For your next questions, it’s here:
Could the high rate of injuries at the Canadiens be partly explained by the fact that players, because of the relative weakness of the club, spend more time on average in the defensive zone (is there a statistic to this topic?) than in the opposing zone? This means more throws to block, defensive players more often “face” in the bay window, etc. Anyway, has this hypothesis ever been analyzed?
First of all, the best measure of time spent in the defensive zone remains the Corsi, or the proportion of shots attempted (on target, off target and blocked in defence). In this category, all situations combined, the Canadian comes (as of April 10) in 29th place with an index of 44.7%. This means that in a CH match, 44.7% of shot attempts come from Montreal, compared to 55.3% for the opponents. So yes, the team is spending more time in their zone.
As for blocked shots, the Habs are third in the NHL, which necessarily increases the risk of injury. Some of the injuries are indeed related to time spent in the defensive zone, whether it’s Alex Belzile blocking a shot or Kaiden Guhle twice rather than once after being tackled against the boards by a rival. On the other hand, cases like Cole Caufield, Arber Xhekaj (by fighting) or Jake Evans (face-off in the neutral zone) escape this explanation. In short, the time spent in the defensive zone can explain part of the problem, but we should especially look at what is done in injury prevention and return-to-play protocols.
Suppose Caufield gets injured in the second period and leaves the game. The CH announces between the second and the third that the injury is slight, but that as a preventive measure, he will not return to play for the current game. Question: Is the CH making this announcement because a regulation requires it to do so or is it only to inform journalists and the public?
Unfortunately, there are no rules that exist in the NHL regarding the announcement of injuries, let alone about the exact nature of injuries. The Canadian generally announces that a player will or will not return to a match because the journalists present have asked the question, or will ask it.
During the NHL playoffs, is there a bonus for players who win playoffs?
The players actually receive bonuses, which are provided for in the collective agreement. The numbers are not yet known for this season, but last year they were able to part with $20 million as follows: the money goes to the teams and the money is distributed fairly between the players, not in proportion to their seasonal salary.
President’s Trophy Winners: $781,250Team Eliminated 1st Round: $390,625Team Eliminated 2nd Round: $781,250Team Eliminated 3rd Round: $1,875,000 Stanley Cup Finalists: $3,437,500 Stanley Cup: $5,781,250
I have a question regarding the saddle setback problem that cyclist Nickolas Zukowsky had in Paris-Roubaix. Since for such a classic it is imperative to have perfect equipment, why don’t the mechanics just weld the rails with the seat post? It seems to me that once the rider has determined the proper placement of their bike’s components, the safest thing to do would be to permanently attach any accessories that might be affected by road vibration.
In an interview, Nickolas pointed out that the mechanics of his Swiss Q36.5 formation had done everything to avoid the glitch that had already afflicted him at the Tour of Flanders, even slipping sandpaper between the frame and the stem to prevent a lowering of saddle. Ditto for the bottle cages. So I forwarded your observation to Nickolas, who came back to me after a few minutes: “Naughty good question! After some thought, here is a summary of his response:
“We are a young team, with new equipment, we have a lot of learning to do on that side. I’ve had teammates tell me that on their old teams, they literally put glue in some parts, as the reader suggested. It’s happening, so. But from the moment you do that, your bike is frozen, it’s stuck in one position and you can’t change the components. It’s scrappy in a way. In terms of equipment management, this is not ideal. The teams resell the majority of the bikes at the end of the year. If we look at their price now, it’s not cheap. Putting superglue on a 15,000 piastre bike, it’s a thing of the past… So we try to find ways to not get there. On the other hand, it’s such an important race, maybe we’ll have to think about it in the future if no solution works. »
During an NHL game, we sometimes see the head coach take a small notebook out of his jacket pocket and write down notes. What could it be? Did he forget to buy bread and milk?
Excellent question! Coach preparation is meticulous, you guessed it. This little notebook is filled out before each game and serves as a memory aid. It notes everything: the power play formation, the shorthanded formation, the formation with a goal to protect in the last minute, the formation with a goal deficit in the last minute, the names of the shooters in the shootout, etc Coaches don’t want to be caught off guard in the heat of the moment and make impulsive decisions, but the coach can always adjust the shot mid-game as well.
