Actually, Q didnt do that

Q matched lines. And when he would mix his own lines, they would see short periods of time together in spurts. He used the regular season mixing/matching to then use that experience come playoff time

So when one series, he would use a line of Saad-Shaw -Kane. Then, next series...he may use Bickell-Toews-Kane. Each of those lines, while some would whine about a "blender" during the regular season...were actually "experimented" with during the season so he could see what would/wouldnt work. And players wouldnt be shell shocked come playoff time to playing with "different players"

It was a big reason if/when a series was tied 2-2...he could make a few line changes and the players would still have chemistry (from playing together in the regular season). Other teams struggled with trying to make adjustments to counter his....and he used those changes to line matchup advantages - which he is one of the best at.

Q had a method to mixing lines during the season. Spreading talent between lines is advantageous when a coach matches lines.
- PatShart

Ducks vs Hawks 2015.

What games were you watching?
- 6628

Carolina when they lost 4-0. He and Saad were the only ones getting close to the net although Toews whiffed a bunch of times with Staal all over him.

And what are they going to do to the active players that were complicit? If you use the Black Sox scandal as precedent, shouldn't they be banned for life? Of course that was before there was a players union.
- LAHawk

Buck Showalter interviewed for manager that would be punishment enough to the players.

Yeah, nobody ever had a negative thing to say about Q's "blender".......
- mohel

People can say all the negative things they want, but it's based in ignorance

But there is a difference between spreading the talent amongst lines/mixing lines when a coach relies on matchups versus just mixing lines with hopes that guys play better.

Sorry if that is difficult to understand for some

All these 2010s retrospectives are bringing back such good memories. The NHL's recency bias will hurt our standings, but still fun to see all the clips.
- pdx2ord

Hawks should be Franchise of the Decade.

Playoffs 2010-2017. Competitive roster from 2010-16. 3 cups, stacked with future HOFs (Kane, Keith, Hossa, Toews?).

I bet they will pick the team that has had the most playoff appearances? Maybe Blues / or Capitals. Capitals have done very well during the regular season, but have only made it past the second round once. Blues have had significant progress, but kept falling short at the WCF.

People can say all the negative things they want, but it's based in ignorance

But there is a difference between spreading the talent amongst lines/mixing lines when a coach relies on matchups versus just mixing lines with hopes that guys play better.

Sorry if that is difficult to understand for some
- PatShart

So how do we determine what the coach's actual intentions are?

Hawks should be Franchise of the Decade.

Playoffs 2010-2017. Competitive roster from 2010-16. 3 cups, stacked with future HOFs (Kane, Keith, Hossa, Toews?).

I bet they will pick the team that has had the most playoff appearances? Maybe Blues / or Capitals. Capitals have done very well during the regular season, but have only made it past the second round once. Blues have had significant progress, but kept falling short at the WCF.
- RedRevenge

trying to set aside all bias.. it has to be the hawks for the reasons you sight...

kings...no
blues...sorry no way
pens...maybe..but so hot from 2010-14
caps...laid to many eggs
bruins...no cups since 2011 and some nasty bow outs

Actually, Q didnt do that

Q matched lines. And when he would mix his own lines, they would see short periods of time together in spurts. He used the regular season mixing/matching to then use that experience come playoff time

So when one series, he would use a line of Saad-Shaw -Kane. Then, next series...he may use Bickell-Toews-Kane. Each of those lines, while some would whine about a "blender" during the regular season...were actually "experimented" with during the season so he could see what would/wouldnt work. And players wouldnt be shell shocked come playoff time to playing with "different players"

It was a big reason if/when a series was tied 2-2...he could make a few line changes and the players would still have chemistry (from playing together in the regular season). Other teams struggled with trying to make adjustments to counter his....and he used those changes to line matchup advantages - which he is one of the best at.

Q had a method to mixing lines during the season. Spreading talent between lines is advantageous when a coach matches lines.
- PatShart

Nothing speaks better to Q's line matching abilities than their unparalleled playoff record in games 4-7.

AGREED. I'd rather have Sikura in the lineup. Nylander reminds me of perlini most nights. Has the tool kit to be dangerous but can't put it together. Nylander has marginally better work ethic than Perlini did but his awareness and positioning hasn't come together.

Certainly seems like he's overthinking out there.

Based on what Keith said about the coaching staff his season and how the entire team is overthinking...I will give Nylander the benefit of the doubt and put a fair share of responsibility on JC.
- catrisc

Nylander is overthinking? More like not thinking on the ice at all. Like when he dropped the puck in the area of the Hawks bench causing a too many men penalty in the Calgary game. Or even last night with weak ass clearing plays out of his own zone.

He might have some decent skills but he is far from an NHL player on any team. My bet is JC would launch him to Rockford on the end of his boot if Stanbo would allow it, which he is too embarrassed to do because it would be an admission of how bad that trade really was.

trying to set aside all bias.. it has to be the hawks for the reasons you sight...

kings...no
blues...sorry no way
pens...maybe..but so hot from 2010-14
caps...laid to many eggs
bruins...no cups since 2011 and some nasty bow outs
- bogiedoc

The only reason they may pick the Capitals is because they've won the presidents (participation trophy) the most (3 times) out of the last 10 years. They've also made the playoffs every year of the decade. Though, they haven't had much success in the playoffs.

It should be the Hawks!

You and I both are optimistic on Special K. I like his combination of physical play and skating/skill. He has shown solid performance in a period - of - time which I cannot state exactly how long until he committed some blunders

. Sometimes young players who have some professional experience are in the right spot right time but need a bit of rope. That is not always palatable for coaches. Being a #12 overall I like to think that he can put forth effort and benefits from experience so that he can show as a capable defender. I really want to see him and this Carlsson to become strong bottom pair guys.

Furthermore, I would love to see Kyrs develop to the point of being third pair capable. He could be a real nice weapon in this spot. Then one of these three either is promoted to second pair or traded.
- jhawk59

I would not worry about Kyrs. He will not make it to Hawks. It will be Mitchell and Beudin in that order.

People can say all the negative things they want, but it's based in ignorance

But there is a difference between spreading the talent amongst lines/mixing lines when a coach relies on matchups versus just mixing lines with hopes that guys play better.

Sorry if that is difficult to understand for some
- PatShart

Let's summarize....

Q had a blender, and used it often. JC has a blender, and uses it often. The former is okay, and the latter isn't. Because Pat Shart approved of the rationale.

So how do we determine what the coach's actual intentions are?
- Chunk

Just follow the Shart rule. If JC does it, it is by definition wrong.

Just follow the Shart rule. If JC does it, it is by definition wrong.
- mohel

I'm not even comparing one vs the other. I just want to know how to determine how the coach is using the blender. Also, it is bad to use the blender to get a guy going? Is it bad to use the blender to demote a guy who is not playing the way they need to? Is it bad to use the blender for anything other than getting players ready for different situations in the playoffs?

As per my usual refrain, I'm not trying to be a pud here, but there are a lot of strong statements made about who does what and how. I'm just curious how to know how to spot these things.

People can say all the negative things they want, but it's based in ignorance

But there is a difference between spreading the talent amongst lines/mixing lines when a coach relies on matchups versus just mixing lines with hopes that guys play better.

Sorry if that is difficult to understand for some
- PatShart

Q had a lot more talent to spread than JC does.

I'm not even comparing one vs the other. I just want to know how to determine how the coach is using the blender. Also, it is bad to use the blender to get a guy going? Is it bad to use the blender to demote a guy who is not playing the way they need to? Is it bad to use the blender for anything other than getting players ready for different situations in the playoffs?

As per my usual refrain, I'm not trying to be a pud here, but there are a lot of strong statements made about who does what and how. I'm just curious how to know how to spot these things.
- Chunk

Whatever the motivations for using or not using the blender, the implication is the Hawks record this year would be much better under Q than JC. I personally don't believe that, with THIS roster. Who knows what JC's record would of been with the rosters Q had. I personally would think that Q's blender this year would be worse than JC's, because every time a young player would make a mistake, Q would staple that person to the bench. He didn't hate young players, but didn't tolerate mistakes. JC's process (mandate) is to develop the players, mold it eventually into a winning team, Q's process was win now.

I'm not even comparing one vs the other. I just want to know how to determine how the coach is using the blender. Also, it is bad to use the blender to get a guy going? Is it bad to use the blender to demote a guy who is not playing the way they need to? Is it bad to use the blender for anything other than getting players ready for different situations in the playoffs?

As per my usual refrain, I'm not trying to be a pud here, but there are a lot of strong statements made about who does what and how. I'm just curious how to know how to spot these things.
- Chunk

It is rare, imo, for us to get access to ALL the information used to make a decision. We are left to fill in the blanks on "why" questions. Internet coaches and GM's who claim to know better don't have all the data, but are certain what the right answer is. You just listed a bunch of reasons a coach might shuffle the lines, and there are likely many more. If we don't know the whole rationale for whatever reason a move was made, how can we effectively assess the quality of the decision?

It is rare, imo, for us to get access to ALL the information used to make a decision. We are left to fill in the blanks on "why" questions. Internet coaches and GM's who claim to know better don't have all the data, but are certain what the right answer is. You just listed a bunch of reasons a coach might shuffle the lines, and there are likely many more. If we don't know the whole rationale for whatever reason a move was made, how can we effectively assess the quality of the decision?
- mohel

You sound like Confucius today.

Cautiously optimistic lately, but this team all year has appeared that they have turned a corner, and then they pee down their leg and forget how to play for awhile. Would like to see a push from the Hawks, but I think they are the same team we have seen all year long. A .500 hockey team that has holes defensively, and very inconsistent scoring.

You sound like Confucius today.
- Chunk

Or Confused.

Joel Quenneville, NHL 'Coach of the Decade' as voted by NHL.com.
Check out the video, it's cool; (it) made me long for a HC who showed emotion.

https://www.nhl.com/news/...-2010s-decade/c-313969270

Joel Quenneville, NHL 'Coach of the Decade' as voted by NHL.com.
Check out the video, it's cool; (it) made me long for a HC who showed emotion.

https://www.nhl.com/news/...-2010s-decade/c-313969270
- scottak

Not only that but when you watch that video, he's not just yelling, he's yelling instruction. Making adjustments as the game goes on, and... you know... coaching. How often do you see Coliton do that?

Not only that but when you watch that video, he's not just yelling, he's yelling instruction. Making adjustments as the game goes on, and... you know... coaching. How often do you see Coliton do that?
- Jance

There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

Western Conference Standings based on points per games played (PPGP).

Central PPGP
1 Blues 1.417
2 Stars 1.261
3 COL 1.217

Pacific
1 Yotes 1.163
2 Canucks 1.149
3 Oilers 1.146 (actually tied with Flames)

Wild Card
Jets 1.149
Flames1.146 (actually tied with Oilers)

Outside looking in
Knights 1.102
Preds 1.089
Hawks 1.042
Wild 1.000
Sharks 0.958
Kings 0.854
Ducks 0.848

Sorry buddy, I have not had an alcoholic beverage in almost 30 years, wish in one hand poop in the other next time buddy and see which one fills up first.
- wonthecup10

Good for you and I would never wish for someone to drink that has given it up for whatever reasons.

It was a terrible attempt at humor and if it offended you in any way, I apologize.