Feng shui, NHL style: Coaches and players on the makeup of a locker-room
Guy Boucher didn’t want to leave anything to chance when he was hired as head coach of the Ottawa Senators.
While systems, line combinations and getting through to his players were going to be among the obvious keys to success, he also looked at the locker-room setup with an eye towards getting even more out of his team.
“I’m a big fan of intangibles because intangibles are what make you win and lose,” said Boucher, who got Ottawa to within a game of reaching the Stanley Cup final last spring in his first year in charge. “The relationships, chemistry and leadership — that’s what I base my decisions on where the guys are sitting.”
Boucher moved a number of players around in the dressing room, with age, background, language, position and personality all taken into consideration when assigning stalls.