Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Luongo's problem

Let's set the record straight; Roberto Luongo is one of the best goaltenders in the world, top 3 in my opinion. So why each time he comes into a 'must win' situation does he lose?

.....Olympics aside, he played well enough, but didn't 'steal' any games and had an incredible team effort to pull out the win. This also isn't about the Chicago series, because the Canucks tanked as a team, not his fault, but he played for poorly all but one of the last 5 games of the series and should have stopped 2 or 3 of the goals in game 7, when it most counted.

This is about his overall career and the same issue that comes up year after year. This is about 'his J-O-B in the NHL, where is is paid a huge sum of money to win his team big games and carry them to the Stanley Cup.

He seems to have the same problem each season, plays very well, has a few bouts of inconsistency in the regular season, a few stretches of brilliant play and then plays well in the playoffs, but can't steal the big games when he's most needed.

ISSUE #1
Roberto is a goalie and goalies need to be focused,, rested and prepared. Playing 70+ games each season is hard on the body and the mind, especially after the age of 30. Some can do it (i.e. Brodeur, Fuhr), some can't. Luongo's overall inconsistent play, should tell Canuck management, he needs a little more time off. They want him in the net every night, and who wouldn't...BUT they rush him back from injury and play him for ridiculously long stretches of consecutive games. They have to see big picture and stick to a plan. Play a bit less, play better when it most counts!

In my opinion, he should be given a fairly consistent game schedule and have every 7th or 8th game off, without the long stretches of consecutive games, unless the schedule has some gaps with time off, which seldom happens. This would put him playing around 60 games a season, which is perfect for a starter.

He would be at his best when he played, he'd be hungry to play more (he'd play every night if it was his call, but that's why they have coaches). Playing a few less games would give his body and mind time to rest and recover.

ISSUE #2
He's the captain. OK the media loves this, gives them something to talk about, but really, come on. No disrespect intended, he's already clearly the leader on the team and he'll be the leader with or without the damned 'C' title. But as the captain of a professional team he has responsibilities that most people do not understand.

He's responsible for: talking to the the media before and after the game, social aspects and community events, representing player concerns to the coaches and management, there are other responsibilities as well. All of this means he cannot spend the time a goaltender requires to prepare, focus and get himself into the 'zone'.

Goaltenders have a much different pre game preparation ritual than most players, this is because goalies are much more reliant on focus and mental preparation, visualization and confidence than players, who reply on more on instinct and situational reaction. Most people have heard the old saying "goaltending is 80-90% mental", while the percentage number varies depending on who is repeating it, it's always a number that is very high and this is definitely true.

So the question begs to be asked; "how can Luongo be a captain, attend to all of his responsibilities and be at his absolute best for every game". The answer...he can't!

The Canucks have hung themselves by naming Luongo as Captain because they really have no way to take this title from him and 'save face'. Luongo will never admit that its affecting his game, so the only solution is for management to take it from him and this will cause a huge scandal. But it's a step that needs to be taken if they hope to make it to the next level...and they may just have missed their opportunity this year.

1 comment:

Louis-Pascal Viau said...

I do beleive that this is sooooo true. Goalies have enough on their shoulders , they should not have responsibility's on top of it .

On another note... I just wrote a new goalie clinic for the Canadian Armed Forces and came up with a great pre-practice review of the 7 rules for better goaltending ,(just like cats have 7 lives) lolll

1- ALWAYS keep your eyes on the puck at all time .

2- stay square to the puck

3- always respect the P.E.R (Patient, Relax, Explosive)

4- Always know where every player is on the ice

5- keep control on your centre of gravity

6- always know where you stand in your crease

7- no rebounds and if there is control them

ALWAYS WORK AS IF IT WHERE YOUR LAST GAME !!!!

Louis-Pascal Viau