The Winter Soldier
Registered User
- Apr 4, 2011
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I'm sure coaching and time will help improve systems and defensive structure, etc., but I can't help but think that having a coach who the players respect (and maybe fear a little bit, if nothing else than for playing time) will cause a near instantaneous improvement in defensive commitment. I don't feel like Weight put a lot of stock in that (defense), and Cappy maybe did but wasn't able to consistently transmit the message or get the players to buy in. I'm sure there will be blips in the wrong direction, but overall I would not be surprised to see a big improvement right away.
I believe the game is being streamed on the NBC Sports app for anyone interested
A replay of the game or for tonight's game? You're in the wrong thread for tonight's game.
Like the message. Hard to Play Against. This may be the battle cry this season.
Like the message. Hard to Play Against. This may be the battle cry this season.
It's the battle cry for almost every non-playoff team.
Well, yesterday the Isles played a very weak Philly side. Let’s see what the guys can do tonight. Win, or let Ross Johnston send a message.
Last year the Devils under Shero had a very simple one. They have to earn the respect of opponents each game, because he felt they were not respected the year before. Boy did that go far...I think Coaches use a bevy of motivation tricks. Us against the world is another popular one.
Trotz is clearly preaching going the full mile. Commitment in finishing a check, and yes, Being Hard to Play Against. You may not win every game like this, but the other team will have to pay a price if they beat the Isles this year. That's something as Isles fans can be proud of this season if they play to this philosophy.
They also have Lee and Bailey in tonight. Definitely not as good as the line up they iced at home. All you can ask, is for the Isles be hard to play against. See if Trotz's structure, system and lessons kick in.
That's all well and good but at the end of the day it is skill that trumps all.
The Isles were easy to play against last season because they had no defensive structure. They tried to outgun every team and it didn't work. That's all I want from Trotz. Implement a sound defensive scheme. I don't need to hear cliches about being a "tough team to play against." Typically it's buzzwords that losing teams use (eg. "The boys battled hahd.")
Hopefully! It will be interesting to see what the defence will achieve tonight. They will be tested... I’m excited about the upcoming season. I think (and hope) the Isles will suck this season, but this’s the start of something great.
You got me.
I will commit Seppuku now to make up for my sins.
Exactly. If it was Russian, no problem, as Komarov is fluent in Russian, as well as English, Finnish, and Swedish. Czech is quite different.Czech and Russian are both slavic languages but they are very different. That's like saying if you speak English you speak German. I would guess that Kovar speaks some Russian since he's played in Russia for 5 years but I highly doubt he's fluent. 30+ years ago it was mandatory to learn Russian but that is no longer the case.
I'm from the Czech Republic and you are pretty much spot on here. But while it may be "easier" for Czechs to learn Russian (and vice-versa) I don't think we can assume that Kovar, having only spent 5 hockey seasons there (not as a student), that he can actually speak Russian.I had some Russian students stay at my place from couchsurfing and they were studying in Czech. They did pick up the language faster. From personal experience Czech is closer (at least to me) to Slovenian/Serbo-croation ...it's almost a mix of the two and Polish is close to Ukranian. As for Finnish....a lot of Fins speak Russian as they have a highly active economic trade with the Russians.