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Entries for March 04, 2008
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What Game Was I Watching?
Posted by Les Lazaruk on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 04:36:00 PM.
Actually, the title on one of the threads in the Saskatoon Blades' page of "whlfans.ca" was "What game where (sic) you watching, Les?" Once again, it's all about opinion and the way a person sees a game.
The game in question was Saturday's 3-2 Blades' triumph over the Kamloops Blazers. On "The Kia of Saskatoon Cutting Edge Pre-Game Show", during "The Keys to the Game" feature, colour commentator Dave Thomas and I discussed our fear at how the Blades might perform in the game. They were taking on a road-weary, down-trodden Blazers' team that was playing their sixth game on the road in nine nights...having lost all five previous contests in regulation time. Our concern was how the Blades would react if they got an early goal in a fairly easy fashion...would they continue to play with the determination they had shown in previous games or would they look at trying to pad their personal stats and forget about team and systems play.
From my perspective, after the Blades scored 37 seconds in, they became a group of individuals on a "point night" mission as Dave commented on a couple of occasions when one player would dangle with the puck, only to be stopped by Blazers' goaltender Justin Leclerc or turn it over without passing to a team-mate. That style of play continued for most of the rest of the game and the Blades dominated play, as evidenced by out-shooting Kamloops 40-26, On this night, individual Blades were better than individual Blazers. I mean, if time of possession was a statistic in hockey, Saskatoon would've had the advantage by at least a 2-1 margin, if not 3-1. But, several times, especially on an 0-7 night on the power play, the Blades didn't adhere to their systems and gave Kamloops plenty of good chances to score. And, with the exception of one soft goal, Braden Holtby was there to bail his team-mates out.
But, if you don't believe my comments, especially with regards to Holtby being first star of the game, how about the analysis of Cory Wolfe from Monday's Star-Phoenix...
"The Blades, who have relied heavily on Holtby this season, know the feeling. Outside of a softy goal to Ivan Rohac midway through the third period, Holtby was worthy of first-star honours. He made 24 saves, including a couple of point-blank stops on C.J. Stretch in the late going. '"He'd like to have that second one back, but other than that, he was outstanding," said Blades coach-GM Lorne Molleken. "Kamloops really stormed the net and really got everyone involved in the offence. Holtby stood his ground and battled in traffic.'"
I don't mind having my opinions questioned...but I think the Blades were fortunate to win over Kamloops...if not for a goaltender who was sharp on all but one of the shots he should've stopped and finding just enough team play to score three times. They had played better against Medicine Hat, Regina...heck even in the 7-4 loss to Lethbridge.
*****
Oh boy, I'm reluctant to answer a question. But, I found this comment under my post titled, "Trouble Spots in the Dub":
"Les i'm wondering what your feelings are on the path the blades organization is taking we seem to be in a continous rebuilding mode do we need new ownership that's committed to winning a coach that can get the most out of our players or new scouting staff or maybe all of the above it's sure hard to sit and watch this every year i hope i'm the only person that feels this way so i'm wondering what your thoughts are on the blades thanx for your comments Dwight Gervais"
Dwight, and others, can check the archives for my last post before Christmas where I boosted the idea of the Blades hosting the 2010 Memorial Cup, feeling that they were heading in the right direction with their talent. One of the subsequent comments about ownership not being committed and coaching being a problem irked me to respond in a snarky way...for which I was royally roasted.
I'm sticking with a lot of what I said about the future talent. The team's last 26 games (13-9-1-3) has me hoping they can get off to that kind of start next season on the way to being in the playoffs. But, I'm at a loss to figure out Dwight's contention that the Blades are, "in a continuous rebuilding mode." I ask you, readers, to define rebuilding. My definition is a process until such time when a team has a full complement of above average overage players, a large number of above average 19-year-olds and a supporting cast of young prospects...all of which makes the team a contender for a championship.
I think the 2004-2005 Blades and the 2005-2006 team fall into that definition. They won 37 games with 86 points in 04-05 and won 41 games with 88 points in 05-06...good for second place in the East Division both seasons. Unfortunately, they lost in the first round to P-A in 05 and in the second round to Medicine Hat in 06. Consider that four teams with similar records this season will be out after the first round and another two will be gonzo after the second round. Outside of Brandon, none of those teams are in rebuilding mode anymore. They're built to contend now...as the Blades were in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons. They just won't make it...as the Blades didn't in those campaigns.
And, there have been other Blades' teams that were better than .500 since 1994 that have fallen short in the post-season. The 94-95 squad, the 99-00 team, the 02-03 Bridge City Bunch. Those teams weren't rebuilding, either. They just lost to better teams. The gaps in between those winning seasons can be attributed to scouting...as second-guessing allows us to do.
Former G-M Brent McEwen told me one bad year of picks at the Bantam Draft means a three-year down-turn in fortunes. Two bad draft years in a row means a seven-year wait for the good times, he said. Unfortunately for him and the Blades, he knows that from experience...one of the reasons why he is no longer employed by the team!
I think the path the team is on now is the right one...but a good start to next season is paramount. But, my question remains to you...define rebuilding?