Blog

Performance of the Playoffs, 2011

Posted: Tuesday, June 7th Filed in: General

Performance of the Playoffs, 2011:

The NHL playoffs always provide great drama, some intriguing stories and, as always, some heroic performances.  This year is no exception. 

Two teams battle back from 3-0 holes to force game 7’s, only to lose out.  Alex Burrows scores twice to eliminate Chicago after taking a bad penalty in OT and almost handing the series away.  Pekka Renne backstops Nashville into the 2^nd round for the first time ever and Tampa Bay finds their stride at the right time of the year to advance to the conference final.

But for me, the best performance so far has be that of Boston rookie Tyler Seguin.  I am not talking about the 4 point night (all in one period) that lead the Bruins to their game 2 win against Tampa, but rather his post game press conference.

In a day and age where players feel like they are owed the world, Seguin, the 2^nd overall pick in last year’s draft, had been a healthy scratch through the first two rounds of the playoffs.  Only until Patrice Bergeron was sidelined with a concussion in Game 4 against Philly, did Seguin get a chance to even be in the line-up.  He responded with 2 points in his first playoff game, then followed that up with the game 2 gem.

Through those first 11 games, Seguin could have pouted.  He could have blamed his coach.  He could have folded up when it was time to perform and he could have had all sorts of excuses as to why he didn’t do anything.

Instead, he worked hard at practice, he watched the games intently, he leaned on his veteran teammates, and he waited patiently.  And most importantly, he proved himself when he got an opportunity and he EARNED more ice time with his play.

I’m not sure which team will hoist the cup at the end of this year’s tournament, I’m not even sure if Seguin will get another point.  But he has proven to me that the art of being a professional is still alive and well and his actions on and off the ice show what a great team the Bruins can be and have made me a fan.

See you at the rink,

Coach Dan

*Dan Lichterman has coached at the D1 women's level, as well as youth and AAA hockey. He now is in leadership development working with teams all over North America. To contact Dan you can e-mail him at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)