As far as all of the hype with all the fighting and injuries in the NHL right now, do you think it will only get worse or better in the play-offs?
2007-03-24 10:18:04 · 5 answers · asked by TML ♥'er 3 in Sports ➔ Hockey
Wow, that is sure some terrible answers they gave you there. Fighting will go down mostly because the one dimensional fighters are watching from the press box. Hard to fight from there.
Injuries-who knows?? There has been a ton of freak injuries lately but guys are playing MORE AGRESSIVE in the play-offs and throwing the body around more, blocking shots when normally they might not so it could very well even out.
There will not be too many injuries from fights though because (besides the fact that injuries in fights don't happen too much-just this year and lately for some reason) guys like McGratton, Boogard,Jansson, Orr won't see much if any ice time. You will get the odd scrap but not many.
Many teams will employ the tactic of running guys early in the series to wear them down and if they take a penalty/lose the game so be it. Ex-coach Jauques Demers once said that when he was coaching in the play-offs, if the rival team had a star goalie, in the first game of the series, he would tell his grinders to run the goalie. Get in his head and if he gets hurt -bonus.
Coaches think like this, Demers might be the only one with the gonads to say it but they all think it.
2007-03-24 12:52:34 · answer #1 · answered by Bob Loblaw 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Injuries may stay the same in the playoffs, after all, these guys are all brittle now and not NEARLY as dedicated as the players 20 years or more ago.
Fighting will be reduced. Guys won't run the stars eliminating the need for retaliation because they can't afford to be suspended. A 4-5 game suspension could mean missing the entire series.
2007-03-24 10:32:14 · answer #2 · answered by mrnaturl1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The tendency in the NHL playoffs is a reduction in fighting. Players realize they cannot afford to put their team in a shorthanded situation. So yes it will get better
2007-03-24 10:23:26 · answer #3 · answered by ace 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
players generally play less aggressive in the playoffs because they don't want to be the one responsible of losing the series in game 7 for high-sticking a guy.
2007-03-24 10:29:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The playoffs are a whole different kind of game.
You'll see lots of changes ... for the better.
2007-03-24 18:06:57 · answer #5 · answered by tgfann 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋