SLBAM: The reality of players and coaches

What’s up gang. A short week in terms of questions, but good timing since we’re in a stretch of 8 games in 11 days, with a fairly diminished line-up.

Here’s to your questions.

Funny question, I’ll admit. I looked at all the stores to see if I could create a need for myself and no, I didn’t need to buy anything.

I did, however, buy presents for the kids for Christmas, having already started a gift list.

Pokémon cards were obviously at the top of the list, so it was great fun to get 50% off boxes. It was the same for the doggies.

For me, I got a beard razor (I needed a new one) and a front-light cleaner for the car (my partner’s).

Yes and no. In the sense that I understand very well now the reality of the ECHL. Not long ago, we were missing six of our top seven forwards.

It’s becoming difficult to perform well and score goals. It’s a bit like that with the defensemen.

On a personal level, I feel good in my new environment. I won’t hide the fact that it’s good to be back at the professional level. It’s night and day in terms of hockey.

I’m often asked if I’d be interested in returning to the junior level, but as a chef. My answer is no.

It’s simply because the professional level is something different and you do a lot more hockey, because you don’t have to manage 20,000 things on the side.

In terms of personal performance, I work with a lot of defensemen and we see a progression, so I’m quite happy. The lack of ice time is difficult, because I’d like to work on a lot of things with them.

Otherwise I’m responsible for the numerical disadvantage and I’m not very happy about that. Night after night, we’re having a lot of trouble. But this season, it’s just not clicking.

We can be good for two games and in the third, we’ll give away three goals on four chances. So I have to work even harder to make sure I’m effective on the disadvantage and give our team a chance to perform.

I’m not surprised at the moment. A new path often has a positive effect at the start. I’m not saying that everything will change afterwards, but if you can take advantage of it in the beginning and build something positive with it, all the better.

We haven’t had an easy start to the season, and neither have they. So far, they’ve come out on top. The team seems well structured and the players are doing what they have to do. It’s getting hard to play against a team that’s efficient like that.

Prolongation

Oh my goodness.

Greg Popovich just got on the mic in San Antonio to tell the fans to stop booing Kawhi.

The crowd booed even louder for the second free throw.

(: @BallySportsSA)pic.twitter.com/w6nRGH6W3y

– theScore (@theScore) November 23, 2023

Whew, what a moment on TV or in the sports world! Imagine if Martin St-Louis in Montreal did this, how would people and the media react?

I was asked what I thought, and I see both sides of the coin. On the coach’s side, I completely understand his point. Greg is known as a person who commands respect and is adored by the players.

To stand up for a player like that shows the respect he has and wants. It sends a powerful message across the league.

On the other hand, I have two minor reservations. Fans, who pay a lot of money to watch increasingly expensive sporting events, have every right to disagree or to want to send cries of discouragement to a player.

I have nothing against that; they have the right and they’ve paid for it. We see it in the NHL and in soccer in Europe.

I’ll go further too. I don’t follow basketball at all, it’s not my sport. But after talking to a lot of people in the field. Kawhi had still asked for a trade and he is (a bit like many NBA players) is a master at taking time off.

So a lot of people sometimes can pay to go see him play and finally, he takes a rest… So I totally understand the spectator rally and I’m not against it.

This ends my article, once again, thank you all. Have a good Sunday and we’ll talk again @Mitch_Giguere.