Be the Tougher Team
With that same youth comes a need for toughness. The Dallas Stars roster is full of veterans with chips on their shoulders as they look to make a return to the Stanely Cup Finals to claim what they feel was usurped from them. That means taking down anyone who gets in their way. Tonight the young Carolina Hurricanes roster will be in their way.
This young team will probably skate around the older veterans and that might be taken as a slight. After all, this is a roster of kids who would normally still be looking for their first shot at the NHL while playing at the AHL together.
This game might get ugly if these kids don’t quickly learn to toughen up. They are at the NHL now and not because they were the only available players, but because they were the best available players. They already have a win in their pockets and are hungry for more. But if they are going to go out there tonight and get it, they will have to let things roll down their backs.
Luckily Rod Brind’amour is the perfect coach for this situation. He will absolutely be reminding this young roster that this is their ice, their home and that they have to defend it with gameplay and sportsmanship. The final score cares not for words and egos.
Toughness isn’t just the strength to win fights and land hits. It’s also the strength to avoid unnecessary fights and penalties that could cost the game. The kids did a decent job Thursday night against the Bolts, but can they repeat that and perhaps even improve it now that they are more mature professional hockey players?
That is what we will find out tonight. If they can do that along with my other keys to the game they will be skating away tonight with another two points in their pocket and a bigger hunger to do it all again Sunday night.