Hockey is a simple game - you need to play and have fun

[jRuutu 2,467]

Pride month was supposed to be a time of excitement in Moscow, it was finally Moscow's time to be at the top, but despite their best efforts The Menace has been forced to be at the bottom.  In the last ten games, Moscow has won three games.  The poor streak has landed Moscow in fifth place in the European Division.  Warsaw, Malmo, and London have managed to run away with 10-point difference as they lead the European Division with 30 points each.

 

Feelings of confusion, embarrassment, and not fitting in are just some of the feelings Moscow Menace is battling with at the moment. The expectations for the team before the season started were high, many were expecting Moscow to be a top team in the whole league - not just in the European Division. The expectations have turned out to be something Moscow Menace is struggling with. There is a lot of pressure to be at the top, at the bottom you are on the receiving end, and often, you can almost enjoy the ride as the expectations to perform are more heavily on the top team.  It is perhaps not surprising that a rebuilding team's biggest obstacle on the way to becoming a top team is not related to as heavily in tactics and skill, but more so on the mental side of the game; are they able to accept the fact that they need to play harder than ever before - there are no free games, every shift and decision matters?

 

You can not fault Moscow for not taking the initiative. When looking at the statistics Moscow is leading the league in shots taken. This statistic on its own speaks volumes - Moscow is playing like a top team, they are making teams look like bottom teams with aggressive and active offense. But the goals have not been there and Moscow has lost quite a few one-goal games. I suspect the biggest reason is indeed the mental side. Moscow Menace is gripping their sticks too hard and as a result, they have started to look like a bottom team lately.  It is not surprising that players and the team are not looking as relaxed when the wins are not coming, but if Moscow Menace wants to be a top team they need to find a way to be active and aggressive while also remaining calm and relaxed. If you start to force and push plays that will only lead to frustration, that is what we have seen a little bit with Moscow as of late as players try to make one more pass or shoot when one more pass could have opened even better scoring chance.

 

On the road to becoming a top team, Moscow Menace needs to respect their opposition and take them into consideration.  Despite the expectation to perform night after night is largely on the top team, the top team still needs to react and see what is in front of them. Aggressive and active offense will work well with one team, slower and careful is what does the trick with the other. This goes right back to the final decisions with the puck and being relaxed. Hockey is a simple game - you need to play and have fun.

[rory 1,916]

Yeah I'm sure Moscow has a downturn in June based on their past 🏳‍