Word: pucks
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...this deliberate movement can break down. When attackers put together complex plays and flick the puck over the blue line to home in on Parent, he is lucky if he sees some shots as they leave a stick from behind a blur of battling skaters. Worse, many shots carom off players or their sticks in front of the goal; coming off curved sticks, slap shots spin so hard that they often drop like sinkers crossing home plate. None of these difficulties seem to trouble Parent: "If I see the puck leave the stick, I know exactly where it is going...
...unable to place his entire body in the way of a shot, his glove or stick will flick out like a lizard's tongue. He works hard at keeping all his puck-stopping tools well honed to assure quicker, more precise movements. Recently when he missed two high slap shots, Parent dissected his mistake and remembered that during pregame practices, Coach Shero had asked shooters to concentrate on low shots at the goal. The next day Parent asked them to fire 50 high blasts to help him get his rhythm back...
Fear stalks Parent most often during preparation. "In practice, I'm very scared," he says. "It's no fun at all." Sometimes in a workout, Parent cannot overcome the natural life-preserving urge to flinch when the puck comes at him. "I try to keep my head down and get the shot," he says. "Sometimes I just can't do it." When that happens, Parent insists that his teammates fire a barrage of shots at him until he beats down his fear...
...protect me and help the team," he says, adding with a grin, "but I never ask him to win a game." On the ice, Parent seeks security in other ways. Unlike some goalies who roam out in front of the net or behind it to feed the puck to teammates, Parent sticks close and admits his sense of security increases as he moves back toward the goal. "It's like a kid who goes to the woods with his father," he says. "As long as I'm close to the net, I figure I'm all right...
...reason for all this violence is Shero's strategy of victory through fear power. Freely admitting that Philadelphia lacks the quality players of other leading teams, Shero tries to make up for it with position play and intimidation. He teaches his men that the quickest way to the puck and on to the goal is often through or over an opponent. Prostrate guys finish last. "Some teams don't seem to realize there are corners and pits in front of the net," says Shero. "We have guys who are willing to go into those zones, to take...