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Five questions: Work ethic, dumping the puck and the stick call

November 10, 2009 01:12 PM | Posted by   Guy Carbonneau  

Here's how it works. You submit a question and Guy will provide the answer to five of them every Monday. It's that simple. That means your question may not make the final list, but there is nothing stopping you from submitting more than one!

Here are today's questions.

1. Do you think that the work ethic of (Scott) Gomez, (Brian) Gionta and (Mike) Cammalleri will be able to inspire players such as Latendresse and Kostitsyn to play hard each and every night. Is it more difficult to take a night off when you see your teammates continuously working hard? - Ian Gollert

Definitely, I think that having players like Gomez and Gionta that can lead by example always helps. For a young player it's a good way to learn what it takes to play at a high level every night. I'm sure that the effort that those guys put out every night forces not only players like Kostitsyn or Latendresse to compete, but affects the whole team.

2. If you could have your choice of coaching any team this season, who would it be, and why? The juggernaut teams with Cup potential, the young teams with lots to prove, the challenging out-of-the-running teams, or the middle of the packs teams that could go either way, depending on their coaching and stamina? - Will King

That question is easy to answer because as a coach you're always judged on your record. Therefore, given the opportunity, I would choose the team that would be a contender right from the start. (The Juggernauts with Cup potential).

3. Guy, why do we see so much dumping of the puck in the offensive zone nowadays? I remember seeing Lafleur in the past always driving the puck in the offensive zone, spinning around and making a pass to a teammate. He would rarely dump the puck, choosing instead to maintain control of it. It appears to me that 50 per cent of the time when a team dumps the puck in the offensive zone, they lose it to the other team. Why do they do this so often? - Marc

Those were great years, but the game has changed a lot since the 1980s and 1990s. Players are bigger and faster now and this translates into less room on the ice to make those kinds of plays. Also, coaches usually want their team to play a high-tempo game. This situation forces players to put a lot of pressure on the puck carrier everywhere on the ice. So where players like Gretzky or Lafleur had some time to cross the blue-line and curl in those years, now they would get pushed hard from behind and get pressured by the defenceman, leaving them with no time to make that kind of play.

4. Many people do not know that you stepped up and are a co-owner of the QMJHL Chicoutimi Sagueneens and were instrumental in keeping the franchise in Saguenay. As a co-owner of the Sagueneens, how much say do you have regarding the running of the club? Have you considered being a co-owner/GM/coach in the Q, sort of like Patrick Roy with the Remparts? - Don Moore

I've been an owner for 10 years now and it was one of the best decisions I've made in my life. The chance of working with young players that are pursuing their dream is a great experience. I have great partners in whom I have a lot of faith. We talk a lot on the phone about everything from finances to player movements and we meet in the summer to go over our goals for the year. I enjoy the challenge of building a contender, but my involvement will stay at that level for now. At the moment, I don't have the urge to become a coach/GM like Patrick.

5. With Luc Robitaille fuelling the conspiracy theory of Marty McSorley's illegal stick this week, I have to know: Was Montreal tipped off before/during the series? - Paul Fitz-morris

I understand the frustration that the L.A. Kings' fans have felt about the call, but we didn't get tipped off before the game. In the past, the curve that was allowed was really small so an illegal stick was easier to spot. In the playoffs everything is amplified and every little detail is looked at. We knew that a few players on their team had illegal curves and waited for the right opportunity. Fortunately for us McSorley decided to finish the game with a stick that was illegal, the rest is history.

Do you have a question for Guy? Email it to: CBCHockeyOnline@cbc.ca

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