Jagr's blogs

[hf101]

I didn't know Jagr was a blogger, but here are some links and a few of the quotes he made in his last couple of blogs......and surprising they are in English.

Jaromir Jagr: No one allowed a thought we might lose

Claude Giroux played fantastically. I have been comparing him to Mario Lemieux since the beginning of the season; in my opinion, he has matured into a player who can decide games, including playoff ones, himself, just like Mario used to.

However, our opponents will pay much more attention to him now, after the series with Pittsburgh, much more than they used to. Which means he is in for tough times, but I believe he will cope with it well. In any case, it’s amazing how he plays. Especially now, when the nature of the game has changed, everything is faster and defensemen are bigger.

As to our goalkeeper, Ilya Bryzgalov, his performance in the decisive game was excellent. He had done very well in Pittsburgh before, but it was not so good at home. So I am happy he was able to prove he’s an excellent goalie to our home crowd as well. It’s good for his psyche.

Jaromir Jagr: I still can’t understand why we were outplayed so decisively by Devils

I still can’t explain why we stopped skating, all of a sudden! Or why we were so weak, when everything had been ideal against Pittsburgh. I don’t understand at all how they could suddenly outplay us...

The matches were tight, but our overall performance was worse than theirs, that much is clear. Perhaps we had all been convinced we would win before the tie actually started. And that might also have been a problem.

As to myself, there were rumors regarding my injury. The fact is I did have problems with my thigh, it had happened during the last game against Pittsburgh, but then I had a week to get myself together. The thigh actually did not hurt that much during the games, so I don’t think I should use it as an excuse.

But the fact is I could not train so much, I attended perhaps one training session. And when a man of my age misses five or six training sessions, it is felt … Especially if you take into account the pace of play-off games. But there is no use to dwell on it; injuries are part of play-off games. I wasn’t the only one. However, there was another thing that struck me.

None of our team had the drive and skating we had shown against Pittsburgh. The Devils’ players were much stronger at the boards, we were not helping each other and seemed to be scattered on the ice. It reminded me of a basketball match in which all of us are moving somewhere at the three-point line and wondering why we are unable to go after and ****** any rebound...

We were simply too dispersed. We were like a palm; they were like a fist. They were sticking together; we were like a hand with outstretched fingers. We really were feeling desperate at that time.

The atmosphere in the team was excellent throughout the whole season, so good I wished the season to go on and culminate in a victory. It was really unbelievable; I had never experienced anything like this before.

Although the training session was supposed to take just an hour and a half, all of us spent five to six hours in the arena anyway, because no one felt like going home. I didn’t take it as work, but rather as something I enjoyed.

As to my future, we’ll see which way the winds will blow. There’s no reason to hurry. I do not intend to make any keynote statements now. There is some situation now, but what if Philadelphia decides to sign other free agents to whom it will give more chances to play?

[doom88]

I like he's quite insightful and positive. Cool blog and nice find!

[Spinorama]

I agree, nice find and thanks for sharing

[canoli]

great find HF - thanks!

In a way - a depressing but somewhat gratifying way, it's nice to know he's as mystified as the rest of us as to what the hell happened in R2. As I read it I tried to keep in mind that he's not going to reveal anything too personal or too critical of his teammates, but it seems like if there was something - anything - obvious that was lacking he would say it. If he thought Bryzgalov was terrible, or the D-men were lame...whatever. But there was none of that (regarding the Devils' series).

I get the feeling he won't be back in Philly next year, which is fine by me. He surpassed my expectations in every way but toward the end ... well we all said it, he was looking pretty done-in. Then again so were the rest of them ... so who knows? Maybe if the Flyers had been skating "like a fist" instead of "dispersed, like a palm" then maybe Jagr would've looked better too.

[Mad Dog]

In a way - a depressing but somewhat gratifying way, it's nice to know he's as mystified as the rest of us as to what the hell happened in R2. As I read it I tried to keep in mind that he's not going to reveal anything too personal or too critical of his teammates, but it seems like if there was something - anything - obvious that was lacking he would say it. If he thought Bryzgalov was terrible, or the D-men were lame...whatever. But there was none of that (regarding the Devils' series).

The more I read and learn about the second round, the mroe it appears that there really wasn't anything mysterious or baffling about that series. I really think it was a combination of 1) injuries, 2) many players running out of gas and, more disturbingly 3) DeBoer's thoroughly outcoaching Lavy. The first two - nothing you can do. Injuries are injuries and Couturier, Schenn, Reed, Gus, and, hopefully, JVR, will be better equipped to handle a heavier load come next season.

Lavy is here for a while, I think, and that's fine. It's not like I deslike the guy. I think he has multiple strengths and is a good coach, all things considered. But his inability to adjust and counteract this maddening cyclying that DeBoer has pushed on the Flyers.

If there is any consolation, the Rangers didn't seem to have many answers to that either.

Edited May 28, 2012 by Mad Dog

[pilldoc]

I didn't know Jagr was a blogger, but here are some links and a few of the quotes he made in his last couple of blogs......and surprising they are in English.

Jaromir Jagr: I still can’t understand why we were outplayed so decisively by Devils

The matches were tight, but our overall performance was worse than theirs, that much is clear. Perhaps we had all been convinced we would win before the tie actually started. And that might also have been a problem.

As to myself, there were rumors regarding my injury. The fact is I did have problems with my thigh, it had happened during the last game against Pittsburgh, but then I had a week to get myself together. The thigh actually did not hurt that much during the games, so I don’t think I should use it as an excuse.

Wow... I love his honesty. In todays sports world, you generally don't find this type of blunt honesty anymore. It strikes me that they he mentions very candidly, what most of us thought as the series went one. The took the Devils too lightly. I have to admit that when Jagr was signed, I thought it was a bad move. I could not have been more wrong. Seems like he has really matured. It is a shame that he is past his prime. Would have liked to see him in O&B a few more years.

Great reads HF..thanks for posting.

[canoli]

more disturbingly 3) DeBoer's thoroughly outcoaching Lavy.

I don't know what DeBoer did that deserves such credit (vs. the Flyers in R2). The Flyers stunk in the 2nd round. To a man they were slow in all 3 zones, stupid with the puck on their sticks and seemingly unaware they had line mates to work with. We weren't outcoached imho we were outplayed because we were outworked. Simple as that.

But I'd love to hear what you think Lavy should've / could've done differently. Other than line changes and some tweaks to the system, what else is there (when the POs start)?

What exactly was Lavy supposed to do differently? I've asked this question a few times, all I've gotten for answers is guesses about what happened / didn't happen in the locker room and on the practice rink. One poster answered me with a whole litany of stuff he said Lavy "forgot to tell them..." things like, "Don't dump straight to Brodeur" - not much of an answer.

For me, I hold the coach accountable for who gets ice time and who skates with who, that's about it - in the POs I mean. By then the team's approach to competing is well-established and won't change very much, right? So what should Lavy have done? Played Zac more? I agree - more and earlier in the series. Waiting till G5 was a mistake. Playing Jagr less? He did that.

I don't know Dog...I think we just got beat by a team that was ready to compete. We weren't - and maybe some of that is on the HC...?

Edited May 28, 2012 by canoli

[Mad Dog]

@canoli

The Flyers didn't bring their A game; no arguing. But what I also saw was that the Devils cycled and pressured like I've never seen before. They did it in EVERY SINGLE GAME. That OT goal Ponikarovski scored in Game 3 was a direct result of an extended shift deep in the Flyers zone, which, in turn was a product of the intense cycling by the Devils. That wasn't just in one game. Lavy found no antidote to that. Sure you can blame the skaters for allowing being pressured and the "tired legs", but I think there is more to that.

That very game, the Flyers had multiple opportunities to win teh game after been awarded multiple PP's in OT and failed to capitalize. The PP in general was brutal. Sorry, but that's on coach too. When you have players like Briere, Giroux, Timonen, Hartnell, Carle, Jagr at your disposal, there is no way the PP should look that bad.

You are looking for specific examples. I gave you two where in my opinion, one coach simply did a better job than his opponent. But overall, I think DeBoer figuired out, somehow, the way to beat the Flyers based on what he saw in the Pittsburgh series. You are asking how Lavy lost the series? I will tell you how. His game is extremely simple. It's a go-go hockey. After having watched that for 3 seasons, I am convinced he doesn't have much of a system. The Pens self-destructed. They got stupid; the whole team did. And Fleury lost it. It was really that simple. DeBoer must have told his team, "Hey, if we just play disciplined hockey, play good, solid D, and take the game to them, instead of letting them dictate, we will win". And honestly, I am not an NHL head coach, but that's EXACTLY what I would tell my team if I were playing the Flyers.

That's less quintifiable, obviously, but that's all I've got.

Edited May 29, 2012 by Mad Dog

[OccamsRazor]

I don't know what DeBoer did that deserves such credit (vs. the Flyers in R2). The Flyers stunk in the 2nd round. To a man they were slow in all 3 zones, stupid with the puck on their sticks and seemingly unaware they had line mates to work with. We weren't outcoached imho we were outplayed because we were outworked. Simple as that.

But I'd love to hear what you think Lavy should've / could've done differently. Other than line changes and some tweaks to the system, what else is there (when the POs start)?

What exactly was Lavy supposed to do differently? I've asked this question a few times, all I've gotten for answers is guesses about what happened / didn't happen in the locker room and on the practice rink. One poster answered me with a whole litany of stuff he said Lavy "forgot to tell them..." things like, "Don't dump straight to Brodeur" - not much of an answer.

For me, I hold the coach accountable for who gets ice time and who skates with who, that's about it - in the POs I mean. By then the team's approach to competing is well-established and won't change very much, right? So what should Lavy have done? Played Zac more? I agree - more and earlier in the series. Waiting till G5 was a mistake. Playing Jagr less? He did that.

I don't know Dog...I think we just got beat by a team that was ready to compete. We weren't - and maybe some of that is on the HC...?

Well for one, a HUGE part of it had to do with them having a confident goaltender and the Flyers not...

...thats about the nicest thing i can say about that in regards to Bryz and his play....

...the team in front of him in that series mirrored Bryz (maybe their turn to be lost in the woods i guess)...

..one guy a backup on a Stanley Cup winner...

...the other playing in his 200th career playoff game and 4th...did i say 4TH STANLEY CUP!!!!!!!!

After turning 40!!!!!!!!!!!

On paper that almost seems unfair....

Edited May 29, 2012 by OccamsRazor

[canoli]

DeBoer must have told his team, "Hey, if we just play disciplined hockey, play good, solid D, and take the game to them, instead of letting them dictate, we will win"

Okay, but don't you think that's what every HC tells his team before a PO series? Everyone knew the Pens series was a fluke, an example of what happens when 2 offensive-minded teams decide to forgo defense and try and outscore each other. There's no way Lavy expected the Devils to fall into that same mindset.

I don't understand why Lavy is accused of not having a system. Maybe there's no name for it but its characteristics are obvious: it's an uptempo, aggressive, Attack-the-Net style that serves the Flyers well. It is dependent upon puck possession though, and that's where the skaters failed miserably vs. the Devils. And that comes back to execution - passing, shot/pass blocking, responsible backchecking...gap control, etc.

Lavy needs his team to get the puck deep and keep it long enough to activate a D-man (as well as the 3 fwds of course!) on the forecheck. When the Flyers do that they're able to generate plenty of good scoring chances and usually win the game. They may give up 4 - D-men pinching leaves you vulnerable - but they score 5...rinse and repeat. For whatever reason(s) the skaters didn't come close to beating the Devils in puck-possession time - hence the result, a lopsided series that ended in 5 games.

It's not a timid, safe or conservative approach, but Lavy's system is exciting and effective if the skaters outwork the opposition. How do you "outwork the opposition?" Your execution has to be excellent. Passes have to go tape-to-tape, you have to hit early and often to establish a physical game, wear down the opposition a bit....your D-men have to be calm and smart on the outlet passes, your fwds have to maintain a smart gap and not leave the D stranded...etc.

When the execution is bad a good team will take advantage of all the mistakes. Who's left to hold the fort? Bryzgalov and he's a pretty weak link let's face it. Plus, our D-men aren't exactly (as a whole) a big, nasty, crease-clearing bunch - so the goalie is exposed to backdoor plays, cross-ice passes and doorstep tip-ins. He played okay in the Devils series but "okay" couldn't save the Flyers from themselves. The skaters didn't generate nearly enough scoring chances and in Lavy's system that equals defeat.

[Mad Dog]

@canoli

But then why do *you* think the players didn't generate enough chances in the Devil's zone? What is *your* theory? Is this group of players then simply not the right group to execute this "system"?

[mojo1917]

@maddog

i think they needed surgery to fix their broken body parts and didn't want to or more likely couldn't pay the price vs the devils...they did generate some chances but missed, you cannot do that against a Marty Broudeur team.

[canoli]

But then why do *you* think the players didn't generate enough chances in the Devil's zone?

well that's the $64K question isn't it? I think Mojo offers a substantial reason and maybe that's all there is to it. They certainly looked like a different team didn't they, from the one who rushed the puck so well in R1? I mean it was night n day - and coaching or "systems" or any of that stuff doesn't begin to explain it imho. Even Jagr is mystified. For once our goalie played like an NHL goalie - a Biron-esque performance when Biron was good - and that should've been good enough. But our skaters didn't do enough with the puck - well, except turn it over every other shift.

So maybe it's injuries. It's a lame "excuse" but maybe it is the real reason...?

[Mad Dog]

@mojo1917

@canoli

Ok, I am certainly giving some credit to the fact that the players were beat up after the Pittsburgh series. But I don't know if that was all on the injuries, honestly... And the types of injuries that were reported to us don't look so terrible. I feared worse: like players playing with dislocated shoulders or fractured knee. Giroux and Simmonds had wrist/finger issues. Those types of injuries are not something that will make, like you said yourself, a "night and day difference".

If they were creating tons of chances, and it would just be Brodeur who decided the outcomes (as it happened throusands of times before), I would simply shrug this off to a bad luck and just a more superior goaltending (which was actually the case anyway, but not to teh point that it was a difference making factor). But the Flyers were grossly oumatched and outplayed in every single aspect of the game. They seemed lost in pretty much every game of that series. Are we really going to chalk this up to the wrist injuries and finger injuries? The line combos looked out of sink. They couldn't organize the rush. They didn't seem interested in forechecking. The defense looked in a disarray... I just don't know. They honestly looked like a team who didn't belong in the same league with the Devils. And remember, that Devils team *almost* lost to Florida and advanced only thanks to an OT goal in Game 7. In that entire series, Florida looked like a better team, actually. You can't turn a blind eye to all this.

And don't forget, the Flyers had the entire full week off before the series began.

Maybe I am looking for something that wasn't there, but something tells me there's gotta be something more to it.

[radoran]

well that's the $64K question isn't it? I think Mojo offers a substantial reason and maybe that's all there is to it. They certainly looked like a different team didn't they, from the one who rushed the puck so well in R1? I mean it was night n day - and coaching or "systems" or any of that stuff doesn't begin to explain it imho. Even Jagr is mystified. For once our goalie played like an NHL goalie - a Biron-esque performance when Biron was good - and that should've been good enough. But our skaters didn't do enough with the puck - well, except turn it over every other shift.

So maybe it's injuries. It's a lame "excuse" but maybe it is the real reason...?

I'll go with "out of gas"

Jagr hadn't played more than 55 games in 3 years.

Read, Couturier, Schenn - rookies.

Timonen was supposed to get reduced minutes with Pronger, but with Pronger, Meszaros and Grossmann hurt, he played more down the stretch.

Simmonds and Voracek had never played this many games, much less getting into the Second Round.

And the injuries certainly didn't help. I think that the wrist/finger issues might be underestaimated. This is a game that features a "wrist shot" and Simmonds missed at least two open nets with that broken finger. I would also say that Bryz's foot injury could not have come at a worse time.

This is perhaps the most difficult trophy to win in sports. Given that the overwhelming opinion of the Flyers was that they would take a step back and not be able to replace the scoring they lost, I don't see this is all doom and gloom because they lost in the second round.

I see a young team with a solid core that gained valuable experience and is poised to seriously and legitimately compete for the next few seasons.

[canoli]

no it's far from "doom n gloom." Except for the overpaid clown in net I'm very optimistic about the Flyers; I can see them advancing further next year if Bryzgalov gives us something that resembles NHL goaltending.

But it was pretty disturbing to see the way they lost - as MD said, totally outplayed in all 3 zones, (pretty much) all 5 games.

The injuries, though maybe not seriously-debilitating certainly affected their play. Skating quite a few first-time PO performers took its toll. I guess that adds up to "out of gas."

Having to wait a week to try and get the intensity back didn't help either. I bet many guys "decompressed" during that week and when the 2nd round started their bodies didn't respond. They couldn't adjust quickly enough to get back into game mode, especially 2nd-round-of-the-playoffs game mode. The team was out of sync and couldn't recover the chemistry they had earlier.