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December 14, 2005
Winning Away, Losing At Home?
This article, though, raises a question for you sports psychologists out there. The article notes that last night's 5-3 win against the Blackhawks was "just the second time in franchise history that the Canes came off a six-game road trip to win at home," and quotes coach Peter Laviolette: "We all knew that coming back from the road trip, it was going to be pulling teeth at times to get going. Nobody wants that, but it's just there, and the players deserve credit because they responded to the situation that was adverse."
What's the dynamic that makes it hard for teams to win after returning from a road trip? Are they referring just to tiredness here, or is some more sophisticated psychological thing going on?
Posted by Eric at December 14, 2005 11:58 AM
Comments
Maybe it's tiredness. But it sounds like one of those meaningless stats that sports guys love to throw out there: "They're 10 and 1 when leading by two goals with less than 7 minutes to play" or "They're undefeated in December road games when Aerosmith is playing within 150 miles."
Posted by: Danny at December 14, 2005 10:59 PM
It's commonly assumed that travel is draining on the team, so they tend to be worn out after a long road trip. You also sometimes hear players and coaches saying that it is easier to focus on the road because they don't have the distractions of being home. (Not sure how well that goes down with the familes of the players.)
Posted by: Gary S at December 15, 2005 12:27 AM
I dunno, but it doesn't seem to be affecting Staal much...
Posted by: Scott Lemieux at December 17, 2005 9:59 PM