What Is Consistency?

What Is Consistency And Why Is It So Hard To Achieve ? —

by Carlo Todaro

We’ve all heard teams described as inconsistent by announcers, commentators and various talking heads. The desire of every coach and GM is to be consistent yet they are confounded when their teams fail to achieve this yearned for state.

Have you ever noticed how the really good teams and the really bad teams are consistent? For example, no one ever says the Blackhawks are inconsistent because when you continuously win 70% of your games you are a consistent winner. You also never hear about the Oilers being inconsistent because they constantly lose 70% of their games .

So if we can exclude all the really good and all the really bad teams, it leaves us with those teams that hover within five to six games of the .500 mark. These teams win one lose one, win three lose four, back and forth they go, driving fans, coaches and GM’s insane.

NHL GM’s, Coaches and fans are all looking for consistency

Why can’t they be more consistent people say? Why do they look like world beaters one night and then play like garbage the next? Well the answer, in my opinion, is quite simple one word. Talent! The very good teams have more talented players throughout their lineup and this allows some of them to have off nights because other talented players will cover for them.

However, if you have a less talented team and let’s use the Winnipeg Jets in this example, they have two good lines and two mediocre lines. If your top six aren’t going every night, you will have no choice but to win one lose one over and over again. This is why teams like the Winnipeg Jets and all others around that .500 mark can never escape these results.

Olli Jokinen and Dustin Byfuglien were very good tonight vs the Rangers

Olli Jokinen and Dustin Byfuglien celebrate a big goal photo by Shawn Coates

You’ll notice that as soon as the Jets moved Dustin Byfuglien up to forward to play with Olli Jokinen and Devin Setoguchi, it gave them three solid lines and suddenly they have been consistent . So there you go it’s that simple, more talent equals more consistency.

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