News Article: Horachek preaching 5-5-5 defense

[Mess]

Randy even said himself at seasons end there were things he didn't do that he shoud have done that lead to the way teh Leafs played last year.

Perhaps he meant that he didn't hold everyone accountable by requiring everyone to commit equally defensively as much as they committed offensively.

His top 2 lines were very poor in their own end last year judging by their goals against and +/- stats. Mostly because they think offense and defense is more of an annoyance to some of them.

This 5,5,5 principle is really a dropping down of he gauntlet suggesting that lackluster halfhearted effort will no longer be tolerated. They are trying to crank up the compete level in all zones.

 

[Phaneuffan3]

If management believes that changing the system will help our defensive game, then I god hope it does.

At least there is a system. Most of last year we looked like a PeeWee team in our own end. I dont think it can get any worse

 

[Myke]

Words. Thats all it is.

Yes but they are better words than "mind boggling".

 

[The Great Gazoo]

The 5,5,5 "system" isn't a Horachek only idea. I'm pretty sure I've heard Hitchcock speak of playing in five man units in a similar fashion in St. Louis.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Yes but they are better words than "mind boggling".

Or "compete" or just throwing your hands up in there air

 

[Leaf Lander]

Great time to shore up the team when the greatest draft in a decade is about to happen

 

[ShaneFalco]

Great time to shore up the team when the greatest draft in a decade is about to happen

The Leafs - never good enough, never bad enough

 

[Mess]

The 5,5,5 "system" isn't a Horachek only idea. I'm pretty sure I've heard Hitchcock speak of playing in five man units in a similar fashion in St. Louis.

Here is Edmonton in action.

 

[egd27]

Here is Edmonton in action.

Holy crap, it's the flying V just as you had referenced earlier. Genius.

 

[pspot]

Now they just need the players who will play that system

If it wasn't the gm, and it wasn't the coach, then it must have been. The players . I expect big changes next deadline/off season

 

[thewave]

here is edmonton in action.

usa! Usa! Usa!

Beautiful delta formation!

 

[Commander Clueless]

Words. Thats all it is.

So shall it be written, so shall it be done.



Defense, hoooo!!

 

[Cor]

What was this called

 

[Bluelines]

Perhaps he meant that he didn't hold everyone accountable by requiring everyone to commit equally defensively as much as they committed offensively.

That is the way I took Randys statements, that he should have benched players.

 

[Purity*]

I don't give two ***** what they preach or say. I wanna see it work on the ice. And with dinosaur-head Carlyle still running the show, I steeply have my doubts.

 

[The Great Gazoo]

Here is Edmonton in action.

That's not what he's talking about. Watch Florida last year. Go back and think of Nashville and his time there. It's a 5 man group that constantly pressures in all 3 zones. We're talking defense here.

 

[Daisy Jane]

What was this called

the Opposition Will Score Technique

 

[-DeMo-]

The 5,5,5 "system" isn't a Horachek only idea. I'm pretty sure I've heard Hitchcock speak of playing in five man units in a similar fashion in St. Louis.

in his press conference right after the St. Louis game near the end of the year, Carlyle was saying they were trying to get the team to play similar to what St. Louis does. obviously there not good enough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTGgfQhM2pg

 

[Purity*]

in his press conference right after the St. Louis game near the end of the year, Carlyle was saying they were trying to get the team to play similar to what St. Louis does. obviously there not good enough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTGgfQhM2pg

St. Louis and their style of play was beaten handily by the Hawks speed and skill. Then in the eastern conference next round, the Bruins who play the same style as St. Louis were beaten by the Habs speed and skill. LA clearly took the next step when they acquired "speed and skill" through acquiring Gaborik.


Why exactly are we striving for St. Louis' style of play again? They've had sweet **** all for playoff success.

 

[The Great Gazoo]

in his press conference right after the St. Louis game near the end of the year, Carlyle was saying they were trying to get the team to play similar to what St. Louis does. obviously there not good enough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTGgfQhM2pg

At that point it's too late in the season to start changing things up that dramatically. You don't go from swarm defense to the high intensity back pressure St Louis plays in one day, late in the year, and expect it to stick. At that point Randy was scrambling to try to save the season. And by then it was way too late.

 

[The Great Gazoo]

St. Louis and their style of play was beaten handily by the Hawks speed and skill. Then in the eastern conference next round, the Bruins who play the same style as St. Louis were beaten by the Habs speed and skill. LA clearly took the next step when they acquired "speed and skill" through acquiring Gaborik.


Why exactly are we striving for St. Louis' style of play again? They've had sweet **** all for playoff success.

St Louis didn't lose because of the style of hockey they play. St Louis lost because all things being equal, Chicago was just simply the better team. Chicago also got considerably better goaltending in the playoffs. That last bit is also why Montreal got by Boston.

 

[EastVan]

St. Louis and their style of play was beaten handily by the Hawks speed and skill. Then in the eastern conference next round, the Bruins who play the same style as St. Louis were beaten by the Habs speed and skill. LA clearly took the next step when they acquired "speed and skill" through acquiring Gaborik.


Why exactly are we striving for St. Louis' style of play again? They've had sweet **** all for playoff success.

Didn't two or three of the games go to overtime? I thought it was a hard fought series, at least towards the beginning.

 

[realgoodleafs]

Please elaborate. I'd like to see some quotes proving the exact intent of the coaches and examples of the players not succeeding; yet following the plan.

This blind hatred crap is getting annoying; the "blame Carlyle" train is packed with immaturity.

How about the coaches telling the players they were only out chanced 6 to 4 when they were out shot 23 the 7 in the first period against the blues?

Senators head coach Paul MacLean wants his forwards to engage opponents who go to the half-wall with the puck in the defensive zone. Ryan remembers then-Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle demanding they stay in the middle of the ice. "If the goalie can't stop it from out there, we'll get another one," Ryan said Carlyle would say.

“Yeah. The players supported the coaching staff. I think a lot of them felt confused and not confident with the – there’s a defensive style they played I guess last year called The Swarm that has been successful with certain other teams and wasn’t successful here. That’s something that the players felt – I think with five games to go [the coaches] tried to switch to more traditional defensive zone coverage, but it was probably a little bit too late by then.

^^ Players complaining directly to Shanahan.

 

[Pyromaniac3]

Please elaborate. I'd like to see some quotes proving the exact intent of the coaches and examples of the players not succeeding; yet following the plan.

This blind hatred crap is getting annoying; the "blame Carlyle" train is packed with immaturity.

With Wilson, the team was 50% (middle of the pack) in possession. With Carlyle, the team drops dramatically to 40% (bottom feeder). Every player that came to Toronto dropped possession wise under Carlyle and every player who left became better at possession when they left the franchise.

 

[TieClark]

Don't agree or disagree with this...

The leafs last year did a pretty good job of having all 5 guys back... yet they couldn't get the puck off the other team in their own end. There's far more to defence than simply having guys there.