Play Smarter, Not Harder

Islanders 2 : Rangers 4

After one delay followed by another I finally made it to MSG only to find the game sold out. At that moment the two year old inside of me wanted to drop to the floor and throw a tantrum but instead the Isles/Rangers tantrum in front of the bench in the 1st period caught my eye on the tv monitor. A few minutes later I met a very nice security guard (Rangers fan) who upon hearing my tale of woe proceeded to go beyond the call of rivalry and spent the 1st and 2nd periods trying to find me a ticket. I continued to watch the game on the monitor while thinking of a ‘I’m with the band’ way of getting in, expressing my frustration to Angie via cell phone, and praying to the hockey gods. About 5 minutes before the start of the 3rd period the security guard asked a Rangers fan who was leaving the game for his ticket stub. BRILLIANT! He then escorted me through the gate and off to section 218 I went. Last season I arrived late at MSG and when a security guard overheard my ticket request he reached into his jacket and handed me one - center ice, level 300. Over the years many have commented on my talent for being late however what they all don’t realize is that membership in the tardiness club has its privileges. And although both times standing on Ranger’s turf wearing orange and blue, I also possessed a quality that probably factored into the favorable outcome – being female, which seemed to win out over team allegiance. I wound up sitting next to an Isles fan (Meredith) which was yet another hockey god blessing considering the ‘gigiddy gigiddy’ warm welcome from Ranger fans. Meredith, now living in NYC, originally hailed from Stony Brook and attended GW in DC where she experienced 3 hockey seasons and the lock out. Of her four years in college she witnessed only 1 Isles win over the Capitals. The winning game ticket stub is pinned to her wall at work. Meredith’s post-game summary was as follows: The Isles came out strong but faded fast. They could not convert on a single power play in the 1st period and along with being tired, coming in at 3-0 was huge to overcome. Sitting next to an Isles fan at MSG? – free, sitting next to a woman who can talk hockey? – priceless.

Beyond the Isles playing 3 games in 4 nights, beating Ottawa in a shoot out had to be uber draining both physically and mentally. To then play the Rangers, who were coming off a 3 day rest, well I think it’s fair to say it was going to be an uphill climb for the Isles to win. In a situation like this the effectiveness of how a player chooses to expend whatever energy he has left is crucial. Core energy is used when playing the game. Breakaways, power plays, penalty killing, and fighting require a surge of energy. At mid to full strength energy wise these surges do not greatly impede a well conditioned and mentally prepared player’s performance however the Isles weren’t near full strength. And so like a deck of cards, with each card representing a unit of energy, a player has to decide how and when to dole them out. This can be accomplished by creating a preparatory set, where the player decides in advance, what actions he will and will not take (1).

Surges of energy were expended in the 1st period on 5 power plays, and in the 2nd period to kill penalties thus having to cover the same area (ice) with fewer players for way too many minutes. Add to that some fighting and anything else I may have missed while being on the outside trying to get in. Although the Isles scored their 2 goals in the 2nd period, the revolving door of Isles penalties seemed to be when the game was lost, with the Rangers scoring 2 PPGs. Players not in the sin bin were left to push their tired bodies even harder, with DP taking the brunt of the penalties by having to defend more shots on goal (16 in the second period as compared to 8 in the 1st and 7 in the 3rd). The energy sucking reactive style of play in the 2nd period left little hope for a comeback in the 3rd period, BUT I never give up hope. And so the 3rd period came and went with the Isles holding their own and the Rangers adding one more goal to their lead.

The best response to an antagonistic opponent who knows you’re at a disadvantage strength wise is to employ Wu Wei, a concept I first learned about in the book “The Tao of Bow Wow” by Deborah Wood. Simply stated Wu Wei means ‘action of inaction’. In time the rock, through erosion, yields to the stream.

Under heaven nothing is more soft and
yielding than water.
Yet for attacking the solid and strong,
nothing is better;
It has no equal.
The weak can overcome the strong;
The supple can overcome the stiff. (2)

The Rangers were hungry for a win and got the job done but I don’t think this was a win they earned by outplaying their opponent. Hollweg must not believe in Karma. With a work ethic like he demonstrated towards Martinek I have a feeling that sooner or later someone will make him a believer. To Rangers fans (especially the two obnoxious guys who sat behind me) I offer an end of the blog entry salute - enjoy your 1 win vs. our 3…see you on March 4th.

Although this trip to MSG did not bring about a win for the Isles, they did emit a vibe that collectively, something is just right about the raw material of this team, like everyone who is supposed to be here, is here. We’ve got warriors. And not only do we have warriors but we’ve also got chief warrior Witt, who like the great Clark Gilles, has a strong paternal instinct that translates onto the ice and is something his teammates can count on and learn from. Yup, we’ve got warriors.

Flow like water fellas.

1. www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v5/n12/full/nn969.html

2. Gia-Fu Fend and Jane English, Lao Tsu: Tao Te Ching (New York: Vintage Books, 1972), ch. 1.