Kings game, Belfour and hotels
There's not much to say about last night's game. The Stars were lackluster for the first half of the game, Mike Smith kept them in the game and in the end they found a way to win.
Dave Tippett is going to give them a much deserved two days off. They have looked low in the energy department over the last three games. We'll see how they look against the Blues. After that it's on to Western Canada for what should be a tough road trip.
Of course, the important thing is that during this little lull is that they got four out of six points. That's helped them keep pace in the division.
It seems a little early to be thinking about that, but the way the Ducks are playing right now the Stars need to keep picking up points. Anaheim still hasn't lost in regulation.
I have to admit after the Steve Ott fight I didn't even think he had injured his ankle. I thought he was dazed and confused from the blow to the head. When I heard ankle injury I went back to look at the replay and it was "ouch." Surgery on Monday. Out for eight weeks. No plans to call anyone up right now.
Niko Kapanen got his first point of the season last night for a Atlanta. It was a regulation goal in the Thrashers shootout win over Buffalo.
Another incident involving Ed Belfour and a hotel. Read about it here.
29 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Detroit game
Stars coach Dave Tippett said it his team got schooled last night and he was right. The Red Wings held a clinic on puck possession at the AAC. Take away the three Dallas PP goals and this was all Red Wings. Tippett said the Wings were better than their record coming into the game and Detroit proved him right. The Stars were chasing the game all night.
Mike Modano was great. Easily the Stars best player and probably the best player on the ice. Nicklas Lidstrom was pretty good too.
On the Marty Turco stick throwing call. I thought it was a penalty when it first happened. Still do. Turco said the stick slipped out his hand and maybe it did, but it sure looked like he threw it. Under Rule 88 that is a penalty. Under one part of the rule there is a penalty shot awarded if a player is denied a shot or scoring chance. Another part calls for a minor if you throw the stick in the direction of the puck. It's a rare call, but it is in the rule book.
The rule doesn't call for the ref to ponder motivation. In other words, the ref doesn't say to hiimself, "Why did he do that? He gains no advantage. He gives up his stick during a power play with the other team buzzing around his net. Doesn't make sense, so I'll just blow off the rule in this case." If the ref thinks he threw the stick and the stick went in the direction of the puck, then it is a penalty.
Kings are in town tonight. They lost 2-0 in Columbus last night despite outshooting the Blue Jackets 38-14. Kings are now averaging a league-low 1.92 goals per game.
28 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
I am looking forward to tonight's game. It should be the same high leve of intensity of recent Stars-Red Wings games. The Stars are on a roll and the Red Wings are feeling good about themselves after the win over San Jose. The Wings are also waiting for a few breaks to fall their way around the net. It should be fun. Dominik Hasek is supposed to get the start tonight. Speaking of the Sharks, they lost last night in Nashville. They've dropped three of four. Coach Ron Wilson said the team has become complacent so some of the guys who have been scratches will be coming in the lineup.
Now that Bill Guerin is gone, our friends over at The Ticket's Bad Radio haven't found a Dallas Star player to have on for a weekly radio show. Maybe it has something to do with a lack of time due to The Ticket being The Official Radio Station of the Dallas Cowboys and all.
Anyway, not having a Stars player on may be a good thing, especially for that player. That's because of the so-called "Bad Radio Curse."
Richie Witt, writes about it at Unfair Park, the Dallas Observer Blog:
The toxic coagulation of Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell has already claimed as victims Brad Wilkerson (new Rangers acquisition had 116 strikeouts and only 71 hits this season), Bill Guerin (Stars forward hampered by debilitating bloody thigh, released last summer), Gabe Kapler (Rangers brawny slugger sucked, finally traded to Rockies), Dan Campbell (released by Cowboys), Nick Van Exel (traded by Mavs to Golden State in a package that included Antoine Rigadeau) and Bobby Knight (food fight with Tech’s chancellor ring a bell?), who each mysteriously fell on extremely hard times in conjunction with their weekly Ticket show. The latest casualty? You guessed it: Drew Bledsoe.
In their defense, Bob and Dan do have a good track record when going on Dallas Stars road trips. The team wins, so there is no curse there.
27 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Practice update
Jeff Halpern didn't practice today. Tippett said Halpern had a back issue and he got some treatment for hit. Tippett said Halpern would play Friday.
Tippett also isn't reading much into Detroit's 4-4-1 record so far this season. He was impressed with the Red Wings play in last night's 2-1 win over San Jose and thinks they are still a very dangerous team.
For what it's worth, I thought Detroit looked good last night too.
So did Anaheim in knocking Edmonton around in a 6-2 win. Ducks still haven't lost in regulation this season (7-0-2). The Ducks have played a lot of home games so far this seaosn, but they open a three-game road trip with a stop in Minnesota on Friday. That should be a good game.
26 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Canucks Game
That wasn't exactly the prettiest game ever, but I still found it kind of entertaining. There were times I even chuckled, epecially when Marty Turco and his teammates were scrambling around the Dallas net in the second period.
But the bottom line is was it another two points. An ugly two points, but two points nonetheless.
That play at the goal line by Sergei Zubov with 30 seconds to go was spectacular. It was the play of the night. It kind of summed up the Stars through the first nine games. They just keep doing things to win.
Marty Turco was great. Again.
The Stars get a day off today. They deserve it.
Not much of a crowd, which was understandable with the Cowboys game being played at the same time. That's just reality. The Stars are going to come up on the short end in a head-to-head matchup with the Cowboys. You'd think the league might have caught that one when the schedule was being made.
24 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Canucks-Stars update
Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell is doubtful for tonight's game because he's been having headaches after getting being slammed into the boards during the Canucks' 4-3 overtime win in Nashville Saturday. Who hit him? Jason Arnott. One of the Vancouver papers called it a borderline hit. I didn't see it, so I don't know.
23 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Coyotes Game
Just a few thoughts.
Nice game by Mike Smith. His adventures behind the net kept things interesting at times, but I thought he played a solid game.
Good overall game for the Stars. Good, solid effort. Nice road effort and win.
Power play still makes me cringe at times, but it scored once and basically scored another time.
Phoenix looks bad. Now I know why they got beat 4-0 by the Kings.
The quad-split on the power plays during the broadcasts was simply awful. I could not see any benefit to it. None. I know the league is trying to make the broadcasts better, but that ain't the way to do it. After the isolation camera on the goalie in one game and the quad-splt in another, I am starting to fear what might be next.
22 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Blackhawks Game
Well, wasn't that a wild game last night. It was quite a rollercoaster ride of emotions in the last six minutes. Think of everything that happened. Two quick goals by the Stars to tie, Martin Havlat gets hurt, Martin Lapointe scores to put Chicago back on top and the Stars score twice in the final 1:14 or so to win it. That's good stuff.
And it's a good two points for the Stars. That's because the Sharks and Ducks keep winning too. San Jose is 6-1-0 and the Ducks are 5-0-2.
The power play came close to costing the Stars two points, but it scored late and helped turn things around.
It's on to Phoenix tonight to take on the struggling Coyotes. We should see Mike Smith in goal tonight. It will be a big night for him.
Great game for Niklas Hagman again last night. He's been great so far this year. He had the big assist on Mike Ribeiro's goal to tie the game at 4-4. He just missed on the penalty shot. He almost scored another goal, but it was ruled the play was dead.
Speaking of that disallowed goal, like it or not the rules say the play is dead when the referee believes it is dead and not when he blows the whistle. I don't have a problem with that. I don't have a problem with the logic in it either. The guy is not going to be able to blow the whistle the instant he believes the play is dead. That's impossible. There's always going to be a gap in time from the moment you realize you need to do something and being able to physically do it.
The league has removed the physical aspect of calling the play dead and said it's dead when the ref has decided it is dead. Plays are dead when they are dead. When the whistle blows has nothing to do with it. The whistle is just the decision maker's tool to let everyone know that a decision has been made. The decision is key. Blowing the whistle is secondary.
This is outlined in the Rule book as well as the Officiating Casebook, which is distributed to all the teams. It's a more detailed explanation of the rules. In fact, the whistle explanation is the first note listed in the section on referees.
Here is the quote from the 2006-07 rule book, which has been expanded this season and offers a lot more detail:
As there is a human factor involved in blowing the whistle to stop play, the Referee may deem the play to be stopped slightly prior to the whistle actually being blown. The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the Referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening.
21 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
I got an e-mail yesterday from a guy about his new hockey site. I usually roll my eyes, but still check them out. This one was pretty impressive because it is unique. It gives you a statistical recap of the previous night's action on one page and a whole bunch of other material. You can get the stuff e-mailed to you if you prefer. It's called the hockey recap. It's worth a look.
Look at the top points guys list from last night from the hockey recap and you see San Jose's Milan Michalek among the leaders with three points. All of them on the power play as the Sharks dismantled the Red Wings 5-1. All five Sharks goals came on the PP. They had 16 PP chances in all.
Detroit gave up three power play goals the night before in a 4-1 loss in Anaheim. Not a pretty trip to California for the Red Wings. They did beat LA 3-1.
Should be a good one tonight at the AAC. Chicago's a much improved team. It's more than just Martin Havlat. I am expecting a little more of a competitive game than some of those blowouts we saw against the Blackhawks last season. Brian Boucher might get the start in goal for Chicago tonight.
20 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
The great run to start the season had to end the season at some point. The Stars had some strong moments last night, but Evgeni Nabokov was brilliant. His stop on Jeff Halpern in the third period was one of the best I've seen this season. As was the case last season, the Stars and Sharks are pretty evenly matched and that should make for some good games this season.
This was a good trip. Six out of eight points. I don't think the Stars played a bad game on the trip. They may have been low on fuel at points, but that is understandable. Still, they played well. It's early, but 10 of 12 points is impressive.
I think the Chicago game will be interesting. The Blackhawks can be a dangerous team and the Stars are coming off a road trip. That could be a recipe for a tough night. If Mike Smith gets the start in goal, that could add to the intrigue.
The Marty Turco "Game On" ad has been released. There's a brief article and a link to the ad along with the new Sidney Crosby ad and the Peter Forsberg Jonathan Cheechoo ones here. Make sure you watch them past the highlights part. Crosby has some fun and Turco makes his music choice known with his stick.
Here's a Windows Media link for the Turco ad.
Some interesting stuff around the league last night. Rough times for Hitch and the Flyers. They got spanked by the Sabres 9-1 in Buffalo last night. It was brutal.
Former Star Aaron Downey, now playing for Montreal, got nailed along the boards by Calgary's Robyn Regehr last night. Downey ended up in the hospital. It's in TSN's highlights of the game.
18 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Turco honored
Instead of the Players of the Week, the NHL will hand out Three Stars of the Week this season. The First Star for the first week is Stars goalie Marty Turco, who is honored for his 5-0-0 record, 1.56 goals against average and .948 save percentage to start the season. Chicago's Martin Havlat was the Second Star and Mats Sundin got the Third Star from the league.
16 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Ducks game
I'd put down last night's win as a good character win. The Stars were low on fuel in the third period, lost a two-goal lead and still found a way to win thanks to that shootout.
The shootout looked a lot like last season. In fact, it looked exactly like last season with the Sergei Zubov and Jussi Jokinen goals. I would have said it was boring, but Ducks rookie Ryan Shannon's slick spin move and Marty Turco's brilliant answer added a new twist.
Good game for Antti Miettinen last night. It was nice to see Sergei Zubov get on the scoresheet. Another big goal for Niklas Hagman, who played another solid game.
One of the things I like about the Stars right now is that it seems somebody different is stepping up each night and coming up with big plays or key performances. Of course, Turco has been big every game.
This team looks very good right now. It's early, but ten of a possible ten points is always a good thing.
What was up with the camera coverage on the Ducks five-on-three power play? The isolation camera on Turco was simply a bad call by whoever was directing the broadcast. You had no idea what was going on with the power play. You lost track of what was happening in the game, which is what the TV broadcast is supposed to help you follow. That was bad TV. Bad TV. I say that not only as a viewer but as someone who worked in TV for many years.
16 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Ducks game
I'd put down last night's win as a good character win. The Stars were low on fuel in the third period, lost a two-goal lead and still found a way to win thanks to that shootout.
The shootout looked a lot like last season. In fact, it looked exactly like last season with the Sergei Zubov and Jussi Jokinen goals. I would have said it was boring, but Ducks rookie Ryan Shannon's slick spin move and Marty Turco's brilliant answer added a new twist.
Good game for Antti Miettinen last night. It was nice to see Sergei Zubov get on the scoresheet. Another big goal for Niklas Hagman, who played another solid game.
One of the things I like about the Stars right now is that it seems somebody different is stepping up each night and coming up with big plays or key performances. Of course, Turco has been big every game.
This team looks very good right now. It's early, but ten of a possible ten points is always a good thing.
What was up with the camera coverage on the Ducks five-on-three power play? The isolation camera on Turco was simply a bad call by whoever was directing the broadcast. You had no idea what was going on with the power play. You lost track of what was happening in the game, which is what the TV broadcast is supposed to help you follow. That was bad TV. Bad TV. I say that not only as a viewer but as someone who worked in TV for many years.
16 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Kings game
Another impressive win over the Kings. Great games for Stephane Robidas and Mike Ribeiro last night to name just a couple of guys. Morrow was Morrow. And Turco continues to play extremely well.
The Kings? They just looked out of sync. They've got some good players, but their team game is nowhere to be found right now. They were not a very good hockey team the last two games and the Stars' high level of play made them look that much worse.
It's hard to find fault with much in the Stars' game right now. Goaltending is superb. Special teams are great. The team defense is outstanding. They are getting solid play from all four lines and the scoring depth is there.
I am looking forward to the next two games. As I mentioned earlier, nothing will be settled but these are still measuring stick games against the Stars' top two competitors in the Pacific Division.
There are some other teams playing extremely well right now. Minnesota looks very good. Buffalo too. Atlanta has started strong too. Speaking of the Thrashers (and this was mentioned on the message board) e
tar (and fan whipping boy) Jon Sim is off to a flying start. He has five goals in six games. In case you didn't notice, Sim tallied 17 goals in 72 games with the Flyers and Thrashers last season.
15 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
An impressive win
I guess Kings coach Marc Crawford put it best.
"We got sand kicked in our face." he said after the game.
That's what it looked like. That was an impressive performance by the Stars. Not much to complain about. It's still early and there is a long way to go, but this team is looking very good right now.
The top line was great last night. It's nice to see Eric Lindros having fun and enjoying himself.
Just watching him at practice and the times that I have seen him around after practice, there is a noticable change in his whole demeanor from the the start of training camp. He is a lot more relaxed. A lot more comfortable. He seems like a guy who is enjoying himself.
If you saw the post-game interview with Ralph and Razor early this morning, you could see it there as well.
13 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Confession
I have to confess: I've been watching Dancing with the Stars with my wife the past few weeks.
With apologies to Mike Modano, I am pulling for Emmitt. Sorry that Willa got knocked out last night.
After that was over, I watched the Ducks. They fared as well as Willa. Lost to the Isles in a shootout. So much for the 4-0-0 start. A second period meltdown where the Islander scored three quick goals in the second period really hurt Anaheim. Mike Dunham, who was born in Johnson City, NY (where I grew up) made 46 saves for the Isles.
There are some late nights looming. Three of the Stars next four games are 9:30 PM starts. As always, I enjoy the late starts. Makes me terribly productive the following morning.
12 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Road Trip
The Stars first road trip of the season is just about upon us. Four games againsnt Pacific Division foes. It should be interesting to see how they fare. No doubt the Stars would like to get eight of eight points. I think five or more would be a good trip. I am more interested to see how they stack up against these teams, especially the Ducks and Sharks.
I am not going to read too much into one game against San Jose or Anaheim. Not much is going to be settled in the middle of October. The Stars, Ducks and Sharks are all good teams. One game isn't going to prove much, but it will show how match up early in the season.
Of course, the first two games of the trip come against the Kings. I watched them last night against the Islanders. LA was so-so, especially early. Dan Cloutier let in a couple of questionable goals in the first period, but the Kings overcame them and won 4-2.
You look at the players Marc Crawford throws out on the ice and it's not a bad group. Their top four on the blue line -- Rob Blake, Mattias Norstrom, Lubomir Visnovsky and Aaron Miller -- are solid. Blake, Norstrom and Miller are up there in age, but they are no older as a group than Zubov, Modry, Sydor and Klemm.
They have plenty of servicable forwards and some good young players in Anze Kopitar, Patrik O'Sullivan and Mike Cammalleri, who scored 26 goals last year. But the Kings are short on proven goal scorers.
The goaltending with Cloutier and Mathieu Garon is suspect. Cloutier has struggled a bit early. Maybe it is rust from missing so much of last season with a knee injury.
As expected, Patrik Stefan got activated today. Still not sure where he fits. He and Mathias Tjarnqvist practiced as the 13th and 14th guys today.
11 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Sharks/Ducks
I took in both the San Jose and Anaheim games last night. Both teams are off to 3-0-0 starts. Both teams are alternating their goalies so far early in the season. No clear No. 1 in either case. During the Sportsnet broadcast of the Sharks-Flames game it was mentioned that San Jose may just keep alternating Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov right through the season and have both getting plenty of playing time heading into the playoffs. The Ducks haven't established a clear No. 1 between J-S Giguere and Ilya Bryzgalov.
I think this is the second time I have seen the Sharks and I am impressed. They were without Mark Bell, who isn't on the current road trip because of a groin injury. Last night they were clearly the better team against Calgary. Solid game in net from Toskala. Their defenese, which was shaky in the opener, was much better
One guy whose play I have really noticed is Milan Michalek, who is one of San Jose's young forwards. Michalek, 22, scored last night and has three goals in three games. He scored seven in five pre-season games. He has really elevated his game, at least early this season. He's got size, speed and skill. Fun player to watch.
Caught most of the Anaheim game last night. They won 2-0. Giguere was very good in goal and Chris Kunitz scored both goals and now has three this season. This is the first time I've seen the Ducks this season and I thought they were OK. They were dominant early and then on their heels later in the game. Their power play looks good, especially with Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger on the points.
During five-on-five play Niedermayer is paired with Francois Beauchemin while Pronger plays with Sean O'Donnell. That's the big four on defense. Joe DiPenta and Shane O, Brien are the fifth and sixth guys. Those two saw about ten minutes each last night and most of it was at even strength.
I think the Ducks' feeling is their play has been spotty in the first three games, but they are 3-0-0. They host the Islanders Wednesday, which means they could be 4-0-0 when they play the Stars this weekend.
10 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
New Jersey game
Good win for the Stars last night. It wasn't pretty but they did a nice job of bottling up the Devils, who looked a little sluggish and a step slow after playing the night before in North Carolina.
The penalty kill was excellent. Marty Turco was superb again. Niklas Hagman had a great game. Brenden Morrow was Brenden Morrow. Mike Ribeiro, who saw limited ice time, had a nice assist on Morrow's goal. Eric Lindros had a goal. The power play is still struggling, but it is only two games.
I thought the Erik Rasmussen hit on Sergei Zubov wasn't much of a hit. The end result was bad with Zubov slamming into the boards. You have to give Trevor Daley credit for sticking up for his defensive partner by going after Rasmussen. It could have been costly because it did give Jersey some short term momentum when they scored on the PP, but it didnt hurt in the long term.
Rasmussen's take on the hit: "I don't even think I touched him. He was going down and I went over the top of him. I'd like to take credit."
We are going to hit a little early season lull here. No game until Thursday when they kick off the West Coast road trip against the Kings, Sharks and Ducks. That will be a good test. I caught a little bit of the Kings-Blues game last night. Anze Kopitar, the Kings' hot shot rookie, is worth watching. He has two goals and three assits in the first two games. I've watched the Sharks some too. I still haven't seen the Ducks, but I hope to watch them tomorrow night against St. Louis.
08 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Devils come to town
I watched the Devils play the Hurricanes last night. Jersey won 4-0 and they looked very good in the process. The Zach Parise-Scott Gomez-Brian Gionta trio was very effective. Parise had two goals, Gionta had three assists and Gomez had two assists. Gionta was very impressive for not having played a pre-season game.
Another line was Patrik Elias-Travis Zajac-Jamie Langenbrunner. They've got a solid checking line in Sergei Brylin, John Madden and Jay Pandolfo.
The defense isn't what it used to be. Brian Rafalski, Paul Martin, Colin White and Brad Lukowich are the top four on defense. David Hale, who should be a regular, is out because he got hit in the eye with the puck and has been experiencing some blurry vision. He's been replaced by Jim Fahey, who was acquired from San Jose in the Vladimir Malakhov salary dump move. But the Devils still play good team defense and the forwards play a big role in that.
And Marty Brodeur, who had the shutout last night, is still in goal.
Zajac, who played college hockey at North Dakota last season, is kind of a surprise as a second line center. He's a first round pick (20th overall) from 2004 and had a strong showing in camp and the pre-season.
07 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Practice update
Mike Modano practiced today. Marty Turco did not. The Stars said he was "getting a day of rest."
Patrik Stefan practiced today for the first time in a while. He really didn't practice on a line, but he was put in on various drills.
I have no idea where Stefan fits once he gets healthy. He's depth along with Mathias Tjarnqvist. It will be interesing to see what comes of him.
06 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Practice update
Just got back from practice. No Modano today. He was a late scratch because of his back. He went for treatment. Ribeiro took his spot between Lehtinen and Jokinen during practice. Eriksson was not dressed for practice. I saw him walking around, so I am guessing he will be heading down to Iowa. (Edit: The Stars sent out the official word he was sent down along with Votech Polak).
05 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Game 1
I said I wouldn't read too much into the first game and I still don't. It's two points and and points are important. It's a good way to start the season. There's a long way to go so it's a bit early to start dissecting every element of their game. I am sure the coaching staff will find a lot of stuff to be addressed moving forward. I'd put the PP up there.
Marty Turco was great. He got them two points. Despite all the talk about his playoff woes you still have to get to the playoffs and you need points in the regular season. He delivered on that front Wednesday night.
It was nice to see Loui Eriksson pop a goal in his first NHL game. That will be a great memory. I'm not sure if he is going to stick with Mike Ribeiro joining the team today. That's a tough call, but Loui will be back. He looked sharp in his limited ice time Wednesday.
I thought Razor did a real nice job on the Versus, previously known as OLN. Versus' broadcasts look a lot better than they did last year. That's no surprise. They at least had some time to put things together, unlike last season when they had to scramble to get the broadcasts on the air in a short amount of time. I sort of like their logo too.
05 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Odds & Ends
It's opening night, which is always exciting. It's always great to see teams in their real game of the season. I don't get too concerned with the result of the game. It is just one of 82. If they win, it's a great way to start the season. If they lose, there are 81 more to go. You might be able to see a few areas that need to be addressed. I'll probably just focus on some players tonight rather than the team as a whole. Eric Lindros is the one guy I'll probably watch more closely than others.
TSN's Bob McKenzie as an excellent analysis of New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello's shrewd moves to get his team under the cap and get some key players, including Brian Gionta, signed before the season opened.
The moves undoubtedly ticked off a lot of people, including some of his fellow general managers. He traded one guy (Vladimir Malakov) who isn't even playing and he found a loophole in the CBA that keeps his from taking the cap hit on another player (Alexander Mogilny). Dumping those two cap hits freed up $7.1 million in space.
Honestly, I don't have problem with it. That's life. Laws/rules are written and people find loopholes or ways around them. The league left open the possibility of putting a guy like Mogilny on long-term injury because it didn't specifically prohibit it. Some people might have assumed you couldn't based on the wording of the CBA, but Lou didn't make the simple assumption. Nothing wrong with that.
Lamoriello had a job to do, which was to try to find a way to get his team under the cap and still put a competitive team on the ice. He'd be a lousy GM if he just rolled over and ate the $7.1 million. He found a way to shed it within the rules laid down in the CBA.
Does it open the door for future abuse? Yeah. But how far that door opens will be up to the league. Does it smell? Yeah, but how it smells will depend on your perception. If you are a New Jersey fan it is probably the sweet smell of genius on Lou's part. Some others may find it foul. But if the circumstances were different and that was your team, the moves might not smell so bad.
04 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
Turco's confidence
Interesting tidbit from David Sessions' article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning.
Turco believes a more strenuous off-season training regimen will help him worry less about the physical aspects of the game and allow him to focus more on the mental aspects. He added a few pounds of muscle, and he began skating with the team a couple of weeks earlier than usual.
Still, Turco's preseason play in four games was inconsistent. He was 2-2 with a 3.96 goals-against average and an .865 save percentage.
Turco says his confidence hasn't suffered, but his coaches hope he can get some swagger back with an extended, solid run early in the season.
"Honestly, I don't think [Turco's confidence] is what it has been in the past," goalie coach Andy Moog said. "The last thing we want is a humble goalie."
I've wondered about his confidence. The guy has taken a beating from the media and fans. Probably himself too.
I'm not sure about focusing on "mental aspects." I think he needs to learn to relax and just play, especially in the playoffs. Sure, you want to be focused and prepared. You don't, however, want to be so wound up that one little slip causes you to unravel quickly.
Just my two cents.
03 October '06 - - default| - § ¶
