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Message To Vinny: You Lead The Way

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

eerlendsson@tampatrib.com

Published: December 18, 2008

TAMPA - As Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet seeks somebody to step up on the ice, he would like to see some things cleaned up off the ice as well.

That was the crux of a lengthy meeting Tocchet held with captain Vinny Lecavalier on Tuesday, with the coach delivering a message he hopes carries over to the team's other leaders to help get the team in sync.

"You've got to be in a situation where you can't let your team be sloppy," Tocchet said. "What I mean by sloppy is sloppy with your sticks on the ice, taking stupid penalties, little trivial things, late for the bus. It has to come from the room. The coach has to mandate it, but it has to come from the room."

While Lecavalier is in his second stint as captain, he is still learning some of the nuances that come with wearing the captain's C on his chest, things such as ensuring everybody is preparing properly on a nightly basis and making sure that being on time means being early. Lecavalier said he is on the same page as Tocchet about how to get that message through.

"It's not only the coaching staff that has to tell guys to be on time, when the bus is and all the other stuff that surrounds the locker room," Lecavalier said. "It has to be the players, myself as team captain. I have to do that, too."

Both Tocchet and Lecavalier characterized Tuesday's meeting as productive, with the coach praising the captain.

"I've talked to players in the past, I've played with players, you're having that talk with them and they look at you, like, 'when am I going to lunch, where can I get my car fixed?' Whereas he's actually looking at you," Tocchet said. "There's no question he was absorbing. He understands it. He knows there are some things he has to do better, and he's willing to."

It starts with some of the little details off the ice, handling some of the responsibilities in the locker room and holding guys accountable.

"It's not like we were out of control, but we can be more precise in what we do," Lecavalier said. "If there's a noon bus, be there at 11:55, not 12:01. It's little things, meetings, video, maybe show up a couple of minutes early, things like that, just to make the place more precise; little things that might not look like a big deal, but at the end, it is.

"The way you act in the dressing room and toward your teammates translates to the ice."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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