Give trap its due respect

It was kind of laughable when I read Pierre LeBrun's blog where Pierre claims that only after Scotty Bowman told Yzerman to play defense first the Red Wings were able to succeed. Pierre forgot to mention that about the same time the famous talk happened Red Wings had installed the trap named "left wing lock". And why they did it? They lost to NJ Devils in playoffs.

Even if Ovechkin will play as a defenseman, without a some form of trap Caps are not going far in playoffs.

Here's an article by Rob Rossi, the Penguins beat writer, "Give trap its due respect":

I know what to expect from the Devils, and it doesn't bother me at all. Indeed, I'm caught up in defending the neutral-zone trap.

Call me a sucker for strategy and a fan of rigid discipline when it comes to appreciating what hockey's most hated system routines offer — the best chance for teams to win on the road.

New Jersey's trap is perfectly designed for winning on the road during the regular season — though having Martin Brodeur between the pipes is a nice part of the equation.

Watch how the Devils trap under head coach Jacques Lemaire, the godfather of its modern-day standing. His players are seemingly never out of position. They almost always know when to flip the switch from patient to aggressive. Opponents are left shaking their heads by midway through the first period — because the Devils' trap not only denies time and space to force turnovers; it also causes frustration that leads to unforced turnovers.

In its own way, the Devils' trap is a thing of beauty.

If anything, the NHL would do well to educate its fans on the history of the trap, which was a championship-system before the Devils reintroduced it to the masses in the mid 1990s.

As legendary Penguins adviser Eddie Johnston told me last year, "Those great Canadiens teams in the '70s played the trap."

Well, no negativity here. I say it gets a bad reputation. I also say that it will keep the Devils in the thick of the Atlantic Division race until the very end.

Penguins do play trap, not always, but they know how to play it. And that's why they beat Caps in the 7th game on the road.

Rossi is right, trap is perfect for the road game, but it is obviously unbelievably boring system. Here's the suggestion for Caps: play road game trapping the neutral zone and play Boudreau's run 'n' gun style at home.

Until that happened even the greatest player in the World won't be able to win playoffs singlehandedly.

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