KINGS NOTEBOOK: Sutter's psych job proves to be effective - Los Angeles Daily News
NEWARK, N.J. - He's not big on buzz words. In fact, he might not be big on words at all.
But Kings coach Darryl Sutter not only gets his players listening to his message, he gets them living it.
Retired goalie Darren Pang had Sutter as a teammate, captain, assistant coach and head coach with the Chicago Blackhawks and the International Hockey League's Indianapolis Ice. He said the simple-spoken Sutter employs a rather complex psychology behind the bench.
"It's not about fear or intimidation. He has the ability to get players to want to play for one another, to not disappoint each other. In effect, you end up not wanting to disappoint Darryl," Pang said. "He's got a very unique combination of motivation, encouragement, knocking you down and bringing you up. He's a unique person, first of all, but he's a unique coach."
Pang said Sutter the coach was much like Sutter the player: detail-oriented, yet bare-bones in his broader structure. His game as a workmanlike left winger was all about straight lines, simple transitions and loads of competitiveness.
"He's not a guy who wants you to back up, he wants you to go forward. If you go forward and put pressure on the other team, you're going to get the puck back. If you back up and play passively, they're going to have puck possession time against you," Pang said. "That simplistic way of saying something is what makes him effective."
Sutter's bluntness has been a big part of the Kings' quick
turnaround. To a man, his players said his brutal honesty allowed him to establish a frank, effective rapport with the team in the shortest of order.Former Kings draft pick Martin Gelinas played for Sutter in 2004 with the conference champion Calgary Flames. Gelinas accomplished a singular feat, scoring the series-clinching goals in each of the three series the Flames won.
Those clutch goals might never have happened if the Flames had a bit more depth on the wing.
"Darryl got me in the room and he said 'Marty, if I had another left winger, you would not be playing next game,'" said Gelinas, now in the Nashville front office. "As an older guy it took me by surprise and my pride got hurt a little bit.
"After that, I realized, all he wants is more from me, more leadership, he wants me to step up my game. And that happened afterward."
Gagne relishes the moment
While every player in the Final has shown determination and longing to win the Cup, it might be extra sweet for Simon Gagne.
"You can just tell by the look on his face, you know he wants this thing more than anything," said winger Justin Williams, who played with Gagne in Philadelphia as well. "That, in turn, rubs off on everyone on the team. It's great having him back in our locker room."
Long thought to have been sidelined for the season with his third concussion in five years, Gagne returned in Game 3. Although he has played a reduced role for a former top-six forward, he has performed well on the fourth line and generated some solid scoring chances.
Gagne said in the past he had rushed himself back from concussions.
This time, he and the Kings' medical staff waited until he was at full capacity and symptom-free to even consider reinserting him into action.
"If you're not honest with yourself, you're going to pay for it," Gagne said. "I did in the past, it's too bad, but you learn as you get older."
Single elimination
While most players have asserted that international tournaments and the Stanley Cup playoffs differ on many levels, Devils captain Zach Parise said his current predicament was quite similar to the Olympics or World Juniors.
The labyrinth ahead for the Devils would be nearly identical to a run through the elimination rounds of an international tournament. They will face a superlative team every night.
They will also need to win three consecutive games in order to avoid elimination and win the tournament.
"It's pretty similar to the situation we're in right now," Parise said. "It's a one-and-done."
Racism fears dog Dutch for Euro opener with Danes - Football
Published: 09 Jun 2012 - 03:46:49
The Dutch players could be forgiven for not being totally focussed on their Danish opponents when they open their Euro 2012 campaign on Saturday.
For having had their black players subjected to racist chanting at a training session at their Polish base, they will be fearful that similar episodes will occur, amid publicly aired fears of far-right gangs at Ukrainian grounds.
Should such an incident arise Dutch captain Mark van Bommel has made it clear that they will not stand for it.
"During the tournament, if any one of us is confronted with such a thing, we'll immediately go to the referee to ask him to intervene," said the veteran AC Milan midfielder.
Referees have already been put on notice by UEFA president Michel Platini that they can stop a match should such incidents arise, so it will only add to the tension at the match.
Should things go smoothly, though, the Dutch will hope for a repeat of their progress to the 2010 World Cup final which started with a win over Denmark.
Bert van Marwijk's men prevailed 2-0 against Denmark in Johannesburg in June 2010, the first step on a path that eventually led to an extra-time defeat at the hands of Spain in the final a month later.
The team that van Marwijk fields at Metalist Stadium on Saturday is likely to closely resemble that which last faced the Danes two years ago and the objective remains the same -- to end a trophy drought that now stretches to 24 years.
"It's a big tournament and the first game for me is the most important game of the last six months," said the Netherlands coach.
"When the draw was made I said it was the most important and it still is."
Arsenal's Robin van Persie, coming off the finest season of his career, scored twice in the 6-0 demolition of Northern Ireland in their last warm-up match and is set to spearhead van Marwijk's 4-2-3-1 formation against Denmark.
It means a place on the bench for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, despite the fact he scored 12 goals to van Persie's six in qualifying and netted 29 times for Schalke to finish as the top scorer in the Bundesliga.
The 28-year-old has admitted to feeling "disappointed and angry" at his likely omission, raising the spectre of the rifts that have undermined Dutch performances at previous tournaments, but Wesley Sneijder insists there is harmony in the squad.
"We are fine," the Inter Milan playmaker told reporters.
"There are no fights. We've been together in this team for a long time so there are no problems."
Morten Olsen's Denmark lost 3-1 to Brazil in their first warm-up game before completing their preparations with a 2-0 win over Australia, albeit one in which striker Nicklas Bendtner claimed they played "too slowly and too horizontally".
Olsen has decided to install Evian's Stephan Andersen as his first-choice goalkeeper, rather than Anders Lindegaard of Manchester United, after Thomas Sorensen was ruled out with a back injury sustained against Brazil.
"The Netherlands have a team similar to the one we saw in South Africa," says Olsen. "They have so many talented players, but the team ethic is what makes them great.
"They might just be one of the favourites for the entire tournament, so of course they are favourites against us as well. Not to say that we will be giving up in advance -- we will take every chance we get."
Denmark fell at the group phase in South Africa but impressed in qualifying, topping their group above Portugal after beating Cristiano Ronaldo and co 2-1 in Copenhagen in their final match.
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