* Guy Dupuis: ``I'm not going to lie and say this doesn't hurt. All the players want to do is win more and that hurts more than anything else. I commend management for trying something. It's time to do something. Hopefully all the players will look in the mirror and try to make changes to our game. Hopefully me and PC can get our offensive game back up to par and help out that way more.''
And: ``We've had a lot of meetings over the last three or four weeks, and a lot of guys had their say in these meetings. Not a lot of those things that were said set off any spark. It didn't bring any results on the ice. Right now maybe this will give us a spark, but really I think we have to focus on gettng some actions going now instead of saying the words. We need more Indians involved.''
* This decision was made by Al Sims, David Franke and Michael Franke.
* Leo Thomas and Kaleigh Schrock will wear the A's. There will not be a third A at this time. There is no timetable right now to name a new captain. Part of the reason not to give another A is if they do decide to name another captain and it's not one of those three players, they don't want to have to take an A away from someone.
* Picking a new captain could be done with input from the players or just a selection by coaches and management or a combination of the two. There's no hard and fast rule to how it is done.
* This does not preclude other roster moves from happening. ``We're still working on that aspect,'' general manager David Franke said. ``We leave Thursday for Quad City and we hope to have something done by then. We'll just have to see. We're working on it. If something happens, it will have to happen no later than tomorrow in order to get he new players. Nothing is iminent right now, but we are working on some things. We wanted to make these moves and get that done as early as we could this week so we're ready to go Friday night.''
* The Komets have not talked with Colin Chaulk recently. ``There's nothing to report on him,'' Franke said.
* Derek Patrosso, Craig Cescon and Danko Mironovic all skated hard at practice today and hope to be able to play Friday. If Patrosso and Mironovic come off injured reserve the Komets need to make roster moves with at least two players, likely three to get under the salary cap.
* There are new forward lines: Thomas, O'Connor and Drouin; Curadeau, Francis and Schrock; Musselwhite, Naurato and Lardner.
* With a 4 1/2 season run, Dupuis is the third-longest tenured captain in team history behind the six-year run of Colin Chin and the five-year run of Len Thornson.
Comments
Unless there's a HUGE divide in the locker room or we're about to start the "Farewell Tour"...this looks to me largely meaningless. "Deck chairs on the Titanic."
I dunno, I'm still on the fence on this one. I could see taking PC's "A" away before taking Guy's "C", but I guess this might give some other guys a chance to step up who didn't want to step on anyone's toes. Time will tell.
They were all busting it today at practice. Very physical practice and it went long with lots of sprints.
Results already!
Agreed, No-Touch. I'm not disputing that people were busting it at practice, but we've heard that before and then we see lumbering and lackluster effort during the games. I'm glad they are working hard in practice, but I don't think the league gives points for practice effort.
"We're talking about practice man, we're not even talking about the game, when it actually matters, we're talking about practice."
-Allen Iverson May 10, 2002
Chaulk is going to be here by the end of the month....
Not sure if that is the answer for everything, but it sure is a start. A few other moves to be made, and I think they can turn this thing around to a playoff threat.
The "C" and the "A"s are about leadership and motivation, not numbers. In the history of hockey there have been many low goal scoring captains and alternates, mostly defensive D-men and I think even a goalie or two. If the team isn't performing then changing the C is usually a normal course of action. If you've been going to Komet games for more then a few years or closely following any team you've seen it before.
Guy and PC are adults and pros, they will deal with it. Sometimes a move like this is all that's needed to spark a team, sort of like pulling a goalie even though the score isn't the goalie's fault, it's done to get the team moving, to send a signal to the team. I would have done this earlier.
I doubt it will be enough and they are saying there is more coming. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
I guess I never thought about the "stepping on toes" thing. There could be something to that, but I'm not going to hold my breath!
If you were to take all of the Cs and As put their stats next to one another, what would you see? I know the column leadership and motivation would be missing. Those things lead to Ws without question. So it's important not to dismiss them. But this a results driven situation, not a lecture session. Even though oddly enough lectures motivate people...sometimes. Point is, would you follow someone who has leadership and motivation qualities and stinks on ice, or someone who puts up big numbers? I for one would figure out what the guy with the big numbers is doing, because he's whipping the snot of the Ks right now...
I hope Chaulk's hand is good=I've got alot of cards to get signed :)
Actually, I think you are both right. No, the "C" doesn't automatically go to the guy who puts up the biggest numbers. Sure, there is Ovechkin and Crosby, but as Steve pointed out, they might also give the "C" to a defensive defenseman who doesn't put up big numbers or a goalie like Luongo (though he wasn't allowed to wear it on his jersey). But even when that happens, you can be sure that the person (whatever their position and style of play) is pretty darn good at what they do, usually the best on the team at it.
A leader doesn't have to be the best scorer or have the biggest numbers. A leader needs to be a LEADER. You could be the best hockey player in the world and be a totally ineffective leader.
Again, you can lead all you want, but if you efforts are all for nothing, where does that put you? It puts you in a leadership role on a losing team. The Ks leaders up to this point weren't producing. They weren't leading anyone the way that this team is meant to be lead. Soap-box speeches doesn't score goals.
Taking away letters does not do much. Putting in letters does! Letters such as "EFFORT."