Captain Shamrock
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #21
Today's match...
It's astounding to me for us not to be playing with excitement," Barber said. "With the improvement of our hockey team, with being done since the end of April [after a first-round playoff loss], why our emotion level's not higher, I don't understand that.
"I'm very excited. I want to be here. . .I still come in with a passion to work, to pay the price. Less sleep, more work, I'm willing to do all that stuff. I just find it hard to believe that we can't be excited.
"I'd like to see more emotion from our team, more of a controlled emotion. . .be mad, be upset after a game, not be the same. I didn't see enough of it [after Thursday's loss]."
Winger Mark Recchi said it was not time "to throw out white flags here," meaning no one should overreact to a 3-3-3 start, but Barber sure seemed to be waving a red flag, at least. He announced that 37-year-old winger Rick Tocchet, sidelined since the preseason with a knee injury, would travel with the Flyers to Montreal for tonight's game.
Tocchet isn't close to being able to play. Yet he is going with the team to a road game, apparently at the request of Barber or management, in hopes his toughness and professionalism can somehow be imparted without Tocchet actually stepping on the ice.
The move seems to raise questions about the leadership of a team that unexpectedly changed captains this week when Eric Desjardins stepped down in favor of Keith Primeau.
" 'Toc' is going on the trip," Barber confirmed when a reporter saw Tocchet leave the practice facility with a garment bag over his shoulder. "He is part of the team and he's going on the trip."
Asked if Tocchet's presence would send any sort of message to the players, Barber said, "Maybe he'll send some messages about what he's seeing from the press box."
What Barber sees from behind the bench is a team that abandons its system to free-lance, that apparently thinks having a lot of high-priced talent allows it to take shortcuts against trapping defenses.
He was openly frustrated by the Flyers' lack of respect for the dangers presented by Ottawa, which is 9-2-3 against the Flyers in the last 14 meetings.
"How many times do we have to keep presenting, and things are not getting done?" Barber asked reporters. "How many times do we have to say, 'This team is dangerous. Be careful'? How many times do we have to say, 'Stay out of the middle with the puck'?
"It's time to step it up, and we expect to see results [tonight in Montreal]. I can live with all the mistakes in the world when there's honesty behind the play. That is a concern to me right now, the honesty of our hockey team. We have to improve."
But in the locker room, there was little talk about honesty or hard work, and much discussion of trying too hard. The players seemed to agree with his assertion that they tend to get "way out of bounds" in terms of running Barber's system.
"We're meeting a lot of resistance in the neutral zone, and we're trying to get through it individually too much," Primeau said. "You have to find a way to get to the red line and get the puck in. . .[And] we're getting too many guys caught down low [in the offensive end]."
From the Philadelphia Leader......
Captain who knows Philly will stuff Montreal and it's third string goalie.
It's astounding to me for us not to be playing with excitement," Barber said. "With the improvement of our hockey team, with being done since the end of April [after a first-round playoff loss], why our emotion level's not higher, I don't understand that.
"I'm very excited. I want to be here. . .I still come in with a passion to work, to pay the price. Less sleep, more work, I'm willing to do all that stuff. I just find it hard to believe that we can't be excited.
"I'd like to see more emotion from our team, more of a controlled emotion. . .be mad, be upset after a game, not be the same. I didn't see enough of it [after Thursday's loss]."
Winger Mark Recchi said it was not time "to throw out white flags here," meaning no one should overreact to a 3-3-3 start, but Barber sure seemed to be waving a red flag, at least. He announced that 37-year-old winger Rick Tocchet, sidelined since the preseason with a knee injury, would travel with the Flyers to Montreal for tonight's game.
Tocchet isn't close to being able to play. Yet he is going with the team to a road game, apparently at the request of Barber or management, in hopes his toughness and professionalism can somehow be imparted without Tocchet actually stepping on the ice.
The move seems to raise questions about the leadership of a team that unexpectedly changed captains this week when Eric Desjardins stepped down in favor of Keith Primeau.
" 'Toc' is going on the trip," Barber confirmed when a reporter saw Tocchet leave the practice facility with a garment bag over his shoulder. "He is part of the team and he's going on the trip."
Asked if Tocchet's presence would send any sort of message to the players, Barber said, "Maybe he'll send some messages about what he's seeing from the press box."
What Barber sees from behind the bench is a team that abandons its system to free-lance, that apparently thinks having a lot of high-priced talent allows it to take shortcuts against trapping defenses.
He was openly frustrated by the Flyers' lack of respect for the dangers presented by Ottawa, which is 9-2-3 against the Flyers in the last 14 meetings.
"How many times do we have to keep presenting, and things are not getting done?" Barber asked reporters. "How many times do we have to say, 'This team is dangerous. Be careful'? How many times do we have to say, 'Stay out of the middle with the puck'?
"It's time to step it up, and we expect to see results [tonight in Montreal]. I can live with all the mistakes in the world when there's honesty behind the play. That is a concern to me right now, the honesty of our hockey team. We have to improve."
But in the locker room, there was little talk about honesty or hard work, and much discussion of trying too hard. The players seemed to agree with his assertion that they tend to get "way out of bounds" in terms of running Barber's system.
"We're meeting a lot of resistance in the neutral zone, and we're trying to get through it individually too much," Primeau said. "You have to find a way to get to the red line and get the puck in. . .[And] we're getting too many guys caught down low [in the offensive end]."
From the Philadelphia Leader......
Captain who knows Philly will stuff Montreal and it's third string goalie.
Philly took advantage of very weak Montreal goaltending, and Boucher played well to get the win. Philly conforted their chances and the HABS loked tired. Whatever things must go on and if I am correct the Habs and flyers both have 11 points. 
