Once again Ruff Schooling Other Coaches in

[matter2003]

Well, unfortunately for the other teams, what they don't understand is that their coach is getting schooled on how to win in the playoffs by Lindy Ruff. By the time the other team/fans/coaches realize it, their team is eliminated. Since we have begun playing this counter-attacking/defense first mentality in game 5 of the Flyers series(except the first game in Ottawa where we tried too play run and gun with the Sens), we are now 6-1, with our lone loss coming in the Ottawa game where Afinigenov missed an open net 5 feet away with noone remotely close to him.

 

It's obvious what we are doing, but noone on the other team seems to be able to figure it out. It's almost like we are setting a trap, and by the time they realize its a trap, its too late. Away we go on a 2 on 1 or 3 on 2 break. We let them come in, come in, take weak shots from the outside that have virtually no chance of going in, clear the rebounds and look to "fast-break" up the ice and catch their players inside our zone. Its worked in every series we have played in, and for all the "we dominated the game" cries by the Canes players and fans, I point out that the Sabres seemed to have an endless 2 on 1 or 3 on 2 all day long when they came up the ice with the puck. Not to mention that the 2 best chances for either team that didn't go in the net were Dumont standing 7 feet in front of a wide open net and shooting it off a defensemans skate and Hecht at the side of the net flipping a shot over Ward that was heading toward the far corner of the net befor hitting a Carolina player in the thigh and then bouncing off the crossbar and out. Yes Carolina did have the puck in our end a lot, but how many "great" scoring chances did they have? Not that many. It is clear that Lindy is sitting and waiting, setting a trap, and virtually laughing when these teams fall in it time and time again. If there was one thing for the Canes to see in the Ottawa series its that you cannot beat this team by trying to throw everything and the kitchen sink at them offensively. All you are doing is setting yourself up for us to have odd man rushes all night long, and a loss for your team.

 

Just think of how brilliant this ploy is for Ruff to employ. He knows that the other team cannot win playing this way against him, but yet he knows by playing this way, it will make the other team play even more offensively against the Sabres because they truly believe they are "dominating the game". No need to change your style of play when you are dominating the game is there? There is no way these teams are going to stop playing like this because they actually believe they are just missing their chances and not playing well. All the while, the Sabres just sit in wait, ready to spring the trap as soon as they make a mistake. Ruff's 6-1 record since we employed this style of play just shows how far ahead he is in the chess match of coaching, and what a brilliant playoff coach he is(41-25 in the playoffs, the 4th best winning percentage in the history of the NHL with easily the least talent of any of those coaches in the top 10.) He is reacting 3 or 4 moves ahead of the other coach even thinking about doing something, and I don't see how its going to change...

 

If Ruff isn't coach of the year it really would be a travesty of justice. He schooled Ken Hitchcock, he schooled Bryan Murray, and now he is schooling a runner up for coach of the year, Peter Laviolette.

[Corp000085]

Too bad the coach of the year voting took place before the playoffs... I still think lindy will win it, but even if he doesn't, i'd take him holding the stanley cup over the jack adams trophy.

[Hawk]

Well, unfortunately for the other teams, what they don't understand is that their coach is getting schooled on how to win in the playoffs by Lindy Ruff. By the time the other team/fans/coaches realize it, their team is eliminated. Since we have begun playing this counter-attacking/defense first mentality in game 5 of the Flyers series(except the first game in Ottawa where we tried too play run and gun with the Sens), we are now 6-1, with our lone loss coming in the Ottawa game where Afinigenov missed an open net 5 feet away with noone remotely close to him.

 

It's obvious what we are doing, but noone on the other team seems to be able to figure it out. It's almost like we are setting a trap, and by the time they realize its a trap, its too late. Away we go on a 2 on 1 or 3 on 2 break. We let them come in, come in, take weak shots from the outside that have virtually no chance of going in, clear the rebounds and look to "fast-break" up the ice and catch their players inside our zone. Its worked in every series we have played in, and for all the "we dominated the game" cries by the Canes players and fans, I point out that the Sabres seemed to have an endless 2 on 1 or 3 on 2 all day long when they came up the ice with the puck. Not to mention that the 2 best chances for either team that didn't go in the net were Dumont standing 7 feet in front of a wide open net and shooting it off a defensemans skate and Hecht at the side of the net flipping a shot over Ward that was heading toward the far corner of the net befor hitting a Carolina player in the thigh and then bouncing off the crossbar and out. Yes Carolina did have the puck in our end a lot, but how many "great" scoring chances did they have? Not that many. It is clear that Lindy is sitting and waiting, setting a trap, and virtually laughing when these teams fall in it time and time again. If there was one thing for the Canes to see in the Ottawa series its that you cannot beat this team by trying to throw everything and the kitchen sink at them offensively. All you are doing is setting yourself up for us to have odd man rushes all night long, and a loss for your team.

 

Just think of how brilliant this ploy is for Ruff to employ. He knows that the other team cannot win playing this way against him, but yet he knows by playing this way, it will make the other team play even more offensively against the Sabres because they truly believe they are "dominating the game". No need to change your style of play when you are dominating the game is there? There is no way these teams are going to stop playing like this because they actually believe they are just missing their chances and not playing well. All the while, the Sabres just sit in wait, ready to spring the trap as soon as they make a mistake. Ruff's 6-1 record since we employed this style of play just shows how far ahead he is in the chess match of coaching, and what a brilliant playoff coach he is(41-25 in the playoffs, the 4th best winning percentage in the history of the NHL with easily the least talent of any of those coaches in the top 10.) He is reacting 3 or 4 moves ahead of the other coach even thinking about doing something, and I don't see how its going to change...

 

If Ruff isn't coach of the year it really would be a travesty of justice. He schooled Ken Hitchcock, he schooled Bryan Murray, and now he is schooling a runner up for coach of the year, Peter Laviolette.

 

Oh great, now you let the cat out of the bag :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :D

[Taro T]

Too bad the coach of the year voting took place before the playoffs... I still think lindy will win it, but even if he doesn't, i'd take him holding the stanley cup over the jack adams trophy.

The Jack Adams trophy winner traditionally has a pretty poor track record after winning it. While I think it would be nice if Lindy wins it, I'd really rather see Laviolette win it and move on to some other team. Lindy's deserved it in the past ('98 definitely rings a bell, he pulled a team out of a circus atmosphere and got them within a Kerry Fraser intentionally blown call of losing in the SCF's) and deserves it this year, but it is a trophy that doesn't have a real good history to go with it. (See Nolan's record post Adams winner for reference.)

[ExiledInIllinois]

I ALWAYS thought hockey was a game where one of the most important things was the coach... Just look back through Stanley Cup history and you will see the winners littered with the same names.

 

Some coaches "get it" and some "don't"... The ones that do go on to produce stunning results. This is one sport where the ex-player makes a great cross-over to coach.

 

It has always been about hard work making a system work.

 

Lindy "gets it"... I don't care what he does from here on out (it is bound to produce great playoff numbers no matter what)... He is too valuable a commodity to ever let go...

 

I know that sounds drastic... Some coaches just become "Shulaesque"... You gotta see through their "down years."

 

Lindy will take his lumps from time to time... But, the ability to take it "deep" on a consistant basis is just to valuable in a sport where bad coaches are a dime a dozen.

 

IMO