How teamwork and high expectations wins championships
The Nashville Predators are in the middle of the deepest playoff run in franchise history.
And we will find out on Thursday night if that run will continue in the Game 7 Elimination game with the San Jose Sharks.
Last year at this time, the Predators lost a 2OT and a 3OT game to the Chicago Blackhawks to end their playoff run early. And since day one in Nashville, they had never been in a Playoff Game 7.
This year it is a different story.
The first playoff round against the Anaheim Ducks, they won the series in seven games. In the second round vs. the San Jose Sharks, they have won two separate OT (overtime) games to tie the series at three games apiece.
If they can win on Thursday night, they will be one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
The Predators could have easily folded in either of these series as they did so many times in the past.
But something is different this time around.
David Poile, General Manager of the Predators, chalks up their success to team building. The high expectations Poile places on the team helped the younger players get up to speed quickly.
The last games winning goal was scored by a rookie, Viktor Arvidsson, in overtime.
“You need to get what I call these special plays from your secondary players,” Poile said. “Arvidsson gets the goal and I mean, you could see our team was so happy for him. Happy we won, yes, but happy for him.”
Arvidsson is not the only Predator to buy into Poile’s plans.
Ryan Johansen, a young offensive star on this team said, “Just throughout these games, we’ve had guys in this room make some real character plays… And we feel like we have a group that can do something special.”
What I love most about sports is how it is so reflective of what we face in life and real estate.
There are no easy roads to meeting your goals. You have to fight your way through, over and around it. And if you put together a good team and buy into the plan, you can achieve something amazing.
Talk to me about your goals, and I will show you a team that will fight for you till the very end.
Post a Comment