hockeywiz542
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- May 26, 2008
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Hey guys,
According to Joffrey Lupul, in order for the Toronto Maple Leafs to avoid another late-season crash, the hockey players on the club have to be hungrier, and the hockey club needs to get older and wiser.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/...-kings-free-agents-trade-expereince-shanahan/
According to Joffrey Lupul, in order for the Toronto Maple Leafs to avoid another late-season crash, the hockey players on the club have to be hungrier, and the hockey club needs to get older and wiser.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/...-kings-free-agents-trade-expereince-shanahan/
The Maple Leafs’ adversity is well-documented, so we won’t retrace the route of Toronto’s blue-and-white 18-wheeler, only to say that time has not healed the frustration Lupul and his teammates experienced while dropping 12 of their final 14 games last season while tail-spinning to 23rd place overall.
“It’s still equally as disappointing now,†Lupul said. “The difference between winning and losing is so small in the NHL, and I think a lot of those games I look back and think we played well enough to win but we didn’t. A key for us going forward this season is just to keep our foot on the gas. If we’re in a playoff spot, try to extend that lead, try to go for first. Don’t just be satisfied. Things happen: a couple of injuries, some bad luck. Next thing you know, you’re on the outside looking in.â€
Which brings us to the central question: How can the 2014-15 Leafs avoid another late-season crash?
In addition to hungrier, the Leafs need to get older and wiser, Lupul says, and he appears to be on the same page as his general manager. When Dave Nonis signed 37-year-old free agent Stephane Robidas on July 1, the veteran defenceman instantly became the eldest player on the Leafs’ roster, by five years. Plugger Colton Orr is 32, Lupul and David Clarkson are 30 while the rest of the team is in their 20s. By comparison, the Kings have nine players aged 29 or older; the ‘Hawks have eight.
“When I see teams that have success in the playoffs, they did it with a lot of veteran leaders,†said Lupul. “I think we have a lot of good, young players, but when it comes down to playoff hockey and crunch time, it seems the teams that have the most experience are winning. L.A. is a great example of that. Three or four times in that playoff run I thought they were done, but they delivered, and it always seemed like it was the veteran guys doing it. So you want to add experience, size, puck-moving defencemen—but itâ™s funny, so do the other 29 teams.â€
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