News Article: Coach Sullivan's Use of the iBench and More

[WayneSid9987]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/b...stanley-cup/SLL67m13JTL9AAG0DLgBAN/story.html

Caught this pretty cool/informative article today(was posted Saturday) from Fluto Shinzawa who talked with Sully about his use of the iBench and other things they do/want to do in the future.

“You can make subtle adjustments on the fly. In the playoffs, you might only get two power plays a game. So if you have the ability to make an adjustment that might lead to an opportunity to score or generate a scoring chance, that could be the difference between winning and losing.”

“I’ve always felt strongly that this is such a robust program, but my experience of being around the game is that most coaching staffs use the tip of the iceberg,” Sullivan said of Thunder Hockey, XOS’s hockey product. “So my feeling has always been that, ‘Hey, if we can get better at this stuff than the other guys, then this could be a real competitive advantage for us.’ On our staff in Pittsburgh we spend a lot of time learning this stuff.”

Much more in the article including PIT's use of biometrics/Sully's desire to see them used in game.

Click to read more...

 

[ColePens]

Personally I enjoyed the article and I love Sully's take on it. It's an extreme gray area because I love that he welcomes it with open arms, but also notes the game is instinct and emotion, too.

The biometrics part should be in the game today. If not for anything - player safety.

 

[Shady Machine]

Good article. Thanks for posting. I wondered how Tocchet got the replays that quickly. Hope Recchi is as good with a headset during games haha.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Sullivan: iPads played key role in Penguins’ Cup repeat

“I’ve always felt strongly that this is such a robust program,†Sullivan said. “But my experience of being around the game is that most coaching staffs use the tip of the iceberg. So my feeling has always been that, ‘Hey, if we can get better at this stuff than the other guys, then this could be a real competitive advantage for us."

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/sullivan-ipads-played-key-role-penguins-cup-repeat/

Great to see our staff at the forefront of these new advancements. But Sully's not done there:

Though the Penguins have two Stanley Cups in the bag, the latter championship tied directly to this new technological progress, Sullivan has his eyes on an even bigger step forward: in-game biometrics.

“Let’s say Kris Letang, he’s on an extended shift, 1:20, we take a penalty, and there’s a commercial break,†Sullivan said. “He’s our best defenseman. We’d like him to kill the penalty. There’s a 60-second commercial break, and now we’ve got to kill a penalty and the faceoff’s in our end. I can ask Kris Letang, ‘Hey, how do you feel? You good to go?’ He’s always going to say yes. His heart rate could be 250, and he’d say, ‘Yeah, I’m good, Coach.’ That’s the type of guy he is. But it would be nice if you had some sort of understanding of the physiology of the player and where theyâ€re at.â€

Never stop looking for ways to get better. Love that mindset.

 

[WayneSid9987]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=2381019

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I definitely missed that haha. Well done.

 

[WayneSid9987]

No worries.
Thread needed a bump.
It's a good article.

 

[ColePens]

I don't get why there isn't more steam here. It's a great read. No1currs unless it's a 3C?

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I'm not sure there's much to actually discuss about it.

Cool technology but we don't see much of it. It's good that Sullivan wants to utilize any advantage and isn't a dinosaur.
How bad would the damn PP be without it?
I want the in game biometrics to be a thing but it's the NHL.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I don't get why there isn't more steam here. It's a great read. No1currs unless it's a 3C?

Come on, wouldn't you rather make wild trade speculations, and argue about them, than read about the Pens using cutting edge technology on the bench?

 

[EightyOne]

But, what metric was putting Kunitz on line one

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I'm not sure there's much to actually discuss about it.

Cool technology but we don't see much of it. It's good that Sullivan wants to utilize any advantage and isn't a dinosaur.
How bad would the damn PP be without it?
I want the in game biometrics to be a thing but it's the NHL.

Being at the vanguard of new ideas is a great reason to be excited about our future over the next half-decade or so when Sid and Geno are going to be tapering off a bit. We're not simply winning because of superstars, contributing ELCs, and a hardass coach who knows his systems. We're also winning because we're committed to incorporating and pushing for new innovations.

That our coach now has the same mentality for the team that Sid does for his off-seasons seems like something to celebrate after years of DB's shortcomings and Johnston's incompetence.

But, what metric was putting Kunitz on line one

GA/60, natch. That's the first and apparently last thing you look for in a 1st line winger.

 

[mpp9]

My question would be, how would any coach not incorporate this? It's not like iPads are exactly a recent invention. One I have is ancient.

 

[ColePens]

I just love Sully's take on it. He's not relying heavily on it. He's not ignoring it. He's trying anything to get that competitive advantage. His philosophy on hockey is just light years ahead of many others, especially the stubborn ones (Bylsma).

It's great perspective.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Being at the vanguard of new ideas is a great reason to be excited about our future over the next half-decade or so when Sid and Geno are going to be tapering off a bit. We're not simply winning because of superstars, contributing ELCs, and a hardass coach who knows his systems. We're also winning because we're committed to incorporating and pushing for new innovations.

That our coach now has the same mentality for the team that Sid does for his off-seasons seems like something to celebrate after years of DB's shortcomings and Johnston's incompetence.

Sure but that's more of a statement and this board is only really active when there's some complaining to get done. It's also an unknown how effectively they're using this and how effectively they're using it compared to other teams. Does it have any specific features? It's a lot of unknown things.

The really interesting part is the biometrics, imo. That could have a major effect on usage, conditioning, minutes and managing players over the course of a season. It's also the part the NHL isn't doing. Getting to see how the iBench is used or what the biometrics are saying could be fascinating but it would never happen.

I could see Bylsma and Johnston using the iBench (it's the last time I'm using that's term) but that doesn't mean it would have done them any good. It might have caused more problems, tbh. Sullivan probably isn't ****ing it up like dumb and dumber would but who knows how much good it's really doing.

 

[WayneSid9987]

All depends who's putting together the many angles to play back + the brain in the reciever of that information.
Not to mention just being super lazy with it and some coaches not even bothering and going off something that happened on a shift at blazing speed.

I mean just think of the process:

-several entries fail to start a PP1.
-Sully tells Tocchet to get the sequences sent down to the bench.
-Sully and/or Tocchet and/or Martin go over it first then process whats going wrong and the correction that needs to be made then the player is shown.

Theres alot that can go sideways there and/or the process doesn't even get started at all.

Also, from that article it seems biometrics are already being used in practice by PIT's trainers and coaches. Probably by other teams as well.

 

[Riptide]

I don't get why there isn't more steam here. It's a great read. No1currs unless it's a 3C?

What do you want us to say? I'm sure that 95% of us are all in agreement that it's a good system, and good on Sully for taking advantage of it.

I mean I could talk about how it's ****, taking away from the history of the game, and yada yada yada... but I'd be A) talking out my ass (prob not the first time) and B) I wouldn't have the heart because I don't actually believe that... but that would drive some discussion...

 

[Riptide]

Sure but that's more of a statement and this board is only really active when there's some complaining to get done. It's also an unknown how effectively they're using this and how effectively they're using it compared to other teams. Does it have any specific features? It's a lot of unknown things.

The really interesting part is the biometrics, imo. That could have a major effect on usage, conditioning, minutes and managing players over the course of a season. It's also the part the NHL isn't doing. Getting to see how the iBench is used or what the biometrics are saying could be fascinating but it would never happen.

Blame the NHLPA for that one. It will be the same reasoning why they do not want RFID chips in the players jerseys. There's the potential there for some sort of tracking or data or whatever that could reflect negatively on a player, and thus the contract that they'll be offered. We'll get it eventually... but it will likely take some time.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Sure but that's more of a statement and this board is only really active when there's some complaining to get done. It's also an unknown how effectively they're using this and how effectively they're using it compared to other teams. Does it have any specific features? It's a lot of unknown things.

The really interesting part is the biometrics, imo. That could have a major effect on usage, conditioning, minutes and managing players over the course of a season. It's also the part the NHL isn't doing. Getting to see how the iBench is used or what the biometrics are saying could be fascinating but it would never happen.

I could see Bylsma and Johnston using the iBench (it's the last time I'm using that's term) but that doesn't mean it would have done them any good. It might have caused more problems, tbh. Sullivan probably isn't ****ing it up like dumb and dumber would but who knows how much good it's really doing.

For me it basically boils down to appreciating a coach who embraces and pushes for innovation. I don't recall DB or Johnston doing that. They had enough trouble getting up to speed with present NHL trends, let alone future ones.

 

[ColePens]

For me it basically boils down to appreciating a coach who embraces and pushes for innovation. I don't recall DB or Johnston doing that. They had enough trouble getting up to speed with present NHL trends, let alone future ones.

Exactly this. And also has a good mindset to not accept it as gospel, but accept it as a competitive advantage.

For example: Florida trying to play money ball this year was a ****ing joke.

 

[Riptide]

Exactly this. And also has a good mindset to not accept it as gospel, but accept it as a competitive advantage.

For example: Florida trying to play money ball this year was a ****ing joke.

How many coaches and GMs did they use this year? I think that had more to do with them being a joke then the idea that they could try something a little differently.

Besides, they did give Merch a chance and he scored 30 goals. Then promptly threw him away in an attempt to reduce the payroll.

 

[ColePens]

How many coaches and GMs did they use this year? I think that had more to do with them being a joke then the idea that they could try something a little differently.

Besides, they did give Merch a chance and he scored 30 goals. Then promptly threw him away in an attempt to reduce the payroll.

I will have to find the article, but I read they were going with stats as opposed to actual coaching. That's why the moves were made. I think they really believed it didn't matter who was out there as long as their advanced #s fell into place.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I will have to find the article, but I read they were going with stats as opposed to actual coaching. That's why the moves were made. I think they really believed it didn't matter who was out there as long as their advanced #s fell into place.

Florida's what would happen if you let HF run a team.

 

[ColePens]

Florida's what would happen if you let HF run a team.

I guarantee you if I ran a team, Zigomanis would be my 4C. I'm just saying. I want that 70% on the draws.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I guarantee you if I ran a team, Zigomanis would be my 4C. I'm just saying. I want that 70% on the draws.

One thing we'll always agree on is The Zigomantis.