(Credit)
Coaching
How is it possible that up to this point, TJ Hensick and David Jones had the least ice-time of the Avalanche forwards? Just ridiculous. Those two were the only players left that had any jump to their step and their asses are planted on the bench. Inexcusable.
Goaltending
Theodore made big saves against the Wild. He did not make any saves against the Wings. Blame the defence as much as you want but Theodore was not good enough this series.
2-on-1's are tough but it looked like Theodore was flowing through mud on the two that beat him today. And that first goal? There's the backbreaking goal I was talking about the other day. It just came one day later than I thought it would.
Defense
Ill-advised pinches, lazy turnovers, non-existent outlet passes. The quality of play was just not there from these guys.
Yes, the Wings are a talented, tenacious team but the defence should have been able to do better than this.
Octopuses
Who was the idiot that brought the octopus in and tossed it on the ice when the Wings were up 6-1? Not only are you an idiot for carrying an octopus around with you, but you're an idiot for not having a modicum of decency.
I would never flaunt a blowout in another teams building, not even Joe Louis.
Retirements
This is it for Forsberg. No way he comes back to play next year when his body couldn't even hold out for a dozen games this season. It's unfortunate but you have to admire the man's competitiveness in trying to stage a comeback.
As for Sakic, as I said above, I don't think this is it for him. He still has a season left in the tank.
Offseason game plan
A bit early to discuss that, at least for me. I have thoughts on what needs to change but I'll wait until the loss stings a bit less.
Up next?
For me, the World Championships kick off tomorrow. If the Avs were still in, it would mean double-duty in terms of fandom. As it stands, I'll be able to devote my entire heavy heart to hoping for a World Championship Gold on home ice.
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8 Comments:
I wouldn't blame the Avs play on the players as much as i would on the coach it looks like Quenneville has done an aweful job preparing for this game and it looks like the Avs don't really care Detroit has double the shots the Avs do injuries should effect the play that much i Quenneville is a horrible coach that needs to be fired after this season i dont no why the Avs ever got him as a coach he has never lead a team to the Stanley Cup Finals and his stats dont show how bad is coaching is the teams he has coached give him those stats and not the quality of coach that he is.
Ok Shane, I want to hear it from an intelligent Avs fan. What happened? I only watched the Avs in the eight games they played against the Wings this season/postseason, and they did not look good. I left a comment over at A2Y about how I'm actually a little mad that the Avs didn't make this a more competetive series. I know that, in the next few days, there are going to be a lot of comments going back and forth about the coaching and the injuries, and those are two very obvious issues that led up to this sweep. However, I need an Avs fan who knows much more than I do about what goes on behind the scenes in Colorado to tell me, was the senior player leadership even there?
anon, I don't think Q did a good job getting the team ready for the Wings. I think he had a laissez-faire attitude about the series.
The team has dealt with injuries before and didn't look this weak. The Red Wings are a hell of a team, but my goodness, not 8-2 better.
j.j., I can't speak for what goes on behind the scenes in terms of leadership. Joe has always been known as a quiet leader who leads by example rather than fiery Hollywood-style speeches.
Though I think there was enough veteran experience on this team with the likes of Sakic, Brunette, Laperriere, etc but I don't think anyone truly made the team accountable.
You can lead by example as much as possible but you can't be a one-person wrecking crew against the Wings. You have to have a healthy dose of fear to keep people on their toes. Players like Roy and Lemieux had that fire in the past for this team. I don't think anyone had that same mean streak on this squad. Adam Foote probably had a lot to say but he joined on at the tail end of the season and there is something to be said for being led by someone who was there from the beginning.
But I don't think it was strictly on the head of the player leadership. I have my doubts on how accountable the coaching staff made the team. I know they're professional athletes and shouldn't need motivation but if your coach carries the attitude of "The Wings are better than us" on his shoulders, the players pick up on that. I picked up on that and I wasn't even in the locker room.
Q has been described as a "player's coach" and I don't think a player's coach will ever have great success unless they're a truly exceptional coach. To get the player's coach motto, you obviously have to be a guy that player's never hate. You also tend not to get enough respect and accountability out of your players because you never get mad at them. I could go on and on about the dynamics of the social behaviours but I don't want to bore people too much with psycho-babble ;)
But maybe I'm just a bit bitter at the moment because in the end, the Red Wings were just a much better team.
Thanks Shane, I agree about coach Q not keeping the players accountable. It's very hard to be a successful player's coach during the hard times. He did lead them to the playoffs, but the Avs, at times, simply just did not play in this series. I think it was telling that the Versus announcers made it a point to show Babcock yelling at his players up 7-1.
Bottom line, in professional sports, the crap rolls uphill. Quennville deserves most of the blame.
no prob, J.J. Glad to have you stop by and good luck in the next round.
And next time I say I can't speak for something, I'll try not to rattle off an essay ;)
That game left me completely speechless. I'm in total shock right now and it will take a long while for the sting to wear off. But I'd like to thank you for a great year of blogging. You always have great insight towards the game and team and I hope you'll continue this blog next year. Thanks again and long live Joe Sakic.
"The Red Wings are a hell of a team, but my goodness, not 8-2 better."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=220531005
I don't know if I can handle gloating just yet but oh well ;)
adam, I'll definitely be back barring any crazy things happening in my life.
The game was a shocker and felt a bit surreal from the 4-1 point on. Just sad.
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