Mudbugs Hockey Blog

Is the team going to be big enough?  Will our team have the size to hold up over the long season without wearing out in the last 10 games of the season and on into the playoffs? Does our team have the size and toughness to protect the smaller, quicker playmaking players over the long haul?

These questions and more are all great for a fan to ask of their team at any level of the sport, let alone AA. The Mudbugs are well known around the league for having high talented forwards who are also willing to play the game at both ends of the ice. They also know that no matter what 5 skaters are on the ice, they are  committed to playing as one team, as one unit.

How does that relate to size and toughness? It all comes down to attitude and commitment more than size. It is all well and good to have a 6’5” player, but if he is a half ass lazy player, I ask then ” what good is he to the team?”  I would take a hard working, committed 5’10″ player any day over that guy who thinks he can get by on just his size alone and is afraid of a little hard work. Hard work?  Now if the guy played like Brett Smith then Holy Crap Sign Here……..

Don’t get me wrong, I feel as most of you do, that there has to be a happy medium somewhere, a fine line we must get a little closer to if not jump over to the other side that separates the small undersized player from the midsized to big hockey player ie. 5’10″ and up.

One factor I have not spoke of yet is strength. Strength is not only weighing 220lbs, but also weighing 220lbs and having great to excellent stamina, meaning you are in good enough shape to give the team an all out :30 shift, come off the ice for sometimes :30 and get right back out there again. I don’t know about you but it is not very easy, it is very very tiring. Just try walking faster than you normally do for example for as long as you can and I guarantee you will come away with at least a bit of appreciation for what the guy feel like when they are out of gas and can hardly make it back to the bench. Size has absolutely nothing to with that.

What size does have a lot to do with is the psychological part of the game. If I was on the other team and took a look around at either the lineup sheet or the pregame skate, I would be checking out the size and agility of the other and hoping the two don’t come in the same package. Usually players like that rarely appear at this level, but if they do, its not for long.

So when does size matter? I always say “what time of the season are you talking about?” My feeling is the latter half of the season on into the playoffs. Why? because that is the time of the season when the smaller playmaking offensive needs help the most. It’s simple, they are your offense, you have defensemen to protect your goalie, why not protect the offense as well? I know they should all stick up for each other and all that, but it’s a set in stone type of protection I’m talking about. If we have to take a penalty to make a point, then so be it, but make damn sure you are making a point or it’s wasted and could end up being detrimental to the team.

Team toughness is all attitude, and it has to take place from day 1, because it builds up the reputation faster that way. To be a tough, mean team to play against is kind of what I’m going for here. If we can get a bunch of guys from Smitty’s size on up to Lightbody with the attitude of a younger Jim Sprott and Trevor Buchannan, I don’t think anyone is really going to care whether any of our player are on the smaller side.

But let’s see what the coach brings in this summer. I try this every year and every year he makes me look I’m spitting out a bunch of whooy, but we shall see, I feel pretty good this year.

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