Scotty Bowman is the most successful coach in NHL history. He holds virtually every record for coaching excellence, including nine Stanley Cup championships as a coach with Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit, a 10th as a director of player personnel in Pittsburgh and 13 coaching appearances in the Stanley Cup final, his first in 1967 with the first-year expansion St. Louis Blues. He also was the winning coach for Team Canada in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup international tournament. He is currently a consultant for Detroit.
Q: Coach, the Washington Capitals have just completed a remarkable resurgence by capturing the Southeast Division title and with it entry into the playoffs. Given that hockey wisdom holds that a team with late-season momentum and a hot goaltender (like Cristobal Huet) can do some serious damage in the playoffs, how realistic is it to expect the Caps to go deep into the playoffs? — Zed
Scotty Bowman: There’s no set way to end the season. The Capitals have really been a Cinderella story, especially the last two months. They did get the third seed. What they have to guard against, especially with so many young players, is to think — consciously or unconsciously — that just making the playoffs is their championship. That will be a big motivational challenge for their coaching staff. I’ve seen teams shut it down unintentionally and I’ve seen other teams build some momentum where they go on adrenaline for a few rounds.
But realistically, you have to look at the fact that they’re pretty healthy, they made three tremendous additions at the trade deadline with Huet, Fedorov and Cooke. All three have contributed. The first series is going to be really tough for them. If they build momentum on winning that series, who knows how far they can go? But they don’t open until Friday and they finished last Saturday. I’m sure they would have preferred to play earlier, but they have to work with the hand they’ve been dealt.
Q: Scotty, I was wondering what your thoughts are on Alex Ovechkin. I think he is the greatest offensive player I have ever seen, and I’ve been watching hockey since 1979. Better than Mario, better than Gretzky. Where do you rank Ovechkin, given his short career? — aj
SB: While it’s early in his career, he’s proven to be one of the most prolific goal scorers of recent times. But when you start to compare him to Mario and Wayne, it’s a little premature. We’ll have to wait a few more years to make that comparison.
Q: Scotty, What tactics do you think opposing coaches will use against Crosby and the young Penguins in the playoffs? If you were coaching the Penguins, what would you do to offset those tactics? — felixwas
SB: I think they’ll probably use their No. 1 tandem on defense — that would be the first priority, to have their top defensemen out against him. If I was coaching Pittsburgh in that situation, you have to know that you can’t stop the opposition from playing certain players against your players. The only thing you can do is to play your best players as many minutes as you possibly can.
Q: Will Pittsburgh be any more successful in its playoff effort than it was against Ottawa last year, and if so, why? — rick kalson
SB: Well, the Penguins have more experience this year. They’re a better team and they’re going against a team that is banged up. Ottawa has a player from each of their lines who is injured — Alfredsson, Fisher and Kelly.
Q: Hi. I was wondering if you see a big difference in style between the Western and Eastern Conferences, notably in terms of defensive play. The Western Conference has the bigger names, but does that necessarily make them better defensive pairings? — J MacAdam
SB: I think for this season, the Western Conference has enjoyed spectacular goaltending from more than a few teams and that’s the only real difference that I’ve seen. People think the West plays differently, but I haven’t been able to detect any difference other than the goaltending. There’s been some excellent goaltending in the East, too, but there have been a few more good goaltenders in the West.
Q: Mr. Bowman, in light of the success of Anaheim’s rough (some would say too rough) style of play last year, do you have a guess on how the league will direct the officials this playoff season? — James Harris
SB: The league is emphatic that, for all intents and purposes, the standard that was used during the regular season will be used in the playoffs. I think they’ll stick to that.
Q: Why has NHL officiating become so inconsistent, despite the presence of two referees on the ice? There have been clear instances this season of one ref overruling the other or calling a second penalty (e.g. diving) to compensate for what he thinks is the other’s error (e.g. a hooking call). Whatever it is, hockey officiating seems to be clearly behind other major sports when it comes to consistency and professionalism. — Bill Katz
SB: You have to remember that when the league expanded to the two-referee system, there was a lot of melding involved. A number of young referees hit the NHL who hadn’t worked in a two-man system and there’s still some of that. Now that’s supposed to be taken care of in the next few years, because the developmental leagues will have two referees working games. But the necessity of having to double the number of referees at the outset wasn’t easy. As for over-ruling, my understanding is that while the referees have territories of responsibility during play, they also have the ability to call penalties in any instance during the game. So that’s well within their responsibility.
Things should improve in the playoffs, because the league tries to have two officials working together who have developed some chemistry. And also in the playoffs, you should get better officiating because those who have performed better during the season are rewarded with work during the playoffs. I don’t know if hockey officiating is behind other sports because it is so much more difficult to officiate than the other sports. Fans are often very critical of the officials but, except for the goals, the officials don’t have a second look at plays the way the fans do at home.
Q: As a Rangers fan, I’d like your opinion on the likelihood of a team with a poor power play, limited offense and strong defense succeeding in the playoffs. — Fred Winters
Q: Why have the Rangers been such a tease this year; inconsistent play all year, aging stars, locker room cliques, too many new players to integrate into their system, what’s up? And who is going to win the Cup? — mh lager
SB: I think the Rangers are a dark-horse entry in the Eastern Conference this year. They’ve been able to get their team to play a system. They’re not easy to score against, as we’ve seen in their season series against the Devils. They’ve had excellent goaltending. Their best defensemen are inexperienced, and it’s taken some time, but I think Tom Renney has done a good job of integrating his forwards into helping his defense. If you’re stingy in the playoffs, you have a good chance to win. As for who will win the Cup, I might be prejudiced in this, but I’m a big supporter of the Red Wings. I think they’re poised to have a good run and I think they have the best chance to win the Cup.
Q: Coach Bowman, with the Rangers facing the Devils in the first round, can you please forward any advice to Tom Renney? Many thanks for answering, and for all of your years of amazing coaching — the sport is better for having had you in it — Scotty Hockey
SB: Thanks for your kind words. My advice to Tom Renney would be not to change much from the style they used during the regular season.
Q: What does the rest of the hockey world outside of Vancouver attribute to the failure of the Canucks to reach the playoffs? — Tom Brophy
SB: I think what happened in Vancouver is that they played a very tight, defensive style of hockey, and they suffered a lot of injuries to their defense corps. No team can stand those. A lot of times they were missing some of their regular defensemen, and for a long stretch they were missing their top three or four. You can’t overcome that, especially with the style of play they were successful with a year ago.
Q: Mr. Bowman: Do you feel the overall play league-wide this past season has reverted back to the neutral-zone trap of the late ’90s and early ’00s? It seems as if the ice has shrunk again and players are having a difficult time finding open space to make plays. — William Makin
SB: Because the center line has been removed, teams decided not to worry as much about the attacking zone or the neutral zone to defend. They’ve chose to protect the scoring area in front of their own goal and bring their wingers down in that area with their defensemen — that’s why scoring is difficult. The scoring area is being protected now more than it ever has. In the choice scoring area, you’ll find too many players from both teams. There’s no room or time to score.
Q: Scotty, several years back you took a look at the Swedish “torpedo” system to see if it might carry over as an effective NHL strategy, and I remember one reason you declined to use it at the time was due to the two-line pass rule that applied to the NHL, but not in Europe. Since that rule disappeared coming out of the lockout, does that change your opinion as to whether the torpedo might be effective in today’s NHL? — Dirk Hoag
SB: I don’t think the torpedo system would be as effective in our rinks, because the rinks in Europe are 200 feet by 100 feet and there’s more ice to move around. I doubt if it would be effective on a smaller ice surface.
Q: How do you feel about some owners’ call for the downsizing of goaltenders’ equipment? — Marie Weinmann
SB: I’ve been a supporter of that for a long time, as long as they can give the goalies the right protection. I think some of the goaltenders have been protecting their net more than themselves. As long as the equipment protects them against injury, I think it’s something the league has to take a long look at.
Q: Thank you for considering our questions, Mr. Bowman! I’m curious about your views on goaltending during the playoffs. What do you look for in making your choice, and what goes into deciding to switch goalies once the playoffs have begun? — Dan H
SB: Historically, teams that have won have stuck to one goaltender. The best example is Edmonton. They had Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog. Each played 40 games, but when the playoffs came, they used Fuhr. It was the same with the Islanders. They had Billy Smith and Chico Resch and Rollie Melanson, but when the playoffs came, it was Smith. I’d say that unless he struggles or gets injured, you have to run with one goalie.
Q: I was thrilled when a rookie netminder named Ken Dyrden led the Canadiens to the Cup in 1971. Could you please compare Dryden with Carey Price, and comment on the prospects that history might repeat itself in 2008 for the Habs and their rookie goalie? — Steve Valley
SB: I think a more favorable comparison for Price was Patrick Roy, who also won the Stanley Cup as a rookie for the Canadiens. Both Roy and Price joined the farm team when the junior career was over, they both won the Calder Cup for the farm team of the Canadiens, Roy in Sherbrooke when he just came out of junior and Price in Hamilton. The difference between them and Dryden is that when Dryden went in against Boston in the ‘71 playoffs he’d only had a half dozen NHL games, although he’d played minor pro with the Montreal Voyageurs. Price has played half a season now in the NHL, so he has more NHL experience than Dryden, although not as much minor pro. Dryden was 22 or 23 — he was older because he had played for Cornell — and Price is 20 and so was Roy. So the dynamics are more favorable for a comparison with Roy.
Q: The Red Wings are entering the playoffs for the 17th straight year, but the age of the team is often blamed for their lack of success. Why do you think they make the playoffs, then struggle, and do you think their age has anything to do with it? Thanks for taking our questions and for all the years of joy you gave the fans in Detroit. — CathyAnn
SB: Thank you for the nice compliment. I think one of the main reasons the Wings are well poised for the Cup this year is because, in February, some of their veterans — Lidstrom, Rafalski and Hasek — suffered injuries which forced them to rest. That wouldn’t have happened otherwise. So the veteran players are rested and the best offensive players, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, are not that old.
Q: Hi Scotty. I was just reading a Detroit Free Press article where the writer was very thankful that the Red Wings would play Nashville in the first round since it cut down on travel and time zone changes. In your experience, how much of a disadvantage is it that Detroit is one of two teams in the Eastern time zone but plays in the Western Conference? Has there been talk of a realignment putting Detroit in the Eastern Conference or any other resolution that would solve this? — Wayne Keast
SB: Well, fortunately, this year, the series in the West have worked out so there’s less travel than ever. Calgary-San Jose is the longest trip. If you have to travel a lot in the early going, you may have to travel through all four time zones with a three-hour change, and you have to decide if you leave after the game or wait until the next day. In those circumstances, regardless, it feels like you play every day, which is a real mental drain. This year, the Western teams will have it easier and they’ll be back in their home cites and home time zones earlier and more frequently than in previous years. I don’t think there’s been much talk of putting Detroit in the Eastern Conference right now until there’s another expansion, because who wants to leave the East?
Q: Mr. Bowman: How will the Wings neutralize the Predators’ ability to generate offense off cycling in the offensive zone during their first-round series? The Predators were one of the few teams who seemed able to exploit the Wings via cycling and pushing the puck out to the slot. Second, do you believe that the Wings will offset the loss of Tomas Kopecky by playing Justin Abdelkader in the playoffs? Is Abdelkader ready for the playoff grind? — George Malik
SB: One thing the Predators did during the regular season was that they worked on neutralizing the Red Wings defensemen, especially in the Nashville zone. The Red Wings defense is good offensively but Nashville tried to take that away from them. They didn’t play the generic game of collapsing down low. They covered the points pretty well. So the Red Wings will have to move the puck down low and work the Predators’ defense. As for Justin Abdelkader, he did play a couple of useful games down the stretch, but he’s still a rookie and I don’t think they’ll put him in right away. The coaches will track how some of the Wings’ veterans will be playing and if some of them struggle, then they would make the change. It’s hard to say if Abdelkader is ready for the playoff grind. You never can tell with a young player.
Q: Why is it that when the Red Wings win the Presidents’ Trophy, they are out by the second round of the playoffs? Is there some ancient ritual we Red Wing fans need to perform to reverse this curse? — Kathleen Mazure
SB: Well, it has happened in the past. But I don’t think it’s a curse. The team this year had some adversity toward the end of the season to win the Presidents’ Trophy, with some injuries and big lead. I think the adversity in this case is a good thing for them rather than bad.
Q: Mr. Bowman, In your opinion, what are three creative ideas or changes to the game you feel would increase the popularity of the NHL in the US and need to be considered by the league? — Ryan
SB: That’s a good one. Hmmm. Well, one thing is that I think the fans who come to the games should get the same information as the fans watching at home on TV. I’m thinking here about the video replay decisions. I know the league is concerned about inciting the crowds against the officials, but 99.9 percent of the time they get it right. I’d like to see the fans at the games not be shortchanged compared to the fan who stays at home. Another thing I ‘d like to see would be that any time two players get coincidental penalties, they are not substituted for, and that would include major penalties. So, for example, if there were matching fighting majors, you’d go to four-on-four for the full five minutes and you make the players serve the time. Any ideas to get to four-on-four without making it permanent are fine. I’ll have to think some more about a third one, but there are two.
Q: Hello, Mr. Bowman, We here in Philadelphia have suffered for years and years. The last Stanley Cup in Philly, as I’m sure you’re aware, was over 30 years ago. Do you feel the Flyers can win a Cup within the next three or four years? Thank you and I wish you the best! — John
SB: The Flyers made great strides last off-season. To go from where they were to where they are and get in the playoffs was a giant step. They’ve insulated themselves with some pretty hefty contracts. Now, the trick will be to make sure they develop some players through their system, which is a little more difficult. You can’t sign all those big free agent deals every off-season, so they have to make sure they develop some of their own players.
Q: A few people [submitting questions] asked about the need for a shootout. What about a clean sheet of ice for overtime? Play four-on-four for three minutes — switch sides — then play three-on-three for three minutes? If there is no scoring the game is a tie, and both teams get one point. The way it used to be. —JFB
SB: I wasn’t a big supporter of the shootout, but I think it has proven to be popular. The fans enjoy it. They don’t leave the building. They stand up for the shootout. So, it’s been a big asset to the game’s excitement. It would be tough to get rid of it now.
Q: Coach Bowman, years ago, I read Ken Dryden’s fine book “The Game,” and in it he described the practices you put the Montreal Canadiens through during your tenure with les Habitants: practices with constant flow, skating, and pace. Mr. Dryden also stated that your philosophy of player positioning was strict in the defensive half of the ice, but unstructured and unlimited — by design — in the offensive half of the ice. My question: As you coached in the 1980s, 1990s, and beyond, did these two tenets come to change? — Todd Seaver
SB: This hasn’t changed much, but I do think the high-tech use of video is probably the one area that has changed the game on the defensive side. Teams know their opponents a lot better because of video and can defend better. They learn what the offensive tendencies are. This makes it tougher for the offensive team to score.
Q: Mr. Bowman, I’ve heard from a few old-time players that you gave Herb Brooks some key advice that helped the U.S. team win in 1980. If this is so, what did you tell him? — Ian Cropp
SB: I really never gave Herb Brooks any key advice. We did talk a lot. We had a lot of the same philosophies about the flow system, and we both felt that the point of attack on the power plays could be generated from the goal line as well as the blue line – that you could put two of your most creative forwards down low in the offensive zone, one near each corner around the goal line, and use them to generate offense when you had the extra man, instead of using defensemen with big shots on the point. I don’t think anyone has ever used it the way we thought it might work. We tried to do it in Detroit in 2002, but only using one guy — usually Igor Larionov — down low, not two. Teams don’t try that as much as I think they could. Herb was an innovative coach who was way ahead of his time and if he were around today, with the advances in video, I think he’d be using it to improve offenses.
Q: The average age in the NHL continues to drop as more young and speed-oriented players enter the league. Yet the playoff teams rely on veterans and stress defensive styles of play. How are these two trends going to reconcile each other? — Ken M
SB: First of all, players continue playing now at a much older age. The conditioning methods have improved dramatically and that allows them to stay in very good shape. Those blue-chip players make a good living and, if they stay in shape, they are not inclined to leave. I think it’s easier for savvy veterans to play a more conservative type of game as their careers wind down. But it’s been proven that you can’t win with just youth and speed and you can’t win with just veterans. The right combination, the right blend, is what you’re looking for.
Q: Living in Buffalo, I know you keep an eye on the Sabres. What moves do you think they need to make in order to get back on top? Thanks — Dan Farrell
SB: First of all, it’s hard for teams to sustain the loss of one player, but the loss of Drury, Briere and Campbell was quite a lot. They have to ensure themselves they don’t have any more losses of that kind. They do have some young players that are going to come into their team, a few are there now, but it’s most important they retain the players who they have to sign.
Q: Scotty, could you please identify one or two of your best coaching adjustments made between periods during a playoff game? — Jason
SB: Jeez! That’s a tough one. I think the biggest adjustment during the playoffs wasn’t really between periods but between the regular season and the playoffs in Pittsburgh. We had to go from an offensive team right into a defensive mode — and this was a team that had not played much defense. That was probably the biggest adjustment I was involved with in the playoffs.
Q: Mr. Bowman, as Gordie Howe turned 80 last week, there were lots of people trying to compare and figure out where he ranks now in the all time greats. How would you rank him next to Gretzky? Lemieux? Richard? — mike ward
SB: I’d put Bobby Orr in that group, too. He only played 10 seasons but he had a big impact on the game. I’ve always felt that if you were ever going to make a mold for a hockey player with five strengths — offense, defense, durability, toughness and versatility — you wouldn’t look past Gordie Howe. In my estimation, he was the best ever. It’s so hard to rank players from different eras, but to think that he got 100 points when he was 40 years old, he made 20 straight All-Star teams and was in the top five in scoring for 20 seasons and most of it in the six-team league. I have a hard time thinking you can get a better hockey player than Gordie Howe.
From The New York Times
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