Hitchionary

[jimotis4heisman]

The Columbus Dispatch : Michael Arace commentary: Time to get out Hitchionary for hockey season

im going to violate bps rules and post about half of this article. feel free to read araces intro, its pretty good. also feel free to create your own drinking game... feel free to incorporate into your daily verbiage and apply to other sports (err osu defense)

Here, then, is the Hitchionary, an abridged collection of Hitchspeak. Let us clear our heads as we reach for our sweaters.


Compete: It is not on the list of the 500 most-used words in the English language, but it is in Hitchcock's top two, ranking only behind "the." According to the Hitchcock ethos, to compete is the greatest virtue. A fourth-line winger who competes is held in great esteem, but a sublimely skilled scorer is nothing if he is not "engaged." And a player who takes a bad penalty is not lame-brained, he lacks "competitive composure."

Dig in: When a whole team is competing, it is dug in. When the fans are behind the team, and engaged, the fans are dug in. If you don't dig in, things get "loose." You don't want things to get loose.

Heavy: This does not refer to Grant Fuhr's training-camp weigh-in. Heavy is good. A heavy player is one who has a notably positive impact on a game. A heavy player is a one who draws notice. A Gordie Howe hat trick -- goal, assist, fight -- is intrinsically heavy.

Light: A light player is not competitively engaged and, by extension, lacks competitive composure. Recently, "light" has been replaced in the Hitchexicon with the word "dozy." (To grasp the heaviness of "light" and "dozy," see "weighty" below.)

Leadership: The intricacies of "leadership and followship" are at the heart of Hitchcock's professional quest. It is why he studies the Civil War. Why do soldiers charge over a wall to face a fusillade they know is coming? Who and what compels them? On the ultimate Hitchcock team, there are a few lieutenants in the locker room who can lead a company off the bench and into the heat of heavy competition. The rank and file will follow, and engage, out of duty to their brethren -- even if they hate the general.

Rich: When skill and competition are meted out in equal amounts, the game is "rich" -- sometimes "too rich" for one player or another.

Reckless: Hitchcock helped ruin free-flowing offense with the defensive schemes he implemented in the mid-1990s. Other coaches followed suit and made the neutral zone a heavy no-man's land. In part to salvage his legacy, Hitchcock had to come up with an offensive countermeasure -- and like all of his great ideas, the countermeasure is more psychological than real. How do you score in today's NHL? You have to be reckless. Hitchcock uses Alexander Ovechkin as a classic example. Ovechkin will risk decapitation to get to the net. He will dance on the fine line of competitive composure. His copious skill is almost secondary.

Skate: On the bench, this is Hitchcock's clarion call after every turnover (outside some other, heavier words).

Snake: As in, "cut off the head of the snake." To beat the Penguins, for example, you have to cut off the head of the snake, Sidney Crosby, the most reckless player on their team.

Weighty: The well-dug-in player who competes for his teammates, who is heavy, who leads or follows in the direction pointed by the coach, who is reckless enough to revel in a rich game, well, he is part of a many-headed snake and deserves to be called weighty.
That is all for now. More after lunch.
Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.
[email protected]

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Columbus Blue Jackets - Blogs: The "Hitchionary" - 11/24/2008

"Died on the Vine"… Hanging a goaltender out to dry and unable to stop the puck
"Learning Curve"… Refers to young players in their adoption to the NHL
"Pump Life into Them"… refers to bettering the special teams. Stated back in late September
"Taking a Vocal Initiative”... 9-29-08 referring to Michael Peca and his work in the locker room
"A Good Curiosity with Chemistry"… looking at forward combinations before the Nashville pre season game… the first game that Nash-Brassard-Huselius played together and Modin and Umberger were together
"Focus on Numbers"… a change in philosophy for the team, by adding the defense to the offensive rush and fore check
"Competitive battles"… dealing with competing each and every shift and game by all players
"Jacked Up"... referring to the young kids before the first game of the year
"I am not a referee… but… !" Talking about the Boll fight in Dallas that lasted two and half minutes
"Work in Progress"... talking about the lineup for the shootout... the first road trip had auditions being held…the PP and the PK even today is categorized as this
"Wind in their sail"… talking about teams that are playing well, in this case talking about SJ while in SJ and used to describe Atlanta before our 2-0 win in Atlanta
"The Landscape? The alarm never went off”… referring to the seven hooking calls in the first two games by the CBJ
"Don't play outside your means… less is best sometimes"… referring to some goaltending snafu's
"Chasing the game"… get behind early and have to play catch up
"Manage the game… manage the puck"... Playing in all three zones of the ice with proper directed team play
"Get dirty in the crease area"… go to the net and pay the price in hopes of scoring
"The sum of all parts… pack mentality"... Talking about Vancouver but also giving our philosophy a plug… talking about the players knowing roles and working together
"Candidate for time off"… Nash and all the time and effort he has put forth early in the year
"Must keep pace"… extending a 45 minute effort in a game to a full 60 minute
"Challenged to be better"… Voracek and his game as a rookie
"Careless"… defensive lack of playing the proper game
"Reckless"… take chances and go beyond the norm… referring to Backman and his need to improve in not being afraid to make a play
"Increase focus and be accountable"… talking about team play returning to roles… the re-teach and learning reinforced again
"Don't wade in"… get the game started early was a must talking pre-game about Anaheim
"Hungry beyond their years"… Voracek and Brassard and their love for the game… better known as rink rats as well
"We had a Cup winner down and cracked"… the disappointing 3-2 loss to Anaheim where we out-shot them and couldn't finish the 60 minutes
"Emotional connection"… referring to the new FA's adjusting to Columbus after spending time with other teams
"Too bland in the middle"… trying to find a way to spice up the chemistry in the center position by throwing Nash in the picture
"Stop and go guys"… dealing with Peca and Torres not being in the lineup early in the year
"A small list of a dying breeds"… Peca and the way he plays the game
"Funnel the puck"… get the puck to the net by forwards but especially defense when there is traffic
"Found a foundation"... referring to the play of Methot and his recent success
"A weighty game"… the win over Calgary at home… grinding, heavy board battles, a game of battles along the walls… the big players cycling and protecting the puck low
"Defensive discipline"… a compliment to Gretzky and how the Coyotes play today with their young team
"One must have a game before he has a Voice!"… referring to a couple of the qualities the leader of a team must have to be respected.
"Wanted an easy game"… after the Phoenix loss at home… did not want to compete for 60 minutes
"The Oilers look like the Harlem Globetrotters, I hope we are not the Washington Generals"… before the 7-2 thrashing… out-shot the Oilers 39-19
"Ownership needed"… talking about the PP and especially the PK. The players need to buy into what is expected and needed to succeed

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Columbus Blue Jackets - Blogs: The Hitchionary Part 2 - 01/14/2009

The Funnel and Spray Offense…example Detroit..The best way to forecheck and create offense. An offensive tactic that allows shots and support in the scoring areas
Triple Drive…example Buffalo….no forward trails…secondary flow in the rush would be the defenseman …not the trail winger or F3
The Foot on the Throat… the team is not ready to win on a consistent basis. Put the opposition out of their misery when opportunities arise in the game
Grab Tempo….a young team that has the ability to create energy
Puck Luck…the comment made about RJ Umberger at the end of November when he wasn’t capitalizing on his chances, but then pucks were going in off his rear end
Play in Inches not Feet..The game key when playing against Washington at home. It would be a battle and the work would have to be done in the trenches
THEN
A Man’s Game….the 3-0 win comment after the game when we were not going to get pushed out of the building
Time and Score…being aware in the game what is going on, where is the puck, what are the things that can influence the turning of the tide and time on the clock and the score of the game is something that should be stressed by the leadership of the players
Sum of All Parts..Using Vancouver as an example and looking at his team on how to win
Dangerous Slope…the critical area of a team that can send you on a losing streak if the confidence fails….”are we good enough” phase goes through the minds of all players. This was the case of the team on December 1st when the record was 11-10-3
No Busy Head…good one Hitch….talking about Marc Methot in his ability to read and react without the game being too quick around him
Heavy…turn up the Volume…on how to play against SJ…the word tempo stressed many times in describing this term
Pen Them In…the hope of the CBJ against the Kings in a 3-0 loss at home…keep them in their zone
The Elevator…the way the game is going to be played for the entire year…mentioned prior to the Nashville 2-1 shootout one….so get on the Bicycle keep riding and try to get better every day
Did Not Deflate…Dug In…after the big win against Nashville
Energy Bank….taking about the youngsters in their development as players…know how to handle and replenish on a timely basis over 82 games
Territorial… Against the NYI we must be aware of their forecheck and understand where we want to play the game and how to accomplish it
Bogged Us Down…what good teams can do if the forecheck is effective in the defensive zone of the CBJ
Forget it…this WILL NOT CONTINUE…the poor effort and 3-0 result against LA on the 23rd of December
The Unofficial Second Half…3-0 win vs. Philly at home…..15-16-4…gone 6-2 since
The Benevolent Dictatorship…the footnote of Springsteen used to decide on who plays goal in LA….3-0 shutout for Mason.. Leclaire or Mason was the choice
Baptism Under Fire….youngsters learning and experiencing how to compete. Winning helps elevate the process.
Hornet’s Nest…like the above fore mentioned Elevator; this is an example of how the games are going to be played for the remainder of the season
The Hunter…the team must be on the offensive, go get them attitude and do not come home empty handed
Control Happy Feet…do not complicate the game with an attitude that goes beyond your given role. Mike Peca put things in perspective...”Do not believe we are the Red Army” …if we do the results will not be present.
Above the Bar…the line of being in playoff contention…staying at or being as far above the line/bar that includes a playoff look in April.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Michael Arace commentary: Guide necessary to decipher Hitchspeak | BlueJacketsXtra

Noam Chomsky, the esteemed American linguist, asserts that language is the process of free creation. "Its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied," Chomsky said. "Even the interpretation and use of words involves a process of free creation."
Last year at this time, in this space, the Hitchionary was introduced. It covered terms such as rich, reckless, weighty and heavy. It was rendered as a means to warm up for the hockey season.
As language is evolutionary and mutative, as Canadian lexicographer and Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock continues in his process of free creation, and as another hockey season is drawing nigh, a second edition is mandatory. So, here it is, Hitchionary II:
Busy head: When a player thinks too much, he has a busy head. What is the remedy? Check, please.
Cowboy strong: This phrase popped up yesterday, during a scrum with the media. The subject was Matt Calvert, a prospect who is 5 feet 9 and 175 pounds. Although Calvert does not appear particularly imposing, he is, Hitchcock asserted, "cowboy strong" -- which means he is invested, almost magically, with an unfettered ability to "penetrate" the "hard areas" of the ice. Cowboy strong is akin to the American Midwestern phrase farmboy strong, a term of endearment for organically sinewy offensive linemen.
Hard: Just as a jazz musician can wring a range of emotion from a single note, so too can Hitchcock. Hard is one of his most affective adjectives. After a particularly rough stretch of games, he might say, "It's been (sounds like beeeen) a hard (harrrd) go" -- and it's like Billie Holiday is ripping your heart out. Or, after a particularly frenetic performance, Hitchcock might say, "That was hard bizarre." Understand, there is bizarre and then there is hard bizarre -- and hard bizarre is vastly preferable because it implies that, amid the mayhem, some cowboy-strong players penetrated the hard areas with pace.
Inversion: This is a favorite rhetorical technique of Hitchcock's. For example, when it was suggested that the Jackets' league-worst power play was a problem last season, Hitchcock said, "I don't see it that way. I think the problem is the penalty kill." Hitchcock prioritizes. If he doesn't want to talk about something, he gently will turn the subject and "dig in" for a good parley. Earlier this month, it was posed to Hitchcock that the power play would continue to be a bane because there had been no significant infusion of new personnel. Hitchcock shook his head and politely suggested that the unit had to be better because of "continuity."
Invitation: Those who are ready to stick up for their teammates do not need an invitation to engage in pugilistic pursuits.
Pace: It used to be that checking was everything. Now, it's all about pace. For instance, Nikita Filatov is in possession of much-needed skill, but can he bring it with pace on a consistent basis -- or, is he "in and out?" Remember the phrase competitive composure? One can only presume that the Jackets now have a full grasp of the concept, so the next step is to add unrelenting pace to the recklessness.
Penetrate: You think you know the meaning of a word such as compete, but for Hitchcock, the word acquires unfathomable depth. Penetrate is another case in point. This month, Hitchcock hasn't gone five minutes without muttering "penetrate" -- which, loosely translated, is the action necessary to reach the hard areas. After an exhibition this week, Hitchcock said, "The power play looked very good -- but we did not penetrate like we did (the previous game)." It did not matter that the power play looked dangerous, or produced a goal -- it failed to penetrate.
Skill: As the Jackets have developed young skill players under Hitchcock, the coach has had to find ways of keeping said skill in its place. To this end, Hitchcock has been polishing phrases such as, "You can't put the skill ahead of the work," which is a turn on his old phrase, "checking comes first." The alternative -- no penetration, at any pace -- is unacceptable.
That is it for Hitchionary II. More next year.
In the meantime, fire away, folks. Onward, into to hard areas. It is time to fight and march.