Let’s face it: there are times when Guy Boucher’s system can be as boring as his scars are intriguing.
Long spans of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ eventual 1-0 Game 2 win qualified as much, as plenty of people went to Twitter to joke about how Boucher’s 1-3-1 trap often looked more like a system described as “0-0-5.” When asked how he handled not seeing an Ottawa Senators shot for about 15 minutes, Marc-Andre Fleury simply said that the only thing he does is “Wait.” For some hockey fans, it felt like a holding pattern of a game at times, in general.
Well, guess what? Guy Boucher doesn’t care if you’re making fun of him on Twitter; he also doesn’t care if you’re less-than-thrilled watching the Senators when they’re, erm, a little “passive.”
“I don’t read Twitter,” Boucher said. “I never read that in my life. I don’t know even how to get on it. I don’t pay attention to it.”
Guy boucher on if that was pleasing to watch: "I am not watching it. I am coaching it."
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) May 16, 2017
I mean, he's not wrong.
As a reminder, you’re not going to mock a coach toward making a change in style. It’s debatable, for one thing, how conscious the Senators’ “turtling” really was in Game 2.
Even the most dangerous offenses get hemmed in their own zone, so it will be interesting to see if the Senators go on the attack more in Ottawa. After all, there’s the potential for adrenaline from their home crowd, and Boucher may opt to take more chances in Games 3 and 4 if the Penguins continue to be tormented by injuries.
Now, if you’re in Ottawa and want to shame Boucher into change ... maybe start “the wave” or a “BOR-ING” chant, because your Twitter barbs will fall on deaf digital ears.
(Note: don’t start the wave.)
#Sens Head Coach Guy Boucher speaks to media following tonight’s 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. pic.twitter.com/nJ9Feeetsc
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) May 16, 2017