Bad defensive plays in big moments

Big Phil

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The first one is the famous Paul Coffey break up of a 2-on-1 in the 1984 Canada Cup. We all know that play, but what led to that? It was Doug Wilson's horrible defensive lapse with a loose puck. For some reason, Wilson, an offensive defenseman who once scored 39 goals in a season ignores the puck completely and just rubs out a Soviet player, putting them both out of the play and leaving a clear break with only Coffey back and Bossy the next closest one who doesn't have a chance to get back. If a Soviet player doesn't fall down there may have been a bit of a 3-on-1. That's how bad Wilson's gaffe was. Even so much as a poke check with his stick and they are out of danger. Wilson got bailed out though.
 

Voight

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Does this count? :laugh:



You can argue it was an offensive one to get out of the zone, but can also argue it was a pass to get the puck away from the oncoming player.
 
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The Panther

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One that always stands out to me is Jari Kurri (Kings) vs. Montreal in 1993. For God-knows-what-reason, Barry Melrose sent Kurri -- normally a winger -- out to take a defensive-zone face-off in the Finals. Now, normally Kurri was at least a very responsible defensive (high-scoring) forward. But in either game 3 or 4 at the Great Western Forum, Kurri loses the face-off and then steps aside, letting (Dionne? I forget who) walk straight to the goal and score on Kelly Hrudey. Whichever game it was, games 3 and 4 at the Forum both went to overtime, and the Kings lost both, so you have to figure the series is two-two after four games without that colossal mistake.

Another one occurred just the year prior -- 1992 -- in Pittsburgh, game 1 of the Finals. I'm talking about the Mario Lemieux goal with a few seconds left on the clock. I was 15 or 16, watching the TV, and thinking, "Geez, why aren't the Blackhawks sending someone over to block off Mario, who's wide-open over there??" Cue Mario scoring the game-winner with about 5 seconds left.
 

bob5150

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I don't know if it's necessarily a BAD defensive play, but Gretzky just vaguely coasts toward the puck before Yzerman picks it up and scores the winner.
 
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The Panther

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I don't know if it's necessarily a BAD defensive play, but Gretzky just vaguely coasts toward the puck before Yzerman picks it up and scores the winner.
OK, seriously? He almost picks off a pass at the other team's blue-line, it bounces off his stick to Yzerman on the Wings' side of the Red line, and you think it fits this thread?
 

NyQuil

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(3:35 - Anton Volchenkov)

I was in a box for this game in the Ottawa end for OT.

The ice still had puddles of water on it and the puck briefly got stuck. Volchenkov ends up looking pretty bad. Although Emery couldn't save a thing in this one.

If you want to see one of the craziest playoff games I've ever seen, feel free to watch the whole clip. I'm sure Buffalo fans remember. ;)

This game pretty much put Ottawa on the back foot for the rest of the series.
 
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GMR

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The easy winner here is Steve Smith in 1986.

The one I'll remember for my team was Lilja's turnover to Selanne in OT of game 5 of the 2007 WCF. I still think Detroit would win the Cup that year if not for that gaffe.
 

Ishdul

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Chris Campoli sending the puck right to Burrows for the Game 7 OT goal is one that I remember sticking out as being particularly bad as a neutral fan.
 
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The Panther

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Chris Campoli sending the puck right to Burrows for the Game 7 OT goal is one that I remember sticking out as being particularly bad as a neutral fan.
You know, it was a great play by Burrows, but I still think he closed his hand on the puck to grab that one. I realize it's an 'interpretive' decision by the officials, so fair enough, but it always looked to me like it should have been blown dead by the officials.

In either case, I don't know if Campoli is too guilty here. At least he didn't just float it up the middle -- he actually roofed the clearing attempt, albeit it not high enough.
 

crobro

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The easy winner here is Steve Smith in 1986.

The one I'll remember for my team was Lilja's turnover to Selanne in OT of game 5 of the 2007 WCF. I still think Detroit would win the Cup that year if not for that gaffe.


With you there.If not for his own goal the oil machine could have won 5 straight cups.
 

tjcurrie

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I always blamed Sylvain Cote for Arnott's Cup winning goal in 2000. Arnott sneaks in the back door, Cote's back to him, converts on a great backhand feed from the corner by Elias.

After watching it more and more (glutton for punishment), I see the forwards atop the corner let Arnott walk right in. Jere Lehtinen of all people was right on him, but then retreats and lets him go in all by himself. Inexcusable.

@ 2:28, Lehtinen retreats

 
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LeafsNation75

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I remember a lot of people were upset at Dion Phaneuf and say he cost the Leafs Game #4 against the Bruins in the 2013 playoffs, even though I always thought it was a save that James Reimer should have made.

 

Big Phil

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I always blamed Sylvain Cote for Arnott's Cup winning goal in 2000. Arnott sneaks in the back door, Cote's back to him, converts on a great backhand feed from the corner by Elias.

After watching it more and more (glutton for punishment), I see the forwards atop the corner let Arnott walk right in. Jere Lehtinen of all people was right on him, but then retreats and lets him go in all by himself. Inexcusable.

@ 2:28, Lehtinen retreats



Initially I always thought Hatcher was a little lazy going back there. But to be honest, neither Hatcher, Cote or the Stars forwards are strong towards the puck carrier. Usually Hatcher found a way to block passes like that and Cote was completely out of position but the forwards didn't give a lot of support either. Two tired teams is the way I'd put it.

I remember a lot of people were upset at Dion Phaneuf and say he cost the Leafs Game #4 against the Bruins in the 2013 playoffs, even though I always thought it was a save that James Reimer should have made.



Phaneuf made a very untimely pinch that went the wrong way. Actually, I don't even think I'd call it a pinch. He tried to take Horton's (?) head off. This put him WAY out of position and left the likes of Kessel to cover up for him which wasn't his strength. The Leafs score there and the series is tied, as a captain you would have liked Phaneuf to avoid the big highlight reel hit and play it safe.

This was also the game where the media wrongly accused Reimer's wife of glaring at Phaneuf's wife right after the goal. Morons. Not even close but the media ran with it. Upon closer inspection both girls are reacting to a fan who probably shouted something at Reimer, April Reimer is not pleased. I think it shows it in this video.
 

The Panther

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I really wonder what defencemen like Doug Wilson ('84 Canada Cup) and Phaneuf (as above) are thinking when they pinch like that in Overtime. I realize in the heat of the moment split-second decisions are required, and you don't have time to sit there weighing the odds as we do years later, but certainly at that level and in that situation (i.e., next good shot-on-goal and we lose this game), you'd think the smarter D-men would simply focus on NOT pinching -- especially in open-ice, as Phaneuf did, which means there's a greater chance of missing the opponent and trapping your teammates (as he also did).

I mean, honestly, if I'm the coach going into playoff/elimination-game overtime, I'm sitting the defence down and telling them: "No pinching".
 

feffan

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The one I'll remember for my team was Lilja's turnover to Selanne in OT of game 5 of the 2007 WCF. I still think Detroit would win the Cup that year if not for that gaffe.

I´m not an Detroit fan, but this one has stuck with me. Lilja with less than a minute off the game left had the only goal and was on his way to becoming the hero. Zetterberg hitting the post with the empty net. Niedermayers shot hitting Lidstroms stick and the puck wobbling up in the air diving down in to the net behind Hasek. And then an dumb play from an Lilja that I guess was high on adrenaline to become the hero of the game again. He had a couple of easy and great options, with Zetterberg waiting for the easy pass along the boards, dump it back behind the net where another Red Wing was. Instead went for the cutting in front of his own goalie coming up from behind the net. With one hand on the puck and one fending off Selanne. He actually had a little bit off unluck there, as he missed the puck when trying to pass it along. But he put himself in that position all by himself. The last 2 minutes of that game are really a perfect example off just how small the marginals are for an win or loss in this game. And to me that game decided those playoffs. The winner of that game would most probably go to the finals. And Ottawa was doomed against both as I see it. Even if it to me, an fan off none of the teams involved, would have been an much more interesting series with Detroit-Ottawa. Detroit off that time got away with an Cup, but they really didn´t have "the luck" like for example the 82´Islanders against the Penguins. A bounce in that Anaheim-game and an right bounce against the Penguins 2 years later and they could have had 3 straight Cups. Detroit was to me the best team in the leauge for all those three seasons.
 

feffan

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I really wonder what defencemen like Doug Wilson ('84 Canada Cup) and Phaneuf (as above) are thinking when they pinch like that in Overtime. I realize in the heat of the moment split-second decisions are required, and you don't have time to sit there weighing the odds as we do years later, but certainly at that level and in that situation (i.e., next good shot-on-goal and we lose this game), you'd think the smarter D-men would simply focus on NOT pinching -- especially in open-ice, as Phaneuf did, which means there's a greater chance of missing the opponent and trapping your teammates (as he also did).

I mean, honestly, if I'm the coach going into playoff/elimination-game overtime, I'm sitting the defence down and telling them: "No pinching".

"I´m gonna be the HERO!". That´s what´s it all about I think. Just as with my post above, Lilja trying to make a play that´s above his talent level in OT in an 2-2 series in the Western Conference Final.

Maybe because the captain, coach or someone else held a "if you´re not gonna be the hero, I´m gonna be it"-speach. Those ain´t for everyone :D
 

Ishdul

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I really wonder what defencemen like Doug Wilson ('84 Canada Cup) and Phaneuf (as above) are thinking when they pinch like that in Overtime. I realize in the heat of the moment split-second decisions are required, and you don't have time to sit there weighing the odds as we do years later, but certainly at that level and in that situation (i.e., next good shot-on-goal and we lose this game), you'd think the smarter D-men would simply focus on NOT pinching -- especially in open-ice, as Phaneuf did, which means there's a greater chance of missing the opponent and trapping your teammates (as he also did).

I mean, honestly, if I'm the coach going into playoff/elimination-game overtime, I'm sitting the defence down and telling them: "No pinching".
That sounds like going ultra conservative "playing not to lose" type philosophy, and you could just as easily say that the next good shot-on-goal and we win the game. If the right play is to pinch, and it very often is, then those guys should pinch. Especially for players like Wilson and Phaneuf, telling them not to pinch is really hampering their natural playstyle.
 

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