After a day off yesterday, I was very happy on the ice today.
It's great to be able to go out and do our first practice together and finally make this official.
More importantly, however, it looks like an experience for others who have not yet experienced how Bill Peters practices.
Bill is fast and he wants you to pick up things soon.
There is not much time to rest or take a breather.
This is a good quick exercise.
I think everyone appreciates it.
You practice how to play.
It's fun though, because before the guys pick up what Bill wants us to do during the drill, there must be a lot of confusion at first.
This started in the room before the practice, when Bill, who did not have a whiteboard, was talking about the first few exercises, just reviewing with words instead of pictures.
He spit them out, guys looking around, what's he talking about? After the meeting, he may be panicking because no one wants to screw up a drill in front of their new coach on the first day.
Of course, these are the exercises I 've been in for Bill before, especially Hurricane Carolina.
I'm [center]
Elias Lindholm and [defenseman]
Our team's three former Hurricanes have to start a lot of training to make sure people know what they're doing.
This is not to say that we are pushed to the front of the team, but we are all naturally attracted to the first rep to make sure they know what to do so they can follow us.
Usually, when a person sees a fault or sees a fault on the whiteboard, he can pick it up quickly, but Bill has a practice track with his name and he doesn't like to go to the whiteboard often, so you have to be able to pick everything up quickly and run with it.
The other thing is Bill speaks very fast and it will take a while for you to understand what he is talking about.
I remember a phone call.
In Carolina, when you are already very nervous about the practice, go there and listen to him spit out all these jargon. -
For many of the things he's looking for in a particular walkthrough, he has his own terminology--
Worry, I'll make a mess of it.
Before figuring out what was going on, I found myself often behind the team.
I 've told a lot of us that it's not a big deal when you come up with different drill names and the terms he's using, but it's fun to see these guys get a little panicking.
But we got good grades in practice.
I think the players get a lot from it, but after an exercise, it will be fun to play the game tomorrow.
It's not ideal to play a game after a practice, especially in a team with new coaches and a lot of new players.
Bill tries to communicate all the new systems, warning zones and neutral zones, power games and penalty kicks.
We talked about it all today, but how can you master this in one exercise.
This is the reason for the preseason.
Let's see if we can implement it in the game and learn from it.
You have to make it work.
On the ice, I can't say I 've had a Chinese experience or a Chinese moment as it's only been a few days but the service here is incredible.
There are 10 servers in the restaurant or anywhere for one person.
I remember the first meal, we just got in and we were a little late and the waiter helped me put the napkin on my lap.
It feels a bit awkward, but it has something to do with their service here.
It's cool to see this part of culture.
I look forward to going to the Great Wall of China on Monday.
We are in a big city here and will also be in Beijing, so I am curious and excited to see the countryside outside the big city.
This is where I like and like America better. S.
In Canada outside big cities and rural areas.
I am very excited to see this in China.
Now, however, some of us will go to the main market here to have a look and bargain for some Chinese goods, some to take home.
I think it's part of the experience, the hustle and bustle here.
If that's what I'm thinking, I'll tell you everything in my next blog.
Maybe I will get some good things too.