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Oilers » Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)

Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21) [message #795407 is a reply to message #795403 ]	Fri, 03 December 2021 10:20

Adam
Messages: 7757
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB

6 Cups

RDOilerfan wrote on Fri, 03 December 2021 09:59

I think you are totally missing the point. I don't think Russell or anyone brings their phone on the bench to scroll twitter or is in the dressing room checking out the haters during the game. The guy was being honored for sacrificing his body for the team. Maybe you or any of the haters don't value shot blocking and think its a joke but for whatever reason whether you agree with it or not, players and coaches think it's important. You watch them on the bench when a big block happens and you will see guys including the stars cheering, slamming their hands on the boards in recognition, goalies going up to guys a pat, yelling encouragement at him. Maybe all the players and coaches are a bunch of idiots for thinking blocks are important but they do. So for 1 day, it wouldn't have killed the haters to take a night off from carving the guy. Doesn't mean you approve of the guy, doesn't mean you are any less of a hater, it's 1 day to give a hat tip for a guy who no one will say he isn't willing to sacrifice his body for the team and there is some honor in that.

If you think you're ever going to get everyone on the internet to put down their weapons and stop bickering about anything, you're dreaming. People are going to say what they want, and if they're not tagging him or his family directly to spew vitriol, then let people do what they're going to do. You may as well try to fight the tides in the ocean.

I do believe that there's a value in shot blocking - but I also think if you're always blocking shots, then you're probably doing something wrong. You don't want to be defending all the time - that's a bad sign, because it suggests your team struggles to get and maintain possession when you're on the ice. Because he's not great at controlled possession at all, Russell is defending too much of the time - which is why he finds himself so often playing target practice for other team's shooters.

I also believe that Russell gives up the blue line too easily in order to try to better position himself for blocks. That allows opposition players more time in our zone and more opportunities to score from better positions.

Finally, I think his preference for blocking sometimes takes him out of position. If he doesn't make the block, or if the other player fakes the shot, he can be a non-factor on the play because he so often puts himself on the ground. That leaves him unable to retrieve rebounds, or tie up attackers.

Blocks take courage, and they hurt. I am pretty certain I broke a bone in my foot in one of the Heckle games (totally worth it - we won in OT on a goal I set up) so I can tell you first hand, it's not an easy thing to do. The question with Russell has never been courage, nor whether it's good that he blocks shots. The question is why he's blocking so many and whether that's in big part due to deficiencies in his game. There's considerable evidence to suggest that's the case.

"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
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Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: OilFans on Wed, 01 December 2021 22:30
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Ragnarok73 on Wed, 01 December 2021 22:47
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Oscargasm on Wed, 01 December 2021 23:01
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: K.McC#24 on Wed, 01 December 2021 23:06
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Kr55 on Wed, 01 December 2021 23:22
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Adam on Thu, 02 December 2021 00:08
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Skookum Jim on Thu, 02 December 2021 02:16
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Mike on Thu, 02 December 2021 06:22
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Adam on Thu, 02 December 2021 08:23
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: inverno76 on Thu, 02 December 2021 09:27
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: CrusaderPi on Thu, 02 December 2021 09:28
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 02 December 2021 09:59
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: welcometotheOC on Thu, 02 December 2021 10:44
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 02 December 2021 10:51
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Adam on Thu, 02 December 2021 11:25
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: welcometotheOC on Thu, 02 December 2021 11:49
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 02 December 2021 12:10
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Adam on Thu, 02 December 2021 13:39
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: K.McC#24 on Thu, 02 December 2021 13:50
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: RDOilerfan on Thu, 02 December 2021 13:55
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: K.McC#24 on Thu, 02 December 2021 14:04
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Adam on Fri, 03 December 2021 09:27
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: RDOilerfan on Fri, 03 December 2021 09:59
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Adam on Fri, 03 December 2021 10:20
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: Skookum Jim on Thu, 02 December 2021 13:47
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: NCREDiBLE on Thu, 02 December 2021 14:36
Re: Review: Pittsburgh @ Edmonton (Game #21)	By: inverno76 on Thu, 02 December 2021 18:45

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