Today’s No-Brainer: Playoff teams have strong power-plays

A statistical breakdown of how the man-advantage has played into a team’s post-season hopes

Any coach in the NHL will tell you that there is no easier way to lose a game than squandering power-play opportunities. “Our power-play just wasn’t clicking tonight, we couldn’t bury our chances” is one of the most frequent sound bites spouted by any coach after a loss.

Power-play success can alter the outcome of any game. But what does producing on the power-play mean in terms of producing a successful season?

To answer that question, we’ll look at some notable figures taken from power-play statistics since the lock-out (not including the current season):

Since the 2005-2006 NHL Season, the power-play average for the entire league is 18 per cent. Teams that have had a power-play percentage higher than the league average have accounted for 34 out of 64 playoff berths over the course of four seasons.

Okay, maybe that statistic won’t convince you that power-play success always translates into a sure-fire playoff berth. After all, teams above the league’s power-play average only accounted for 53.1 per cent of all playoff berths since the lockout. But keep in mind, most teams tend to hover right around the average for power-play conversion and are often fighting it out right down the stretch to make the playoffs.

Maybe some examples from opposite ends of the spectrum will help us better understand just how important a successful power-play is to a team’s win column.
The Columbus Blue Jackets at a success rate of just 14.2 per cent are the league’s worst power-play team since the lock-out. The Chicago Blackhawks hold claim to the second worst power-play average since the lockout at 14.8 per cent. Both teams fall well below the league average and have combined for just two post-season berths in four seasons.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Detroit Red Wings have the best average at 21.4 per cent, followed closely by Montreal at 21.3 per cent. What does this translate to? Over the past four seasons, Detroit has made the playoffs all four times and Montreal missed the playoffs just once in 2006-2007.

As well, four teams have averaged over 20 per cent on their power-play since the lock-out: Montreal, Detroit, San Jose, and Anaheim. Out of these teams, Montreal is the only team that failed to make the playoffs in all four seasons.
Four teams have not made the playoffs since the lockout: Florida, Toronto, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The Toronto Maple Leafs at 18.9 per cent are the only team in this group that has had a power-play percentage higher than the league average. Another indicator that success on the power-play helps put teams into the post-season.

Success on the power-play helps push teams into the playoffs, probably a no-brainer for any hockey fan. Obviously there are countless other factors at play that determine the success of any team, but in an age where stats are thrown at you from every angle, it’s important to breakdown just how important a strong power-play can be.

What does the future hold for the power-play? Will it continue to separate the contenders from the pretenders? All signs point to yes. The league’s power-play average has risen from 17.6 per cent in 2005-2006 to 18.9 per cent last season and currently sits at 20.2 per cent this season. With those types of numbers you can be sure that no GM will underestimate the importance of the PP when putting together a team.

From Corporate Suits to Bathing Suits

The Air Canada Centre, located in the heart of Toronto's downtown core, is the home of the Maple Leafs and the priciest tickets in the NHL. With platinum seats going for a staggering $400, it's no wonder that fans in attendance often sport a suit instead of a sweater, and an expense account instead of vocal chords - because let's face it, at times during a Leafs game, the only people cheering sit way up at the top of the building.

I've been to quite a few games at the Air Canada Centre over the past few years, and yes, I'll admit it, most often because a certain "suit", who may or may not be my father has been able to score tickets. I've seen the Leafs down the Flyers in OT during the playoffs and more often than not, especially lately, I've seen the Leafs fall in defeat.

Although I've seen hockey games in other buildings (Madison Square Garden, HSBC Centre), I'd never had the luxury of visiting a rink in hockey's sun belt. This past Saturday, I left the sunny warm beaches of Fort Lauderdale for the icy cold of the BankAtlantic Center to watch the Panthers vs. Isles. I entered with a slew of expectations. I expected the crowd to be small, it was. I expected the tickets to be cheap, they were. I expected the crowd to be quiet and disinterested, I was flat out wrong.

Sitting just behind the net, only five rows down from the top of the building, I watched and listened as fans in a building that was probably at a quarter of capacity, used every ounce of energy they had to fuel a comeback for the hometown "Cats". Every time the Panthers pressured, every big save, every hit, every odd-man rush was met with a surge of enthusiasm by the crowd. And not just at the top where I was seated, from the 100 level to 500 level, the fans were into the action. I realized then, that I felt a sense of pride as I watched, that these people weren't just Panthers fans, they were true hockey fans and I was glad to be a part of them.

I felt a sense of comraderie in the building that simply isn't there at Leafs' game. I wanted to let loose and cheer on the home team, a feeling that if it exists at the ACC usually feels forced or ends up being stifled by a lack of participation by the other people in the crowd.

After allowing two quick goals in just five minutes in the first period, the Panthers rallied with four unanswered goals to make it 4-2. Late in the third period, the Panthers ran into penalty trouble and allowed the Isles back into the game with two power-play goals. After an exciting but uneventful overtime, the Panthers finally secured the victory with a shootout winner by Nathan Horton. The building erupted.

As I left the building and road the escalators down to the entrances, the fans were chanting "Let's go Panthers". I spoke to a die-hard Panthers fan who mentioned he has had season's tickets for years, he explained that the die-hard fans are always this rowdy and if the Panthers could only ice a winning-team, the fans would return. I told him that in Toronto, it didn't matter if the Leafs iced a losing team, the fans would always return. He looked at me with a sort of disbelief and in that moment, I'm pretty sure he pitied me just a little bit.

Weight’s Wings dreams don’t pan out, but 16-year veteran’s leadership still shines through

Alternate version of the article below. This version was picked up by The Hockey News.

Doug Weight, a 16-year NHL veteran, was just entering high school as the Steve Yzerman era was beginning in Detroit. Only five years his senior, Stevie Y was the kind of player Weight modelled himself after.

“Yzerman was always my favourite player,” said Weight, a Warren, Mich., native and self-proclaimed Red Wings fan. “The way he played, the way he carried himself, that’s what made him great.”

Few would dispute the fact Yzerman was one of the greatest players in NHL history. Besides his knack for scoring big goals and racking up impressive statistics, it was Yzerman’s leadership that marked him as a true great, captaining the Wings for nearly two decades.

According to Weight, Yzerman is the benchmark for what great leadership really is: being genuinely dedicated to the team.

“What a leader does is prepare themself to be a professional. Be early (to the rink), be yourself and play hard every shift, even if it’s just practice,” Weight said.

Although there is a sort of romanticism surrounding leadership and what makes a great leader in the NHL, Weight says veterans shouldn’t bark orders at the young players.

“I don’t try and go out of my way to take a player under my wing, but if I see a young guy who needs to be talked to as far as something he can improve on, then I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ve been in that situation before as a young player and you don’t really want to hear something every time you come off the ice.”

Although professionals must give their all regardless of where they play, Weight acknowledges there is always one team you dream of playing for. And for athletes, dreams of becoming a hometown hero are not uncommon.

Growing up watching stars like Gordie Howe, Yzerman and others who helped define the game and make Detroit great, only intensified Weight’s dream. For years, he’d hoped to wear the red-and-white of Motown and streak down the ice at Joe Louis Arena in front of a sold out crowd.

Weight was almost traded to Detroit from St. Louis in 2002, but the deal fell through at the last minute.

“There are a lot of factors involved with trades and free agent signings, you can’t always pick where you play,” he said. “I was always a huge fan (of Detroit) and that jersey will always have a special place in my heart, but it’s an honor to just be in this league, play a great sport and be able to make a living off of it.”

Justin Del Giudice is a public relations student at Seneca College. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 2008. You can find his multi-purpose blog HERE.

I’m not going to hold your hand – NHLer Doug Weight ‘weighs’ in on his hometown hero and what it takes to be a leader in the NHL

“I don’t try and go out of my way to take a player under my wing, but if I see a young guy who needs to be talked to as far as something he can improve on, then I’ll do it.”

Does your resume read like this: a Stanley Cup ring; scored over 1000 points; an Olympic silver medal, four all-star appearances; captain of the Edmonton Oilers; assistant captain of four different NHL teams; and 20 years of NHL experience? If you can answer yes to all of the above, then you might be Doug Weight.

Born in Warren, Michigan, Doug Weight, a 38 year-old self-proclaimed Red Wings fan, entered high school just as Detroit’s Yzerman era was beginning. Weight admits that Yzerman, only five years his senior, was the kind of player he modelled himself after.

“Yzerman was always my favourite player. The way he played, the way he carried himself, that’s what made him great,” reflects Weight.

Few would dispute the fact that Yzerman was one of the greatest players in NHL history. Besides his knack for scoring big goals and racking up impressive statistics, it was Yzerman’s leadership that marked him as a true great, captaining the Detroit Red Wings from the age of 21 years old and over nearly two decades.

According to Weight, Yzerman is the benchmark for what great leadership really is, and what it really means to be a great leader, is being a player who is genuinely dedicated to their team.

“What a leader does is prepare themself to be a professional. Be early [to the rink], be yourself, and play hard every shift, even if it’s just practice,” says Weight.

He also believes that there is a sort of romanticism surrounding leadership and people’s impressions of what makes a great leader in the NHL. People feel veterans have to take a young player under their wing, directing them at every turn. To Weight, this couldn’t be farther from the truth:

I don’t try and go out of my way to take a player under my wing, but if I see a young guy who needs to be talked to as far as something he can improve on, then I’ll do it. I’ve been in that situation before as young player, and you don’t really want to hear something every time you come off the ice. If I feel in my heart that they need to hear something, I’ll do it. Or, if I have to, I’ll drop the gloves with someone to protect a young guy or I’ll invite a younger guy over for dinner at my house. But mostly, it’s important to be genuine and not just act the part.

Weight goes on to explain that if team management is doing their job properly, there is no need to take a player under your wing. Organizations should be drafting players who have the right character, who already have the drive, determination, and the willingness to sacrifice everything for the good of the team.

A true professional gives it their all no matter what team they play for. But, Weight also acknowledges the fact that there are things you dream of as a kid, one place you dream of playing.

As a kid, every player in the NHL dreamt of being a hometown hero. Players dream of someday playing for the team they grew up loving. Weight always dreamt of wearing the red and white of Motown, streaking down the ice at Joe Louis Arena in front of a sold out crowd. A dream which would’ve included wearing the same jersey that was once worn by such greats as Gordie Howe, Paul Coffey, Marcel Dionne, Steve Yzerman, and Doug Harvey, players who helped define the game and make Detroit great.

Although Weight was almost traded to Detroit from St. Louis in 2002, the deal fell through at the last minute. For Weight, being a hometown hero didn’t quite happen:

There are a lot of factors involved with trades and free agent signings, you can’t always pick where you play. It’s always a dream to play where you grow up. I was always a huge fan [of Detroit] and that jersey will always have a special place in my heart, but it’s an honour to just be in this league, play a great sport and be able to make a living off of it.

And after all, isn’t that what it’s all about? Simply loving the game?

Going stride for stride with the NHL’s young guns - How a stronger emphasis on training is keeping veteran NHLers in the NHL

John Q. Dangler, a retired NHL vet in his late thirties, is sitting on his Muskoka-area cottage’s dock with a beer in hand and the sun drifting lazily across the sky. He matches the sun’s lethargic approach to the day and slowly lowers his feet into the tepid water.

You’d assume that what’s going through his mind is deciding on the best way to kick back and relax for the day; what to barbeque for lunch or how to avoid the bunker on the second hole of the back nine at the local golf course – but really he’s wondering how a game he once dominated has passed him by, forcing him to retire earlier than he intended.

Meanwhile, veteran players like Rod Brind’Amour, Gary Roberts, Chris Chelios, and Doug Weight have started their day bright and early, and are well into their training routines. This brigade of veteran players who have not only taken training seriously throughout their whole career, but have actually intensified their training programs in the later stage of their career, train throughout the summer to keep themselves competitive with the influx of young talent that has characterized the NHL in recent years.

NHL veterans once believed it was best to rest your body during the offseason, relaxing all summer, training very minimally. “Training camp is the place to get in shape,” echoed many-a-pro. “Golf, beers, and barbeques are what the summer is meant for, my body needs to heal.” This mindset has gone the way of the dinosaur, and the players who had practiced this way of life have since become extinct in today’s NHL.

“It’s definitely a year-round job, I think the guys that approach it that way are the ones that last the longest,” said veteran NHL captain and Stanley Cup winner Rod Brind’Amour in an interview with NHL.com.

And not only are players training year-round, but the way in which players are approaching training has changed as well. There’s been a major shift away from just focusing on weight-lifting and aerobic exercises, towards a focus on improving the core strength of players.

John Paul Laciak, trainer for the AAA - Toronto Marlboros describes the shift as: “An emphasis on trying to get players off the weight machines [and] into positions where you draw upon the strength of the entire body, rather than isolating a single muscle.”

Core strength exercises are especially important for veteran players. Once players reach a certain age – and obviously this age varies depending on the individual – they can’t expect their bodies to perform with the same raw speed and agility they were used to having in their younger days. Veterans have to compensate by keeping the core of the body strong and keeping their reaction time quick. Strong calves and quads are essential because you need the core of your body to be working in a strong and coordinated fashion.

After suffering an MCL injury during a recent game, Doug Weight of the New York Islanders spoke to a team trainer about playing “a young man’s game.” He reflected on his earlier days in the NHL:

I remember that feeling every game, I still have the same drive and expectations, but I remember being young…where you felt you had the puck on a string and you would have a huge impact every shift and every game. You can still have an impact when you’re older, but you’re not going to be that dynamic player every night.

Players entering the NHL today are faster, stronger, more creative and dynamic; it seems like almost every NHL prospect coming in has the right combination of speed, good hands and a strong shot. Obviously teams looks to veteran players for experience and leadership, but if you can’t continue to play the game at a high level, you’re either going to be riding the bus down in the AHL or out of the game entirely.

As far as training goes, it’s a constant learning process for veterans. The mentality that players can rely upon a stagnant routine of exercises that they’ve been doing since they were young has definitely been left behind - “I’ve done it this way for fifteen years and it’s worked, why should I change now?” The truth is players probably could get by on what they’ve been doing for the greater length of their career – the traditional, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach – but like technology, training techniques are constantly evolving to meet the needs of today’s athletes.

Doug Weight, 38, believes that one of the reasons he’s been able to keep his body in top form is because trainers in the league have influenced his training program, “The trainers in the game are the most influential – they are always learning new techniques through seminars, they study and test these techniques and introduce them into the dressing room.”

Physically, vets are training to keep their bodies strong, but sometimes it’s all about training your mind to meet the physical strain of playing such a high-impact sport for so long. Doug Weight describes this challenge as, “ … relearning what you did when you were young,” he goes on to say, “Let’s face it, we’re playing a young man’s sport. You have to adopt that no fear, confident swagger you had when you were young. Young guys have less worry about the game, injuries and other stuff like that.”

No fountain of youth exists to magically transport players back to a time where they were at their physical peak and dominating games on sheer athleticism. With a lot of hard-work and dedication to training all-year round, veteran players can still be in top physical shape and as effective as they were when they were younger.

“Sometimes you get an opportunity in the first 10 seconds of your shift, but it could come at the end of your shift. If you’re tired, you might miss your chance.” said Jarome Iginla, a top-flight veteran and captain of the Calgary Flames during an interview with Sports Illustrated.