MVN: Most Valuable Network

Yesterday's game between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens was an exercise in calling your team out. Ottawa coach Craig Hartsburg called out star center Jason Spezza and Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau called out, well, his entire team.

It was the perfect time, then, to see which coach was more effective. In today's world of high expectations, coaches don't have a lot of time to take a wait and see approach. Just ask Denis Savard and his four game coaching stint this season. Both Ottawa and Montreal have relatively high expectations this season. Montreal is expected to be a Stanley Cup contender and Otttawa is looking to get back to that level after a disappointing second half to last season.

Well, if last night's game was any indication, advantage Carbonneau. His team, who despite their 8-2-2 start has been underachieving, came out with their best performance of the season and his preaching to play defensively led to goaltender Carey Price's fourth career shutout.

As for Ottawa and Spezza, the results were not as good. The line of Spezza, Dany Heatley and Antoine Vermette were getting scoring chances but could not beat Price. They were Ottawa's best line, however, throughout the game.

So is the lesson to call out your entire team and then you will win? Of course not. Motivation is only one factor of a successful hockey team. The most important factor is skill. Both Spezza and the Canadiens have it. That's why they were able to respond.

Barry Melrose called out his star players very early in the season and didn't really get results. Why? Because, well, his goaltender is Olaf Kolzig and his team has no defence. His team can be extremely motivated, but the team just isn't very good.

So, there are two parts to calling your team out... and if yesterday's game is any indication, you need to have the right parts on your team to have it work out. Unfortunately for Ottawa, Montreal's parts were just a little better.