Teamwork .......It aint easy

Today’s game was ok, not great but ok. Ok is good for some teams, but not this team. After a lot of very good productive games we looked flat this afternoon on our own home ice, and let a lot of key opportunities slip by. This appeared to be a halfhearted effort as far as the team as a whole looked. There were some huge efforts and great hockey from many of our players, but we are at the point where the whole team needs to work together and do it with heart. If only one player isn’t on board, then the whole team can feel the compromising effect. We were not all on the same page today. We have some very good players who work very hard, but we need everyone to work together as a team to play our best. We spent too much time waiting for and watching the other team work the puck up the middle of the ice around us. This is not how we have been playing. Usually we have been the team to pressure and control the puck through most of the game, but today we spent too much time waiting instead of going after the puck. We also did not communicate very well on the ice and sent the puck to the wrong side of the rink, - not the player in the open ice that should have moved the puck up ice faster and smarter. Positioning and passing mistakes worked against us. We also need to watch our stick work. I saw a lot of wild stick swings at the puck carrier when a good clean check or faster skating would have been more productive. We need to keep moving on the ice. There were too many times where we stopped skating, coasted, stood still, or made big gliding turns. I want to see better stops when we over skate the puck, and more hustle when we are going after the puck. It looked like we just gave up the chase many times and waited to see what the other team was going to do. There were also a lot of traffic jams in the neutral zone where we were so bunched up that we actually kept getting in each other’s way and allowing for bad turnovers in the neutral zone. Quite a few runs with the puck found our players shutting down our effort by impeding our own players at the blue line or going offside. We did not back up each other very well and just didn’t work together. Teamwork is huge in hockey, and not always easy to learn, but we need to. We have worked together before, but when we don’t it really shows. Ok is fine for some, but great hockey is what we are going after. The score wasn’t too bad, and yes there were some great goals and great saves, but they had more than we did. That’s because we gave away too many opportunities. Practices are very important and give us time to learn how to work together as a team. If you miss practice, you miss that opportunity to learn how to play together. Games aren’t the place to get as much time passing, shooting, and working the puck with your team, as you need to learn how to work together. During a game you may only have the puck on your stick for a few seconds. Shooting – maybe never, and passing experiences much more limited than at practice. Trust is a big factor too, it takes a little faith to send the puck to someone if you don’t think that player will be in the right place at the right time, or catch a pass. I want you to do the right thing at the right time. This may mean sending the puck up to a player that you might not think will do anything with the puck if they even catch it. They should, and they might. We need to make sure they get the opportunity to learn how to work with each of you. It does take a certain amount of trust on each player’s part, and this trust also needs to be earned – at games, and at practice. I believe in each of you, but each of you needs to believe in each other….. each player needs to believe in themselves. If something doesn’t work, we’ll work on it. What we saw tonight that didn’t work, we shall work to improve. What we saw that did work, we will capitalize on. If we were great everyday then it maybe..... might...... get boring. At least this team keeps every game interesting.