The Star: Leafs’ Kessel not hot on Spott’s breakout strategy

[diceman934]

You obviously know nothing about high level sports and really are tossing things of cliché.

Asking Kessel to skate from one side of the ice to the other without the puck opens what options other than skating himself out of position? You really think the opposition D is going to break from there structure? Having him in motion is better than having him stand still and try to tip the puck out which is why the compromise was made. Kessel his hockey IQ took the idea of a coach and made it better.... That's what having star players is all about.

You want to open up the breakout efficiency here's an idea eliminate the shackles from our 2 highly skilled PMD. When I say things like star players play a game that can't be taught that's not BS... There's a fine line between coaching and overcoaching. This game is too fast paced of a game if you eliminate instinct from highly skilled players your effectively eliminating the star from a star level player. That's how Getzlaf turned into a 50 point center

You are debating what a high level coach came up with as a break out and telling a poster that you know better then said coach....now that is a stretch.

Do you understand what Spott was trying to accomplish.....Having the weak side winger come across the ice at the top of the blueline forces the strong side offensive D man to react and move there by opening up time and space to allow the puck carrying winger/center/d man more time and space to make a good read as well as opening up lanes for other options. They can not simply stand still or pinch down the wall as a simply chip beats them and creates at worse a one on one or worse and odd man rush against.

By the way: Time and space is the most desirable commodity a NHL player can have.

 

[diceman934]

This isn't about listening.. This is about a tactic that a star player disagrees with. That means that something is a miss and the coach SHOULD LISTEN at why that is.

I guess you missed the point in the article where a compromise was made and the coach commented about dealing with such a bright hockey mind in Kessel. Coaches don't know everything those that act like they do and try to micromanage end up without jobs.

Like I said you don't coach star level players the game they know can't be taught. If you want to get the STAR level from said player you have to limit the amount coaching you put on them with detail cause it's instinct that separates them from others. They do things that breakaway from structure play

If true Spott has a lot to learn as a coach at this level

I guess you missed when he said he would not do it!

Allowing players to freelance is what causes turnovers and goals against as in order for a system to work it must be played. All players have to be on the same page in order for a breakout to work.

Once out of your zone you can allow me freelancing with highly skilled players as they then can use their instincts to create offense.

 

[dimi78]

You are debating what a high level coach came up with as a break out and telling a poster that you know better then said coach....now that is a stretch.

Do you understand what Spott was trying to accomplish.....Having the weak side winger come across the ice at the top of the blueline forces the strong side offensive D man to react and move there by opening up time and space to allow the puck carrying winger/center/d man more time and space to make a good read as well as opening up lanes for other options. They can not simply stand still or pinch down the wall as a simply chip beats them and creates at worse a one on one or worse and odd man rush against.

By the way: Time and space is the most desirable commodity a NHL player can have.

That's what the compromise was... Read again the first quote was to ask Kessel to skate from the right point to the left point almost mindlessly... but then again this is a trash piece so....

 

[colchar]

I'm sure they said that. More "blame the players" deflection from the incompetent management and coaching.

Are you saying that players don't deserve any criticism for what happened last season?

And saying that Kessel didn't like the new plan is not blaming the players, it is merely demonstrating the different world that Spott is operating in now.

 

[colchar]

That's what you call bull-**** journalism - no credibility whatsoever.

And what, exactly, are you basing this on? Since there were witnesses to Spott saying this and any journalist can ask him and/or Kessel about it do you really think the reporter completely made it up?

 

[colchar]

Correlation and causation are the same thing.

 

[diceman934]

That's what the compromise was... Read again the first quote was to ask Kessel to skate from the right point to the left point almost mindlessly... but then again this is a trash piece so....

I missed the part where Spott was asking him to mindlessly skate to the left point...

 

[BIitz]

Anyone defending Kessel (if this story is true) needs to know that no single player is above the team, winning is a team concept. At the same time, I think anyone not questioning the integrity of the story is A) looking for trouble, or B) putting too much stock into "unnamed sources". I think it's interesting how both Spott and Kessel deflected it, but until any solid facts emerge I'm going to hold judgement.

Already 5 pages though, I love the keywords/phrases to get HF going: Overweight, above the team, lazy, hates coaches. Same prominent words/concerns for the whole 5 year duration he's been here and people still eat it up.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

The only thing that I'm 100% certain in with that article is that Phillip is 15 lbs overweight. That's a given and gives hope for us slightly overweight fellas everywhere. "Get a job son you're almost 30!" "I'm going pro mom"

 

[Mike Martin]

Personally? I don't care. The problem I have is the inability of anyone here to take the bad with the good. Something nice is written. Has to be true. Something inflammatory. Lies. BobM uses sources. True. This guy, who by the way, hasn't written anything bad before as far as I can tell. Lies. Should he have named the guys who told him this, or do you think he wrote it in his mom's basement and there are no sources? If the sources were actually present and they all said about the same thing, that's 3 of them. Should he have not written it because you don't/won't like it? Who cares what you like. What's his job again?

The poster behavior you are talking about is found everywhere on the internet. On the popular web forum imdb if you post a positive story about a celebrity it is automatically believed. Post a negative story and your story is called fake. What it comes down to is that the question of the legitimacy of the source is actually irrelevant to most people. That issue is injected into the discussion as nothing but a tactic to mask the true motive which is to maintain one's hero worship of idols.

 

[pucci2001]

Hey guys,

According to Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star, Maple Leafs assistant Steve Spott told a coaches’ clinic that:

- He was charged with devising a new breakout play for a team that has long struggled to get the puck out of its own end. Spott thought he’d hit on an effective strategy — until, that is, he shared the plan with Leafs leading scorer Phil Kessel. When Kessel voiced displeasure.

- Phil Kessel is one of the smartest hockey minds he’s worked with. Spott also marvelled at how Kessel — who Spott estimated during the lecture is “15 pounds overweight†— remains an explosive speedster.

- the team’s search for better defensive play will see them strongly discourage defencemen from making high-risk keep-in plays at the opposing blue line — pinching, in the parlance. Spott said that Toronto’s defencemen will be instructed to “never trust a forward†to backcheck or cover.

- the Leafs need to improve communication with the AHL Marlies. While the NHL team and its top minor-league affiliate conduct practices in rinks separated by the lobby of their Etobicoke training facility, Spott said there wasn’t enough synergy between the clubs last season; their Xs and Os on power plays and penalty kills, for instance, differed. Since the Leafs have repeatedly spoken of the importance of developing players through the minors, Spott said it would make more sense for the Marlies to mimic the game plan of the Leafs.

- As for the breakout play, Spott said in his presentation that he and Kessel ultimately reached a compromise. According to attendees, Spott explained his original strategy like so. With the Leafs moving the puck out of their zone up the left boards, the scheme called for Kessel, the right winger, to speed across the blue line toward the left wing — thus pushing back the opposing defenceman who, in previous seasons, has too often stymied the Toronto breakout by keeping the puck in. Spott told the clinic that Kessel didn’t like the idea; the player prefers the strategy of staying closer to the right wing awaiting the kind of cross-ice pass that would put him in a foot race with the opposing team’s left defenceman.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs..._hot_on_spotts_breakout_strategy_feschuk.html

I am baffled the defense had to be told to never trust a forward to cover them if they pinch. Aren't they supposed to be professional? I never even played any level of Jr. A-D but even I was able to identify which forwards were on and understand that I was on my own when it came to playing defense. Yikes.

 

[leafs in five]

tank tank tank tank

 

[X66]

People can say what they want, but why would Spott want to ruffle the feathers of his bosses and best player?

Not one quote was directly from Spott.

 

[leafstilldeath*]

Maybe this is what Lieweke was referring to?

Thank you!

Its about time Leafs Nation start holding players accountable as much as coaching staff and management.

If this article has even an ounce of truth to it; it just clears even further as to why Boston traded Kessel without much thinking (of course two 1st round picks and a second probably had something to do with it.)

Quite frankly I am a little disappointed if players do not follow coach's instructions and just wing it as they see fit on ice.

 

[leafstilldeath*]

This is all from a secondhand source -- some random "attendee" that's not named. Wow, what a source, A+ journalism.

You do know if journalist was to name his/her source then future stories will dry up right?

The credibility of the journalist is through how many stories they have broken that turned out to be true.

Use that metric my friend. If Assange was to name all his sources how the heck would we let the "truth" out to the world?

 

[MajorityRules*]

I think I know where he got some of the quotes from.

 

[SprDaVE]

And what, exactly, are you basing this on? Since there were witnesses to Spott saying this and any journalist can ask him and/or Kessel about it do you really think the reporter completely made it up?

No but the source can make it up? Heck twisting the quotes around wouldn't be new to a journalist. It's not like he points to more then one source, he simply says one person from the room said this.

Never mind the out of context thing, it's easy to misunderstand what Spott could have said. I just have a hard time believing Spott saying those things infront of a crowd hired not even months ago to his new position. Why wasn't this reported earlier? Seems like a big deal in Toronto... no? Everything about it looks crappy to me.

Either way, we're likely to get some clarification on this. I wonder if there's a denial on the story if the people will say they are 'back tracking' or lying themselves? Who do we believe? Who's reporting is 'true'?

Should be a fun day!

 

[Yosho]

So Feschuk is reporting on a report of a report of someone who attended a meeting.

What a fantastic sports journalist.

 

[leafstilldeath*]

I don't really understand the uproar here:

Feschuk may or may not be a *******, sensationalist reporter who resorts to tabloid style journalism, but is it really that surprising to hear that a) the inmates run the asylum on a team plagued with constant criticism of their character b) that Phil Kessel prefers the stretch play instead of going back to support the D and c) the rookie assistant coach gets overruled? It's not like Claude Julien, Ron Wilson or Randy Carlyle have ever succeeded converting Kessel into something he isn't.

Bingo! excellent post!

 

[SprDaVE]

I think I know where he got some of the quotes from.

Go on...

 

[agropop]

Kessel fans won't believe a word of this, his detractors will devour it whole. In both cases simply because it's what they want to believe.

Felt like reading an Infowars article to me, lots of vague and sensational and little meat on the bone.

Meh...

 

[MajorityRules*]

Go on...

Not important. What is important is that this story is probably true. What is likely the lie is the comments Kessel made at the end of the season in which he tried to take responsibility for the collapse. Most of us can see right through that now and we know that Kessel likely blamed the rest of the team and the coaches for the nose dive.

I've seen the light.

 

[leafs in five]

why alter the breakout for the first line? the first line is great and the least of the team's problems™ and anyway Kessel has Bozak covering up for him defensively

 

[ACC1224]

When were Spott and Kessel together working on break out plays?

 

[Nithoniniel]

There are plenty of things here that should make anyone question the authenticity:

* All the sources are unnamed.
* At one point Kessel is discussing the subject and they come up with a compromise, then later on he is suddenly refusing his coach completely having said "No, I'm not going to do that."
* Spott also mentions how Kessel "is one of the smartest hockey minds he's worked with" in this scenario as well? Sounds logical. This guy refuses to do anything I want, he's such a good hockey mind?
* Spott has been talking about how he wants the players to regard him as a safe haven whom they can talk to about anything. Then he goes and just mentions incredibly volatile things to a bunch of random people?
* Spott is claimed to have been informed by Carlyle that Kessel is untouchable and they'll be fired before him, so he decides to go make inflammatory comments about Kessel?

Those are just things I thought of right away while reading.

Another thing I seriously don't believe is that Spott said that they told the D-men to "never trust a forward" to backcheck or cover his man. This basically tells them that they need to treat all situations as odd-man situations, which would be a disaster. You need players to trust in each other even when they perhaps shouldn't, because the alternative is players trying to do everything themselves. That would be a disaster.

Not dismissing the piece outright, it's worrying that reports like this come up right before season, but this sounds a lot like a couple of minor league coaches who purposefully misunderstands whatever Spott was talking about.