Before I head out to the morning skate, one last tidbit from yesterday…
In practice yesterday, Terry Murray stopped a drill — one that could be called a “battle” drill behind the net — and talked to Teddy Purcell about the proper way to do the drill. The scene wasn’t as long and intense as when Murray stopped the passing drill in training camp and lectured the team, but Murray clearly had a point to make about style of play. He was asked about it after practice.
MURRAY: “That’s an attitude. You can watch top teams in the league, and all of their smaller, veteran players, they do the right thing with their body positioning. It is a matter of really playing a hard, heavy game there, but just as important, it’s about body position, so that you’re taking away a lot of the options that the puck carrier has. It was a breakdown on (Purcell’s) part, and that’s what was jumping off the tape to me in the last couple days. There’s no way you can let that go by. It’s a teaching point, it’s a teaching time, it’s an opportunity that you’re hoping doesn’t happen in a practice, but if it does, you jump on it right away.”
Given the fact that it’s a major learning point, wouldn’t you want it to happen during practice rather than a game?
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Break bad habits early…….and in practice.
Good for TM. I think Purcell has a great shot and hands but wonder if he has that toughness or willingness to dig deep and hard along the boards. I know DL wants this team to be “tough” and have some size along with the skill factor.
I can’t say Purcell’s slender build or size is an issue since Simmonds is about the same size but has the heart of a lion.
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Murray’s got it right. He said it all right there.
GO KINGS!
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That was great yesterday. Murray really drove the point home. Here’s what happened…
Richardson, who Murray calls “Richie,” was the offensive player and carried the puck behind the goal with Purcell on his tail.
As Richardson passed the goal and was nearing the corner he cut and went back behind the net in the other direction, again with Purcell in chase.
Murray immediately stops play and raises his voice. (The one thing about practice is there is very little yelling and very soft whistles.) So when Murray raises his voice, it’s noticed immediately.
Murray skates over and starts to lay into Teddy about how, as the defensive player, you cannot allow the puck carrier to turn around and go back behind the net. You must cut him off with body position and force him into the corner. (I liken this to basketball when you cut off the baseline as the defender.) Murray transitioned into talking to the whole group about the idea, not just Purcell, but at first the light was pretty much on him.
The operative phrase Murray kept repeating during this lesson was, “No Turn-backs!”
I will be watching closely for that tonight…
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Teddy definitely has a prime opportunity here and hopefully can’t take that and run with it. I just hope he’s taking every piece of feedback and teachings and locks it away somewhere. I truly believe this guy has skills and if he and his line can start clicking (which I don’t feel has happened yet), it could be a very dangerious lineup.
We all know Teddy has his shot here to make or break it and I’m sure he’s well aware of it as well, more than we could ever be. He just has to now produce and I truly believe he will when he has everything locked in.
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Great stuff Waves!
Purcell is going to get it right…the good news is that they are addressing the issue with full force. We all know by now exactly what his problem area is and thats because of the clarity in TM’s message. It will breed great results in time. I’m very happy to read this…
And tonight, with big Joe…it will be very important. He is a wizard down low, so its interesting to see how it pans out. Hopefully TM nipped the issue in the butt in time.
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thx waves
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wavesinair, nice post. Tnx.
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Rich — could you check on Stoll’s wrist’s being 100%?
Could you let us know if Harold is with the rearguards during practice?
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waves…
fantastic stuff…!!!
thanks for the excellent explanation…
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Makes sense, thanks for the mental pic waves
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way to go waves…awesome stuff!
Has Rich hired you yet?
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Thanks Waves for the update
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bring up lokotionov in december…
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It will be interesting to see how the Purcell-Stoll-Brown line performs tonight since they were pretty much invisible in the 1st game.
I’m really not a big fan of Purcell… yes, he has good hands but his timid, almost robotic/heartless play doesn’t make me confident that he will be anything more than a good minor leaguer. I remember people(Lombardi?) comparing him to Bernie Nicholls but Bernie was an emotional and passionate player. I hope I’m wrong and an emotional spark does develop in his game soon. Otherwise this will probably be his last year as a King.
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Glad everyone enjoyed the story. It was fun to watch. Anyone catch Jim Fox mention it tonight on the broadcast? Fox said “Cut Backs” but Murray said, “Turn Backs.”
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