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Joel Quenneville is already making headlines as a Rangers team that was “loaded for bear… finds itself finished for the post season.
What probably should have been a closed door meeting got uncomfortably public as Winnipeg exited and the coach criticized the team. Blake Wheeler then struck back and none of it helps Anyone.
The locker room used to be a near sacred place of meeting that was out of reach to all but the players and staff who rose to the ranks of the best hockey league in the world. Part of me relents the loss of that exclusive athletic forge where dynasties were sculpted as a metal worker forges their creations.
As camera phones/smart phones became more and more prevalent, some coaches had fines for players if a phone went off during a meeting. Some wouldn’t allow them into the inner rooms where meetings and strategies take place. Yes, for most of us the frustration of “upper body…, “Lower Body…, “personal day… and what seemed to be approved talking points became tiresome. But, the majestic nature of a team coming together and blocking out the rest of the world gave an almost warrior mentality and feel to the make up of an NHL team.
Unfortunately, for about the past decade, more and more stories are making their way into the news during the off months. Players being arrested, accused, even filmed at their worst. Locker room disconnect and problems being reported. Not a great look.
We know surprisingly little about the fallout of Detroit and Vrana this past season. We also know very little about the seemingly few contract talks held with Bertuzzi. We only know the resulting actions.
Steve lived through Bob Probert going through the worst time of his (all too short) life. McCarty was rumored to have had issues that ultimately led to big life changes before he rejoined the organization just before the 2008 cup was lifted. D-Mac was pressed to make changes and be humbled and rose to the occasion.
Hockey, to me, is interesting in this. You could be on the ice for 30 seconds and if you enter and exit during continuous play, the entire team is counting on you to avoid a bench minor, to understand your assignment, and to be judicious in your timing and comprehension. You may need to extend your shift to help diffuse a potential odd man rush (especially in the long change periods of the middle frame and OT if applicable). The best defensive minds I’ve been able to view (Lidstrom for sure) could create a chance for teammates by simply setting up in Gretzky’s office and doing enough small head fakes and puck handling to buy those precious seconds for a breakout to set up in the neutral zone.
All this together comes to the point. I believe there is a desire by Yzerman and co. to create more than a team. It was basically the current front office that would sing the praises of shot blockers, grind lines (though Draper was on that line, so he probably doesn’t sing his own praises) and accountability up and down the roster. I don’t think I’ve met a more humble/“real… elite Hall of Fame athlete than Nick Lidstrom. That seems to be confirmed by anyone else who’s had the pleasure of even a 30 second conversation. Yzerman has a harder edge, but for all the right reasons. He lived through tough times with Gretzky even saying he initially felt bad for Steve going to Detroit. Luckily the dynamic changed drastically by an entrepreneur and a pizza franchise built out of a Garden City bar and grill.
Full confession, in terms of being involved in anything where character/reliability could make or break a scenario I was a church music director for 15 years and in about 5 or 6 bands. Of all the musicians I’ve played with, the most commercially successful is a 2 man group called “IamDynamite…. Their top single is actually played at Red Wings games and was recorded in Canton, MI. After being in groups where most drummers wanted to be guitarists, at least one or two people hated rehearsing, and watching someone go from beginner to near diva in a matter of seconds a 2 person group sounds pretty good. Maybe 3. In the largest groups I’ve directed arguments ensue or worse, they don’t. People just bottle up frustration and quit.
New York is kicking the hornet’s nest right now. I won’t go into it, but coach Q was part of some poor decision making that had life altering consequences and wasn’t addressed back in 2010. NYC has an appetite for big stories and a near relentless press. Winnipeg doesn’t need drama. I believe the highest IQ player in the league (Mark Scheifele) missing in the post season had an effect on the outcome. Taking the “C… off of Wheeler seems to have taken an unknown toll as the team decides how to best reform the squad as a need for payroll exceeds the current available funds.
If, in the end, there is pain (I should say more pain) in this rebuild, it’s because the project started like the most difficult of home renovations. You have to redo the foundation and somehow keep the house somewhat in tact while you do it. A culture of empathy is harder to shake, in some ways, than a culture of negativity. Give me passion, even misdirected, and it can be redirected. Give me apathy and it becomes the process of raising a baby eagle. If you don’t know, in high bluffs, eagles begin destroying the nest completely to move the children out. Breakfast in bed vs. standing on a narrow ledge and being knocked off. Not much of a debate. However the eagle will swoop and stabilize the youth if things don’t kick in quickly enough.
I don’t believe Yzerman is here to destroy an old legacy to create a new one. Leave the pics of the heroes of the past on the walls. Let the near sacred logo stand in its glory. Set the bar high and let it be known what will and what won’t stand up as someone who has been on both sides of a championship. A player and a builder who has surrounded himself with others who understand the need for excellence and the ability to adapt to altered expectations. There is an oddly captivating saying that I stumbled upon, in all things, a cartoon series. There has been a sense of “shame… in the downfall of Detroit’s standing. The proud marker that lasted for a good many years is replaced with a road map. However, pride isn’t the answer. The quote is, “Pride is not the opposite of shame, but rather its source. Only through humility can one truly become a master….
I’ve been humbled greatly, and multiple times these past years. Forced to realize that my stubbornness and inability to embrace criticism and examine it has led to near disastrous decision making. For this team, character has to permeate the culture. Work ethic, ownership of flaws and the understanding that most success is shared. It’s a great moment when a goal is scored and the player turns and points to the teammate that made it happen. That acknowledgement is the acceptance that true success at the highest level is a communal and sacrificial pact taken by those who share in the transformative climb to the highest available level.