OOTS

[Corb]

So much for Boucher being a bright up and coming coach............

[LotusBlossom]

I understand people don't like the trap, but Philly should have really made a play instead of acting like a bunch of assholes who don't like that type of set up. Laviolette telling his players to be on the ice to 'protest' by playing the puck the way they did is really stupid.

Just have your team go out there and not let that 1-3-1 beat you. Sorry, I'm not on the Flyers side on this one.

Let's not forget TB has two of their main D-men out in Ohlund and Hedman. You tinker your team to keep the holes smaller instead of exposing them when you have two main guys out. People seem to forget that.

[Aaronp18]

Let's not forget TB has two of their main D-men out in Ohlund and Hedman. You tinker your team to keep the holes smaller instead of exposing them when you have two main guys out. People seem to forget that.

But that's the point.

The trap gives teams that can not be competitive with more talented teams a chance to win the game.

Why would we want that. The whole point in changing the rules after the dead puck era was to allow the leagues most talented players the ability to entertain and succeed.

I understand playing to the strength of your team, but for the sake of hockey and for the good of the NHL winning isn't everything. It would pain me to watch the dead puck era again, and it would sadden me quite a bit to watch our Canucks attempt this type of strategy.

People seem to forget that the whole point of professional hockey is to entertain - watching shit teams play the trap does not do that!

[LotusBlossom]

So if we lost Hammer, Edler and Salo all at once, you'd still cringe to see the Canucks play 1-3-1 from time to time?

With that 1-3-1 talk, let's not forget they had two guys that were in the Art Ross race last year. It's not like Tampa can't score. What Philly did was just ludicrous.

Sure you don't like it, but seriously, you can't really tell me Philly was in the right. It's not like TB is the Wild and have no goal scorers. It just doesn't make sense to 'protest'. Play the game.

[Fred]

So if we lost Hammer, Edler and Salo all at once, you'd still cringe to see the Canucks play 1-3-1 from time to time?

With that 1-3-1 talk, let's not forget they had two guys that were in the Art Ross race last year. It's not like Tampa can't score. What Philly did was just ludicrous.

Sure you don't like it, but seriously, you can't really tell me Philly was in the right. It's not like TB is the Wild and have no goal scorers. It just doesn't make sense to 'protest'. Play the game.

At the end of the day you have to ask yourself would I pay money to watch that TB style. They've been clearly exposed and while Philly became a partner it's not good for the game or the league. The NHL is selling entertainment lest we for get. I hope they don't force the shot clock into the game

[LotusBlossom]

So if we lost Hammer, Edler and Salo all at once, you'd still cringe to see the Canucks play 1-3-1 from time to time?

With that 1-3-1 talk, let's not forget they had two guys that were in the Art Ross race last year. It's not like Tampa can't score. What Philly did was just ludicrous.

Sure you don't like it, but seriously, you can't really tell me Philly was in the right. It's not like TB is the Wild and have no goal scorers. It just doesn't make sense to 'protest'. Play the game.

At the end of the day you have to ask yourself would I pay money to watch that TB style. They've been clearly exposed and while Philly became a partner it's not good for the game or the league. The NHL is selling entertainment lest we for get. I hope they don't force the shot clock into the game

Again, TB isn't exactly a boring team to watch. My point being, Philly should have just played the game and found a way to counter. Don't like it? Make TB scramble by being on the offense not dicking around in your own end because you don't like the system TB had going on.

[dbr]

I understand playing to the strength of your team, but for the sake of hockey and for the good of the NHL winning isn't everything. It would pain me to watch the dead puck era again, and it would sadden me quite a bit to watch our Canucks attempt this type of strategy.

I was actually pretty pissed that we did not attempt this type of strategy in the finals last year, with all the injuries; watching Luongo get beat on high percentage change after high percentage chance because Vigneault could (or would) not adapt to tighten things up was absolutely maddening.

[Corb]

That wasn't 1-3-1, it was 1-4. The forechecker didn't even enter the offensive zone.

[Fred]

Again, TB isn't exactly a boring team to watch. My point being, Philly should have just played the game and found a way to counter. Don't like it? Make TB scramble by being on the offense not dicking around in your own end because you don't like the system TB had going on.

Quite honestly I don't care how they solve it but that was a disgrace no matter how you watched or who you think was the perpetrator. TB is not exactly lighting the league up they're 12th over all. I know this much I wouldn't buy tickets for a steady diet of that. What about the number of times players hold up behind the net.

More and more like soccer pass it back to the back 4 to pass back and forth between them. I don't like it in soccer and I don't like it if they start doing it in the NHL. If they want to do that at the amateur level go for it, but when people are paying their hard earned money for a ticket it has to be stopped IMO. The NHL has a difficult enough task as it is to gain in popularity without being encumbered with this farce.

It's like watching paint dry

If this is allowed to continue the league will deteriorate into a special teams event...the rest of the time will be worthless. Isn't this the same as the torpedo system the Swedes had to ban in the end ???

[Aaronp18]

If this was the playoffs I don't think Philly would be pulling the same punches, they would be pressing the 1-4 (Corb is right a 1-3-1 expresses that a forechecker exists) and trying to score. And sure when it came down to it in the Cup finals and I could see we were in deep shit maybe the Canucks should have implored something similar because we were decimated with injuries.

But this is the regular season, which can be mundane as it is - there's no reason to make it seem longer and more boring.

They were clearly trying to make a point, with the GM meetings scheduled next week you don't think this was on purpose?

Look, I'm not saying what Philly did was right but I do appreciate what Laviolette is trying to do. There's no way we are talking about the league regressing back to a trap style defense if this wasn't played over and over again on national TV last night.

It's all the talk on the radio, it's what we are talking about at work, it's what we are discussing on this goddam hockey talk message board.

Which is why I give Laviolette full props for having the cojones to do something like that.

We've endured slow painful hockey for years, it got better and now coaches are figuring out ways to get around the new rules and clog up the speed and flow we have been enjoying.

I've played against the trap, against shitty ass teams - hell I've even played the trap before when we were clearly out-skilled. It's frustrating and leads to horrible hockey, and I'd rather try my damnedest without the trap than possible win a very non-enjoyable game playing a style that does not highlight why I love hockey.

It's not fun to watch and it's not fun to play.

[isle_nuck]

I'm glad Philly did that. I agree with a number of people who have said that this is the trap creeping back in and the camera work of the Versus production team did a great job showing this.

A way to fix it? 2 minutes for illegal defense.

I know that idea was thrown around before the lockout, but there was too much resistance than with too many teams playing the trap. Now? It's not really around, so this would be a great time to institute the penalty and nip it in the bud.

As for the point that this was a method TB used to protect their team during a rash of injuries? BS. They have the guns to keep up with Philly. Go win 6-5 instead of 2-1.

[dbr]

Hey Aaron, fair enough. I don't disagree that the trap is boring and shouldn't be used outside of dire situations; of course, you and I probably wouldn't agree with Guy Boucher about what a dire situation entails, even if he is missing Ohlund and Hedman right now - seriously take a look at the defense the Bolts iced last night.

Anyway, astute political move by Laviolette if nothing else. Still, I have a hard time imagining what exactly the GMs are going to do to eliminate this on the ice.

[Aaronp18]

Hey Aaron, fair enough. I don't disagree that the trap is boring and shouldn't be used outside of dire situations; of course, you and I probably wouldn't agree with Guy Boucher about what a dire situation entails, even if he is missing Ohlund and Hedman right now - seriously take a look at the defense the Bolts iced last night.

Anyway, astute political move by Laviolette if nothing else. Still, I have a hard time imagining what exactly the GMs are going to do to eliminate this on the ice.

Oh yeah, Tampa has a troublesome defense. Even with those two in the line-up.

LeBrun was on the radio this morning and mentioned that there has been talk of adding a line right at the top of the circles (the ringette line in most rinks we play in) and allowing icing from that point in your own zone.

Does anyone remember when the NHL got rid of the 2-line pass they were supposed to waive off icings where a stretch break-out pass was attempted but failed to connect? Why did they get away from this?

I think if more icings were waived off in this scenario more teams would try the stretch passes if there was little to no fear of icing. It's an easy fix that doesn't change the game much at all. Can't hurt if they try.

[Topper]

Just have your team go out there and not let that 1-3-1 beat you. Sorry, I'm not on the Flyers side on this one.

Exactly.

If you are not a creative enough coach, or do not have the talent to combat your opponents strategy, then you are a failure.

[tantalum]

Why would we want that. The whole point in changing the rules after the dead puck era was to allow the leagues most talented players the ability to entertain and succeed.

The clutching and grabbing was removed to allow the talent to shine. Facing a 1-3-1 doesn't make it impossible for a team to entertain or players to succeed. In fact, a talented team playing well in there own systems can break a 1-3-1 pretty easily. The Flyers have had issues with breaking the trap under Laviolette and instead of finding a way to break through they tried to mock the Lightening. It backfired as they only engineered 15 shots on goal and wasted precious time that could have been used to get more shots, more chances or draw more penalties. The fundamental issue isn't that the Lightening use the 1-3-1 it is that the Flyers coaching staff either can't design an offensive system to break through the trap or don't have the personnel to do execute the plan. Yet in typical Flyer fashion they go out and try to embarrass another team or the coaching staff. great if you get the 2 points but if you don't well then perhaps you need to find a different way to point out the issue with a 1-3-1. Perhaps by crafting a system that destroys it. The only thing the Flyers did last night was show 29 teams in the league how to beat them.

When tampa plays a 1-3-1 it is a far different result entertainment wise than when the Devils won cups playing it. If Tampa fans don't like it they can answer by keeping their money in their pockets. Thing is, wins tends to bring in far more people than a boring system loses. Canuck fans ought to know that. How quickly we forget how boring the canucks could play before Gillis came to town.


btw the trap isn't creeping back in. It never left and nearly every team will use it at some point in the season or playoffs. As long as the clutching and grabbing remains out of the equation a team with good puck movement or good team speed can get through a trap easily and draw penalties doing so, as at some point guys in a 1-3-1 are often caught flat footed (especially the "3" in the system). Really breaking the trap requires nothing more than what makes a trap effective....execution of the 5 man unit. If that execution exists on offense there are actually better systems to use on defense so instead of complaining about it, make the trapping team stop trapping through execution. There is no need for a penalty to be created.