I know they won but...."Will over Skill"? That sounds like a try-hard anthem.
I know our o-first fans are not going to like that and tbh I don't think I like it, either. Maybe there's some background reference to a speech I'm missing but you can't "want" or "will" your way to championships. Not without the necessary skills and the ability to unlock them under pressure.
It's from a Muhammad Ali quote (hence the boxing robe after their wins):
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
Boxing is an individual sport of course (trainers and the like aside) and Ali also had amazing skills the likes of which had hardly existed at heavyweight. The slogan isn't ideal and is an oversimplification but the full quote is better and works as a motivator potentially. Given past history it seems unlikely they're on their way to conquering the mental on their own and, indeed, it's not so much X over Y so as to minimize Y but X needing to be stronger. There's a difference perhaps lost in how that was boiled down.
Burakovsky has consulted a sports psychologist to greater apparent consistency early on. Kuznetsov probably needs to do the same and there are probably many more that could. A slogan by nature is oversimplified and dumbed down but it's probably less important what the message is on the surface than how that's interpreted and applied organizationally (assuming it's even that important). I tend to doubt there's a universal conceptual understanding and that's part of the problem in a team sport. The issue has been
applying their energy more effectively, particularly offensively and as a team. It's not as if they haven't wanted it individually...ever. They just haven't channelled it or often had the depth to stack up. This is where decision-making comes into play and how there needs to be as much common ground with the puck and in distributing as there is defensively away from the puck. Refining those on the puck instincts are a massive component in unlocking their potential 5-on-5.
If will is taken seriously as a daily motivator then it's not a bad mantra. It is on them ultimately and their determination but not just in selected moments but in their daily habits. Ali didn't just own the big moments, he also trained like a mother****er and developed great skills. They aren't so naturally talented as a group to pull off the comparison. They still need to iron out their technique in some crucial ways before reverting to a mostly fixed competitive mindset. It's maybe an okay motivator potentially but without more behind the scenes work of course that in itself isn't the answer. The answer always tends to be in how that will is applied and refined rather than some sheer superior reserve of it naturally leading to success.
