I think asking this of skill scoring forwards is much akin to Eakins trying to turn them into defense first two way machines. It is simply not
something certain people are wired for. There are many players we have wished would just develop that mean streak but it almost never happens. If a
person is not very aggressive by nature, it does not mean they can't raise their physical game and react to a sense of being part of a group and show
or grow a willingness to do whatever it takes. I think it is hard for someone to change their personality and who they are. I have always preferred
two way players that are hard to play against as a base style to a one dimensional player that has one excellent quality and lacks in most other
departments. I have wanted the Oilers to bring in the sort of players and still do, though many do not agree with me.
I do however think that under Nelson, a definite sense of teamsmanship and a positive group culture is growing, and out of that could develop a "wolf
pack" sense. If that is what you meant originally by your statement, then sorry if i misinterpreted it. As you say, you don't need to "get
caveman" for that, anyone can do that job if they are willing. I think attached to that, but also in addition, the "give-a-**** meter" is actually
climbing. All very positive signs.
The one thing i don't think you touched on and i didn't either in my post is growth, it is hard to quantify and is an unknown variable. Both
positive and negative growth can occur. Both personal as a player and together as a team unit. We saw regression under Eakins and gain under both
Krueger and Nelson. One can assume that it will continue trending up but things such as cold streaks and injuries can effect this. Even if it does
continue to trend up, there is no guarantee we will see linear growth, peaks, dips and plateaus can be expected.
I think the personnel factor is very important though. As the poster above and myself and many others have alluded to, we lost good players this year,
and we were short to begin with. Perron is out and Roy is in, but i think most would admit that Perron is the better player. On top of that we lost
Petry, leaving as i consider and the previous poster as well, only 1 top 4 defender in Klefbom.
What about goaltending? Under Nelson, Scrivens has had a 0.900 or lower save percentage in 17 of his 31 starts. I don't know how we will reach
success with this level of goal tending, and i fail to see how any sort of sustained success is attainable. No system can cover up that sort of sloppy
netminding, or at least in my opinion.
I think a good system is important but we do need better players to compete. A good coach and system can change a lot, but if we are talking about an
increase in goal differential by +50 - +70, that is massive, and i don't know if a coach alone could affect the results that much. I would love to be
wrong. I still can't shake the sense that if what you were saying holds true though, we could pit this year's Buffalo Sabres against the all star
team in a 82 game season against each other, with the sabres utilizing the NHS system vs the all star using an older traditional coaching method, and
after time, the Sabres would eventually start tilting the scales in their favor. Yes the example is a bit extreme, but i think personnel accounts for
much team success and is an important factor.
What are the teams that are using this system now? The cup winners may be using it, but it is also hard to argue that having some of the best players
in the game at key positions hasn't a positive effect on the game as well. Are any non playoff teams using this system and if so, for how long? I am
curious as i do not know much about the coaching side of the game, but definitely am fascinated by it.[/QUOTE]
I believe the Oilers young core is developing into an excellent group of two-way players... I am defining two-way as players who work to can regain
the puck with as much acumen and urgency as they can managing it .This is in large due to improved backchecking which is a product of the evolution of
both the process and the players,on some fine advice Taylor Hall made a concerted effort to focus on his back-checking about the same time Nuge
did,they both specificlly targeted this area of their games.Some systems or management process do not support extended backchecking puck pursuits they
instead focus on regaining structural integrity over puck pursuit,DE was this type of structural thinker and the fellas had to work extra hard to
improve that specific are and not brek system continuity .I agree Eakins tried to turn them into defense first two-way players instead of providing
process alternatives which supported their natural strengths.I AGREE with a Head Coach pushing for every player to be able to provide two-way impacts
because they provide him with the most wiggle room managerially, but I did not agree with Dallases choice of methods which I feel were regressive and
at heart supported his own defensive reliance and vision and growth in the NHL more than managing the reality of the assets he had with keeping their
evolutions s his primary driver.In retrospect he was forced as a rookie to fight for his own NHL identity and job as hard as his players,in some ways
he HAD to put more energy than usual into his own development and one way to cheat was to stick to his own strong areas a disproportionte volume of
the time[see dellow/desperation]...this stunts your own evolution in terms of learning to adapt...this discourged DE from developing his offensive
acumen as fast as he built his defensive acumen.
I agree some arent wired for physicality and aggression,but we are all wired for something and the key is developing system or a process which can
dial into everyones wheelhouse to connect with the specific conduits they are naturally wired with,we all have some type of cerebral structure.This
may sound impossible but it is not difficult to accomplish if you let natural processes decipher how and why each man is wired the way nature or
experience or both have him currently wired.The NHS focuses on territorialism and tribal instincts of protectiveness...the key is defining to the
entire group WHAT they are expected to love to protect...protecting is very different from defending,just like winning is very different from
competing.It takes the same template to make man cry as it does to encourage him to action unnatural aggression....you must define the correct
emotional quotient or driver needed then action it under optimal circumstances,everyone has a role to play and if any single man feels he must take on
more roles than he can handle he will be overwhelmed or will make out of synch difficult to anticipate decisions in the heat of the moment.A loose
example is how the Dynasty Oilers consistantly had a variety of truculent personalitys of ALL
weight-classes,Heavyweights,Middleweights,Lightweights,ev en featherweights.There ws a very important reason for this variety,it allowed them to
dictate momentum when things got physical and they were drug into deeper waters,they could reply to anyone instigting physicality by sending out a man
on a mission ASAP at the 1st hint of attitude,no witing for guys to turn down invitations from Heavyweights back then....you payed the piper as soon
as you looked sideways at anyone.Many of those men were very skilled but tended to be aggressive by nature some were recruited because they were very
skilled but so compettive they were hard to handle because they wanted to win so badly they got into to much trouble.The Dynasty team included lot of
reclamation projects that worked out perfectly.sather or Wyne had the right template they were following but they could not ction their intentions
through the system they insteaad found the men who were already fit for those dynamic roles.This is how they found so many seemingly Diamonds in the
rough that hd near immediate sucess and fit right in...they knew exactly what they were looking for---ready-made natural truculance which was
overpowering above averge skillsets.The NHS has taken it much further and built the truculance and the keys which activate it in EveryMan right into
the processes themselves therby "turning on" that truculence by proxy at the right times for everyone irregardless as to their natural tendencys or
wiring.Some people call this process or influence Esprit de corps.It is really a communication issue or teambinding art if you will--- a big part of
the learning curve when you coach.
I would prefer a protective territorial Sheepdog mentality as a base coat or primary driver followed by secondary tactical layer of cold-blooded
Wolf-Pack which can be initited by the system itself without the men needing to think about it or the coaches needing to demand it.We want stakeholder
managed instincts to take over for everyone as much as possible at all times.I want to see the Sheepdog influence every night for 60 minutes with it
evolving during the game into the WolfPack mentlity in a naturally occuring process,one which flows with the processes and momentum of the game,it is
always best to be active as opposed to re-active,forward momentum is ALWAYS the overriding NHS focus,let the Sheepdog establish a protective
territorial baseline and then tell the Wolf when it is time to go for the hamstring.There is a process for encouraging these dynmics to evolve
naturally,you need to faccillitate it,not force it,accept the transition whenever the real-time feedbck says to do so.The Dynasty Oilers did NOT run
up scores as many think they just executed their processes for 60 minutes with Championship determination dedication and sacrifice and let the
opponents show them where and when and how many times to strike them terminally.1-2-5-8-10 goals it was always up to the opponent,never when or if
just how many that game,the Dynasty group just didnt waste opportunitys becuse they guided opponents to the path of least resistance in their
decisions as to when and where to break down this was a pre-historic primal but very effective method of actioning what the NHS calls Intuitive
Dynamic Management ....the Dynasty processes,particularly the PP were the template from which I modeled and developed the NHS processes,I simply took
processes being managed by individual players who were very special and created a system which allows EveryMan the chance to see and execute the game
of hockey and produce individual numbers and winning team results at the same levels as those very special generational players managed to do. The NHS
does from a system perspective what Wayne and Mark did in terms of on-ice dynamic management .
On the issue of both individual and team growth and the constellation of things which can affect its normal evolution,there is an NHS process for
this.The growth of the team and individuals must be managed by the processes needs as a primary driver...a fine example of this NHS process in action
with Nelly is how Taylor has been used since his bill of health was cleared,Taylor has had to work himself back into the process not back onto the
roster,he has no roster spot with Nelly he has the potential to fulfill process requirements,Nellys processes will not allow themselves to be dictated
to by any one individual,ever.Process continuity and roster chemistry was NOT broken to accomodate traditional mindsets and habits,Nelly changed the
program and refused to risk takeing any steps backwards in terms of team balance.I agree 100%.No one in recent history would have had the cojones
being in Nellys position to take such affirmtive and proper correct actions ,certain fellas would choose to risk team chemistry to ride Halls tailwind
to possible wins.NHS processes ensure no single man carries so much on-ice responsibility that his neutralisation will sink the ship.This is why the
offense did not dry up with Hall out and why he has continued to produce 1st line numbers from the 3rd line,it is the process the entire roster is
executing that is accomodating and allowing the stts results to materialise,not the individuals.
The process will show linear growth because players will not be allowed to incubate or stagnate within it,look how the process dictated Taylor has had
to work his way back onto the roster based on wherever he is needed most to strengthen the process more than what he can do as an individual.The
growth and evolution of the process will dictate and determine the growth and evolutionary paths of the players.There are no 2nd chances as we just
witnessed with 2 years of regression which will likely never be wiped from the mens numerical histories.Now at least when men are injured the pressure
will not be so great to return early,they will be confident as individuals that they will not be letting the team down and will police their own
health decisions in an optimal manner knowing they are not the lynch-pin of the entire Empire.They will learn to trust each other to carry the process
forward.
Injuries will happen but the process shouldnt change enough to be a concern with development,with an NHS modified process all players need are AVERAGE
NHL SKILLSETS AND ACUMEN....nothing more is required to fulfill your role within the processes.You cannot fall behind the developmental curve unless
you are not able in which case you are not contrbuting.The process will not leave you behind,however the process may be clicking along so well that
you cannot find a way back onto the roster because winning is the guideline,as long as the process is producing winning results nothing should be
changing,this meaans one week you will possibly be the top points getter then get injured and a month later not be able to break back onto the roster
becuse the process is fully supported and the team is winning and your ability to produce points does not make you the optimal process support,this is
how the NHS sees it.One man does not a mountain make.
I saw regression and gain under both Krueger and Eakins from a process perspective ,Krueger didnt know what he was dealing with when the NHS was first
created and released online ,he went with the flow and began to listen to his men then clued in towards the end of his tenure on some new but unproven
management options that were suddenly available.Ralph to his credit followed up and then took things even further and transferred his managerial
acumen to another Pro Sport with great sucess.Eakins knew exactly what he was getting into because he IMHO and according to the statistical records he
produced which I reviewed prior to his hiring, had been dabbeling with NHS concepts in the AHL eventually going all-in and finding sucess at that
level basiclly at the same time as LA and Chicago were learning these same NHS processes and winning Stanley Cups executing them. This may be what
attracted Mac-T to what Eakins was doing at the AHL level. It is as easy for Mac-T to see the NHS impacts being produced at the AHL level as it is at
the NHL level....it just isnt so simple to consistantly action them properly as they discovered. There was lso the smll matter of Dallas NOT following
NHS protocals as others before and after him did do,Eakins simply took partial NHS concepts and tried to put a defensive spin on them not
understanding that everything NHS is connected in natural pattern to progressive forward offensively focused motion or to winning,not defending or
competing....DE put a square peg into round hole,this worked at the AHL level where NO ONE ELSE WAS AWARE OF THE OPTIONS DALLAS WAS USING and tight
defense was enough to win the day....but failed epiclly when he ran into Western Conference NHL teams who had already had the same 2 year learning
curve as he personally had except at the NHL level where they were forced by proxy to incorporte the NHS concepts into their offense as was originally
intended by the NHSs creator.Eakins didnt hit a wall against NHL WC teams he fell off of cliff....against EC teams who were still in the dark about
the NHS in general he did OK,but gainst NHS influenced teams he was slaughtered because his system had one hand tied behind its back due to its
defensive origins and a failure to extend the NHS concepts and philosophies to the offense where they were designed to be optimal ,every time he met a
WC NHS modified process it knew how to solve his defense as good s that 1st zone exit was by shutting down his dill-pickle AHL level transition game
and anemic offense.
Although Eakins had the benefit of 2 years to learn and study and defensively tinker with NHS processes that Krueger did not have,Ralph had players
who were on the cutting edge of the NHS development tuned right in,Gagner being the most well versed...you didnt think the 8 point night was a fluke
did you?Or that it was fluke that that particular game was a turning point for the entire Chicago franchise when they were shellshocked and absolutely
owned by Silent Sam and a few on-board teammates and a willing and accomodating coach to the degree that Scotty Bowman himself IN THE MEDIA requested
an audit of the transition tactics being used on his team that night............this led directly to the Hawks discovery and endorsement of the NHS
philosophies and concepts which not only some oilers but ALL the Kings men were ALREADY implementing to differing degrees.My gut tells me Ralph stood
up for the men and endorsed the NHS as the men were interpreting it,and supported making core value system or process changes like LA and the Hawks
eventually made and won the last THREE Cups with.I believe none of Ralphs bosses wanted to face reality or accept they had missed such an important
opportunity not to mention explain the oversight which may have resulted in competition acessing data which led them to Stanley Cups his own team
should have been earning to Katz,data specificlly provided to his team first,system data CREATED or tailormade for his specific roster and
organisation.
I look at the Goaltending with caution,Dubby ws lost because Eakins would not adjust his processes to cover the gaping holes it left for teams to
exploit Dubby.The same types of goals hammered Dubby reputation and confidence,goals being scored due to process errors not Goaltender errors,those
perimeter shots were going in for several reasons none of which are owned by Dubby.I would not have let him go.I would have added a little mover and
shaker for contrast.I believe the improved processes will soon bring the Tenders confidence and numbers back up alongside the rest of the teams
numbers.It looks like Nelly uses one system not a multi-system system like DE used,so we simply need to watch and see which tender we have fits the
processes requiremenst the best.......we must wait because we arent basing our valuation on any past stats or performances....it is all about the
current process and what it needs.The process being used now presents an entirely different landscpe to a tender compared what was here
prior.......the Goalies are now seeing different looks produced by the current process consistantly coming at them,they are learning to anticipte what
is coming system-wise from their men and the opponents,once we see another 30 games we will know what to expect from Nellys processes and intentions
hence what the tenders will be seeing the most,by then the fit should look pretty obvious....remember the PROCESSES will not change so the tender will
have to fit in to the template being produced,even a All-Star who walked in tomorrow might not be a natural fit and have to be rejected because no one
in their right mind changes their system for one man Goalie or not,no single player is worth that type of adjustment,within the NHS processes even
Wayne would not have been required to produce so much and he would never have had those opportunitys the numbers would still go up but be spread
amongst the roster evenly.Wayne and Mark were forced to be the centerpieces of the process because they were self-managing it on-the-fly...they did
not have a system or process like the NHS where all their temmates were on the same page as they were,they were actually real life on-ice generals who
with their coaches endorsment called most of the shots from the ice and bench on-the-fly as required using themselves as the tip of the spear.
A superior system or management process is the single most critical building block,then you need a roster of men who all have a minimum of average NHL
skillsets and acumen,the rest once the process has been taught and is instinctive is singing to the Choir,the process makes the player not the other
way around.
The Oilers could break the franchise goals per season record held by the Dynasty team this coming season.Nelsons system or process will evolve itself
and as it does it will produce substantial offense more than most anticipate....people may be missing HOW the goals are now being scored,they are more
often than not system generated goals catalysing from errors the opponents are forced by our processes to make.
Simply watch for repeated system generated goals and oppotunitys,because a sure sign the process is working is when it can force repeated errors out
of an opponents process consistaantly for 60 minutes scoring multiple times the same ways,once a weakness is exposed the dynamics exposing it are
re-created over and over until an unwanted adjustment is made by the opposing coaches. Look for many more multiple point games for a variety of
players,it will be random,anyone may find themslves to be the tip of the spear repeatedly in an NHS influenced system.But once the process finds a
wekness it rips it wide open immeditly and epeatedly.It is esier to force an entire system to make one small error repeatedly than it is to force one
individual to repeat the exact same mistake over and over so you need to use their system to isolate individuals and encourage their processes to TELL
individuals to make mistakes for you. Repeatedly,and yes there is an NHS process for this called the Intuitive Dynamic Management.
I like your Sabres All-Star analogy .... I challenged the Oilers 3+ years go to let the Barons roster using NHS tactics play a 3 game series against
the NHL roster and predicted the Barons would score 4-7 goals every game and sweep the NHL roster. They didnt think it was a good idea I guess.You are
absolutely correct in your analogy the Sabres would win hands down likely sweep them.Look the Kings won a Stnley Cup by using one simple basic NHS
tactic,they used one basic forced rebound playaction well supported from the n-zone in and initiated and executed repeatedly from different spots in
the o-zone to walk through the Playoffs and hoist the Cup,look back three cups ago ,watch the tapes and look how much damage one simple properly
managed playaction can do the the entire NHL power structure?
Once you begin to learn the NHSs Tactical Shooting Program or TSP then you understand how and why you can never overvalue one man including an
all-star tender because there are processes designed to break down any individual position including the Goaltender.Under Ralphs tenure when the Oil
were being led and taught NHS processes by Sam Gagner and when Krueger had bought in more than one top end Goalie was run out of the nets by the
incredible offense created,by the incredible conversion rate of possesions to shots to goals.If you know how to action the TSP then you know how to
defend against it,without this functional knowledge in todays quickly evolving NHL you are toast.No Tender is safe until they have knowledge on how to
stop the TSP.
I dont know much about the coaching game beyond non-hockey amature levels but you ask interesting questions which are very Coach-like.
The fact that I claim specific teams have used my system to win cups is mute without documented statistical records being produced,which is no problem
,every process or system has an individual stats signature or pattern you can easily define to prove specific dynamic management pocesses were
used.The NHS has a program for simply looking at the media stats page on a team prior to playing them and creating a tactical dynamic template of what
type of process or system they use, the progrm is extremely accurate and effective.
The Oilers were the first team to have acess to the NHS because I created it for them specificlly, they did not officially endorse it the players
discovered it and absorbed the data through osmosis applying it small bits at a time very cautiously and based solely on positive results,no room for
error for the NHS with them because they had no room from their coaches. Then according to the stats records the LA Kings began to tune in online and
learn alongside the Oilers who were paying attention.Then ccording to the stats records Ralph began to experiment himself ,we blew up some really good
teams.Then BANGO things went south,the Oilers went koo-koo ,Ralph was Skyped Sammy Jonesy and others were clipped ,all while the Kings won a Cup
evolving with the system itself.Then the Hawks payed closer and closer attention after we blew them up endorsed the NHS again unofficially and walked
to their own Cup[with lot of NHS help] setting records along the way,then the 2 main NHS players duked it out for the last cup,but lst season the
Blues brought their own NHS inspired process to the table and it is one which has benefitted from the learning curves of those before it,the Flames
have been on the inside for 3+ years one of their Fans has a massive data-base of NHS posts collected and organised chronologiclly online.Giordano
didnt just hit his stride right?The Nucks just destroyed the Kings using their own relatively NHS interpretation.
Remember this stuff really is new I only created Moma2s NewAge Hockey System and its Intuitive Dynamic Analysis and Intuitive Dynamic Management
programs 4+ years ago online with no blog or industry support.I had the opposite reception a hostile one where i was engaged by an online Oilers mod
and went to battle with them thereby catching someone powerfulls attention whereupon I was blackballed and banned from where I had presented the
entire system. Ironiclly 24 hrs before I was drawn into a battle the mod knew I could not win someone PMed me a message asking me if I could put
together a presentation which could be given to a rom full of people in 40 minutes or less.I explained this was not enough time and that there was no
sales pitch that it was not as simple as they wished it to be but that I would be accomodating and put together something for them.....BANGO I am
sucked into a battle and banned from the Oilers site 24 hrs later.No presentation happened even though someone was very interested,then things went
south as anyone who engages the Oilers knows happens immediatly and My relationship with them degraded. I felt I was unfaily suppressed and that even
though my data was being used quite obviously I was being intentionlly disenfranchised.As I said then the Kings keyed in through I believe by the
stats record definately Stoll and maybe Greene ,then the Hawks and yada yada.I never officially met or conflicted with anyone Oilers related but an
online mod,but the Oilers tend to close ranks and blackball anyone who challenges them,I tried to re-connect,the reply to the NHS and I was the hiring
of Darkhorse Analytics by the Oilers,followed by the Hackathon,followed by the hiring of Dellow...all THREE moves IMHO designed to source and recruit
people with stats backgrounds who could replicte the NHS type ideas and concepts and have something statisticlly substantial to validate the
moves.Disenfranchise the local and true source of NHS data but keep using the data under the auspices of following multiple sources of stats
inputs.Why not,in their eyes eveyone else like the Kings and Hawks and who knows who else is milking the cow for free so why take crap from some
internet peon who has the cojones to push back but no industry support or legal protections.Then the advanced stats crowd saw a window of opportunity
and began hi-jacking my NHS Intuitive Dynamic Analysis and Management and making nutty stats based posts and articles online and elsewhere trying to
superimpose their numbers over my philosophies
and concepts.This let them use the door the NHSs tangible impacts created to gain entry into the NHL, then as we all know karma came calling and some
of these clowns have been remediated.In my view an internet Mod who recieved full organisational support when in err catalysed an epic disconnect
between the Oilers and the NHS.24 hrs before official contact could have possibly been made.Coincidence?Who knows,it is a business after all