My concern with "team toughness", as I've said before is that I've never seen it executed in Cardiff. Certainly not in the modern era. What worries me is what I saw last year, Martin, Sanford and Cox getting stuck into needless exchanges. They shouldn't be getting involved but ultimately they had to - either because they were getting man handled and roughed up or it was down to sheer frustration of chasing shadows and defending for 95% of their shift. Added to that you had Crawford taking petulant penalties for slashing or roughing that amounted to nothing other than to put us short handed. It wasn't sending a message or sticking up for anyone, it was petulance. I don't really want to see that.
I'm all for Brandt. I love the guy but one guy throwing hits and willing to drop the gloves that is a shade over 5ft 7" isn't team toughness either.
Fournier could barely skate and wasn't the answer, neither is a full on knuckle dragger but there's definitely a middle ground to be found. Bottom line.... I don't want to see Sanford, Martin and Cox sat in the penalty box. That seemed to happen far too often in big games (I might have imagined it but that's what it felt like). I want someone to tell Conway (if he was still here) that he's in for one hell of a day every time he steps on the ice and if he doesn't hurt him with a check then he'll no choice him and batter him should he go near our first line stars. Also, if our 6ft 4" Brit defender gets smashed in to the boards at home by a Flame then someone has more than a word. Too much too ask for? I don't see that happening with "team toughness".
Didn't we have one of, if not the most fights, last year? That still didn't feel like team toughness to me. We still got bullied and smashed around the ice, at times.
I'm all for Brandt. I love the guy but one guy throwing hits and willing to drop the gloves that is a shade over 5ft 7" isn't team toughness either.
Fournier could barely skate and wasn't the answer, neither is a full on knuckle dragger but there's definitely a middle ground to be found. Bottom line.... I don't want to see Sanford, Martin and Cox sat in the penalty box. That seemed to happen far too often in big games (I might have imagined it but that's what it felt like). I want someone to tell Conway (if he was still here) that he's in for one hell of a day every time he steps on the ice and if he doesn't hurt him with a check then he'll no choice him and batter him should he go near our first line stars. Also, if our 6ft 4" Brit defender gets smashed in to the boards at home by a Flame then someone has more than a word. Too much too ask for? I don't see that happening with "team toughness".
Didn't we have one of, if not the most fights, last year? That still didn't feel like team toughness to me. We still got bullied and smashed around the ice, at times.
I remember when we played the Giant in January. They didn’t have an answer for him and we won comfortably 4-1.
I know Fournier was an loose cannon (entertaining one at that) and that’s why’s he’s had so many clubs, However when Fournier did ice, he installed so much confidence in our team to play and play with an edge.
If it was my team and not PRs. I would’ve released Batch and re-signed Big Lou. Then your toughness is sorted.