HockeyTaylor Hall built for success

Beginning of Story Content

Bob Boughner laughs at the memory.

To watch the HNIC bio of Taylor Hall, CLICK HERE

"It was even before we took him [in the 2007 OHL Priority Draft]," Boughner said last month. "I asked Taylor what his goals were for the next season. He said, 'I want to lead in scoring and be Rookie of the Year.'

"And he did both."

Yes, Taylor Hall led Windsor with 45 goals in 2007-08, en route to being named the OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year. You know the rest. The Spitfires would win back-to-back Memorial Cups. Hall was selected first overall in the 2010 NHL draft. Boughner is an assistant in Columbus.

This year, Hall says he doesn't have any specific numerical goals. Instead, he wants to "make an impact," not be a rookie who hits the wall in the middle of the season. (A full feature on his arrival will air in the second intermission of the Montreal/Toronto game, which is the front end of our HNIC Thursday night doubleheader. His debut, against the Calgary Flames, is Game 2.)

Will Hall make that impact? Several OHL coaches say yes. Why? Last season, he changed his game for the better.

"Taylor would try and toe-drag everyone," Boughner said. "Instead, he got rid of it and did different things ... shooting from all angles, using teammates. He tried too many moves before."

"I agree, that was the biggest change," said Chris DePiero, head coach and general manager of the Oshawa Generals. "He used his extra year to learn how to use teammates a lot more. I looked at him and thought, 'He's an NHL player right now.'"

"Being cut from the world juniors had a huge effect on him," said Dave Cameron, head coach and general manager of the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.

Year of learning, maturing

That was for Canada's entry in the 2009 event, and Cameron would know. He was an assistant to Pat Quinn, and again for Willie Desjardins last winter, when Hall did make it. (Cameron will be the head coach this time.)

"Your greatest strength becomes your greatest weakness," he said. "With the game on the line, he would go solo. He was cut because of that. The pressure got to him; the feeling he needed to dominate every shift. It's really hard on guys like him, because they've never been cut from any team in their life.

"He isn't the only guy who's been through that. Tyler Seguin slumped when he got cut and so did Matt Duchene."

Cameron got to know Hall a little bit better at last year's tournament. He saw the change.

"I used to think he was a selfish son of a bitch," the coach said with a laugh. "But he's not selfish. He just wants to win. He's been so successful so many times, he wants to take the bull by horns and do it. I don't know if ever coached more competitive guy.

"He is reserved, but focused. I coached Sidney Crosby (at the summer under-18 tournament) and Ryan O'Reilly. All three are the same."

Hall was well aware of the critique. In response, he led the OHL with 66 assists. "I am very proud of that," he said last month.

Hall still has his moments of one-on-several greatness, none more impressive than this brilliant goal against the Brandon Wheat Kings, moments after absorbing a brutal (but clean) check from Travis Hamonic. Ask anyone about Hall, and that's what they talk about.

"My mom couldn't watch the Memorial Cup after that," he said.

"How can you not love how he took that big hit and scored?" says DePiero. Oilers GM Steve Tambellini called it "special." Cameron says it shows how tough Hall is.

"After that, he scored two goals and dominated. Against London, they drilled him: clean and vicious. He doesn't lay down. He gets up."

DePiero coached last year's number one selection, John Tavares of the New York Islanders. He says there is little comparison between their styles.

"Hall is like Barry Sanders. He's going to get it and blow by you ... Once he gets his speed going - look out," he says. "Tavares is like the big back who's going to bang it in from the three [yard-line]. He's saying to his teammates, 'Get it to me down low." He's always three moves ahead and can stickhandle in the proverbial phone booth."

While Tavares didn't win rookie of the year, he had a pretty good season. One of the reasons was the Islanders did an excellent job of managing expectations. (I've written this before, but I loved how they put Josh Bailey on the poster for their golf tournament instead of Tavares.) It's nowhere near as crazy on Long Island as in hockey-mad Edmonton, but things can still spiral out of control.

Nurturing, challenging environment

That kind of support is essential. A number of hockey people point to Steve Stamkos as the example. Barry Melrose wasn't comfortable with Stamkos in the NHL, and it affected the player's growth. Rick Tocchet clearly felt differently, and we all saw the results.

Hall's got a good setup in Alberta. For one thing, he's rooming with Jordan Eberle, who is more mature at 20 than I am at 40. For another, there's Tom Renney. When we went out to Kelowna/Penticton for rookie camp last month, we were hoping to put a microphone on Hall for his first prospect game. Renney initially vetoed the idea.

After some discussion, he agreed to allow it for one period. Renney wasn't being difficult. He recognizes Hall is a big story and we all want a piece of him, but wants to protect an 18-year-old from being totally overwhelmed.

"You have to understand that there are times my answer will be no," the coach said. How can you not respect that?

President of hockey operations Kevin Lowe believes there is an understanding that this is a process.

"Those fans saw, and let's put Gretzky aside, all the other players: Messier, Anderson, Coffey, Fuhr, Kurri ... develop over three, four, five, six, seven years. I think there's some experience there and hopefully that'll work for us."

There will be tough times, but, by changing his style after being cut from Canada's junior team, Hall's shown he can adapt positively. This is a confident young man. During his first-ever practice in Windsor, he saw the penalty killers doing a great job, skated over to Boughner and said, "I can play point on the power play."

He believes in himself, and others believe in him. Just remember what you've learned.

"The best play in hockey is still the give-and-go," Cameron says. "If you go solo (all the time), they're going to catch you."

"He'll be like Stamkos," says another coach. "Once he figures it out, look out." 

End of Story Content

Back to accessibility links