So How Exactly Do You Make the Oilers Play Harder?

[redgrant]

So glad this is the big takeaway I heard from Chiarelli. Like most fans I think we agree this team is not short on talent but just really weak on effort and work ethic.

We look at teams like the Flames and Jets work their ***** off night in night out and wonder why our team is exclusively labelled as "fast and exciting".

How exactly can you convince a player like a Jordan Eberle to work hard after so many years in the organization? What can be done to change this teams work ethic? Is it all on getting a no nonsense type Hartley coach? Or would it involve bringing in heart in soul guys like Ladd?

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[NeutralZone]

First step is to get a good coach.

If that doesn't work, you start trading away your laziest players.

 

[Canovin]

Train in the offseason instead of taking a vacation.

 

[backhandsauce]

Look at what Hartley did for the Flames.

Coaches can motivate you big time.

 

[LTIR]

Chara for 2x 2nds plus Ference
Byfuglien for Pit 1st plus Schultz

Instant toughness

Chara-Marincin
Nurse-Byfuglien
Klefbom-Fayne

 

[Slicknitty]

Give them something to play for, give them the support they need in areas where they're struggling (D/G), make them accountable, give them a coach that doesn't try to crush their souls. Hiring responsible management is the most important step.

 

[McPuritania]

Tell them if they don't play harder, Lowe, and MacT are coming back.

 

[Beerfish]

Is there a Corsi like play harder stat?

 

[Shanahanigans]

Anyone who thinks our young guys don't work hard deluding themselves. Watch the Flames- the team everyone is in love with for 'working so hard.' Their young guys are doing so well because they are always getting the puck in flight from Gio, Brodie, Russel, Wideman. That's 4 Dmen better than the Oilers best. WHen the Oilers forwards get the puck, they get it below their blue line or have to collect in standing still off the boards.

Once we get an actual defense, our forwards production will skyrocket, and everyone will be talking about how much harder they work, when in reality, its the defenseman doing a much better job so the forwards can worry about their jobs.

That being said, we definitely need to get players who are harder to play against and make life tougher for other teams. Pouliot is one of those guys, we need a few more.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Bringing in people that the players want to play for and respect would be a good start.

 

[Shizuka]

You excise the players who don't play that way. That group does include at least one or two of the 'core'.. makes me wonder a bit at Hall's comment? Imagine the **** storm on here if he flipped Hall.

 

[Aerchon]

I loved everything Peter Chiarelli said about getting players to play harder and play heavier.

Its fundamentally what has been lacking as a message from upper management this last 9 years.

Everything starts from the top. Lowe, Mac T, + whoever has been content to lose and say stupid stuff like "offense wins games". It doesn't. It hasn't for a long time, if ever. Just emphasizing hard work/heavy from the very top will make a big difference. Cause if you don't play the way your bosses want you to you will have your role diminished, no PP time, and most likely have to uproot your family and set up shop somewhere else.

Accountability, I have no doubt Peter Chiarelli believes in this and will follow through by whatever means necessary. That's going get to our players thinking and acting the way we need them to.

Losing is no longer accepted, like it seemed to be from the previous upper management.

 

[Jeff Lebowski]

Having some team toughness would help. Knowing that your teammates have your back and will not skate away from a scrum. When you play hard, the opposing players get upset with you. The rest of your line mates better be swarming when the **** goes down. That's probably the biggest reason why this team plays so soft. I would love to see Hall lay out some big hits more often then he does, but his line mates have to be there for him. Hall could be a beast if he played this way.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

Bringing in people that the players want to play for and respect would be a good start.

That's already checked off then hopefully.

 

[McIce Whole]

Anyone who thinks our young guys don't work hard deluding themselves. Watch the Flames- the team everyone is in love with for 'working so hard.' Their young guys are doing so well because they are always getting the puck in flight from Gio, Brodie, Russel, Wideman. That's 4 Dmen better than the Oilers best. WHen the Oilers forwards get the puck, they get it below their blue line or have to collect in standing still off the boards.

Once we get an actual defense, our forwards production will skyrocket, and everyone will be talking about how much harder they work, when in reality, its the defenseman doing a much better job so the forwards can worry about their jobs.

That being said, we definitely need to get players who are harder to play against and make life tougher for other teams. Pouliot is one of those guys, we need a few more.

Agreed about our defence. We need to acquire 2 top pairing defencemens. But with that said, I watched a few of the Flames games towards the end of the season and they were doing something that outside of maybe Yak, I haven't seen any of our core players do and that is sacrificing the body. Our players play hard but can be soft or lazy at times. It really hit me when I saw a 5 foot nothing Johnny Hockey go down to block a shot in the dying moments of a game against the Kings. Outside of Yak, I have never seen any of our top guys (Hall, Nuge, Ebs) go down to block a shot like that. I know that isn't what they are paid for and not who they are but neither is Johnny hockey and he was doing it. You have to be willing to sacrifice to win games and this team has never shown that. Another thing is that we don't fully have that team first mentality yet. When someone takes a run at Monahan or Gaudreau, the Flames would make sure they got that guy back. Any scrum happens and they are all in it. This team doesn't do that and that makes it easier to play against us.

 

[McGoMcD]

Coaching, the second thing is just winning. It is a virtuous cycle, the more you win the harder you play, the harder you play the more you win.

 

[Mr Positive]

Chiarelli did say that he doesn't view playing hard as being tough necessarily. Playing hard can mean playing strong with your stick as well, and you don't need size or grit for that.

 

[CornKicker]

Viagra or Cialis probably helps

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Chiarelli did say that he doesn't view playing hard as being tough necessarily. Playing hard can mean playing strong with your stick as well, and you don't need size or grit for that.

Going to the front of the net is something I'm sure he'd imply. That's a big part of any hockey game.

 

[Soundwave]

Coaching is the most important factor in this IMO. It's all about buy in and getting the players to have faith in a system.

 

[Replacement*]

Playing harder is often just buy in and its immediately evident when its on. Things like fighting harder in puck battles, tying up pucks waiting for help to come, not giving up on plays, not losing position. Good puck support, helping each other out.

Textbook illustration of how such buy in changes team play can be had in the 2 Nucks victories in the series. In the games they won its the same team playing but much more commitment, battle, hard sticks, and made all the difference in the world.

Pretty much every team can do this, or not do this, and its up to the team. to wit Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver made the playoffs because their level of battle was consistently higher than teams that didn't bring it this year.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

Chara for 2x 2nds plus Ference
Byfuglien for Pit 1st plus Schultz

Instant toughness

Chara-Marincin
Nurse-Byfuglien
Klefbom-Fayne

Isn't Chara an injured mess now?

 

[Spawn]

Chiarelli did say that he doesn't view playing hard as being tough necessarily. Playing hard can mean playing strong with your stick as well, and you don't need size or grit for that.

Yeah. He made allusions to the Flames without mentioning them by name. Being harder/heavier doesn't mean bigger and tougher necessarily. It means not giving up on plays, not giving up on puck battles. Pushing that extra step to reach the puck first.

From the way he put it, being heavier sounds like more of a mentality than the size/toughness/grit of the player.

 

[joestevens29]

Coach is huge, but it's on the players as well. It's also on management to allow the HC to do his thing. You don't think Nelson didn't want to bench guys for a game? Not sure MacT would've let him bench the norris candidate.

Once guys start being made accountable others will learn.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Step 1: Don't sit in the stands

Everything else will just fall into place.