Pete DeBoer had seen enough after losing 2 games in a row, a first for him as the VGK coach. So he turned on his blender and created a milkshake with his entire teamâs lineup, top to bottom. Every one of the 18 skaters was playing with someone new. Some believed it was a quiet message to his team, though he claimed post game it was a message to the Colorado Avalanche. Iâm calling âfake news.â
You donât change your lineup as drastically as he did to send a message to the other team. You do something like this to get the attention of the team youâre coaching, a team that lost its offense over the last 3 games, scoring just 5 goals. Something had to be done. The VGK were playing a team that was poised to take 3 games in a row and make a bold statement as to who the best in the west is.