York Newbury: Canucks Blow It

Tocchet on the GWG at the 4 Nations, via Drance/The Athletic:

Tocchet’s view of the 4 Nations OT winner

At the 4 Nations Face-Off, Tocchet had a front-row seat to history.

Ironically, while the Canucks bench boss has come under fire for his offensive coaching in Vancouver this season, he spent the break being tasked with working mostly on the offensive side — with a specialization in offensive-zone draw plays — as an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff with Team Canada. McDavid’s historic overtime goal came off an offensive zone draw, so I wanted to get a sense of how Tocchet viewed the play as it developed and what he learned working with the team.

“We didn’t want a lot of faceoff plays,” Tocchet said of Canada’s approach. “But there’s a couple faceoff plays we took from Tampa Bay. There was a flare-out that I used, too. We would do a presentation every game on faceoffs, a minute or two each game.”

On the play in question, Canada ran a high-low, with winger Mitch Marner cutting to the weak side high off the draw behind McDavid while Brayden Point cut low. It’s subtle, but this actually creates the confusion that resulted in Marner getting lost on the wall and, when Team USA overreacted in their confusion, to McDavid getting completely open in the slot for the overtime winner.

“Against a centre-release team, you go with that high-low,” Tocchet explained.

“Centre-release” in this instance refers to the coverage responsibilities following the draw. It’s like the hockey version of zone defence and is roughly the opposite of a man-on-man approach.

Tocchet’s Canucks are also a centre-release team, which effectively means that after a draw is lost, the centre’s defensive responsibility isn’t necessarily to cover the opposition centre, but instead to scan the ice and cover what needs to be covered.

On this play, Team USA defender Adam Fox and centre Auston Matthews don’t quite pull off the exchange the way the responsibilities call for. Matthews stays with McDavid, which is a fine enough choice in this instance, but Fox also takes the slot as McDavid misses a shot wide and the puck squirts out to the weak-side half-wall. No one shades or pays any attention to Marner.

“So it’s a high-low, but one of the keys there is Cale Makar as the weak-side defender. He has to get in there, which he did, he kept that play alive. If you do a high-low play, the way teams defend, anything on the weak side, it really has to be the weak-side defenceman. They have to take that ice. Once he recognizes it and takes it, now it’s a spread play.

“Now here’s the real key to it, if you watch closely, because Marner just stays there.”

These are really the critical three seconds. It’s a cold-blooded sequence from a player, in Marner, who has come under criticism more frequently than just about any player in hockey for his performance in big games. In this pressure-packed moment, however, Marner’s decision-making was ruthless and clinical.

As Makar plays the puck and sends it back to the weak side, Marner never strides. He’s completely uncovered. He was just content to get lost, and Team USA’s problems compounded when Fox went behind the net to try to intercept Makar’s rim around.

“So on an east-west play. When we know we’re going to have possession, you tell guys ‘Stay on the weak side,’” Tocchet said. “If it’s a battle, then he’s got to help. Because there was no battle though, the right play is to stay, and because he’s Marner, he knew.”

“It’s both a read, which is preparation, and it’s elite skill,” Tocchet continued. “The thing about a guy like Marner is you don’t have to remind him what the right play is every day. Some guys, you have to remind them every day, but these guys, you tell him once, and they retain it.

“When it went to Marner, if Adam Fox stays in front of the net, I think it would’ve been an easier switch, but three guys went to Marner. In (Bruce) Cassidy’s system, the defenceman, you’ve got to stay and wait. Once the interior is protected, then you go. And Mike Sullivan’s system is actually the same as ours, but they just went.

“So Marner stays wide, and when you’re extended, something is usually open especially if the team isn’t right. That’s what happened.”

And that’s how the best player in hockey got loose in the slot and scored a historic goal to win an exhibition tournament that came to mean a lot more than anyone had anticipated.

“It’s just split-second decisions,” Tocchet said. “Honestly my biggest takeaway from the experience is that with players at that level, you don’t have to tell them what the right thing to do is four or five times. You just tell them once.

“Like one time on the bench, early in the tournament, there was a scoop play, and I just went and said to McDavid, ‘Hey you’re open on the weak side against a team that overloads,’ and he says, ‘Yeah, yeah,’ and we never brought it up again. In-game adjustment, and it’s just done. Next game, he was looking for it, you could tell.

“And it was the same thing with whatever Jon Cooper suggested or Pete DeBoer or Cassidy. I felt that the retention of information, at that level, it’s a lot quicker. So as a coach, you don’t have to reinforce or remind as much.”

It’s a good lesson for us that while speed, size, skill and juice are important traits for the best players in hockey, what often separates the best from the greats is still the process that goes on between the ears.

(There's videos in the piece I didn't embed)

Thx Yorkie

I hope it’s both buyers & sellers

Tocchet on the GWG at the 4 Nations, via Drance/The Athletic:



(There's videos in the piece I didn't embed)
- York Newbury

That is one long winded story lol
Debunks all the bs RT is only a defensive systems coach. More to do with hockey IQ on a roster.

Beat the Kings then thumped by the Ducks.

Perfect.

Only loss in Cali all season.

At the game last night and all I can say is ... what happened to EP40 .. as good as Hughes is... and for my money he's the best of the brothers. EP40 is just that bad. Was sitting next to a few Nuck fans who were showing me some stats on EP40 and it's frankly shocking ...
'
Nucks really going to trade BB.

Tyler Myers is 2nd in TEAM SCORING since Jan 1st. He has 12 pts in 2 months. My god.

At the game last night and all I can say is ... what happened to EP40 .. as good as Hughes is... and for my money he's the best of the brothers. EP40 is just that bad. Was sitting next to a few Nuck fans who were showing me some stats on EP40 and it's frankly shocking ...
'
Nucks really going to trade BB.
- dozerD10

Please backread the last 27 blog comment sections to get an insight.

Thanks Yorkie.

At the game last night and all I can say is ... what happened to EP40 .. as good as Hughes is... and for my money he's the best of the brothers. EP40 is just that bad. Was sitting next to a few Nuck fans who were showing me some stats on EP40 and it's frankly shocking ...
'
Nucks really going to trade BB.
- dozerD10

He doesn't like the media asking for accountability and the fans are mean, so hockey is hard.

He's as good as gone.

https://www.canucksdaily....h-daniel-and-henrik-sedin

Getting real creative with the titles lately

He's as good as gone.

https://www.canucksdaily....h-daniel-and-henrik-sedin
- Marwood

800 articles written about 1 thing that 1 guy said that no one else has verified

800 articles written about 1 thing that 1 guy said that no one else has verified
- NorthNuck

Where there's smoke....
I knew the Pouty apologists would like it.

Getting real creative with the titles lately
- NorthNuck

Sometimes they just write themselves (ie. delete one word from Google Doc)

Well, that was disappointing. At least they managed more than 20 shots last night, small victories. Although Petey never took one of them. Surprisingly Tocchet is still giving him top ice-time. He had the second most total ice-time and the second most even strength ice-time to Brock Boeser, who they appear to be showcasing because he had four more minutes than EP40 on both accounts.

Well, that was disappointing. At least they managed more than 20 shots last night, small victories. Although Petey never took one of them. Surprisingly Tocchet is still giving him top ice-time. He had the second most total ice-time and the second most even strength ice-time to Brock Boeser, who they appear to be showcasing because he had four more minutes than EP40 on both accounts.
- Pacificgem

I read that Petey (and DeBrusk) didn't have any even strength offensive zone starts... which seems odd. Hard to kickstart his offense if he's generally starting outside of it (though he's also sucking so who knows)

Well, that was disappointing. At least they managed more than 20 shots last night, small victories. Although Petey never took one of them. Surprisingly Tocchet is still giving him top ice-time. He had the second most total ice-time and the second most even strength ice-time to Brock Boeser, who they appear to be showcasing because he had four more minutes than EP40 on both accounts.
- Pacificgem

I hpoe they get a decent return for Boeser because getting rid of that emotional wreck, Pouty is going to cost the Canucks, although over $11 million cap space would be helpful( if they don't have to retain salary).

Well, that was disappointing. At least they managed more than 20 shots last night, small victories. Although Petey never took one of them. Surprisingly Tocchet is still giving him top ice-time. He had the second most total ice-time and the second most even strength ice-time to Brock Boeser, who they appear to be showcasing because he had four more minutes than EP40 on both accounts.
- Pacificgem

Are they showcasing or is it just that they only had 11 forwards so someone had to get the extra TOI?

Where there's smoke....
I knew the Pouty apologists would like it.
- Marwood

They are as embarrassing as him as well.

I hpoe they get a decent return for Boeser because getting rid of that emotional wreck, Pouty is going to cost the Canucks, although over $11 million cap space would be helpful( if they don't have to retain salary).
- Marwood

Pouty just needs to take the summer to regroup, he will get fixed over the summer, blah, blah, blah.

Pouty just needs to take the summer to regroup, he will get fixed over the summer, blah, blah, blah.
- Reubenkincade

Pouty will be playing in the KHL in another year at his current pace.

Tyler Myers is 2nd in TEAM SCORING since Jan 1st. He has 12 pts in 2 months. My god.
- Jkuzzi

I'm not surprised motherfuckers.



Thanks Yorks...and suck it.

He's as good as gone.

https://www.canucksdaily....h-daniel-and-henrik-sedin
- Marwood

Good grief. What a head case.

I'm not surprised motherfuckers.



Thanks Yorks...and suck it.
- Load Management

This man has so many nicknames now.