Welcoming culture?

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

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

They still are, went for dinner the night before the game. On the ice there are no friends.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

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.

I get what your saying but you can't import leadership. It has to grow from within. The "older vet" leadership doesn't work when the leaders aren't producing, hence Brodziak, and even Lucic. Williams is a Hurricane at heart, and he also produces at a high level still.

I think you watch McDavid this coming year, you will see him grow as a leader, same with Draisatl.

 

[voxel]

Wasn’t Hendricks and Testube vocal and friendly when on the team? Can’t believe Chia torpedoed that playoff team into this mess.

 

[MaxR11]

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.

nice post! i highly agree that we potentially have issues with leadership and having that strong culture (not to be confused with a bad culture because i'm not so sure it's a bad culture... just not a strong "experienced" culture).

there's a huge difference in having a bunch of decent guys in the room and having a bunch of decent guys mixed in with a few strong leaders/voices/father figure that's respected in the room. i've seen it, at obviously not the highest level, and there's a distinct difference in the feel of the room when there's not that strong leadership (even if the room is full of decent guys). you feel a bit more disconnected and aimless. it's not as tight and focused on some details and important aspects. you just don't feel the team can overcome struggles as easily. there's certainly a different feel and air of confidence that comes with a strong culture and leadership in the room. no question.

 

[MaxR11]

I get what your saying but you can't import leadership. It has to grow from within. The "older vet" leadership doesn't work when the leaders aren't producing, hence Brodziak, and even Lucic. Williams is a Hurricane at heart, and he also produces at a high level still.

I think you watch McDavid this coming year, you will see him grow as a leader, same with Draisatl.

i think you can import vet leadership... but i guess you need a smarter gm and scouting staff to do so.

people always point to the failures of looch. ya it has been a bust, but it doesn't mean the intention was wrong.... just the execution was bad. wrong man for the job... wrong man for this group maybe.

i think you need vet help to help drai and connor grow as leaders. it's tough trying to figure it out yourself and pop in 100 pts/season. it's the matter of finding a smart GM with good scouting to hopefully obtain a good vet or 2 or 3.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

i think you can import vet leadership... but i guess you need a smarter gm and scouting staff to do so.

people always point to the failures of looch. ya it has been a bust, but it doesn't mean the intention was wrong.... just the execution was bad. wrong man for the job... wrong man for this group maybe.

i think you need vet help to help drai and connor grow as leaders. it's tough trying to figure it out yourself and pop in 100 pts/season. it's the matter of finding a smart GM with good scouting to hopefully obtain a good vet or 2 or 3.

The problem is the vet has to integrate like any player and it’s nearly impossible to change dressing room culture with 1 person on a 23 person roster. The right vet can augment the leadership group but it’s nearly impossible to change it.

Change has to happen organically from within. Management has to recognize who your leaders are, that they are regular contributors, and surround them with the right talent.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

Hahaha that’s classic. Well done.

 

[frag2]

i think you can import vet leadership... but i guess you need a smarter gm and scouting staff to do so.

people always point to the failures of looch. ya it has been a bust, but it doesn't mean the intention was wrong.... just the execution was bad. wrong man for the job... wrong man for this group maybe.

i think you need vet help to help drai and connor grow as leaders. it's tough trying to figure it out yourself and pop in 100 pts/season. it's the matter of finding a smart GM with good scouting to hopefully obtain a good vet or 2 or 3.

Lucic was a bad idea right from the get go. What do you mean intention wasn't wrong?
Chia was just f***ing obsessed with his boy and tried to recreate the 2011 Bruins...which is a mistake no matter how you look at it given the direction of the league.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

The oilers had a culture problem, maybe it isn’t great right now but it’s developing. It starts with your leaders and I’m completely confident in Connor and Leon. Hopefully other core guys like Nuge, Nurse, Klef all get along too.

The Condors seem to have an excellent room, really right and supportive. That’ll bubble up as those guys graduate to the NHL. And of course it couldn’t hurt to bring in vets who have good attitudes and can also play, because if they’re anchors there will probably be some resentment.

If there’s friction right now it’s probably due to 80% of the team not pulling their weight at all, nobody wants to completely carry the workload at work, you want to be able to trust and lean on your team sometimes and I doubt our core guys feel that. If they can start putting wins together it’ll come, everyone feels better when they’re succeeding.

 

[MaxR11]

The problem is the vet has to integrate like any player and it’s nearly impossible to change dressing room culture with 1 person on a 23 person roster. The right vet can augment the leadership group but it’s nearly impossible to change it.

Change has to happen organically from within. Management has to recognize who your leaders are, that they are regular contributors, and surround them with the right talent.

yup, i would like to see more than just one person/vet but i think the right guy(s) could integrate. i'm just wary of seeing the same thing over and over... the organization banking on the young guns to develop into the right leaders. now obviously connor and drai are likely far different and much more mature cats than guys like hall but still.... i'd like to see veteran guidance for connor. i think it can make a substantial difference.

 

[MaxR11]

Lucic was a bad idea right from the get go. What do you mean intention wasn't wrong?
Chia was just ****ing obsessed with his boy and tried to recreate the 2011 Bruins...which is a mistake no matter how you look at it given the direction of the league.

the intention to bring in good veteran player(s) with some game and leadership abilities to help the culture was right.... the execution (choosing looch to be that vet) was likely wrong.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

yup, i would like to see more than just one person/vet but i think the right guy(s) could integrate. i'm just wary of seeing the same thing over and over... the organization banking on the young guns to develop into the right leaders. now obviously connor and drai are likely far different and much more mature cats than guys like hall but still.... i'd like to see veteran guidance for connor. i think it can make a substantial difference.

If it’s a “bad room” 1 or 2 guys aren’t changing it. It also takes time to integrate players even in a good room.

That all said I don’t think we have a “bad room”. I think our leadership is growing organically and success breeds confidence in young leaders.

Get McDavid & Co some talent to play with and I think you see leadership in spades.

 

[MaxR11]

If it’s a “bad room” 1 or 2 guys aren’t changing it. It also takes time to integrate players even in a good room.

That all said I don’t think we have a “bad room”. I think our leadership is growing organically and success breeds confidence in young leaders.

Get McDavid & Co some talent to play with and I think you see leadership in spades.

well i've said numerous times now, i don't necessarily think it's a "bad" room... just maybe not a strong room as far as tight strong culture and leadership.

i think i've said in post #29 in reply to delicious pancakes what i mean.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

well i've said numerous times now, i don't necessarily think it's a "bad" room... just maybe not a strong room as far as tight strong culture and leadership.

i think i've said in post #29 in reply to delicious pancakes what i mean.

Yeah for sure. Winning breeds confidence. Confidence breeds leadership. Give 97 players and watch this thing go.

I think where we have a massive leadership void is our front office.