Re: RPI 2009 - 2010 -- RIP Nathan Marsters
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion on swagger. Some people like it while others do not. From my perspective there are a number of reasons you do not see a lot of it in d-1 hockey . 1) Most coaches view it as counter productive to their generally staid concept of team, 2) It has the potential to alienate other team members 3) It can motivate the opposition and 4) It can make you a target on the ice.
It will be very interesting to see how COACH deals with it if it continues to manifest itself. Personally i like score the goal, celebrate a bit with your line , sit down, shut up, get ready to skate your next shift an score again.
My perspective: having swagger does not equal being an a-hole. It's just being confident, happy, and excited, and wanting your team and fans to share that feeling. You're just an a-hole when you taunt someone, try to make them feel like s**t, or go way overboard over something minor.
It sounds to me like you're talking about someone being an a-hole, not a guy getting pumped up and getting the people around him in on it.
That being said, my rebuttal:
1) Since the moment Appert was hired, he's taken every opportunity to gas people up about the future of this program... the fans, alumni, students, media, players, recruits, everyone. He's done a great job of it! He's also been very vocal about his vision of playing a speedy, highly skilled, high energy, high scoring style; one in very stark contrast to the "Rugby on ice" style of the ECAC. What about any of that gives you the impression that SA wants these kids to contain their exuberance when it's completely justified and they're not hurting the team with it?
2) Please clarify this for me because I'm hard pressed to find any reason a teammate would be offput by a guy getting really excited by a great goal or whatever else.
3) You'd actually advise showing no soul and no personality just to guard against ****ing off the other team? F that. "Never dim your light so someone else can shine." I like what RC said here, "Don't like it? Stop 'em."
4) Any player that puts pucks in the net is gonna be a target, whether they are loud or not. Plus, a target isn't bad because while the other team is focused on one or two guys, the ice opens up for the rest of the team. Why do you think the Cav's win? It's because their opponents are always double and triple teaming LaBron!
I find it very difficult to believe that the guys would get carried away with their celebrations enough for it to have a negative effect on the team. I mean D'Amigo and Pirri have played at very highly competetive levels and managed to be successful and maintain very good reputations. I don't think they'll somehow misplace the characters that made it possible. Also, I'm completely confident that the team captains would address an issue well before the coaches would need to pay much attention to it. However, if it did become that much of an issue, I'm sure Appert would deal with it quite effectively and still manage to keep from having a squad of drones.
I really don't like those socks either, I have to say. I do like the "18" stickers on the helmets in memory of Nate Marsters, though.
(Kidding, kidding - as long as it's fair criticism, I respect anyone's right to air their opinions here.)