How will a Lockout-Shortened Season Affect the NHL?

Here we are, January 19, 2013. We find ourselves, finally, at the start of the 2012-2013 NHL season. Beyond the excitement of finally seeing the best in the world in action, questions abound.

What should expect from a lockout shortened season? The NHL season, which can be normally viewed as a 82-game marathon followed by 2 months of grueling playoff hockey, is now a 48-game sprint to the finish. How will this change the quality of the game we see on the ice, as well as the fortunes of the teams and its players?

Hockey Edge Newsletter December 2012: How the Kings Regained Momentum Just in Time to Win the Stanley Cup

The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals looked like a rout. The Los Angeles Kings were dispatching easily of another opponent; this time it was the New Jersey Devils in the way of the Kings' destiny with the Cup. After taking a 3-0 series lead and then losing two potential clinching games, it was "sweaty palm time" for the Kings. Momentum was flowing against them and the Devils seemed to grow more and more confident.

Coming home for Game 6 after being up 3 games to 0 had to have the Kings feeling the heat. Certainly they did not want to have it come down to a Game 7 in New Jersey. So, Game 6 at home was a must-win to avoid a huge collapse.

In Game 6 at Staples Center the Kings finished ferociously just when the sixth-seeded Devils appeared to have a chance for one of the biggest comebacks in finals history. How were the Kings able to change the course of the Finals?

The Effect of the Lockout on Player Careers

The NHL Lockout has gobbled up all games up to December 30 and time is running out on having a season. What effect might this have on the careers of players? Check out my thoughts on the unintended side effect of the lockout at Get Real Hockey.

Get Real Hockey - Unintended Effect of the Lockout on Player Careers

Dr. Larry on ESPN Outside the Lines

Dr. Lauer discusses youth football bounties on ESPN Outside the Lines

My part is not included in the link, however...

The show re-airs Friday, December 7 at 3 pm eastern on ESPN.

The podcast is also available on itunes search Outside the Lines

Go to larry-lauer.com for my thoughts on the show

Answering the Question How Do I Become a More Consistent Hockey Player

I have the fortune of working with some of the best players in the world. And, while they have the best skill sets, speed, power, you name it they all wrestle with a question that will determine the fate of their hockey careers. How to become a consistent hockey player at an elite level.

I am asked this question often by players and coaches. I think they sometimes assume either I have a trick to make it happen or the answer is so difficult that it is unrealistic for a player to carry out. The answer is, however, somewhat simple but requires much discipline. Brett Henning writing for the Avalanche Cares web site breaks it down rather simply: You, the player, chooses whether to be average or great in the way you prepare for and think about each game.

Playing Consistent Hockey comes down to a Greatness Approach by Brett Henning

I agree with Henning that your approach, mindset, preparation plan for each game are the keys to consistency. You need to consistently make the commitment to be your best. Messier's approach was to play each game like it was his last. Bringing that kind of intensity is good for many hockey players, however, the mindset does not work for all players.

How to Think About Poor Games as a Goaltender; Lessons from Brodeur

If you are a goaltender you are going to suffer from poor games now and then. Face it, the position of goaltender is tough. Everybody knows when you make a mistake, the puck ends up in the back of the net. So, any goaltender recognizes that the key to success is not being perfect, but instead being able to bounce back from poor games.

The way we think about our losses is important to either bouncing back and playing well or beginning to lose confidence and potentially spiral in to a slump. You want your thoughts to be flexible, focused on what you control, positive and productive.

Are hockey parents worse today?

(first posted on the NWCA Youth Sport blog)

Sport parents are getting as much press as professional athletes these days. And, it is not in a positive way. "Bench the parents" (1) and "Are Parents Ruining Youth Sports" (2) reflect the mood towards sport parents in the US. Parents are often seen as crazy and the root of all issues in youth sport.

Coaches want more resources on working effectively with parents? Link to my webinar on the Resources page.

The "crazy sport parent" has become modern lingo for parents that are overinvolved, controlling, too demanding, and outright just annoying and dangerous. I talk with sport parents frequently in my work as a sport psychology consultant. It is funny to me when a parent is about to try and convince me of their decisions about their child's sport and he or she prefaces it with "I am not one of those crazy parents." There is great concern about the actions of parents on our fields and courts. But, are parents really that much worse today?

Even the Cup Finalist Kings and Devils Experience Nerves

Do you get nervous before an important game? Worry not, you are not alone. The NHL's best feel nerves, too. Rewind back to the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. Los Angeles won in overtime 2-1 over New Jersey, but both teams felt they played far less than their best game on the brightest stage. After Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals the Devils and Kings cited nerves as a reason for the sluggish start and poor decision making .

The Devils pointed to poor execution, careless play with the puck and Game 1 jitters. President and GM Lou Lamoriello spoke to the team after the Eastern Conference final about the distractions of the Cup.
The team still felt nerves, however.
"The reality is, you know, until the puck drops and the games start, this is a different situation you're dealing with," said DeBoer. "You have to handle it the best you can."
While acknowledging hindsight is 20-20, the Devils coach said there wasn't anything he would have done differently in the leadup to the game.
Kings coach Darryl Sutter said a lot of his players said they felt sluggish Wednesday.
"I thought we had some nervous players," he said. (from NHL.com)

More on a nervous Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals:

Devils show some nerves in Game 1 NHL.com

So, the best in the game, playing the best hockey of their lives felt nerves that caused them to be sluggish and make mistakes. When you get nervous you are not alone, and there is nothing wrong with it.

To experience stress and anxiety often called nerves is not unusual. In fact, if you look at it in the right way it can help your mindset going in to a big game. It is all about how you interpret the physical and psychological symptoms of your body preparing for an important game. Sweating, butterflies, heart pumping, accelerated breathing, mind racing are all things that are attributable to stress. But, a little stress is not a bad thing. It helps us prepare to play our best. Martin Brodeur, who has often been considered one of the most mentally tough goaltenders in league history, describes thinking beneath his cool demeanor under pressure:

}“I love it! I like the fact that whether there is going to be ten shots or forty shots, I’m going to make a difference. Just one of those shots could mean a win or a loss for us, and that for me is a great pressure, knowing that I can make an impact at any moment of the game.” (Rush, May 2001)

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils, when asked about the pressure of being a goaltender

The message then is to interpret, or view, your stress as a normal part of the process of preparing for a game. Most players will tell you once you start the game the nerves go away, especially after the first shift when you take or give a hit.

In the end it is normal to experience nerves before games. If you did not experience nerves then you might question whether you are ready to play. The key is to not allow butterflies in your stomach to create doubt. Like Brodeur interpret the pressure in a way that helps you feel confident and ready. 

A Player's Perspective on the NHL Labor Contract Negotiations

We hear many different views on the potential for a lockout next season. I found one NHL player's anonymous blog and his perspective on the contract negotiations quite interesting.

The Player/Puckdaddy blog

The easiest complaint for hockey fans is that professional athletes are pampered, entitled, spoiled and overpaid. This is an often-used and tired complaint. If you were in the top 1% of all the professionals in your field and you were paid accordingly you would take it. The market determines what players are paid. If fans stop buying tickets and merchandise then the market would shift downward eventually.

Furthermore, to assume that players do not work hard enough for the money they make is inaccurate. Sure, some guys take the money and slide through, but the players I know or have seen working out are giving an honest effort. In an 82-game schedule there will be nights when teams do not have jump or intensity. Do you go to the office with the same intensity and "jump" every day? Yes, they are professionals and they are paid handsomely but they are also human, just like you.

With the specter of another NHL lockout looming please try to argue something other than the players are overpaid. For the risks they take with their health, the travel and training schedule they go through, and the level of expectations that are placed upon them by the public I would expect to be paid very well.

When TV Analysis Affects Contract Talks: Semin a "Coach-Killer"?

Is Alex Semin a coach-killer? Pierre McGuire says he is and said it on TSN's Free Agent Frenzy telecast on July 1.

Watch it here thanks to Kukla's Korner

Semin's agent, Mark Gandler, was not happy because he feels it will effect his client's talks with potential teams. I can see Gandler's frustration, McGuire's comments could cost him and his client money. But, that is if you think that general managers listen to these telecasts and use the information discussed on them as data in making their decisions. That could be a stretch. I would imagine general managers interested in Semin have already done their own research talking to whomever they can. They likely have formed their own opinions.

Will the NHL have a Work Stoppage Next Season?

After a banner year that saw revenues increase again in the NHL there is concern that another lockout or at least work stoppage will occur. At the end of the Finals it was a bit depressing. In my mind I was thinking is this the last live NHL hockey game I will see for over a year? Are we in for a repeat of 2005 - the lost season? If the NHL and NHLPA are wise they will not do this to their fans again. Hockey fans are loyal, but losing more games due to politics will damage the game greatly.

I am by no means a professor of sport business or even business. So, let me link you to several posts I found helpful as we look forward to the NHL Draft tonight, free agency July 1, and then the black hole of CBA talks.

HK Sport Business Blog

Mentally Tough Performer of the Week #8 2012 NHL Playoffs: Jonathan Quick

The Los Angeles Kings won their first Stanley Cup in team history Monday night capping an unbelievable run. The Kings went 16-4 in the postseason, 10-1 on the road, and ended the Devils' hopes with a 6-1 stomping in Game 6.

As a team the Kings demonstrated tremendous grit, toughness, preparation, focus... you name it. LA reached its potential in this years playoffs and provided a great example of how a group of players can come together and win a championship despite a recent history of not reaching their potential.

Hockey Mental Edge Quote Anze Kopitar on Winning the Cup

"This is unreal. Every single emotion in me is coming out. The biggest thing has been the belief inside the locker room. We had 25 guys believing in one thing. I can't be more proud of the guys."

Kings' forward Anze Kopitar on winning the Stanley Cup (from NHL.com)

Devils Not Finished Yet Force Game 6

New Jersey is the first team in 67 years to lose the first three games in the Finals and force a Game 6. How have they staved off elimination? Perseverance, timely goal scoring, and big time goaltending from Martin Brodeur.

I think the turning point in this series came in Game 4. Despite a tough boarding call on David Clarkson in the third period and then giving up the game-tying goal, the Devils responded with impressive effort and intensity. The Devils had the better of the play after the Kings tied it and they eventually won that game on a rocket to the top shelf by Adam Henrique.

A Response to LeBrun's Save it for June: How to Reduce the Grind

Is the quality of play in the Stanley Cup Finals poor compared to previous rounds? I think that is debatable but it is the core argument made by ESPN hockey blogger Pierre LeBrun.

Save it for June: How to Reduce the Grind

LeBrun argues to reduce the physical and mental wear and tear on players the following five things should occur (albeit some are not realistic as he admits):