Hockey fans and media members are awash in consternation after a recent game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers. Wednesday night, the Flyers responded to the Lightning’s 1-3-1 zone by holding the puck in a formation reminiscent of North Carolina’s “Four Corners” offense. Twice, referees blew the whistle and called for a face-off due to the inaction.
The opponents pointed the finger at each other for the surreal situation, which elicited boos from spectators. Philadephia defenseman Chris Pronger said “That’s not hockey in my book, but whatever” and Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher replied that he was only focused on his team. Flyers forward Jaromir Jagr called the sequence a chess match on ice.
In a sense, both sides are right; the Lightning were correct to stay in their zone rather than rush and become drawn out of position and the Flyers – if they felt tactically disadvantaged – were justified in holding back until a mistake was made. This could happen again until the National Hockey League enacts a rule change, such as a shot clock, a limit on the length of time a team can hold the puck in their own end or a wider ice surface to create more space.
Pundits complained that such events do not transpire in other sports but that is not the case. Baseball operates without a clock and hitters step in and out of the batter’s box as pitchers step on and off the mound endlessly. Football teams are capable of engineering drives which last up to twelve minutes or more, whether they pass within the West Coast Offense or run according to the “Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust” philosophy.
Professional basketball teams frequently held the ball until Eddie Gottlieb invented the shot clock in 1954. When North Carolina ran the “Four Corners” (a player in each corner serving as a passing outlet as Phil Ford outmaneuvered defenders with his dribbling), opponents would stay in their defense. A notable example was the 1977 Final between Al McGuire’s Marquette squad and the Tar Heels.
Princeton nearly puller a monumental upset against Georgetown in the 1989 N.C.A.A. Tournament and defeated defending champion U.C.L.A. in 1996 using their deliberate offense to maximize time of possession and take high percentage shots. Nobody told Pete Carril that he needed to move the ball move.
Coaches must examine the rules to find the system that would best suit their team. The 1-3-1 works for Boucher in the N.H.L. (for example, it would not be effective in the Olympics because there is too much space and skill to clog up the neutral zone and force careless turnovers). The Lightning win games because they are disciplined and wait for their opportunity. The team does not trap every break out, only the ones where they are in good position. Most times, it is a method to prevent aggressive breakouts and funnel the puck up the boards. Pressure on the puck is a constant.
Bsaketball teams could learn from Tampa Bay’s restraint. Many lay-ups are scored when the defense over-extends themselves and enables the offense to push the ball downcourt to generate a scoring chance. Many turnovers are committed when the ballhandler plays the game according to the opponent’s tempo instead of waiting for the trap to come and passing away from the double-team. The Tampa Bay Lightning play their game as much as possible, a strategy for success in any sport.