Welcoming culture?

[MaxR11]

Gregor was speaking with Raffi Torres and jason Smith the other day. He spoke of how the Oil had great leadership and was very welcoming to new comers like Torres and Smith led the charge. Torres was shy and the Isles org did not have a good room and wasn't welcoming to newbies and that really hurt Torres' development. Torres said when he came here guys like Smith were so nice and welcoming to him it allowed him to blossom into an NHL player. He says he owes Smith etc everything.

Now this brings me to what kind of culture is and was here more recently? I strongly believe the culture as far as human dynamics, snobby cliques etc was really rotten and toxic in the Hall, Ebs, Whitney, Ference, Schultz etc days. You caNOT discount how much of a massive impact this can have when trying to bring in new players to fit in and have the team buy in and fight for each other. I strongly believe it affected the development of many players here such as Yakupov etc. Or even new comers from a different team via trades and free agency. When you have jerks that ostracize players for "trying too hard in practice", that's terrible for the players being called out and their comfort and confidence as well as for the team unity and culture in general.

Fast forward to the current Oilers... now i'm sure there are pretty decent guys in there but the culture still is a question for me. I really wonder how welcoming and accepting and nurturing the players or leaders on this team really are. It doesn't necessarily mean they're bad people but maybe there's not those several great caring, welcoming and nurturing leaders on this team the helps the team gel and helps EVERYONE, new or old feel comfortable and imporatant. People keep saying how important Hendricks was for that. I believe while the culture may not be bad... it also may not be good and tying the group closely together. The better teams more often than not have this.

I had been calling for obtaining guys like Justin Williams, who might have some of this leadership, for years.

As much as we need more talent i think the most important thing is to improve the culture in the room and the organization as a whole first. Then maybe those new draft picks and players from trades or free agency can come in and feel comfortable and welcomed and important.... having that better mindset WILL help their confidence grow and eventually give them a much greater chance of helping your team.

I think a lot of those guys like Gaudreau etc who blossom so quickly felt comfortable in some form or another and it allowed them to play with confidence and no fear of making mistakes. Confidence can grow exponentially or spiral down and our of control depending on what kind of teammates and coaches you have. I think it's likely the biggest key in development.

Click to read more...

 

[McKappa]

brb let me call the guys in the oilers locker room I'll let you know what the culture is like

 

[McDNicks17]

I think we've finally found a job for MacT.

He can be the Walmart Greeter for the Oilers locker room.

 

[McOilers97]

Oh look, it’s the “culture” guy again...

 

[North]

Gregor was speaking with Raffi Torres and jason Smith the other day. He spoke of how the Oil had great leadership and was very welcoming to new comers like Torres and Smith led the charge. Torres was shy and the Isles org did not have a good room and wasn't welcoming to newbies and that really hurt Torres' development. Torres said when he came here guys like Smith were so nice and welcoming to him it allowed him to blossom into an NHL player. He says he owes Smith etc everything.

Now this brings me to what kind of culture is and was here more recently? I strongly believe the culture as far as human dynamics, snobby cliques etc was really rotten and toxic in the Hall, Ebs, Whitney, Ference, Schultz etc days. You caNOT discount how much of a massive impact this can have when trying to bring in new players to fit in and have the team buy in and fight for each other. I strongly believe it affected the development of many players here such as Yakupov etc. Or even new comers from a different team via trades and free agency. When you have jerks that ostracize players for "trying too hard in practice", that's terrible for the players being called out and their comfort and confidence as well as for the team unity and culture in general.

Fast forward to the current Oilers... now i'm sure there are pretty decent guys in there but the culture still is a question for me. I really wonder how welcoming and accepting and nurturing the players or leaders on this team really are. It doesn't necessarily mean they're bad people but maybe there's not those several great caring, welcoming and nurturing leaders on this team the helps the team gel and helps EVERYONE, new or old feel comfortable and imporatant. People keep saying how important Hendricks was for that. I believe while the culture may not be bad... it also may not be good and tying the group closely together. The better teams more often than not have this.

I had been calling for obtaining guys like Justin Williams, who might have some of this leadership, for years.

As much as we need more talent i think the most important thing is to improve the culture in the room and the organization as a whole first. Then maybe those new draft picks and players from trades or free agency can come in and feel comfortable and welcomed and important.... having that better mindset WILL help their confidence grow and eventually give them a much greater chance of helping your team.

I think a lot of those guys like Gaudreau etc who blossom so quickly felt comfortable in some form or another and it allowed them to play with confidence and no fear of making mistakes. Confidence can grow exponentially or spiral down and our of control depending on what kind of teammates and coaches you have. I think it's likely the biggest key in development.

The thing is we've heard the guys get along with each other.

They seem like a tight knit group, it's just we don't have enough actual NHL players right now.

The last we heard of any friction was between Maroon and Lucic and unfortunately for us Lucic is untradeable so we basically let Maroon walk.

 

[T-Funk]

The thing is we've heard the guys get along with each other.

They seem like a tight knit group, it's just we don't have enough actual NHL players right now.

The last we heard of any friction was between Maroon and Lucic and unfortunately for us Lucic is untradeable so we basically let Maroon walk.

Or Maroon asked for too much money and also tipped his hand about wanting to return to St Louis badly.

 

[North]

Or Maroon asked for too much money and also tipped his hand about wanting to return to St Louis badly.

I think it's both. Lucic and Maroon didn't get along and Maroon wanted to be closer to his son.

From the things we were hearing, Maroon would have been making a lot more had he re-signed with Edmonton.

 

[MaxR11]

The thing is we've heard the guys get along with each other.

They seem like a tight knit group, it's just we don't have enough actual NHL players right now.

The last we heard of any friction was between Maroon and Lucic and unfortunately for us Lucic is untradeable so we basically let Maroon walk.

Now i didn't say it's a bad room now. And ya probably some guys really get along. And maybe there isn't any bad feelings going around. But do new comers and EVERYONE feel comfortable and fit in and are nurtured by teammates and coaches? I don't know. maybe maybe not.

I feel strong teams with strong leaders will engage and check in with everyone often and make them feel comfortable and confident. i think it's a VITAL part of the team room culture and team unity. We have young leaders that carry the load on the ice and i'm not certain the might have the time and leadership to do the things Jason Smith did for this team which is an intangible but extremely important to the team success.

I'm sure everyone can imagine being the new guy on the team and the tentativeness that comes with it. You don't know how your teammates will react to you and your play. you feel like walking on eggs shells on the ice and that every mistake is magnified. You might feel shy to be yourself on the ice and take risks. It hurts development if the player is not feeling comfortable. I'm not sure this team has those great nurturing leaders that can help new guys.

Obviously not all new players/rookies need this. some guys are so confident and have that outwardly swagger that it doesn't matter.... they bust down the door and do their own s***, successful or not. but i think there are a lot of guys who aren't that way.

 

[TB12]

McDavid f***ing welcomed that piece of shit Manning with open arms.

It’s not the culture it’s too much LOFT.

Lack
Of
Fu**ing
Talent

 

[MaxR11]

McDavid ****ing welcomed that piece of **** Manning with open arms.

It’s not the culture it’s too much LOFT.

Lack
Of
Fu**ing
Talent

come on, seriously. every team will "welcome a guy" to the team. there's more "depth" to what i'm tying to say. i'm talking about day to day.... everyday... nurturing the guy, making him feel comfortable on the team, talking to him about how he fits in and to be himself on the ice etc etc etc. it's not a simple "welcome to the team man" on the first day.

and no, i'm not saying that was what happened. for all we know they did try to nurture the confidence of manning, reider, pooly, etc etc. i'm just not so sure.... i still have a feeling, even though it's probably not a bad room, that it might still be a bit cliquey and not as tight a unit as they want people to think.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

This is all just a distraction from the water issue.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I think we've finally found a job for MacT.

He can be the Walmart Greeter for the Oilers locker room.

Photoshop potential?

 

[North]

Photoshop potential?

This should be the first post (with the new GMs face) for any player we trade for or draft.

 

[belair]

Photoshop potential?

That's a picture of an old man named Christy.

 

[T-Funk]

This should be the first post (with the new GMs face) for any player we trade for or draft.

PS the new GMs face from inside an outhouse hole kinda like IT in the sewer. Hey kid, we have culture down here.

 

[BlackDogg]

This is all just a distraction from the water issue.

H2"hellO" issue

 

[MikeGrier99]

It seems we've done a poor job making some european players feel welcome here. I'd like the Oilers to have some kind of language learning plan implemented if they draft kids that don't have a good grasp on english. The language barrier alone could've been the difference maker for guys like Yakupov or Puljujarvi. If they don't understand 50% of what they're told in their first few years, plus perhaps become socially isolated, it's a big problem. In the salary cap era teams need to get every advantage they can get, we should do whatever we can to make sure the group is cohesive and all the players have their needs met.

 

[The Batman]

I think we've finally found a job for MacT.

He can be the Walmart Greeter for the Oilers locker room.

 

[iCanada]

It'll be a fantastically welcoming room once we jettison Rieder.

 

[Mr Tadakichi]

Jesus, OP just latches onto one thing and never let's go.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

Now i didn't say it's a bad room now. And ya probably some guys really get along. And maybe there isn't any bad feelings going around. But do new comers and EVERYONE feel comfortable and fit in and are nurtured by teammates and coaches? I don't know. maybe maybe not.

I feel strong teams with strong leaders will engage and check in with everyone often and make them feel comfortable and confident. i think it's a VITAL part of the team room culture and team unity. We have young leaders that carry the load on the ice and i'm not certain the might have the time and leadership to do the things Jason Smith did for this team which is an intangible but extremely important to the team success.

I'm sure everyone can imagine being the new guy on the team and the tentativeness that comes with it. You don't know how your teammates will react to you and your play. you feel like walking on eggs shells on the ice and that every mistake is magnified. You might feel shy to be yourself on the ice and take risks. It hurts development if the player is not feeling comfortable. I'm not sure this team has those great nurturing leaders that can help new guys.

Obviously not all new players/rookies need this. some guys are so confident and have that outwardly swagger that it doesn't matter.... they bust down the door and do their own s***, successful or not. but i think there are a lot of guys who aren't that way.

It's true that this makes a difference. Poor culture affects any organization and feeling welcome on a new team is only going to help new players. If you have leaders who are just as happy for others' success as they are for personal success in creating a winning hockey team then it promotes growth and development. You've also got to have leaders who can lead on the ice and have a culture of accountability that starts with those leaders.

Of course it also helps to have a coach who is supportive and who will set his lineup in a way that balances both player development where veterans can be displaced and pushed down the lineup, and keeping some continuity in line combos so that players can develop chemistry. As much as having a good room is important for the players having a coach who players know will support and put them in positions to succeed and improve no matter what stage of their career they're at is also important. If you've got supportive leaders but have a coach whose methods don't take advantage of that supportive atmosphere it undermines the leadership in the room.

I think the Oilers lacked in both having accountable leadership who could hold the room (ie: Connor, Leon and RNH are all relatively young and introverted; Lucic can't lead on the ice anymore) and didn't have a coach who would help complement a supportive leadership structure. From the outside it seems like Connor as captain is supportive of his teammates but when the Oilers let go of Matt Hendricks the room took a hit because he was a guy who could bring the team together. It also seems like the Oilers are prone to getting too down on themselves. If the Oilers could find a supportive veteran "glue guy" who can lead on the ice but also help keep the mood of the team up, and get a supportive players coach who can coach an up-tempo system made for today's NHL that would be huge for this team.

 

[frag2]

Name tag should say CrapT for accuracy

 

[frag2]

It's true that this makes a difference. Poor culture affects any organization and feeling welcome on a new team is only going to help new players. If you have leaders who are just as happy for others' success as they are for personal success in creating a winning hockey team then it promotes growth and development. You've also got to have leaders who can lead on the ice and have a culture of accountability that starts with those leaders.

Of course it also helps to have a coach who is supportive and who will set his lineup in a way that balances both player development where veterans can be displaced and pushed down the lineup, and keeping some continuity in line combos so that players can develop chemistry. As much as having a good room is important for the players having a coach who players know will support and put them in positions to succeed and improve no matter what stage of their career they're at is also important. If you've got supportive leaders but have a coach whose methods don't take advantage of that supportive atmosphere it undermines the leadership in the room.

I think the Oilers lacked in both having accountable leadership who could hold the room (ie: Connor, Leon and RNH are all relatively young and introverted; Lucic can't lead on the ice anymore) and didn't have a coach who would help complement a supportive leadership structure. From the outside it seems like Connor as captain is supportive of his teammates but when the Oilers let go of Matt Hendricks the room took a hit because he was a guy who could bring the team together. It also seems like the Oilers are prone to getting too down on themselves. If the Oilers could find a supportive veteran "glue guy" who can lead on the ice but also help keep the mood of the team up, and get a supportive players coach who can coach an up-tempo system made for today's NHL that would be huge for this team.

I think it's moreso the losing just fostered negative thoughts. And then team got too deep in that hole and its just that. They have difficulty getting out of that hole. Get some talent, win some games and you wouldn't have this 'attitude'.

Tortorella is pretty much what OP is describing [spinning?]-a negative SOB who won't think twice throwing at expletives at everyone/thing- and you don't hear any of that crap that surrounds the Oilers. Hell, he ripped his star goalie all season and they are in round 2 of the playoffs.

OP is just stuck on blaming certain players as root of all problems; at least he's consistent with that.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Something Hall, cough, Eberle. cough, don't share your water bottles and mouthguards kids. Bacterial culture going on there..

The season can't end fast enough, oh wait..

 

[Stud Muffin]

What was that Kassian/Maroon fight about a couple months ago? Weren’t they best friends when they were here?