“Systems” Exist & “Stats Are For Bird Watchers”?

“No. He’s not doing anything that we haven’t seen over the course of our entire lives. When you’re at this level, it shouldn’t matter what system you’re playing. You’ve played everything, coming up to this point, so you should be able to adjust and you should be able to adapt to it. All our forwards, first through fourth line, and all our D-men have played. The things that he’s telling us are going to help us win games. It’s not foreign to anybody.’’

Jonathan Quick on what he has noticed regarding this mysterious thing called a system:

“For the most part, they’re hockey plays. You’re just trying to make reads. No matter what kind of system we have in place, there’s going to be chances where your team needs you to make a save. You’re just playing hockey out there. Wherever the shot comes from, that’s where it comes from.’’

I don’t understand. I thought the “system” was just a figment of our imagination, that everyone, all teams, really player the same system. So what are these adjustments that were made? Why does Matt Greene say, “it shouldn’t matter what system you’re playing.” What is he talking about? And Quick? “No matter what kind of system we have in place?” Come on Jon. There is only one. The Kings play and have played the same system as the Detroit Red Wings forever and a day. That is why there has been so much resemblance between the two teams’ style of play over the years. And Pittsburgh? How could you tell the difference between them and what Terry Murray instilled in his three and a half seasons? And Sutter now? This is clearly a bunch of crap. The players must be making shit up.

And for the real sacrilege from Quick when asked about shot totals:

“They’re going to get good chances. The shot total, that’s just a stat. If you look at stats, stats are for people that don’t know the game, for bird-watchers. We lost the game. That’s all it is. We lost 4-3. We have a big game tomorrow, and that’s all we’re focused on.’’

Quick is out of his mind. Hockey isn’t played on ice. It’s played on an excel spreadsheet.

Quick: “I’m a goalie. I don’t need to know about systems. Guys show up from the other team, and they bring the black thing with them. Then, they use their club-like thing to push it at me, and I am supposed to get in the way so it doesn’t go over the mark of red under my feet. It’s hard, tho, cuz I have to wear extra stuff, and it’s heavy.”

Greene: “Coaches talk. We are supposed to listen, then we’re supposed to do the thing we got talked at about. Some people like to name these things and group them by team, but it’s all just different ways to play a game called “hockey.”

Darryl Sutter: Looks down, shifts feet, eyebrows raise and lower independently, cheeks are contorted, eyes squint a little and then fixate, a smile almost appears and then fadses into grimace, forehead wrinkles deepen and then expand, “I’m one of the coaches, I’m supposed to talk.”

Yeah. Quick is in goalie world where few would understand. They are probably the last to care or comprehend any team system. They have brains that think as follows: “see” “watch” “square up” “butterfly” “anticipate” “reflex” “no rebounds” “catch and hold” “throw in corner” “no fumbles behind net” “stop wrap arounds”.

If you that well you get paid a truckload.

To a goalie they see organized chaos on ice and their job is to be organized control on ice or the opposite.

Another way to look at it is count how many great coaches in the NHL in the past and now were former career goalies.

Hey Quick I have played hockey since I was 2 years old, and continue to do so. Your saying that stats don’t mean anything? well maybe your right, by looking at your stats you should be nominated for a vezina, but are FAR from being an elite goalie. Stats don’t show that you always let in a soft goal and always give up leads, but my guess is YOU will be using STATS to try and get Rinne money ($7 mill) in a year now, Won’t ya?

I say we trade Quick and go with Bernier, it’s a win win if we do that. First off Quick wil get a better return than Bernier will and we will be able to re-sign Bernier for cheaper than Quick. Also Bernier WILL be the better goalie in the not to distant future, guaranteed. I am sick of Quicks meltdowns every single fucking year right before the playoffs, this is now three in a row while Bernier seems to play his best hockey at this time (thats the sign of a true born winner, playing your best when it counts the most).

Yeah, my rule of thumb for goalies is that, if your own team is sucking, then you get a shut out for your team to win the game. They don’t do that, then, they are not doing their job.

For goalies, it is not what you did for be yesterday, it is what I need today.

If Quick is sent away, make to the East, and for sure not the Pacific, otherwise the King jinx will be that he shuts the Kings out 6 times in one season, and in all 4 playoff games if the Kings face him.

Of course these guys are going to say that the system and the stats don’t matter at this point. They aren’t winning with the system, and they recognize that winning is their job. I don’t imagine anyone in the room is happy about it, but criticizing the system to the “official team blogger” isn’t going to help them, or the team any. They are playing like a team that is playing out the string, and I would think that everyone in the room feels like they could be considered expendable once the season is over.

Our system is boring ineffective style of hockey. I think the players bought into it under TM and I think we need to toss it out the window. The Kings coaching staff needs to trust our supposed skilled players to showcase their talent and playmaking ability and score goals. Our defense first attitude is just down right stupid because if you do score you will not win. How may games did the kings lose when scoring less than 2 goals per game? Management needs to ask themselves can our current roster score goals at a rate of 3 or more a game. The answer is he’ll yes! Then why do we barely avg. 2 a game it’s simple your “fucking stupid ass system of defense first does not work” and it’s turn your star players into avg players they loose confidence and their scoring ability too. So fuck it what do we have left to loose let the top 6 forwards focus on making plays in the offense zone let the 3rd and 4th lines concentrate on wearing down the opponent and let our top 2 defense lines join the rush a bit more the bottom 4 defenseman can ply shut down hockey. Also teach the players how to lock down a game in the final 5 to 10 minutes when holding onto a lead. The key is play smart by getting pucks out of the zone without turning it over, play a possession game not just dump and chase hockey. Currently the last 5 to 10 minutes of games in which we have a lead I call “HELTER SKELTER” as that’s how the kings play in total panic mode and more times than I care to witness we give up a tying goal and go ahead goal. Do we not learn anything from our embarrassing playoff losses the last two yrs. So come on coaches coach. Players just fucking go out there and fight for every loose puck, play with confidence, and see what happens.

so i’m not sure about what greene meant, that was probably made up on the spot. but i’m sad to see all the trash-talk on quick. personally, i think quick has a valid point. as a professional player with a lot of pressure, he wants to focus on a stat that’s dear to him, wins. sometimes i feel that stats are thrown about, used as if they really will shift the momentum, or outcome of a game. also, these convoluted stats like “player does this poorly/well in the month of blank, or their overall stat in a particular category” are irritating. i think it’s ridiculous that a player should be expected to either pay attention to or even consider thinking about that. how many times have we seen someone interview a player and say “you’re on your 499th blank, 1 more and you’ll be at 500, how does that make you feel?” with a response like: “oh really? i was on 499? i didn’t even know.” in addition, did anyone see hbo’s “road to the winter classic” in one particular episode, claude giroux and steve ott get into a verbal spat. with steve ott proudly proclaiming “i’m 5th in the league in face-offs, check nhl.com.” – is this what we want from OUR players?