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Re: Yakupov Interview [message #825420 is a reply to message #825419 ]	Fri, 08 September 2023 16:31

RDOilerfan
Messages: 3908
Registered: January 2016

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I have never for 1 second EVER thought that a coach or organization has zero impact on a players development. Of course they have an impact on how a player develops. What I have always said and still believe is that the majority of a players development is up to the player.

WHY you ask.

Because a big part of a players development from year to year happens in the offseason when he's not around the team. When a player comes from junior they all need to get stronger. That happens in the offseason in the gym. A teams strengths and conditioning coach will give each player a program for the offseason. I am sure they will check in on them during the offseason but they aren't physically there with every player 7 days a week month after month. It's up to the player to get up and go to the gym and do the exercises. If they do, it will show up at physical. If they don't do it, that's on the player. So in my opinion, pointing the finger at the team saying "it's the teams fault" if a player doesn't come to camp stronger or in shape year after year is complete BS.

That is one simple example that I used. But this in my opinion is the same if a team identifies they need to improve their skating or their puck skills. A team can tell the guy here is what you need to improve on this offseason but it's up to the player to do the physical work. That could mean hiring a skating coach or a skills coach. I heard on 1440 that apparently Big Vinnie identified and I am sure the team told him at the end of the season, he needed to improve his puck skills. So what did he do, he got with a skills coach and worked on it all summer. If Big Vinnie was told you need to improve your puck skills, then did nothing about it. I think it's BS to blame the team. The players are the ones that have to do the work, that's their freaking job. They are the ones that have to go to the gym and work on their game. It's not the teams job to follow these guys around 24-7 like a parent with a toddler and forcing them to do things. These are grow ass men. If they are told 'here is what we need you to do' they better freaking do it. That's their bloody job.

In the case of Yak and Eakins. I thought Eakins sucked as a coach. I thought he was a cocky, smug, arrogant, I know best guy who had no business being that because he'd done NOTHING when he came into the NHL. I thought he was crappy with the Ducks as well. I am sure Eakins could have treated Yak better. However, I have a hard time believing that every NHLer past and present all had amazing coaches all the way up. I bet at some point in their hockey lives, they all had coaches who didn't do a very good job or weren't nice enough to them or whatever. No different than any of us. I bet at some point in our lives many of us had a crappy boss or a crappy teacher but we found away to overcome those people and continue on. We didn't just throw up our hands and be done because someone wasn't nice to use for a year in our lives.

Eakins was the Oilers coach for 113 games. He was a lousy coach but the time he was the Oilers coach amounted to less than 1.5 yrs of Yak's professional hockey career. He's going on his 12th professional year. He's been pretty mediocre at best his entire professional hockey career. He had a bad experience for 1.5 yrs out of going on his 12th year. What about the other 10.5 yrs? The fact he couldn't overcome that 1.5 yrs, when the MASSIVE majority of the time he hasn't been around Eakins, that's on him.

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Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Fri, 08 September 2023 10:15
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: RDOilerfan on Fri, 08 September 2023 14:09
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Fri, 08 September 2023 15:39
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: RDOilerfan on Fri, 08 September 2023 16:31
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: NetBOG on Fri, 08 September 2023 17:18
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Kr55 on Fri, 08 September 2023 19:21
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: RDOilerfan on Mon, 11 September 2023 08:26
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Dragon_Matt on Mon, 11 September 2023 10:41
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Mike on Tue, 12 September 2023 06:56
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Mon, 11 September 2023 10:55
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: CrusaderPi on Mon, 11 September 2023 12:47
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: RDOilerfan on Mon, 11 September 2023 13:17
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Mon, 11 September 2023 14:01
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Rutuu on Mon, 18 September 2023 18:50
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: inverno76 on Mon, 18 September 2023 08:28
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Mon, 18 September 2023 09:57
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: inverno76 on Mon, 18 September 2023 10:12
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Kr55 on Mon, 18 September 2023 11:45
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Mon, 18 September 2023 13:50

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