Page 16, March 25, 1979 - Sunday News ‘attackers: ‘Get into the slot ao can ‘depend c on at. the World: S and stay there. If you are Tournament in Moscow next. ~“behi . We're ‘coming at you sort of third hand today, - -butin as: much-as the subject is still vivid in most Canadian memories, would you care to read . Victor Tikhonov’s thoughts on that Challenge Series between the Russian nationals and the NHL all-stars? ‘Victor is the very smart cookie who is the Soviet national coach. When he got back to Moscow, he wrote a piece for Sovietsky Sport. A subscriber to the publication is Prof. Norman Schneidman of the University of Toronto, a former Soviet boxing coach and sports official. He invited Globe and Mail . columnist Scott Young over to his house and read him the Tikhonov account of the series in New York, tran- slating as he went it along. We've heard several hundred thousand words of comment from Canadian and NHL Hockey people about what went Wrong, -Se let's get the word fronj Victor - via Sovietsky Sport via Prof. Schneidman - viz columnist Young: - coaches. ‘For openers he does not believe ‘that the Russians’ 6-0 win in the final game was a true indication of the dif- ference between the teams. GAVE UP “At 3-0 the NHL stars gave in,” he wrote. That won't sit too well with your average Canadian hockey player. Accuse him of anything before you accuse him of quitting. He thought the NHL’s win in the first game lulled the Canadian, players and He noted at the workout between the first a d second games, when his -u6 Canadians watching our practice. Obviously, they couldn’t believe that we could change our system i in only.oneday.”- - He added that the media ' helped. foster. this. delusion and he made particular reference to the remarks of Bobby Orr. in a broadcast. Bobby was praising the two pairs of NHL defencemen for keeping the front of the. net clear and saying that — these stars, used as they were to playing nearly 40 minutes a game, would not “That’s what Orr thought”, Tikhonov wrote. “We thought differently. What the Canadians did not know was that in our strategy for the first game, we told our attackers to move into the- slot in front of the net, but not to linger there, to get out fast.” - STAY THERE “When it became ap- parent half way through the game that this was not ef- fective, we changed, but not enough. However, before the second game, we told the - in’, They did and, as.a result, the NHL defence tried. = “Also. after the first game, one critic ‘pointed out that in: situations .where the. system - ofa Canadian defence would kriock down. an attacker, we were just trying for the: puck. . We accepted this criticism.” et So, at a meeting following ' pushed out, get back in any - way you can, but get back * qce, the first game, two decisions ~ were made: while attacking, hang on in the slot under all circumstances, On defence, month. ': . ea On the other. side of centre’ ti _“Normaily, Goach_ “Scott .. Bowman’s ‘views. on how to. ‘plays. ” - he: concluded’. that. wi “Canadians have got lost in. 7 7 their own system.” the right Passes; “the rig PUSHED BACK play hockey are ‘something | a like the European views. It cannot be a coincidence, that when we have played against“Montreal Canadiens ‘we found ‘their system is _ much like ‘ours, based | on. hockey skills.” “But in the third game.of _ - “But we had foreseen't! this and prepared for it. ‘Without - yielding. . in- power’ or ‘struggle, “the Soviet: players respond to. those tactics like ‘a spiral ‘spring “— the ‘more you push, the harder ‘they push back.”. knock people down. “In the second game, when everyone fulfilled the objective set before him, all the Team-NHL calculations. ‘about our weaknesses turned . out to be inoperable”. foe According” ‘to Victor, there was a meeting after the second game at which he wondered if his players were_ satisfied with merely playing well. “So I raised the ob- jectives: not just to play well, but to win by as much as possible. The mood of the team was such that I decided to introduce new players.” FOUR NEW FACES He put in four, including the little goalie, Mishkin, and while admitting it was a risk, he thought it was one worth taking. The 6-0 result . speaks for. itself. He made. a smart move. He also got a. good look, in a pressure situation, rookies he now knows he at national team the Challenge Series, Bowman decided to stand on the exemplified’ by Boston or - Philadelphia styles. Breaking it down, it is basically that 60 percent of a team’s scoring opportunities make opposition. to mistakes; and 40 percent by. making its own plays.” “In ‘the smaller rinks of. ‘North America, maybe this is rational. Maybe Bowman accepted advice from ‘others. Anyway,. for the third. game he ordered I ‘| 4 f i Canadian Style as. DON'T FORGET? Aside from this, Tiknonov was quite complimentary about many of the Canadian players. He = said ‘his ‘guys could learn. ‘much: from them, especially from Borje - Salming (who happens to be ‘should be — ~ produced by forcing the a Swede) - and. Larry Robinson.: ne “Ror instance,. we’ told: ‘ail our players. to. watch Robinson all the. ‘time, ‘but | _ still he was knocking. on’ our gates a lot without hindering at all- his: effectiveness: ‘asa defender.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 1 temporary night closures on the Lions’ Gate Bridge Sunday through Thursday 11:30 pm to 6 am The next stage of the Lions’ Gate Bridge super- structure renovation project is under way. Nightly closures will continue for approximately four weeks, Sunday through Thursday between 11:30 pm and 6 am, as contractors work on this phase of the $32,000,000, four-year widening and renovation program. This work is a vital part of the reconstruction and must be comploted before the more dramatic road- way replacement on the bridge can begin, So, while the closures are in effect, remember the 2nd Narrows Bndge ts open and not tar away. Minister Province of British Columbia tion Alex V Fraser, Ministry of Transportation, Communications and Highways easier ela nein inten ne nen iiee in inane osname