A common question that’s asked to players is, “Did you have a good game?”. But really everyone’s game is different. On a team you would have roles such as scores, playmakers, power fowards, checkers, maybe even a goon player. But when a critique asks if they had a good game or not, it really depends on who they’re asking. It all comes down to what the player wants from his own game and what he wants to achieve. For example, if the media asks a “sniper” if he had a good game or not, look at the score sheet. Snipers are meant to score! and of course they are going to have good and bad nights but scorers want and are being paid to get points on the board. Whereas if you asked a third-line checker and a key PK player if he had a good game, he might say yes, even though he didn’t get a point in the game or didn’t get into a fight, but he might of killed of a penalty and blocked 5 shots. Yes he did have a good game, but in the eyes of some media, he didn’t score so he didn’t do well.
But why ask someone if they had a good game or not? Does it really matter? The game is already over and of course players make mistakes but we’re all human. Fans and the media often forget that it is a lot harder than it looks. Having a small town/city/state/country expecting the team to win is often pressuring. And if the team is going through a bit of a rough patch, it makes it that little bit harder. Ice hockey is known for its hard hits and the fighting aspect, but people often forget that it is a very emotional sport as well. A team of hockey players is more than just a group of guys or girls. It is more like family. And when the team loses, it can not be blamed on just one player, its everyone. If the goalie had a bit of a rough night and people were blaming him/her for a loss, what about the fowards? Aren’t they meant to be scoring? People just need to remember that its a team game and when a team loses, its also hard if not harder for the players than it is for the fans. Who cares if a certain someone had a bad game and the team lost. You can’t blame a player for a team’s lost.
I could talk about shootouts but that is for another day.
