Bluelines
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- Nov 17, 2013
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You may want to check the 2012-13 Blackhawks roster and.or compare against our s before saying Hawks were not a physical team.
Bickell, Bollig, Saad, Oduya, Carcillo, Mayers, Shaw, Keith, Seabrook, Kruger.
I do not see any Goats, Pars, Nylanders, Matthews, Gardiners etc. on that team.
While you are at it have a look at the size of that team.
2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks Roster and Statistics | Hockey-Reference.com
They certainly made the most of the PP but don’t dismiss the fact that over a 7 game series, playing hard, playing heavy, forechecking the other team hard leads to mistakes, leads to maybe not being comfortable taking the half second to make the smart play and taking penalties because of it.
When you don’t pressure the other team hard, you make their 6 D all look like top 2 D. Anyone can play 20 + minutes/game when they aren’t touched. Or worried, or have to expend energy fighting to get the puck out of the zone.
They all seem like all star games.With the new TV on the horizon we all hope that the league reverts back to the “finish your check” mentality in the playoffs. Again, no one wants to see guys running guys with elbows to the head etc, but we expect them to rush the puck carrier and rub him out, especially on the forecheck.
You can’t expect fans to watch hockey games like we saw last night. The Leafs have played too many of these and they are getting worse as season goes on.
So logical.They certainly made the most of the PP but don’t dismiss the fact that over a 7 game series, playing hard, playing heavy, forechecking the other team hard leads to mistakes, leads to maybe not being comfortable taking the half second to make the smart play and taking penalties because of it.
When you don’t pressure the other team hard, you make their 6 D all look like top 2 D. Anyone can play 20 + minutes/game when they aren’t touched. Or worried, or have to expend energy fighting to get the puck out of the zone.
Yeah.It's 2019. We don't need physicality or goons. Game has changed.
the softness thing is a) largely a narrative
Largely a narrative?
What does that even mean?
It means that it is to me a much overblown critique of the roster, and is not the team's real problem. which it is continually presented as by rival fans and media, despite toughness not being the reason they lost in either first round of the playoffs the past two years.
Seems to me a lousy defense is what is continually being presented by rival fans and media as their weakness.
You don't think the Boston Bruins pushed the Leafs around in the playoffs last year and physically overmatched the them?
Really?
Seems to me a lousy defense is what is continually being presented by rival fans and media as their weakness.
You don't think the Boston Bruins pushed the Leafs around in the playoffs last year and physically overmatched the them?
Really?