Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Why Martin St. Louis Lost Respect, Boring Big-Rink Games vs. NHL Style

March 19, 2014, 12:39 PM ET [20 Comments]
Brad Marsh
Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Thank you to everyone who gave feedback -- positive or critical -- about my blog last week on which teams I am rooting for and against during the stretch drive. These are just my personal opinions and I fully expect that some will agree and others will disagree.

I do want to clarify one thing I wrote last week. In saying that the fans of franchises like Columbus and the sunbelt teams do not deserve a winning team, I was NOT referring to the loyal diehards who know the game and have stayed with the clubs through thick and thin. I was referring to the general indifference of people in those markets.

As someone whose NHL career began in Atlanta and holds some happy memories of that time, I should have better clarified that I wasn't painting everyone with the same brush.

Anyway, let's go on to this week's mixed bag of opinions on the goings-on around hockey.


Playoff Race / Update

As I have said many times, the last half of the season is always the best hockey, with the hockey getting better and better with each passing week. The "stretch” drive of the remaining 10 – 15 games of the season is going to be great hockey. There are lots of story lines every night.

In last week’s blog I talked about the teams that I cheer for, which are the teams that I played for and the Canadian teams. It doesn’t look good for some of them.

Of the teams that I played for, now only the Flyers and the Leafs are in the playoffs. The Flyers are hot after winning the last three games against teams ahead of them in the league standings. I know the Flyers have a very tough schedule ahead of them but if they manage to get through it and make the playoffs, they will be a contender and quite possibly could win the East.

The Leafs on the other hand are playing very hot and very cold, their #1 goalie is injured and the media analyzes every move and every shift. It’s very tough to be positive in that environment. It’s almost like the media want them to fail so they can be negative in their reports , the stretch drive for them will be very tense.

The Red Wings need to win and they need some help down the stretch. That was always an odd feeling when you are left cheering for other NHL teams to beat specific teams that you are in the race with.

It doesn’t look good for the Canadian teams, as of today only Montreal and Toronto are in but they are far from a lock, any stumble down the stretch and they will drop out of contention and fast. I guess you could say that Vancouver and Winnipeg still have a chance, but both teams only have 3 wins each in their last 10 games. It’s pretty tough to move up in the standings when you aren’t winning.

My old team, the Ottawa Senators, have self destructed over the last 10 games, so they are out of it. In their case, it’s hard to win games when you do not even show up to play in those games.

Impact of 2014 Deadline Deals

Well, it has been two weeks since the big trade deadline. I always wonder if the GMs and the fans of those teams are happy with the deals that were done or in many cases not done.

While I’m not about to look up each and every deal to see what all the players have done since the deadline, the two names that I keep hearing about are Ryan Miller and Martin St.Louis. How good the one player is playing and what’s wrong with the other. I am sure that you all know who is who.

The Blues have gone 8-0-1 since acquiring Miller, his save percentage is .933. The Blues might well win the Stanley Cup with this move; not only is Miller stopping the puck, he has made the players that play in front of him better.

Martin St.Louis has yet to score for the Rangers -- he had one credited and then taken away last night -- and only has 3 assists in 8 games since the trade.It’s a far cry from the 62 points he had with the Lightning, and I’m sure it’s a far cry from what GM Glen Sather and the Ranger fans wanted to see up until this point.

I watched St.Louis play last night here in Ottawa and he looked lost, a deer in the headlights. So to echo what the reporters are asking , “what is wrong with Martin St.Louis?” I chuckle at the so-called experts coming up with their excuses:

* "It’s the system. He has not adapted to the Rangers system yet." That is bullcrap! He has played under many different systems in his long NHL career, including ones similar to New York's. Besides, isn't his adaptability to any system supposed to be one of his strengths?

* "It’s his new role, new teammates, new linemates. He has not got used to them yet." Again, bullcrap! I can buy that excuse for the first game or two with a new team. With each passing game, that excuse wears thinner and thinner. If St. Louis is the caliber of player we think he is, that should not a factor by this point.

* "It is moving away from Tampa, an organization that he has been with his for virtually his whole career, and his adjustment of being without his family." Day after the running of the bulls in Pamplona amount of crap on this one. He DEMANDED the trade and wanted out of Tampa. To turn around and make excuses that he is struggling by not being around the familiar environment is a joke.

Do you want the truth? A star player like St.Louis doesn’t need systems. He just competes and find a way to be “the guy”. A player the caliber of St.Louis does not adjust to their new linemates beyond the first game or two; they adjust to him. Lastly, St. Louis had to be be fully mentally prepared to go elsewhere or he wouldn't have asked for the trade in the first place.

I don’t personally know St. Louis, nor do I know anyone who knows him more than casually. So what I am about to say is just my opinion.

He had his “I didn’t get picked for the Olympic team on the first selection! I want a trade!” snit. Well, get over it, a lot of other deserving players didn’t get picked, either. And to STILL be pouting over it even after he was eventually picked and his team won the gold medal?

What kind of message is that to send to your team that you are captain of or any kid that plays sports. It is the wrong message. Pretty much everyone I respect within today's game agrees that Steve Yzerman won the trade – getting a great team LEADER who can also score plus several top draft picks in return for St. Louis.

I mentioned that he looked lost in the game last night, almost disinterested in the game, almost unsure of himself – reports are that he is already uncomfortable with the media. Perhaps, Martin is second guessing his decision, deep down he realizes he was wrong?

His request and reason for asking for the trade where not perceived well in the general public, especially up here in Canada.

Before this all went down, my opinion of St. Louis was that he he was a great story of the little guy who got overlooked and went to become a superstar. I get that those guys may feel forever driven to prove their doubters wrong. But that was long since proven and all that Martin St. Louis looks like now is a selfish individual player who puts himself above his team. Is that what he wants to be?

GM Meetings

Not a lot came out of the meetings (nothing really ever does) there were a few recommendations for rule changes and video review. But what got most of the talk was overtime and how to make it better. Not sure what they meant by better because as I have said before, I happen to think the way it is now is just fine.

The fans love the 4 on 4 and they like the shoot out even better. They said they did not like that a game was decided by the skill player taking a penalty shot. Skill players? Over the past decade they have changed the rules so many times to accommodate the skill player – now they do not want the skill player to be front and centre.

Hmm. Maybe they should play overtime and then let the fighters take over – one from each team fighting in the centre ice circle. I mean when you think about when do hockey fans cheer – goal, big hit or a fight.

Give Me NHL-Style Hockey Over IIHF-Style Any Day!

I made what I thought was a joke at a recent function that I was speaking at, it did not go over well simply because everyone thought I was serious or stating a true fact. I was talking about team play vs. playing as individuals – specifically comparing how Canada played compared to how Russia played.

I am a firm believer that team always wins, yes over time there have a few exceptions but for the most part, in all sports at any level, the team always wins. A team has to not only play together but each player has to accept his role within the team.

Everyone will agree that the Canadian and Russian teams had many, many superstars on their rosters – the difference was that the Canadians left their egos back home, the Russians did not. So my line went something like this “25 Canadians showed up on the team bus ready to go to work and the 25 Russians showed up in individual cabs ready to go to work. The difference was the Canadians entered the rink as a team with one purpose, the Russians entered the rink as individuals not sure of their purpose.

My final word is on NHL hockey vs. Olympic hockey: No comparison at all, not even close. I found the Men’s hockey at the Olympics boring, very boring. Yes the games at times were exciting because of what was at stake in the medal round but the games for the most part were not entertaining at all.

What I mean by entertaining was that there was no action in the games, no sustained pressure, no offensive creativity, very little passing – dump the puck in and then pull back to the neutral zone. Most of the games were played in the neutral zone, with 10 players basically standing still between the blue lines. The big-rink game by its nature is not the most entertaining hockey. I don't like the penalty rules of the IIHF, either, which take away whatever physical play is possible on the big rink.

What it leaves is tactically sound but sterile hockey, and that's not much fun. I am happy to be back to NHL hockey again. Bring on the Stanley Cup playoffs!
Join the Discussion: » 20 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Brad Marsh
» Consistency: The Forgotten Skill
» Xmas Blast From the Past
» Shootouts, Ugly Uniforms, Quinn and Beliveau
» Let It Snow: The Joys of Backyard Rinks and Canadian Blizzards
» Hexy Scored a Goal, I Had My Head Examined