Slumping Ducks hold team meeting
The practice rink was empty for more than an hour at Anaheim Ice but there was work being done elsewhere, the heavy lifting taking place behind closed doors Thursday.
Not surprisingly, the Ducks held a prolonged team meeting the day after their winless streak hit six games. “Today was good. A lot of guys were talking and giving their opinions how they feel why it doesn’t work, really,” Teemu Selanne said. “A lot of times coaches are talking and nobody says a word and you go to the ice and say, ‘Well, I don’t think that’s work[ing].
“It’s important that the players can give their input also about the situation. It was really good. It was really honest conversations. I think it was a huge step forward.”
Said Duck Coach Randy Carlyle: “You have to eliminate any confusion, any doubt before you can take the next step forward.”
They’ve won once in 10 games, and Carlyle, referring to the loss to Nashville on Wednesday, said he could not remember a time when the team gave up three two-on-ones and two breakaways in a period.
He was asked if any of the feedback surprised him and admitted some did, although he declined to be specific. “You spend 45 minutes with a group talking to them, there’s always some things that are going to come back,” Carlyle said. “You have to understand their perception is their reality. Sometimes if they perceive something, that catches you off-guard.”
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