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November 16, 2017
Let’s Play Hockey
www.letsplayhockey.com
Players are bigger, faster, stronger But are they better playmakers?
By Jack Blatherwick Let’s Play Hockey Columnist
Ap file photo
It’s painfully common for old guys like me to lament the way things are, and exaggerate the way things were. So I’ll list facts, quote experts and keep my opinion to a minimum. Compared to NHL teams 40 years ago, today’s players are bigger, faster (on tests of skating speed) and stronger (on tests in the weight room). But are they better playmakers than Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Neal Broten and other geniuses from past generations? I asked some experts (older scouts, so I admit this is not a random sample) and they said unanimously, “Skating has improved, but playmaking abilities have not.” They added that high school and junior players have a similar profile. “There are exceptions of course, like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nicklas Backstrom and other creative playmakers,” said one scout. “But today’s game is all about team defense, not offense. This is not to say that players are not as skillful today. They simply are not able to use their skills in games.” Four decades of testing (3,500 players, 150 teams) verify that, at every level from the NHL down, skating speed is at least a standard deviation faster today. This means
the speed of an average skater today (50th percentile) would have been in the top 15-20 percent of players 40 years ago. Actually, it was the slowest players in those days who brought the average down because some of the fastest skaters in the 1970s and 80s were just as fast as today’s speedsters. Today, everyone can skate. The disparity a generation or two ago, between the Are today’s players better playmakers than Igor Larionov (above) or Stan Mikita or Wayne Gretzky? fastest and slowest players, might partially explain why the top ganized with tournaments, showcases and players could make dominant offensive “big games” that teams must win in order plays more readily: 1) They could occasion- to satisfy the ego of their collective parent ally beat a D using nothing but skating su- group. Consider this: Fourteen sets of parents periority, and 2) they had more time and on any team are not overly happy when a space to make plays. But are there other reasons? Yes, the big- young defenseman tries out his newest gest difference is the hockey culture. Youth stickhandling move and turns the puck over hockey has become so “important,” so or- in front of the goaltender. Forty years ago,
that same youngster would have honed those skills on an outside pond with only the moon to witness. As a result, coaches today emphasize winning, not patience for trial-and-error in games. Shift after shift, the attribute most rewarded today is hustle, not creativity. That’s a major factor if we’re hoping to develop rink-wise players because the most important skill is instantaneous, creative problem solving – the ability to quickly create solutions to unforeseen obstacles and opportunities that show up every second in a game. Since hustle has replaced creativity in these four decades, it’s easier for coaches to give up on imperfect skills in games and just emphasize defense. Forecheck hard. Backcheck and play the system in the defensive zone. Nothing wrong with hustle and solid defense, of course, but we are not developing enough Connor McDavids and Erik Karlssons. So for the privilege of watching bigger, faster, stronger players execute a defensefirst system, we spectators get to pay 100 times more for a ticket than we did 4-5 decades ago. This is fact, not exaggeration. When you add in the mandatory contribution to a college “fund.” this is the ticket price in some – not all – college arenas.
Nominate your PeeWee or Bantam for the Patrick Schoonover Award Fourth annual award to be presented at the 2018 Minnesota Boys’ High School Hockey State Tournament Banquet
Nominations are currently being accepted for the fourth annual Patrick Schoonover Award to honor a Minnesota PeeWee or Bantam hockey player who best exemplifies Patrick’s ideals of hard work, high character, loyalty, honesty, humor and athletic achievement. On the ice for his Eastview Bantam AA team, Patrick Schoonover was a leader, defender and excellent teammate. Off the ice, he was a
leader, defender, excellent friend and classmate, loving brother and son. In recognition of the way he led his life, Let’s Play Hockey and the Minnesota Wild are proud to present the Patrick Schoonover Award. Nominations can be made by youth hockey coaches and parents, with the winner selected by Let’s Play Hockey staff and the Schoonover family. The winner of the 2017 Patrick Schoonover Award will be presented at
the Boys’ High School Hockey State Tournament Banquet in March at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The winner and the Schoonover family will make the “Let’s Play Hockey” announcement at a Minnesota Wild game, and a permanent display for the award is installed at Xcel Energy Center. Past winners: 2017 Griffin Ludtke (Lakeville South Bantam AA), 2016 Josh Karels (Cottage Grove
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Bantam A), 2015 Ben Doherty (Alexandria Bantam A). To nominate a player for the Patrick Schoonover Award, go to www.letsplayhockey.com and click on the “Awards” tab, or e-mail editor@letsplayhockey.com to receive a nomination form. Nominations are due by noon on Friday, Feb. 16.
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