Part two in a look at the pratice habits of Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet
Running a practice at the National Hockey League level is a juggling act.
Do you actually practice or give your team a day off? If you do hit the ice, what are you going to focus on? And the debate a coach faces at any level 91裸聊视频� how do you balance teaching points versus having a practice with good tempo?
Those are the questions surrounding Tocchet and his staff as they try to navigate through an 82-game season in the NHL.
When the schedule comes out in the summer, Tocchet will examine it and map out days in which he hopes his hockey club will be able to practice. But once the season comes along, Tocchet will read the energy level of his team, communicate with his leadership group to see where the team is at, and then plan accordingly.
After a recent home game against Carolina, Tocchet cancelled practice the day before his team91裸聊视频檚 next game against Tampa Bay. The move paid dividends as the Canucks defeated the Lightning 4-1. On this occasion it was the right call, but as Tocchet will admit, there are no guarantees.
91裸聊视频淚 think that (reading your team) is huge and I think that comes from experience. I91裸聊视频檝e learned from other coaches when to push or when to back off. There are some times when the team doesn91裸聊视频檛 want to be pushed because they91裸聊视频檙e tired but you have to be the bad guy and say 91裸聊视频榥o, we91裸聊视频檙e practicing today91裸聊视频� and we91裸聊视频檙e going to go 25 minutes and you91裸聊视频檙e going to have to push through because I believe in the long run this practice will teach us to push through in certain situations. You have to find the sweet spot as a coach and that91裸聊视频檚 experience. Hopefully nine out of ten times it91裸聊视频檚 the right call but sometimes you make a mistake,91裸聊视频� explained Tocchet.
Another weapon at Tocchet91裸聊视频檚 disposal is to keep practices fresh by changing up drills and routines but sometimes such moves are met with resistance.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 funny because some times I want to add new drills and the players want the same stuff, so it91裸聊视频檚 give-and-take. I still think in the dog days you have to come up with some freshness in practice to get some fun drills with competition. Players like competition and I91裸聊视频檓 a big believer in competition,91裸聊视频� said Tocchet, who adds he sometimes will throw in a reward as incentive.
As we mentioned in part one of this story that can be found here, practices in today91裸聊视频檚 era are shorter than when Tocchet played.
Tempo is a key to any successful practice but a practice can come to a standstill when coaches have to stop a drill to correct mistakes or explain things. After all, you don91裸聊视频檛 want your players developing bad habits.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 like going to the (dry) board very often. Maybe once a practice, maybe twice. But to me, when you have drills and you keep going to the board and talking to players, you lose your tempo. You have to find that balance,91裸聊视频� Tocchet noted.
One thing that tempo does help with is players being forced to communicate with one another. Much like a game situation, players will make the necessary corrections by communicating with themselves.
91裸聊视频淚f you91裸聊视频檝e got a really good leadership group, guys will correct their mistakes on the bench as the drill is going on. So a guy makes a mistake. As he91裸聊视频檚 on the bench for those 30 seconds before he goes out again - whether it91裸聊视频檚 a coach or player -they91裸聊视频檒l talk and correct the mistake. Whereas when we stop the drill and go to the board, you lose the tempo,91裸聊视频� said Tocchet.
Another key for Tocchet and his staff is to not only teach players their individual responsibilities within the team91裸聊视频檚 structure but to understand the overall concept of what is going on.
91裸聊视频淚 think when you teach, you just don91裸聊视频檛 tell the winger to go here and that91裸聊视频檚 your job. No 91裸聊视频� we want to teach you the whole concept. The winger has to know why we want the center here and why we want our defense here,91裸聊视频� said Tocchet. 91裸聊视频淚f we91裸聊视频檙e in a meeting, the winger can91裸聊视频檛 shut his brain off because we are talking about the defensemen. He should know what91裸聊视频檚 going on because he might be in that position at some point. It might not happen all the time but there might be a time when he is in that position.
91裸聊视频淪o in those meetings or practices where he was paying attention, it will make a big difference.91裸聊视频�
OVERTIME:
* The Canucks ended their four-game road trip with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night, securing six out of a possible eight points on the trip. Vancouver got goals from Brock Boeser, Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua. For Joshua, he continued his strong play as of late with his fourth goal in his last five games.
* Vancouver went 0 for 3 on the power play and finished the road trip 1 for 15 with the man advantage.
91裸聊视频淥ur energy wasn91裸聊视频檛 there. When you don91裸聊视频檛 have energy on the power play, it91裸聊视频檚 tough but we had a couple of looks. Power plays are ebbs and flows. It won us a lot of hockey games early and got us to where we are at. I91裸聊视频檓 not worried 91裸聊视频� we91裸聊视频檙e still getting some good looks,91裸聊视频� Tocchet said post-game when the subject was broached.
* The point earned against the Stars pulled the Canucks into a tie with Vegas for first place in the NHL91裸聊视频檚 overall standings with both teams accumulating 47 points in 34 games.
* Forward Andrei Kuzmenko was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game.
* The Canucks now return home for a game against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night prior to the Christmas break. San Jose limps into Vancouver having lost four straight games.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 91裸聊视频渢he Moj91裸聊视频� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
