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Bolts Persist In Search For Answers

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 22, 2008

PITTSBURGH - The sweeping snow storm that blanketed most of the Northeastern region of the country spared Western Pennsylvania for the most part.

Inside Mellon Arena, however, Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet had Tampa Bay players kicking up plenty of snow on the ice.

A day after a horrid performance in Atlanta resulted in a 4-3 loss to the Thrashers, the Lightning were put through a grueling bag skate for 35 minutes. That was followed by a 90-minute video session that served one part teaching tool and one part clear the air in an open-floor environment as the entire first two periods of the game in Atlanta were replayed with players free to speak up about what they were watching.

It all made for a long day that started with an 11 a.m. charter flight from Atlanta and a 6 p.m. bus back to the team's hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

Tocchet said he hopes the purpose of the rough day is understood in the locker room.

"I remember when I had bag skates as a player, you have to find the depths of your soul, you have to find where you are as a player," he said. "After a bag skate, you started to ask questions about a lot of things and we need that. I have to find out from the players in this group who truly care, who truly want to belong here and who really believe in themselves.

"And after these skates, you really start asking yourself these questions because you get back to your hotel room and you ask yourself, 'Why did I get bag skated?' The winners will say it's because I didn't play good or I didn't do this or I didn't do that. The guys that you don't want on your team are going to say, 'That wasn't my fault.' It's that attitude that we are looking for and that's why we have to try to test the depths of these guys."

The soul-searching mission comes on the heels of comments coming out of the locker room following the game when alternate captain Marty St. Louis questioned the commitment to winning of some of the players, comments that were backed publicly by Ryan Malone and Mike Smith as well as Tocchet.

"These guys have to police themselves, I think, and good teams do that," Tocchet said. "There's no danger in St. Louis' comments, because to me that's a winning comment. You're either on board or get lost, it's as simple as that."

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

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