Poulin20 Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 For the next installment we will recap the Coach Hakstol session. Like Hexy, Hakstol was greated warmly by the fans and was welcomed to the city by the first questioner. After the welcome though the first questioner brought up shootouts and mentioned how we have already left 6 points on the table this year due to the dreaded shootout and we could be chasing the Isles if we didnt lose all those points. He asked Haks point blank if he had any sort of plan to try an improve on our S/O performance and continued on to say that other teams seem to be at least .500 at the S/O and we have never been able to figure out out after all these years. He told Haks to google our record historically in S/Os. Coach said that he "Didn't need to Google anything" and continued that when he was being considered for this job all he heard about was that "the Flyers can't win / suck in the shootout". He says if there were a magic switch he would flip it and they are perfectly aware how bad they are at it. Haks said the key is a combo of ability (in the S/O not overall ability) and mentality and they need to work on both. He said it is something they are addressing, have addressed and continue to address and no matter what he and we think of them they are part of our league and we have to deal with them. He said that they are fully aware how valuable those points are that we lose and he wishes he could tell us that they had a plan in place that worked so well that guaranteed that we won the next S/O, he said he cant guarantee that but can guarantee that they are working on it. The next question was regarding the fact that the Flyers seem to give up a lot of goals 6 on 5 when the goalie is pulled, the questioner wanted to know if this was something that they are constantly evaluating and working on. Haks agreed that we have given up too many and attributed some of it to them playing in a lot of close games however after the near miss with the big save vs Minny Coach said that they had to make some real changes. He said since then they have made a structural change which he calls a "Box + 1" he said the big change has been that they have modified how aggressive the "+1" guy is going to play in terms of pressuring on the 1/2 wall and stepping outside of the middle of the box rather than allowing time and space along the 1/2 wall. He said they are going to go to a more "3 side situation". He also said it was not so much that we didnt pressure the opposing teams in this situation but that that our timing of when we pressured was not right and when 1 guy does pressure we have to make sure that the others all recognize that and step up their pressure as well, they all have to be on the same page which they were apparently not. He said a change was made in the last week on this and while he doesnt like making changes this late in the year however something had to be done to make it better for our personnel. The final point Haks made was that you have to make adjustments that fit the personnel you have on the ice. The next question was how do you deal with the team not playing a full 60 mins as it seems that at different times this year we have taken different periods off. Coach said that teams consistently have to address consistency and complacency issues and that he admitted that the team flat out quit midway through the 3rd period vs Calgary for about 6-7 mins. He said that this time of year consistency from game to game, period to period and even shift to shift dictates the outcome. Coach said that all teams deal with ebbs and flows during a game and he asked us to show him a team that plays a 60 min game consistently night after night after night. The problem and the thing to avoid is complacency which is what he again used to describe the 2nd half of the 3rd period of the Flames game. He said the few times we have had multiple goal leads we have taken things for granted and have let the other team back in the game and that has to improve. He said what he does like to see is how well we play with a 1 goal lead. He mentioned that it was quite ironic that the best 60 min game we played all year was the Canes game which we lost. Then there was a question about how Coach H decided to put the players together on the PP unit and the lines together at even strength. He said that he could speak on this subject for hours and if we "only knew" about the number of line combos he has written down on napkins, and pieces of paper in his car, bedroom, and even in the bathroom. He said you have to evaluate and look at everything. Coach went on to say that it all starts in training camp and that they look at what abilites, talents, and even personalities fit together and that you just have to try stuff. He continued that the season is not as long is one might think and there is not a lot of time for experimentation so when they do make changes a lot of thought has gone into it, specifically as to why the new combo might be better than the stats quo. With forward lines he said they look for pairs of players to go together based on abilites that compliment each other. However he said you cant imagine how many times things look good on paper and then in practice they fail because of personalities and "chemistry just not being there". Bottom line lots of thought and watching tape goes into making the lines but it is a crap shoot. For the #1 PP unit they said that the same unit that has been together for a few years (with the exception of Ghost who kind of took over Streit's role) and they were lethal for a long time. Then this year before Ghost, the unit struggled. Coach H said that he attribues that to scouting by the opposition. He thinks that they found a good formula and that all teams began using it against them in the "copy cat league" they play in. Then Ghost came in and shook things up but at the same time Haks said that the other 4 began playing better at the same time. He said that Ghost adds his own element of playmaking and one timing a puck. Haks said that he "one times a puck as well as anyone" he has ever seen.and that this is a major talent. He continued that you dont even have to put a puck in his wheelhouse in order for him to nail that one timer. In summary he said, while Ghost is a factor in the success of the #1 PP unit he is only 20% of why it is doing so well and that we have to give credit to the others as well as they have really stepped up their execution. The next question was about how Haks motivates players who are pressing or are not playing up to their ability. Coach said it depends on the situation. It could be lackadaisical play or a pressing too hard or somewhere in between. He continued that usually there is more going on that meets the eye and every player is very different. If he feels they are pressing then he said sometimes a trip to the press box is what they need to break the negative momentum. If he feels they are not pushing hard enough then maybe they need to watch a game, which he thinks works better than a 10 minute conversation of the ice or in the locker room. He said that every player wants to do well but sometimes they dont know how to or lose their way or need a kick in the pants or just a little bit in between, he said in his first year it has been a challenge to learn all about the different players, what makes them tick and how they react in different situations. Then there was a question about if Coach had any issues commanding the locker room when he first came on the scene and if there are any players that stepped up and led other players / the team unexpectedly. Coach H said that he works hard at what he does and has a plan in place and just goes about his business and whatever happens, happens. He said that there are no guarantees that this will be successful but this is the way he runs the team (executing a well thought out plan). He said we have a special group of players and that there trying hard to grow and develop and that within that group many have leadership abilities (maybe even unbeknownst to them). He said there are some vocal leaders in the locker room and some who lead by just being consummate pros. The final question of the session was if he found the NHL to be different from college and if the team is as he thought it would be when he joined. Coach said that you would be surprised to hear that in terms of daily hockey business there is not much difference for him. Yes the league is different and he has not dealt with certain challenges at the NHL level but he has dealt with the challenges in the game of hockey in his career so he is not finding it too much different especially when it comes to things that impact the team inside the locker room. Regarding the part about the team and if it was as he thought it would be he said yes that Hexy explained everything very honestly about the team during the interview process and everything was/is crystal clear to him about the team. He likes the group and was glad nobody was traded. He is glad that for the most part the team we started with is the team we will finish with and their goal is clear which is to finish strong and try and make the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ8812 Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Thanks again! Wish someone would have asked him what the strategy was behind our defense continually allowing and ignoring the opposing players set up between them and our goalie. It's got to be one of the dumbest things this team always does, especially on the PK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 @Poulin20 as usual..GREAT STUFF! Love to hear how talented Ghost really is and that he is only going to get better. Interesting remarks about the dreaded shootout. As we all know, this is one area the Fyers MUST improve upon during the regular season. I'm sure once Konecny makes the squad, I'm very hopeful, with his skill set, that the Flyers start to win more of those shoot outs. I can't wait to see him full time in O&B. Great insight! Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJgoal Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Great read, thanks Poulin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ8812 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 13 hours ago, RJ8812 said: Thanks again! Wish someone would have asked him what the strategy was behind our defense continually allowing and ignoring the opposing players set up between them and our goalie. It's got to be one of the dumbest things this team always does, especially on the PK ocne again, a goal scored because our defense allowed the opposing players to set up between them and our goalie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 These STH reviews are always so great...it's the best info we ever get about the team. I feel like I was in the room myself reading your stuff. I know transcribing all that is a lot of work, typing it all out etc. It's greatly appreciated Poul - thanks very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poulin20 Posted March 8, 2016 Author Share Posted March 8, 2016 As always thanks so much for your kind words. It is a pleasure to be able to share this info I am privileged to be privy to with you guys who really care about it and are very interested to know what is happening behind the scenes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 @Poulin20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poulin20 Posted March 8, 2016 Author Share Posted March 8, 2016 LOL Thanks MC, I love that movie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks again for putting this up for all of us to read. It's appreciated much more than you probably think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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