Missed Opportunities
The game mirror’s life – in a professional hockey career, your lifetime is comparable to the average life expectancy in the time of Shakespeare. For the vast majority, it’s long over by the time you hit the mid 30’s. The tragedy of missed opportunities is felt equally hard with the heightened stakes while in pursuit of sharing the potential joy of heaving Lord Stanley’s jug high above your head.
2 x Stanley Cup Champ - Oskar Sundqvist “It’s the greatest feeling in the world” on earning the right to lift the Stanley Cup.
Montreal (MTL) missed a glorious opportunity to feed their attack, eating their way back into this Stanley Cup final series with missed opportunities in Game 2. They outnumbered Tampa Bay (TB) in shot volume and higher quality scoring chances, expected goals and breakaways. To score, let alone win this series they will need to create all the high-quality chances they can.
Opportunity lost right from the 1st shift.
MTL#41 decides to support wide as opposed to inside of the defender. Why is this an important element? His read of the play in a split second = this is my best option, I will stay onside, keep my speed by doing so, potentially creating a breakaway for myself by believing my teammate can make an exceptional pass. Ok. This happened.
This Opportunity is missed, snuffed out with a denied entry.
What’s the potential opportunity created via a different read and action?
Offensive advantage - By supporting to the puck side, Strong Side (SS) of the ice, in front of the defender forcing the defender to make a choice- every choice a defending player must make, creates a fraction of time and/or space, changing the picture of options and gaps in the defence available for you to exploit. This micro hesitation by the defender, as the information processing speed of defender determines the length of defensive delay and action, again the picture changes. The puck carrier has a much high percentage -tape to tape or pass to space- option. If the defender decides to hold the middle? Having read through the rush and aware that MTL#44 joining rush.
Basically, this one puck supporting read difference has the potential to change this entire sequence, instead opportunity is lost and a odd man rush, 2 vs 1 or breakaway is negated rather easily.
What you do or do not do changes everything. Misreads happen constantly and are deciding factors as we see later in this match with TB’s game winner and nail in the coffin goals for 2 and 3.
What cues are missed by MTL #41 in supporting the puck that effect making the most of this opportunity lost?
What about MTL#17 with the puck?
It takes two to tango –It appears he reads a move in front of the defender with his pass-puck placement.
What other possible options does MTL#17 have?
He could chip across ice- behind #41, or a bump off the SS wall-leading his teammate to a race for the puck or opt for #44 coming from behind the puck, supporting in middle, those pesky sticks in lane negating the viability/positive outcome probability of that option.
As the quarterback- he is responsible for the puck while all the other players are his receivers, meaning create options for me to get you puck, retain possession and create possession entry. He reads that transporting the puck himself is not going to solve the problem-while he has succeeded in drawing 2 TB players to him, meaning there is a supporting teammate undefended = MTL#44
This is just one play out of 1500-2000 opportunities that happened in this game. Each of them have potential to be game changing. This play as all plays at this elite (world class) level developed fast and the outcome is determined by the speed of each individual’s information processing in combination with their technical skills.
What are you doing today to improve your information processing?
Montreal requires each individual to maximizing each opportunity towards gaining traction in pursuit of their Answer on home ice to get back on track in this series.
How to solve this problem?
Coach Answer - Team Tactic/System play- F2 on the rush always work to in close/SS puck support skating pattern– as Cole Caufield did in his time with the USNDTP team structured rush support play.
Better Answer?
Ask your players? – Involve them - they have your answer- listen and learn- what and how they think. Working individually, in small groups with your players, developing and raising awareness of the reads (what to look for) and options (where to go) available to influence more successful outcomes, create more opportunities, ownership, developing your players for the next level all while building trust, influencing and increasing their shared joy!
As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this in pursuit of your Answer.
Pod Recommendation: Beyond the X’s & O’s
University of Vermont Men’s Hockey, Head Coach, Todd Woodcroft
Notes:
“The grind of becoming the best you can be” - Todd Woodcroft
Creating an environment where everyone else to succeed better than you. Every single opportunity to perform at your best.
The service of collective effort- orchestra
Kai Kight - violinist
How can you create an environment for your orchestra to succeed?
Safe space- practice - step into the unknown
Can’t stay on the thing you master- mastery changes - will to keep growing/adapt
Outside Experience - other people who support - your message - bring in people
What’s your finish line?
Learning about yourself - the coaching process-
The student is the master - environment shaped you and create you
60 million reps - so you have seen it all- how the puck bounces - habits -
Positive place
Values instead of rules - has principals to it.
Expectations
Supporting someone inside of your environment
We are Family- kitchen table accountability - good times and bad - common goal
Honesty
Love
Work for the players - how can we accomplish this?
Selfless- dedication to help other people get better- improving myself
Pavel Datsyuk- the magic man
Created a camp/ academy in Russia for free and now players are coming to NHL
Positive impact - where you are?
In the moment - what’s the name of that song?