Like every series in this first round, I see this as a close matchup and feel that as a 6th seed, my team can pull off an upset. Below is an outline of the strengths of Tidewater team
Coaching:
Tidewater is a team that will suit Bauer’s style of play well. This is a fairly disciplined team (even Flett, a rugged winger on the Flyers in the 70’s, did not take a large amount of penalties). The top six meets Bauer’s requirements of skill and every line should be able to initiate an aggressive forecheck. The speedy transition game will be greatly aided by the puck moving abilities of Boyle, Jonsson, and Wilson from the backend. Bauer will focus the Sharks into a disciplined and hard-working group.
Like Bauer, Percival was a man who challenged hockey’s established norms. The combination of the two should provide for new, unconventional tactics and a team in superior physical and mental conditioning.
Goaltending:
I wouldn’t classify either of Karakas or Peeters among the elite of the MLD goaltenders. In a way, Karakas is a bit of a “what-if” case due to his contract dispute that led to a 5 year exile in the minors. While he was a 2nd team all-star after his return to the NHL and reached the finals in 1944, he missed the prime years of career over a dispute of $500. He’s career started off strong, especially considering the poor Hawk teams he was on. In 1936, he finished 2nd in GAA and recording 9 shutouts, the only year of his first stint in the NHL in which the Blackhawks were not the league’s lowest scoring teams. Karakas was also a teammate of Romnes and March, so he should have good read of the tendencies of the second line. I do not foresee either netminder stealing the series or costing the series.
Defence:
The Sharks defence, while quite different in style than that of the Red Wings, will be effective at both ends of the ice. The defence is well suited to Bauer’s puck-possesion, aggressive forecheck game. The first pairing of Kenny Jonsson and Steve Chiasson will play in all situations. Chiasson was a warrior and will be a physical presence as well as man a point on the powerplay where his hard point shot will be utilized. Jonsson is a poor-man’s Lidstrom, using positional play as a defensive deterrent. I think all of the voters are familiar with Boyle, who will be the Sharks main powerplay quarterback. While not a defensive liability, he will backed up defensively by Randy Gregg, who was a defensive specialist on 5 Stanley Cup champions and 1 Canada Cup. Gregg also credits Bauer as one of his favourite coaches, so that should bring out of the best of his play. Finally, the tandem of Ruttan and Wilson, two long-time amateurs and Hall of Famers, rounds out the Tidewater blueline. Wilson was very gifted offensively and will contribute off the rush and on the powerplay. While there is not a whole lot of information on Ruttan available, he was considered one of the top defenceman of his time.
Top Six:
There may be a perception that my top 6 forwards are overall a soft group, but I do not believe that will hurt them. Weight is as good as centre as there is in the draft. While he may not always seek to initiate the physical play (although he can, just ask a rookie on Carolina this season), he will not shy away from. Denneny thrived in a tough era of hockey, so again, while he’s not physical, it seems unlikely he would shy away from it. Simon Gagne has proven he can raise his game and is compatible with elite players (representing Canada three times at elite level competitions). In the two seasons he played with an elite centre, he notched a combined 88 goals. The second line is as offensively potent as the first, as Stoughton led the league in goals in 1980 and Kapustin is top 10 in Soviet National team goals. However, the gem of the second line is Trihey, the star of three Stanley Cup Championships and the third member of the Sharks who is a Hall of Famer. Like Denneny, he thrived in what was one of hockey’s toughest eras. Trihey can also serve as a player-assistant, as he was known for his innovative set plays in the offensive zone.
Bottom Six: While the third line may not be a traditional third line because none of the players are “good Canadian boys”, all three players excel defensively. Anders Kallur and Sergei Brylin combined to win 7 Stanley Cups as defensive specialists while Golonka was noted for his tenacity. This line will play a shutdown role by being aggressive on the puck carrier and strong positional play. Golonka will serve as captain, as he apparently was an extremely motivating and inspiring leader on the Czechoslovak national team. Tidewater’s third line will also chip in offensively off the counter attack, especially Golonka and Kallur. The theme of strong two play continues with the Gracie line. Greg Adams can chip in offense and is strong in clutch situation. Gracie in the defensive zone can be a shut down centre and is a playmaker for Flett and Adams in the offensive zone. Bill Flett is the toughest player on Tidewater and provides a physical presence, but he is also disciplined on the ice .
Keys to Winning the Series:
I feel that Tidewater’s top end forwards are superior. Dough Weight put up more points than Lysiak in a lower scoring era. Stoughton and Kehoe are comparable, but Stoughton put up 50 twice and 40 on two other occasions while Kehoe only put up more than 40 once, when he hit 55 in 1981. Mush March didn’t even put up as good as offensive numbers as Tidewater’s spare forward Lorne Carr. In March’s best season he was 10th in league scoring (he was usually around 30th). Denneny finished 4th, 8th, and 5th between 1920 and 1923. Trihey is a Hall of Famer, while Romnes was never even the leader scorer on his team. Romnes barely outscored Bob Gracie over a similar period of time. Kapustin and Shibicky is a wash. While Shibicky had a hard shot, he also had a slow release, making it easier to defend against. Harris may be better than Gagne, but not so much as to make up the disparity between the two top six groups.
I see the powerplay as key to a Tidewater victory. Playing a physical style against Tidewater has great potential to backfire as penalties will be costly. The first unit has a quarterback (Boyle), hard shot from the point (Chiasson), a sniper (Gagne), a playmaker (Weight), and a net presence (Flett). The second unit will be more a barrage unit, with Wilson and Jonsson on the point, and Denneny, Trihey, Stoughton up front. The coaching of Bauer and the with few players known for taking penalties, Tidewater is unlikely to find itself short handed often, but its penalty kill units will be effective. The game plan is to take short PK shifts and have three sets of PK forwards: Gracie/Kallur, Brylin/Golonka, Flett/Trihey.