A lot of comments and articles have been written about Rod Brind'Amour and the Canes comments about their opponents. I'd like to examine that a bit. The complaint seems to be that the Canes cannot give credit to their opponents, they only discuss their own poor play - the other team has something to do with that, right?
No - not with the mentality that the Canes employ. Laviolette has worked all season on getting this mindset and I think it's the right one. The Canes believe they are the better team. They believe it wholeheartedly. So much so that the only logical explanation of a loss is that they did not skate well or play their game.
This attitude does not sit well with opposing fans or the media. It smacks of arrogance (Lindy Ruff) or classlessness (EJ Hradek). These comments from "outsiders" only feed the Canes "us against the world" mentality and bring the team closer together.
Another example of this philosophy is the Canes' matchup decisions - Lavi doesn't match lines. It doesn't matter to him. The philosophy states that he doesn't adjust to his opponent's game. If the Canes are skating their game, the opponent must adjust to them. The game is much simpler for the coaches and the players when all you're worried about is your own game. The opponent is worrying about the you and themselves, which can cause problems.
Just my little observation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
The philosophy states that he doesn't adjust to his opponent's game. If the Canes are skating their game, the opponent must adjust to them.
Red Auerbach had the same coaching philosophy. Wonder if Lavi's a Celtics fan?
He's from the right area.
Post a Comment