Is this what the Leafs desperately lack ?

[Black hat blue eyes]

The teams most critical need is for the fans to stop being B****es. Stop crying after every loss and being hyper critical of every single little that happens.

The team needs to get healthy. Period.

 

[diceman934]

I do think that toughness was something that gave Boston an edge in the series against us. I've talked about it before. Boston, for better or worse, never deviated from the game that made them good. Leafs were too busy trying to match them hit by hit to remember what made us good. They got in our heads so easily. We took a lot of dumb penalties in that series, that we normally wouldn't.

But what won the series for them was their PP. We were better than them at even strength.


If I was coach, I'd split all our best players on three different lines.

Like Zeke said, Chara is a monster. He is still absurdly good defensively, and he's definitely a menace. And Bergeron is unique. I saw numbers a while back on how the top centers fared against other top centers. A lot of them fell off hard. Seguin got eaten alive. Bergeron? He dominated them just as he dominates everyone.

We need three strong lines to expose Bruins relative weakness. That's what Tampa did to them.

Tampa never refused to get to pucks first like we did. Toughness is not fighting it is willingness and being brave while giving it back. Boston hit our D man hard we bumped into theirs.

When we had last change Marner line against the same line and had success. We just need buy in from all this time around. We can not have a few of our best players not willing to get to pucks first. It simply can not happen again.

The Kadri call by the NHL was among the worse I have seen. The fact the NHL never even reviewed the Elbow to the head that Marner took was horrid.

I have posted on here that we can win this series against Boston but we can not go down 2 zip in this series as well as we need to establish that we came to play.

 

[diceman934]

It wasn't toughness it was Gardiner having the worst game of his career and Andersen letting in some softies. Had nothing to do with toughness or grit. Mental fortitude maybe but it was more about our skilled players making mistakes and their skilled players capitalizing.

Why did Gardiner give the puck away so much? Because he was hammered at every opportunity and hearing footsteps is a real thing. It was 100% toughness.

Not even once did Gardiner jump into the guy who was about to run him. He attempted to get out of the way or avoided the check completely. Jump into the guy and knock him on his ass and let him know that there is plenty more of that if you keep coming for me. Get your stick up a little.

 

[diceman934]

The narrative just doesn't change with those of you who want the Nation Figure Skating League does it?

Go ahead, show me stats about regular season "hits" and fights again.

All anyone needed to do was to watch what Vegas did last year. And will do again this playoffs. They run every one last year and wore teams down. The fact that their goalie ran out of steam as he had played far to much hurt them as did playing against a team that used the same tactic to get to the finals themselves.

I wonder if some of these people ever played hockey at anything over house league. If so it was not in Canad that is for sure.

Jr Hockey in Canada vs College hockey. One allows fighting the other does not. There’s even a difference beteeen the 3 major JR leagues in Canada. As well as in Minor hockey. West (WHL) has a lot more physical play and fights. There is a reason more Canada wide Midget championship teams are from Saskatchewan then any other province. Battle tested all year round.

 

[OVO16]

Miller is not exactly a tough guy.

Tougher than anyone we have

 

[Nithoniniel]

Tampa never refused to get to pucks first like we did. Toughness is not fighting it is willingness and being brave while giving it back. Boston hit our D man hard we bumped into theirs.

When we had last change Marner line against the same line and had success. We just need buy in from all this time around. We can not have a few of our best players not willing to get to pucks first. It simply can not happen again.

The Kadri call by the NHL was among the worse I have seen. The fact the NHL never even reviewed the Elbow to the head that Marner took was horrid.

I have posted on here that we can win this series against Boston but we can not go down 2 zip in this series as well as we need to establish that we came to play.

Yeah, but that's a bit what I refer to as toughness. Not letting the other dictate terms. Not stop doing what makes you successful just because of what they do. Toughness isn't so much fighting or answering a big hit with a big hit, it's about going into a corner with Chara at your back because you know that it's what you need to do.

 

[Cobra777]

Why does everyone argue that when we ask for toughness it automatically means fighting or fighters? We want guys who can play and dish out some heavy checks, heavy fore check, bite the puck in half guys. Adding Ferland and Simmonds at the TD which wouldn't have costed much, playing in the place of Brown, Lindholm etc at the time would have given this team HUGE confidence to the rest of out young players.
Its amazing how much more guys would play their games with no fear when a couple guys play hard and got your back, its spreads like wildfire.
I remember a few yrs. ago coaches corner when Orr, McClaren was standing behind Kadri and Kadri pipes up These are my boys, well now Kadri has taken their spot lol. Yea we still lost game 7 but we had a less talented team that played large because we had these two plus Mark Frazer and Uncle Leo, Boston did NOT push us around or intimidate.
However I'm not interested in Facepunchers, want guys who can play and contribute but also can dish out some heavy physicality when needed.
Simmonds and Ferland or an Anderson type players would have brought that needed element, they can contribute but also stand up to the intimidators.
Imho Simmonds needed a change coming here would have recharged his career he is not slow and still can produce in the right element, oh and extra bonuses, Simmonds and Ferland can drop the gloves if truly needed.
Our young skilled guys would be playing leaps above normal with this kind of confidence behind them guaranteed.

 

[AreBe]

This isn't WHAT we need but it would be nice to have a ROCK like that. Unfortunately 30 other teams don't have a player of Chara s quality mixed with his insane size and ability to embarrass players when needed. So let's get past that and just focus on finishing checks in the right spots, pressure heavier on the puck (not sure if that's in our MO) and don't back down in scrums, physical challenges etc. They hammer our guys we should be going back and letting them know that's not going to be unnoticed.

A refreshing dose of logic, wisdom and reason!

The NHL is not at all interested in losing a class action concerning Post Concussion Syndrome, which looks an awful lot like 40 year old retried players with advanced Alzheimer's

It could be true that the Leafs lack grit, but the idiot answer is to trade away any of the eye-popping skill, despite the demands of Leafs Nation to get rid of Nylander, Kappenen, Johnsson, doing so it treason

the NHL is moving past Rock'em Sock'em. The Flying Elbow is out. Speed, Speed, and Speed are the three Leafs ingredients, and they look very dangerous when they get their wheels going , entering the offensive zone after a turnover. There is no such thing as too much staking, passing, and spatial awareness. That blood on the ice hockey is done, finished, over: it is hockey of the old- timers.

 

[Duffman955]

People who have never been hit repeatedly by a 6'3 220 lb Player will never understand the importance of the physical aspect of the game.

 

[Walter Sobchak]

The NHL is changing. Speed and skill will be at the fore front moving forward. Physicality will always be a part of the game in some regard but Zdeno Chara is quite literally a once in a life time mix of skill, size and toughness.

Last year the Leafs pushed a tougher, more physical veteran Bruins squad loaded with playoff experience to the brink with their high end talent. The team this year has more talent and another year of experience.

Why assume the Leafs are missing something?

 

[Notsince67]

People who have never been hit repeatedly by a 6'3 220 lb Player will never understand the importance of the physical aspect of the game.

When I played, I can't recall ever being hit by a guy that big. People of that size weren't that common. I get your point though. Even the smaller guys hit pretty good

 

[Duffman955]

When I played, I can't recall ever being hit by a guy that big. People of that size weren't that common. I get your point though. Even the smaller guys hit pretty good

For example, if a player like Backes runs you when you go behind the net to retrieve the puck, you will second guess yourself every time you go to the boards.

That mental and physical threat can make a huge difference in a game where you always need to be first to the puck

 

[Nithoniniel]

For example, if a player like Backes runs you when you go behind the net to retrieve the puck, you will second guess yourself every time you go to the boards.

That mental and physical threat can make a huge difference in a game where you always need to be first to the puck

It makes a huge difference... yet has no correlation with winning? Sounds reasonable.

 

[Duffman955]

never stepped foot on the ice, then you can never understand