Giants v Devils - Playoff Final! - Sunday 16th April @ 1700
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
The team and club lack identity, sorry to say it but it's true.
There is no fear when stepping into the bay arena, players no longer stick up for smaller guys, it's not "Hockey" anymore it's "family hockey" so no fighting, no swearing, no looking angry at the coach who yet again failed on the power play just stand there and clap happy.
Next season will be just about making profit from flip-flops and beach towels and less about the team being dominating and feared by other teams.
There is no fear when stepping into the bay arena, players no longer stick up for smaller guys, it's not "Hockey" anymore it's "family hockey" so no fighting, no swearing, no looking angry at the coach who yet again failed on the power play just stand there and clap happy.
Next season will be just about making profit from flip-flops and beach towels and less about the team being dominating and feared by other teams.
In the days of the Blue Tent, win or lose, the teams under Adams made that place the worst place in the League to play.
In the first season under Lord's coaching, the team was still playing in the BBT. That place was still the worst place for opposition to play.
Even when the Club moved into the IAW and were honing their skills, other teams hated the home dominance of the Devils.
What ever happened to that? Now we are just a soft option. The fear factor has gone. If the team had dominated their home performances this season, they would have won the League.
In the first season under Lord's coaching, the team was still playing in the BBT. That place was still the worst place for opposition to play.
Even when the Club moved into the IAW and were honing their skills, other teams hated the home dominance of the Devils.
What ever happened to that? Now we are just a soft option. The fear factor has gone. If the team had dominated their home performances this season, they would have won the League.
Off the ice, seemingly happy with mediocrity as long as the pound notes keep rolling in. On the ice, the most un-Devils like team I’ve seen since last years roster! No character, no sticking up for each other, no mean streak, no fight, no hunger or desire to do whatever it takes to win. Not much skill either. Championship winning teams defend each other to the last, go to war together night after night, stand up and be counted when the going gets tough. Not this team, we went backwards all year when the going got tough. There was no leadership, no direction, and there will be no hope unless major changes are made in the off season.
I’ll give everyone their due that they are entitled to opinions but there is some tosh floating about also. The Devils had the most fights of any team in the league. If someone no choices Conway in the final they sit for 17 minutes not 5. Lordo’s teams took exactly the same criticism of being soft with Lordo constantly being accused of having players on a leash. You can’t re write history to fit your narrative. I understand frustration and that it wasn’t enjoyable to watch a team that appeared to so easily fail to turn up on some nights but some of the sentiment is cods wallop. They were a team that wasn’t good enough to win this season due to multiple failings but they weren’t that bad a team also when you take a step back. I think they achieved about what the sum of the parts allowed them to do. Take Lordo’s teams and Devils had league MVP and First line all stars through out. This team quite simply didn’t have those guys in it.
Point is they aren’t a championship team so the changes will have to be a little more root and branch than tweaking a winning team. Issues need to be fixed but also another jump on top of that again. But some paint this year as an outright disaster and it just wasn’t. Apart from Belfast who else’s team’s season would you want over what you got. Guildford maybe but then the league gap wasn’t far off in the end and they panned the play offs so I honestly think you’d struggle. It’s not like Devils are on a slippy slide to oblivion but rather didn’t reach the level of hopeful expectation. Get a number of things right and they are on the way back. As for the rhetoric on fan support then again because as long standing fans you are frustrated don’t think that constitutes a massive issue. Devils just had their highest attended season of all time.
Point is they aren’t a championship team so the changes will have to be a little more root and branch than tweaking a winning team. Issues need to be fixed but also another jump on top of that again. But some paint this year as an outright disaster and it just wasn’t. Apart from Belfast who else’s team’s season would you want over what you got. Guildford maybe but then the league gap wasn’t far off in the end and they panned the play offs so I honestly think you’d struggle. It’s not like Devils are on a slippy slide to oblivion but rather didn’t reach the level of hopeful expectation. Get a number of things right and they are on the way back. As for the rhetoric on fan support then again because as long standing fans you are frustrated don’t think that constitutes a massive issue. Devils just had their highest attended season of all time.
If you’re referring to my post, I’m not talking about fighting. And most of our fights were taken on by Brandt and latterly Pietronero to get the crowd going when half of us were asleep! Far more about team ethic, effort and desire than fighting. And I'd much rather have watched Guildford's style of play, rather than the turgid garbage we had to put up with most weeks at IAW. Not about winning for me, I pay my hard earned money to be entertained. That didn’t happen very often this year. For outcome and entertainment value, it was pretty poor stuff.
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Not a single team in the league are any more/less physical than us. The league as a whole is completely different to how it was a couple of years back. Teams are recruiting younger, faster and generally more skilful players as opposed to the previous recruitment focus of older, tough guy and I personally don’t think this is going to change
Yep, that's nailed it for me.
The league title should always be our aim, but we haven't got a divine right to win it and some of the comments about both this team and other teams have been cringeworthy.
Interesting you mentioned Guildford - I was chatting with a lot of their fans at the weekend and without exception they were moaning about how soft the team was when put under pressure. I enjoy watching them play but part of that is that you always know that if you hit them where it hurt you had a chance. BY contrast Belfast were not nice to watch but you just knew that they would come back at you no matter how much on the ropes they looked.
For me, the problem at the moment is that we are between identities. In the BBT we were a rock 'em, sock 'em team which was good fun to watch but was never going to win us the league, then we changed to a puck possession team under Lordo which was super successful, although not always the greatest to watch. The Skalde era didn't really happen and now we have Dupont where we are focused a bit more on containment but for whatever reason didn't consistently work. I suspect part of the problem was that the combination of players didn't quite work and there appeared to be a few who didn't buy into it.
For next season we need a far stronger identity as a team. For me the most interesting signings will be Cox and Sanford. Super players both but they belong to a very specific style. If they are back I suspect our style will stay similar, if they move on then I wonder if we will go a different direction.
The league title should always be our aim, but we haven't got a divine right to win it and some of the comments about both this team and other teams have been cringeworthy.
Interesting you mentioned Guildford - I was chatting with a lot of their fans at the weekend and without exception they were moaning about how soft the team was when put under pressure. I enjoy watching them play but part of that is that you always know that if you hit them where it hurt you had a chance. BY contrast Belfast were not nice to watch but you just knew that they would come back at you no matter how much on the ropes they looked.
For me, the problem at the moment is that we are between identities. In the BBT we were a rock 'em, sock 'em team which was good fun to watch but was never going to win us the league, then we changed to a puck possession team under Lordo which was super successful, although not always the greatest to watch. The Skalde era didn't really happen and now we have Dupont where we are focused a bit more on containment but for whatever reason didn't consistently work. I suspect part of the problem was that the combination of players didn't quite work and there appeared to be a few who didn't buy into it.
For next season we need a far stronger identity as a team. For me the most interesting signings will be Cox and Sanford. Super players both but they belong to a very specific style. If they are back I suspect our style will stay similar, if they move on then I wonder if we will go a different direction.
I think the biggest issue on the physicality front, is the blend of the roster. We have 3 lines with little to no size or physicality to it - Cox/Sanford/Martin are quite feisty and won’t back down but there’s no size on that line. Crandall and Coughler similar and Reid shies away from any rough stuff. Brittain showed it for about 20 minutes all season, same as Penny. I think Jenks said early on this season that the lines are too ‘samey’ and we saw for the brief time we had Fournier that he brought a much needed balance to the roster. We beat Belfast 3-0 in our Den middle of the season and Fournier’s antics seem to keep them very subdued and quiet. I’m not sure Conway would have been as ratty and mouthy yesterday had a Fournier type been around…
I think a proper power forward is a must next year on the 1st/2nd line - in the mould of Riley/Lordo from recent years, not scared to put in the graft, get to the hard areas and can play too.
I think a proper power forward is a must next year on the 1st/2nd line - in the mould of Riley/Lordo from recent years, not scared to put in the graft, get to the hard areas and can play too.
I think we’re on a similar page ish. What I think we are talking is a pro active approach to physicality. That’s not just checking but board battles, dominated the net fronts at both ends of the rink and being happy playing in high traffic areas where the action is. Being the team on the front foot win or lose.
I think it’s simplistic to say these guys weren’t willing to do it but this is a team full of finesse and to do that you need space and to find that you tend to live on the perimeter. These guys have made careers of that style of play. I guess that’s why Brittain takes some criticism as the failing probably sits in his role responsibility.
I think it’s simplistic to say these guys weren’t willing to do it but this is a team full of finesse and to do that you need space and to find that you tend to live on the perimeter. These guys have made careers of that style of play. I guess that’s why Brittain takes some criticism as the failing probably sits in his role responsibility.
I wonder to what extent the team has been limited by the tactical outlook of Dupont and only signing North Americans for imports. I would love to see us with a team that actually values holding onto the puck rather than dump it, and who can skate and pass effectively. We would do well to think about looking to places like Scandinavia and Czechia/Slovakia for a few players. Also, let's try to avoid players who are past their sell-by dates - no matter how how good their CVs.
More factual than cods wallop.
The alternative to Lou or Batch having a word was Sanford petulantly slashing in front of the ref and sitting for 2 mins. Belfast got no penalties in that play and our best player sits for 2. Roughing Conway up (not necessarily a fight) with Batch sitting in the box with Conway is a good trade in my book. Not sure who mentioned 'no choicing him'. The guy got under our skin and no one did anything about it. Pretty certain even a stern word from Lou would have been more effective than a petulant slash or a little cross check. There's still room in this game for physical players. Goons and knuckle draggers, no, but big boys who can play and keep order, absolutely.
The alternative to Lou or Batch having a word was Sanford petulantly slashing in front of the ref and sitting for 2 mins. Belfast got no penalties in that play and our best player sits for 2. Roughing Conway up (not necessarily a fight) with Batch sitting in the box with Conway is a good trade in my book. Not sure who mentioned 'no choicing him'. The guy got under our skin and no one did anything about it. Pretty certain even a stern word from Lou would have been more effective than a petulant slash or a little cross check. There's still room in this game for physical players. Goons and knuckle draggers, no, but big boys who can play and keep order, absolutely.