ANAHEIM The L.A. Kings had the eighth-most points in the Western Conference when they captured the Cup in 2012. They had the sixth-most points in the West when they snatched it again two years later. Daniel Winnik played exclusively out West until this season. He thinks the reason for that playoff emergence is simple. Its their style, he says. L.A., they just dont change, he said almost enviously. They play playoff hockey 82 games of the year. Its like the old poker saying, All you need is a chip and a chair and thats pretty much L.A. come April time. The Maple Leafs are trying to break bad habits and flip their style under interim head coach Peter Horachek. Theyre trying to embody something more sustainable, something that wont require a heros performance in goal and a barrage of goals from one of the leagues top offensive attacks. Theyre trying to play more like the Kings for that matter. I think weve come to the realization that we can score goals, but you cant rely on scoring four goals a game to win, Winnik said. You cant go into a game going, Hey were going to score three, hopefully they dont score three. Horachek has managed to make a dent in that regard in his first week on the job, altering both the manner in which the club is run and the manner in which that product is sold. The Leafs have looked like a different team under his brief leadership. Theyve limited shots, embraced structure, improved possession and removed a great deal of pressure from Jonathan Bernier, whos faced a Kings-like 21 shots per game in the week since Randy Carlyle was fired. The Leafs, simply put, have played how Carlyle often hoped they would. It was stressed before, Winnik said of those defensive elements, but I think now its just really hammered home. Horachek is admittedly trying to break bad habits, trying to break the mold of a style that forged itself under Carlyles leadership, despite urgent and ongoing protestations from the since-dismissed head coach. Its not easy, its hard, he said of playing that sound all-around game. And theyre working hard at it and they want to get better. And thats a big part of getting better sooner than later is they want to get better and they want to play a certain way that is successful. Horachek has changed quite a bit in less a week on the job, from instituting weekly leadership meetings to altering the manner in which the team breaks out of the defensive zone. But maybe the most evident shift is how hes been able to sell his product in very short order. Without explicitly pointing the finger at Carlyle, James van Riemsdyk gushed about the way in which that message was being relayed. Hes great about teaching and showing guys the right way to do things, van Riemsdyk said of Horachek before hitting at the real issue, and when we make mistakes, showing it in a way that is constructive and I think guys are responding well to that. Theres an evident teaching feel to practice in the past week. Winnik says theres been more discussion during video sessions, even a back-and-forth at times between coach and players. The toughest sell for Carlyle in nearly three seasons on the job may have been the more skilled likes of van Riemsdyk, Phil Kessel, and Tyler Bozak. Torontos top offensive players proved either unwilling or incapable of playing to the brand Carlyle was pushing. Horachek broke that trio up immediately upon taking charge resisting the urge to reunite them with the game on the line Monday night prodding the group as a whole to cheat less for offence and do whats necessary for the sustainability of team success. That line specifically was the embodiment of those troubles; guilty of cheating for offence while yielding more goals and shots than they could ever manage to produce at even-strength. Sometimes when youre cheating and getting on the offensive side, you get more opportunities, but youre giving up more, Horachek said. I think that were going to be learning to play the game the right way and learning to do things the right way. Amongst the weaker Leafs in terms of possession in the first half, van Riemsdyk, Kessel and Bozak have all shown considerable improvement in the three games since Horachek took charge. His message is predictably easier to sell with the buy-in of the teams top talent. That was a barrier Carlyle never could quite cross. Its what coaching is basically, Horachek said of the buy-in factor. Youre always encouraging your players to play a certain way, whether its your offensive players or your defensive players, everyone has to be accountable to it. As to the habits hes trying to break, Horachek spoke to taking better care of the puck, holding better position and being a little more harder in certain areas. Those pleas sound familiar to those Carlyle made often during a 188-game tenure. Beyond just that message being received differently are the changes Horachek has made, both structurally and in terms of personnel. Most prominent in those systemic changes is improvement in how the Leafs exit the defensive zone. Theyve tried to use the middle of the ice more often rather than rimming it along the wall to their wingers and have benefited from cleaner breaks out of the zone. Thats led to more offensive zone time and less time in retreat. We were rimming it a lot and just chipping it off the boards and chasing it, whereas now, I think were coming out with a little more control, Bozak said. I think were relieving pressure with puck control [now] and I think thats been the difference, added Winnik. Breaking apart that top line was a personnel change and necessary evil Carlyle could not commit to with any consistency, but one Horachek plans to stick with. The unit often hurt the Leafs more than it helped. Ultimately, down the road, I think itll benefit us in a big way, Horachek said. All told, its only been a week since Torontos coaching change and theres really no telling yet if this tighter, cleaner brand of hockey will last, but the message of a new leader appears to be taking. Dre Kirkpatrick Bengals Jersey Cyber Monday . Team doctors wont clear the 32-year-old winger until after next Thursdays game against the Phoenix Coyotes, so he hopes to be back with the club when they take on the Calgary Flames on Jan. Giovani Bernard Jersey Black Friday . Hamelin, of Ste. Julie, Que, who won gold in the mens 1,500m on Monday, finished first in his heat with a time of one minute, 25.742 seconds. http://www.footballbengalsnfl.com/nike-andrew-whitworth-orange-jersey/ . The Canadian skier also learned how to surf last spring and took on the waves along the Kananaskis River. Mountain biking is not her forte but she was determined to give that a try too. Marvin Jones Bengals Jersey Cyber Monday . Marie Greyhounds centre Jared McCann is the big mover this month, jumping into the top ten of the International Scouting Services prospect rankings for December. Andy Dalton Jersey Black Friday . That is how long it has been since Canadas mens national team were humiliated 8-1 in their final World Cup qualifying match in Honduras.MONTREAL - Pro footballs all-time passing leader will show the Montreal Alouettes receivers how its done this season.The Alouettes announced Thursday that former quarterback Anthony Calvillo will serve as their receivers coach in 2015. Montreal hired Calvillo, 42, as an assistant coach in December but at that time the club said his official position wouldnt be determined until an offensive co-ordinator was hired.Turk Schonert was eventually named Montreals offensive co-ordinator and will also serve as the clubs quarterback coach.Calvillo retired in January 2014 after a concussion limited him to just seven games in 2013. He spent 16 of his 20 CFL seasons with Montreal, leading the Alouettes to three Grey Cup titles while being named the leagues outstanding player three times.Calvilllo threw for 79,816 career yards and a CFL-record 455 touchdown passes.ddddddddddddThe Alouettes also announced that Chris Tormey will serve as their linebackers coach while Ryan Dinwiddie the clubs offensive co-ordinator last season will be the running backs coach in 2015.Tom Higgins returns for his second season as Montreals head coach. Noel Thorpe enters his third season as the defensive co-ordinator and will also serve as the assistant head coach.Kavis Reed, the former Edmonton Eskimos head coach, is the special-teams coach while Kris Sweet is the offensive line coach. Keith Willis will coach the defensive line while Andre Bulduc will work as an offensive quality control/assistant special-teams coach and Anwar Stewart is a defensive quality control coach. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
เข้าชม : 90
|