One of the main reasons why I enjoy hockey analytics (and, in the same breath, enjoy basketball analytics) is because the tactics of the sport fascinate me. Organizations and coaching staffs are continually trying out new things, working new theories, to varying degrees of success. Good groups aren't just innovative; they know when to scrap a crappy idea.
Paul MacLean, we know, is a student of Mike Babcock. Babcock, to me, is head-and-shoulders above any coach in the league. He's a brilliant guy, and it's really not surprising to see so many coaches mimicking his coaching mentality. If you can't come up with something better, at least match what's currently available. That makes sense to me, anyway.
There was an interesting quote provided today by Paul MacLean on how he arranges line combinations in the forward ranks.
What we're first looking for is the chemistry of someone that kind fan one another easier. If it gets beyond that then we start looking at the components of the line where, is someone going to be the shooter? Is someone going to be the one that drives the net? Is someone going to do the dirty work on the line, whether it's in the opponents zone or on the back check? We have a lot of different types of players that add all of those things and at some point we make a decision as to who it is. Maybe it'll be someone who rotates through too. In the past I've been a believer that if two guys can get chemistry the third guy can always change depending on circumstance. We'd like to get something going but if we don't we're prepared to keep going along, moving people in and out.
Emphasis added.
The idea to arrange combinations by duos, not trios,
isn't unique to just Ottawa. As pointed out by many on Twitter (
Mr. Drance beat the others to the punch for first honors), this seemed to
recently stem from the likes of Mike Babcock in Detroit, and has trickled down to other coaches around the league -- guys like Todd McLellan and Alain Vigneault come to mind.
But, as
WoodGuy55 pointed out, the practice ran well before Babcock's time. Like, how about the dynastic Oilers?
I guess what's fair to say is that this has been practiced for many years, and recently the torch has been carried by Mike Babcock and various disciples.
This theory will be particularly interesting to watch, in practice, when it comes to Ottawa's second-line. We see the Kyle Turris/Clarke MacArthur duo seems to be a favorite of MacLean's. Who is the third-player? My guess is a rotation of guys -- whoever is riding hot at the time being.
A lot of us suspected as much heading into the season. Certainly makes you wonder if the top-line of Ryan-Spezza-Michalek is as bulletproof as once thought, though. Is there a chance Bobby Ryan could be shifted through the lineup, with MacLean keeping the Spezza-Michalek duo in tact? I'd say it's not an impossibility.
Interesting stuff on a Sunday afternoon.
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Thanks for reading!
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