San Jose - the Secret (or - is there one?)
Apr 17, 2016 22:11:26 GMT -5
Beans (BOS), bjernagris (PHI), and 3 more like this
Post by Isaac on Apr 17, 2016 22:11:26 GMT -5
San Jose Mercury News
Despite their 4-2 loss to Winnipeg, the iSharks have been talk of the league, as they just keep winning. And not just winning - mostly dominant wins.
Is this the case of everybody getting hot at the right time, or is there something more? Something to leap up out of the sea and take a mighty chomp out of the iNHL.
We invited GM Isaac Reid to sit down with us, and he graciously gave us the opportunity this afternoon over lunch at a San Jose-area seafood place.
SJMN: Thank you for giving us the chance to sit down and talk hockey.
IR: No problem, just thankful I could find time in my schedule.
SJMN: You surprised a lot of people last year with your run to the playoffs, despite your well-known injury woes. Now that you're at the top of the iNHL, you can't be the surprise team anymore.
IR: Is that a question or a comment? (laughs) Seriously, though, the fact that we're topping the league right now is a nice surprise in itself. It's really a testament to the selflessness of our players and how well they play together.
SJMN: Is there any secret to your success?
IR: Well, I don't want to give it all away. But good things happen when the puck is in the offensive zone. Bad things happen when you're in the time-out chair.
SJMN: You've taken relative unknowns such as Reece Scarlett and Sacha Guimond and turned them into quality iNHLers. You have to have some secret to that.
IR: No, not really. Scarlett and Guimond are good players. You can't take a bad player and turn them into an iNHL player. But you can take good players and get them to maximize their skills. Guimond, I saw personally in an ECHL game. Really nice guy, some natural instincts, especially offensively. Signed him to a contract a few days later. Put in the work, and now he's seeing the results. Same for Scarlett.
SJMN: You've preached about balance. What does this mean in practice?
IR: What it sounds like. Not every player can do it all. Some can skate really well, some are amazing at moving the puck, some have heavy shots. Play those guys together, balanced over 4 lines, and you've created 4 super-players. Balancing the ice-time across them, you keep them healthy and fresh, while providing constant pressure on net.
SJMN: You have the top power play in the league. That has to be a major part of your team's focus.
IR: I stress it to our team, penalties only hurt yourself. It's like shooting yourself in the foot, despite being surrounded by people explicitly telling you not to shoot yourself in the @$#^&*! foot. Just as much as I stress that, however, I stress taking advantage of every opportunity. That includes the power play.
SJMN: Couture's injury - any update?
IR: He's getting better. We can't wait to have him back, but we're not going to rush him, especially now that Thornton and Pavelski are back and playing well.
SJMN: It must help to have guys like Thornton and Pavelski back, if only for the leadership they provide.
IR: Leadership is nice, but those guys are also really good players, even coming off of major injuries.
SJMN: Final question: A lot of your core players are in their contract years. You've already extended Neuvirth. Can we expect more?
IR: Those talks will be approached when the time fits. You can believe we will make a strong attempt to bring those guys backs, but we have bigger priorities right now. Like bringing those guys their long-deserved cup. Now, you have try their fish tacos.
Despite their 4-2 loss to Winnipeg, the iSharks have been talk of the league, as they just keep winning. And not just winning - mostly dominant wins.
Is this the case of everybody getting hot at the right time, or is there something more? Something to leap up out of the sea and take a mighty chomp out of the iNHL.
We invited GM Isaac Reid to sit down with us, and he graciously gave us the opportunity this afternoon over lunch at a San Jose-area seafood place.
SJMN: Thank you for giving us the chance to sit down and talk hockey.
IR: No problem, just thankful I could find time in my schedule.
SJMN: You surprised a lot of people last year with your run to the playoffs, despite your well-known injury woes. Now that you're at the top of the iNHL, you can't be the surprise team anymore.
IR: Is that a question or a comment? (laughs) Seriously, though, the fact that we're topping the league right now is a nice surprise in itself. It's really a testament to the selflessness of our players and how well they play together.
SJMN: Is there any secret to your success?
IR: Well, I don't want to give it all away. But good things happen when the puck is in the offensive zone. Bad things happen when you're in the time-out chair.
SJMN: You've taken relative unknowns such as Reece Scarlett and Sacha Guimond and turned them into quality iNHLers. You have to have some secret to that.
IR: No, not really. Scarlett and Guimond are good players. You can't take a bad player and turn them into an iNHL player. But you can take good players and get them to maximize their skills. Guimond, I saw personally in an ECHL game. Really nice guy, some natural instincts, especially offensively. Signed him to a contract a few days later. Put in the work, and now he's seeing the results. Same for Scarlett.
SJMN: You've preached about balance. What does this mean in practice?
IR: What it sounds like. Not every player can do it all. Some can skate really well, some are amazing at moving the puck, some have heavy shots. Play those guys together, balanced over 4 lines, and you've created 4 super-players. Balancing the ice-time across them, you keep them healthy and fresh, while providing constant pressure on net.
SJMN: You have the top power play in the league. That has to be a major part of your team's focus.
IR: I stress it to our team, penalties only hurt yourself. It's like shooting yourself in the foot, despite being surrounded by people explicitly telling you not to shoot yourself in the @$#^&*! foot. Just as much as I stress that, however, I stress taking advantage of every opportunity. That includes the power play.
SJMN: Couture's injury - any update?
IR: He's getting better. We can't wait to have him back, but we're not going to rush him, especially now that Thornton and Pavelski are back and playing well.
SJMN: It must help to have guys like Thornton and Pavelski back, if only for the leadership they provide.
IR: Leadership is nice, but those guys are also really good players, even coming off of major injuries.
SJMN: Final question: A lot of your core players are in their contract years. You've already extended Neuvirth. Can we expect more?
IR: Those talks will be approached when the time fits. You can believe we will make a strong attempt to bring those guys backs, but we have bigger priorities right now. Like bringing those guys their long-deserved cup. Now, you have try their fish tacos.