like watching pawns move up a chess board, setting up a waiting bishop for the mate.
Basically, I think Canada's game plan was predictable, uninventive, inopportune, and way too SAFE. And the Russian's knew it. Along with a every other team that had the skill to match Canada.
Personnel issues are something I couldn't venture a guess on, as the players weren't utilized effectively. But energetic youth would've been a wise asset to have in the vault.
MORE LATER
To be honest, and this is coming from a Leafs fan who has been pro-Quinn, the players were not provided the best chance to succeed. The constraints of the system scream "SAFE", which has been a proven base to work from in the NHL and in this tournament. SAFE without calculated risk taking will get you to about .500 over a long season, but it will get you bounced in a short elimination tournament.
What struck me about Russia's play yesterday was how they used the neutral zone not only to advance the puck, but to eliminate defenders. On one particular rush, the puck never moved more than 10 feet east to west, but three players peeled off the puck and took defenders with them. It was like watching pawns move up a chess board, setting up a waiting bishop for the mate.
Basically, I think Canada's game plan was predictable, uninventive, inopportune, and way too SAFE. And the Russian's knew it. Along with a every other team that had the skill to match Canada.
Personnel issues are something I couldn't venture a guess on, as the players weren't utilized effectively. But energetic youth would've been a wise asset to have in the vault.
MORE LATER
posted by mike @ 2:09 PM
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