| The
Cincinnati Stingers were certainly happy to be back in the old US of A after three weeks
of training in Europe. Coach Jacques Demers was glad to get back to his family, but he was
also satisfied that the journey had produced positive results. "The experience was
good for everyone," Demers said Saturday, only hours after the Stingers had completed
a 30-hour trip from Helsinki, Finland, to Cincinnati. "The players got to know each
other, got a lot closer to each other. That's a good sign." After suffering losses at the hands of the Soviets and Czechoslovakian
national teams in Prague and a Finnish club squad, the Stingers put things together for
8-2 and 8-4 victories over Finnish major league and national teams. "We played as a
team in those last two games," Demers explained. "We surprised those teams in
Finland because we were really skating. The players knew more about my system by then and
we played well against strong competition."
Demers has worked almost exclusively on teaching his system of
hockey. He pointed out that this has been a slow, difficult process because his system was
entirely difference from what most of the Stingers had been doing the past two years.
"Its much better than it was when we left Europe, but there are more adjustments to
be made," he said. "We have several practices and a scrimmage with Hampton (a.)
this week and I think we'll look a lot better by the time we go to Hampton to play
Washington."
The Stingers, off Saturday to rest after the long trip, practice
today (4 p.m.) at Northland Ice Center, and continue with two a day workouts at Golden
Skates Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday the Stingers scrimmage their farm club, the American
Hockey League Hampton Gulls at Golden Skates, before departing for Virginia and an
exhibition against the NHL Washington Capitals Thursday night in Hampton.
Demers said his system, which emphasizes defense and teamwork to
contain the opposition, has been especially difficult for the forwards to pick up. In the
past the Stinger forwards weren't really in the habit of coming back on defense and had a
tendency to do a lot of free wheeling on the ice. "It's been a little easier for the
defensemen because they look a little better under my system and work into it more
normally," the coach explained. "But this is a young team and they're learning.
There are people on this team who scored a lot of goals last season, but they may not
score that much under my system. I want to win games by thinking defense. I'd rather win
3-1 that 9-7. I want to keep goals against average down."
Demers said he expects to make the final decision after today's
pracitice decision as to whom will remain with the club and whom will be sent to Hampton
for the start of the WHA season. He said he has not decided whether Norm LaPointe or
rookie Mike Liut will be the second goal tender working with veteran Ernie Wakley. He will
carry six defenseman, three regular forward lines and two extra forwards. Along with two
goalies, that's the 19-man roster permitted in the WHA. One line already set has Robbie
Ftorek at center with Del Hall on the left wing and Rick Dudley on the right. That line
was especially impressive in the Finnish contest.
"Dudley is playing really well on the right wing," said
Demers. "He's a veteran and can move to almost any position. Hall is a natural for
the left wing because he and Ftorek have been so successful in the past (at Phoenix). And
I want someone like Dudley on the line with Ftorek. If anyone goes after Ftorek, Dudley
will be right there to stop it."
Demers said he feels the key to a successful season is
"everyone playing the system. I know it will take time, but I think by the end of
November it will be automatic and we should have a strong team by then. When a team plays
together and follows a system, they are going to beat the teams who don't have a system.
And when two teams that play a solid system meet, you're going to see a great game. All
you have to do is look at teams like Montreal and the New York Islanders to see what a
good system can do." |
