Reese changing Mason

[brelic]

From Yahoo: http://sports.yahoo....-204849156.html

Does anyone think Reese is a good goaltending coach? I'm asking seriously. In the bolded part below, he's been coaching Mason to stay further back into his net, making him smaller. He may have made the same adjustments with Bryz and Bob, and look how those turned out. Bob looked so freaking small here, and in Columbus, he says that the goaltending coach there has coached him to use his size and come out of his net more.

It seems Lemelin wasn't much better. What options do we have? Surely there are better coaches than Reese and Lemelin out there, no?

The most encouraging part of Steve Mason’s 4-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night wasn’t his 38 saves. It wasn’t how he recovered from a leg cramp and kept playing. It wasn’t even how Jakub Voracek, another former Columbus Blue Jacket, said he was “exactly the same” as he was in 2008-09, when he won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.

It was this:

“He looked really calm out there,” said veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen. “Every time someone looks that calm, it makes us more confident.”

Philadelphia seems like a funny place for a goaltender to find calmness and inspire confidence, especially in his first home game, and Mason seemed like a funny choice for the Flyers when they acquired him at the trade deadline and signed him to a one-year extension.

Philly has destroyed the psyche of goalie after goalie. Mason crumbled in Columbus after winning the Calder. Jackets fans would caution anyone about getting too excited too quickly, because Mason can look brilliant, then anything but.

However, Mason accepted a $1.5 million extension when he would have been due a $3.2 million qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, knowing he might not have gotten that qualifying offer and needs to prove himself. And he’s fine with Philly, despite the potential boos, the pressure from the media and the porous defense of the Flyers.

“The last three years in Columbus have been a drain from a mental standpoint,” Mason said. “There have been so many negatives there. So to come here and get a fresh start with a new organization and new teammates, it’s just a breath of fresh air. I’m really looking forward to it and savoring it.”

Mason is athletic and an active puck-handler. He can break up plays behind the net. But the key to his success in Philly might be keeping it simple. Goaltending coach Jeff Reese is already working with him on staying farther back in the crease, taking advantage of his 6-foot-4 frame, playing the percentages, letting the game come to him. In his first four games with the Flyers – a 20-minute relief appearance and three starts – he went 1-2-0, but with a 1.82 goals-against average and .941 save percentage.

“So far,” Mason said, “it’s paying off.”

[Lucky13]

I can't think of any goalie since Pelle or Hexy who's come to Philly and gotten better while he was here.

[Claude Monet]

@Lucky13

I'd say Esche but that was because of Hitchcock

[OH1FlyersFan]

Does anyone think Reese is a good goaltending coach? I'm asking seriously. In the bolded part below, he's been coaching Mason to stay further back into his net, making him smaller. He may have made the same adjustments with Bryz and Bob, and look how those turned out.

Now you've got me scared to death. That would be another disaster of bryztastic proportions. I just watched the Carolina game and really liked how Mason looked in the last 2:30 when the Flyers were playing 4 on 6. He looked really good. Calm, not panicked, made some really good point blank saves. I'm thinking leave the kid pretty much alone and let him do his thing. Just work on rebuilding his confidence.

[aziz]

<br />He may have made the same adjustments with Bryz and Bob, and look how those turned out. Bob looked so freaking small here, and in Columbus, he says that the goaltending coach there has coached him to use his size and come out of his net more.<br />

well, dunno. I don't know what he's done with bryzgalov, don't think he could do anything with bryzgalov. actually not knocking him this time, but a 30+ yearold goalie isn't going to make major changes to his game.

bob is an interesting one, because he used to come out a lot, and I know reese pushed him back in his crease. he's a big guy, but his stance has him really crouched over, sacrificing most of that size. he was getting beat by guys passing around him, a problem with coming out too far, but...pushing him back highlights issues with his stance. you get to the point of completely rebuilding a goalie, and then the guy has basically gotten rid of everything that made him successful to that point in his career. new stance, new angles, new everything, and you end up with a confused mess. looks like Columbus is trying to bring it back to bob's game and figure out where the happy medium is.

mason is an even bigger guy, and his stance isn't as spreadout/low as bob's. makes sense to have him deeper in the net. gives him more time to look at incoming shots, and a better chance on cross-ice plays. if you can do that without changing other things about his game, seems like a good idea to me.

also, really, mason really has had major major problems for the last several years. his game, as it was when he showed up in philly, wasn't getting it done. changing things strikes me as a good idea in of itself, let him process the game in front of him differently. mentally, I think that helps him step out of the muck he got himself into in Columbus, just to have a different mechanic to focus on, force him to reevaluate what he sees in front of him.

as far as I can tell, reese is pretty well respected around the league. he hasn't had a ton of success, but imo, that is as much to do with the crap he had to work with and the front office's need to keep shifting things around on him.

Edited April 21, 2013 by aziz

[Poulin20]

I thought he might be when he coached the Bulin Wall to the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay and then when Leights and Boosh seemingly got superhuman talent for the 1st 3 rounds of the 2010 playoffs but now I am not so sure as we have had pretty much have had the goal tending equivalent of raw sewage since the 2010 sc finals began until present. That is not a good track record. Plus with Bob moving on and doing well it makes you wonder.

On the other side of the coin you could argue that Reese was given bunch of turds to polish outside of Bob who was just not ready yet to take that next step until now. In the end though I would say that he is at least partially to blame for all this as he needs to get more out of these guys even if they are not great IMHO.

[toughfighter83]

berie parent? he would be good goalie coach.

hexy would have been a good goalie coach, but they let him go.

Edited April 21, 2013 by toughfighter83

[aziz]

What makes you think either of them would be good goalie coaches?

[murraycraven]

Oh the days Berie!

Berie, berie, Berie! Maybe they can bring back Pelle to work with Bryz...

Edited April 21, 2013 by murraycraven

[jammer2]

Saw a ton of Mason when he played for the Spits biggetst rival, the London Knights. Was not at all shocked to see him win rookie of the year, guy has an outstanding skill set. From what I can tell, he got in a rut he could not get himself out of. If ever a player needed a change of scenery to right the ship, it's Mason. Gotta be some mental confidence issues going on there, but like many, I'm really excited to see what he can do going forward. Wow, if I had a buck for every time he outright robbed the Spits, I'd be retired. He's legit.

[hf101]

Meltzer wrote another great blog evaluating Reese, Bryz, Bob and others.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Bill-Meltzer/Meltzers-Musings-On-Reese-Bryzgalov-and-Granqvist/45/53297#.UgfskJLrzV0

[jammer2]

@hf101 Thanks for posting that, gave me some clarity in regards to Reese. It seems on the surface that he's doing a good job. I know he sucked as an actual goaltender, but that does not mean he can't teach the position. Having read that article, it gives me a bit more confidence in Reese. I've never been able to get an accurate read on goalie coach's, they are a lot like pitching coach's, really tough to say how much impact they have. Even the finished product we see on the ice, it's tough to say how much impact the coach had in that. How much they are to fault when a goalie starts to stink, it's a really tough call, one of the most subjective things in pro sports I believe.

[doom88]

Look at Bobrovsky and his development for the rookie year, back when the goalie situation was more fair. Reese can coach, but you can't force anyone to learn.

[NRH]

I'd more readily blame reese for our current goalie woes than the goalies.

[doom88]

I'd more readily blame reese for our current goalie woes than the goalies.

I'd blame Ed Snider, Ilya Bryzgalov, Peter Laviolette, and Michael *****g Leighton in that order. Ed for bringing in Bryz, Bryz for sucking and partially forcing out Bobrovsky, Lavy for the three ring circus in net for the playoffs and playing Bob that extra game that wiped out waiver exemption, and finally Leaky for terrible play and losing the cup and conning the team into an extension with a hidden back injury. Nothing Reese could do with that level of dysfunction.

Finally, why aren't the millionaire athletes held accountable? The best coaches mean nothing if the player doesn't listen (Bryzaster).

[jammer2]

@doom88 Agreed doomster, you can lead a horse to water, but can't force him to drink it.

[NRH]

Blaming Leighton for all those shut-outs that got them to the cup finals

Bob for ****ting the bed every chance that gave him?

Bryz for coming to a new team that supposedly hated him and played like ass in front of him and the nights he played well IE the Jersey series where he shut out the devils for 2 quarters while his team durdled around in front of him? He may not have been the answer to our goalie woes, but neither was Grossman and the other 35+ year old d-men that just skated in circles hoping that by some miracle Chris Pronger would show up in the locker room suited up and ready to play.

Lavi? I dunno, he turned Giroux into a scoring machine that pretty much matched both carter and Richards after they left.

Ed is really the only thing that makes sense to blame. No goalie is going to steal you 12 games in a play-off run, why everyone expected it to happen is beyond me. Tukka couldn't even keep up with the barrage that the Bruins let him endure.

19 skaters to a team and you are all so focused on the coaches, owners and the lone goal keeper to win you a cup.

and yes, I KNOW there are 20 skaters, but if you're counting on the back-up keeper to change the face of a team down so many goals that he had to be used in the first place you might as well go play golf.

Edited August 18, 2013 by NarrowRoadHeros

[doom88]

If that was to me, please retype something coherent that doesn't contradict itself. Hockey has periods not quarters, Reese is a coach, and Bryzgalov was the biggest team chemistry killer I have ever seen. Also, do you even remember the exact shot that lost the Cup? Or Leaky's subsequent contract fraud? Maybe Bobrovsky's development trajectory? Hardly crapping the bed every time. Yet you preach patience with a veteran goalie who actually speaks the language?

The goalie mess is absolutely not the goaltending coach's fault in this exclusive case, ironically and for once. Lemelin was garbage though.

[falcor1313]

Hockey has periods not quarters

All time biggest violation in my book

[doom88]

All time biggest violation in my book

Ever see Kuato post on the prior forum?

[aziz]

Bryz for coming to a new team that supposedly hated him and played like ass in front of him and the nights he played well IE the Jersey series where he shut out the devils for 2 quarters while his team durdled around in front of him?

even ignoring the "quarters" thing (though...is it even possible for a hockey fan to make that mistake?), what are you talking about??

[LegionOfDoom]

The spirit of NRH is pretty spot on, Bryz was thrown into a situation and like many before him, faultered. Is it his fault...No. Money aside the Organization put this upon themselves and they ARE TO BLAME. They realized that GOALTENDING IS KEY!!!!!!!!!! Muthersuckers. WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING. Ya you'll get an occassional situation where you can win a cup with shadey goaltending....ahem.chicago vs. Philly SCF.(both had teetering goalies).

Bryz just put himself(or his management did) up for scrutiny when he went for the Big Money Contract...greed and pride can do that. He should of signed for a modest amount in terms and length and work from there. He has learned a valuable lesson at a costly price...pride and career.

Leighton is typical of some people, you get nervous and you do the wrong things. He should of had more character and been up front. It's hard to judge without knowing the whole situation on his part.

Bob was a rookie and has an all access pass for his messups whether in the first inning or after the 4th quarter double overtime it's all the same.

Bottom line we went through a time where there have been shifts in mentality to some extent. It looks like now we are on the right track in keeping our youth, developing them. Putting an emphasis on drafting D, with a time window. Adding offensive defensemen to help out on our style of play/coaching.

Blaming in the past...it is what it is. Reese is OK. as a goaltending coach.

Though I'm suspect of our trainer, not a bad guy, but I feel he emphasizes on the wrong things and focus should be on stretching, inner and outer core strengthening and high flexibility, learning how to fall properly and body awareness are keys to demote injuries. Injuries will occur, but learning these things will minimize potential injuries that could of been avoided or lessoned.

There's a job that's gotta be done out there....LET'S GET TO WORK and LET'S GET IT DONE.

[jammer2]

@LegionOfDoom "Ya you'll get an occassional situation where you can win a cup with shadey goaltending....ahem.chicago vs. Philly SCF.(both had teetering goalies)."

Nemi never stood on his head, but made enough big saves when he had to, ultimately, he bent but did not break. Nemi has proven himself over the past few years in San Jose, some might disagree, but I think he's a top 10 goalie in this league. I'd rather have him than Lehtonen, Miller, Pavelec, or maybe even Backstrom.....all goalies that are widely considered respectable.

"though I'm suspect of our trainer, not a bad guy, but I feel he emphasizes on the wrong things and focus should be on stretching, inner and outer core strengthening and high flexibility, learning how to fall properly and body awareness are keys to demote injuries. Injuries will occur, but learning these things will minimize potential injuries that could of been avoided or lessoned."

I will admit, I'm no expert on trainers, not even close, but if it walks like a duck....there is enough injury evidence that a change should be made, impossible to really lay blame, but just a gut feeling, McCrossin could indeed be the problem. The real way to solve this is process of elimination, which requires cutting his ass to see if he is the problem.

"Bob was a rookie and has an all access pass for his messups whether in the first inning or after the 4th quarter double overtime it's all the same."

Really? I think Bob had WAY to short of a leash in the playoffs that year, one bad period and he was never spotted again, despite playing his heart out in a tough loss the game before. I often wonder how different things would have been if Lavi went back to Bob at some point, cause with a talent like that, if he got hot, he could have won it all.

[radoran]

Really? I think Bob had WAY to short of a leash in the playoffs that year, one bad period and he was never spotted again, despite playing his heart out in a tough loss the game before. I often wonder how different things would have been if Lavi went back to Bob at some point, cause with a talent like that, if he got hot, he could have won it all.

You are absolutely right. The concept that Bob got a fair chance is absurd and laughable on the face of it.

After putting up a 1.02/.960 in his first NHL playoff game ever he is pulled 13 minutes into his second NHL playoff game ever and doesn't even see the ice again for two weeks. Then he gets another "chance" to start with the team down 3-0, on the road in Boston.

I can understand wanting to find some "reason" that the Bryzgalov move (and subsequent dealing of Bob) was a "good idea" and "the right thing to do" in order to excuse the abject failure of management to do their due diligence on the player before committing the organization's future for the next decade but I'm sorry, Mrs. Holmgren, it doesn't work that way.

Reality bites.

[DaGreatGazoo]

Regarding the Mason in Columbus, if this comment is true, how the hell does a coach keep his job?

" It's been at least alleged that there was a communication gap between Mason and his Columbus goaltending coaches, supposedly including the goalie wearing the wrong-sized pads and never having it pointed out to him."