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Bolts Get Lesson In Hockey 101

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 1, 2008

Updated: 01/01/2008 12:13 am

TORONTO - During practice Monday at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, the near unimaginable happened.

Lightning coach John Tortorella uttered words he may never have spoken since his tenure began - "I want you to trap," he told his players.

Wait a second, have things gotten that desperate as the Lightning have lost four consecutive and six of seven? Has Tampa Bay taken such a downward spiral that Tortorella wants to change the entire team concept in midseason, tear out the pages of the up-tempo team concept and start with the oft-boring brand of hockey?

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, there's no way," Tortorella said with a chuckle once the team arrived north of the border to start a nine-day, four-game road trip against the Maple Leafs tonight.

The reality is that Monday's practice, which started later than scheduled after a lengthy pre-practice meeting in the locker room, was the exact opposite of trying to introduce something new - it was about reinforcing what it is the team has done since Tortorella instituted the aggressive forechecking system that stresses puck pursuit rather than sitting back in the neutral zone.

The 90-minute meeting before the players took the ice was like a college course that used very few visual effects and lots of chalkboard talk. Then the lessons were put to practice on the ice for about a 70-minute session.

"It was all on the board and it was Hockey 101, going right down to the basics of our team concept," Tortorella said. "We had a pretty lengthy meeting, not so much video, but more or less going over the fundamentals and the foundation of our team concept and how we play. Then we went out on the ice and did a lot of battles as far as letting our defensemen get a lot of different looks coming at them so they feel more comfortable in making plays in all three zones. And just a lot of fundamental things that we just need to keep practicing and get better at."

The talk of trapping was part of allowing the team's defensemen to see what they will face most nights, including tonight, in a league where most of the teams institute some form of a trap style of play.

Tampa Bay traditionally has had some form of success in breaking through the trap, which was a big part of Monday's practice, which Vinny Lecavalier described as one of the best the team has had this season in terms of what they wanted to accomplish and going out and executing.

"We had a constructive meeting and on the ice we had some great enthusiasm," he said. "It was about getting back to the way we play, going back to school, I guess you could say. It went very well."

Tampa Bay may have taken some steps in that direction during Saturday's loss to Philadelphia when the Lightning had the run of play for the better part of two periods but failed to score when it had the chances. But the better play still ended up in the loss column, leaving the Lightning in last place in the Eastern Conference as the calendar year turns to 2008.

And though recent history suggests Tampa Bay is primed for a second-half run - they have propelled themselves into postseason contention with a combined 82-39-13 record from January in the past three seasons - the players know they have to make it happen instead of hoping past history repeats itself.

"You can't rely on past experience, you have to rely on the present," right wing Marty St. Louis said. "But we have to know that it's not far-fetched, that we can turn things around and go on a streak. We know it's possible because we've done it. But we can't think it's going to happen because we have done it. We have to make it happen."

NEWS AND NOTES: Lightning prospect goaltender Riku Helenius allowed five goals on 20 shots in 29 minutes in his third consecutive start for Team Finland in a 5-3 loss to the U.S. on Monday at the World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. The game was the final for both teams in preliminary-round action, with both teams advancing to the medal round. ... In his first start for Norfolk of the American Hockey League, goaltender Marc Denis, who cleared waivers Saturday, took the loss for the Admirals after allowing six goals on 26 shots in a 6-3 loss at Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835 or eerlendsson@tampatrib.com.

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