What is it to play the Ducharme way?
On Wednesday, Jeff Petry went before the media and said that the game plan built by Dominique Ducharme was demanding. He took the trouble to add "but it works", showing that if all the soldiers respect it, the Habs will be successful again.
One thing to remember here, and the excellent Danièle Sauvageau explained it perfectly on 98.5 Sports, is that Dominique Ducharme's system takes time to master, but once it is embraced by all the soldiers, it becomes very effective and can guide a team to the Stanley Cup Final.
"The moment you change one member of the line... the synergy and dynamics change completely. Dominique Ducharme's system, it takes time. There have been a lot of changes," said Sauvageau.
But what exactly is the Ducharme system? What does it mean to "play the Ducharme way"? Why is it so difficult to assimilate a system? Danièle Sauvageau explained it perfectly in a few words:
"To play "the Ducharme way" is to play super close, move the puck and make small passes. You see the five-man unit moving from one zone to the other. It's hard to defend against that."
Moving the puck quickly is how the Habs need to play in order to have the most success. That's it!
