Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

One Line You Don't Hear Much In Hockey- Jack Johnson Has No Spatial Contextual Awareness

11/06/2014 at 2:36pm EST

from Sam Page of Sports Illustrated,

There's no mystery what Johnson's flaws are. He's a great athlete who lacked polish as a prospect. He often found himself out of position, standing still on key plays. He made bad first passes. All I want to advance in this column is a unifying theory for why his many faults persist and why no amount of NHL experience or athleticism will ever erase them: Jack Johnson has no spatial contextual awareness.

Hockey is a game that happens at a high speeds, with multiple people, all with unique traits, moving in different directions. The ability to recognize who is where, what they can do, and where they will be, is the fundamental skill of the modern game. This was the great innovation of Wayne Gretzky, the hallmark of the legendary Red Army teams, the thing that separates Sidney Crosby from a handful of equally-skilled, physically more impressive peers.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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