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| Pucci: The Dave Christian of Team USA? |
http://www.usahockey.com/news_article/show/313583?referrer_id=752796
Jo Pucci, despite an undefined role on Team USA, is impossible to miss as you try to wrap your head around the makeup of this club. As you memorize the numbers of star players, 14 Decker, 26 Coyne, 25 Carpenter, you see another superior skater with 24 on her back, taller than all those listed above, but clearly an impact player, and you look down the line chart, and it takes a while. Tucked in the bottom, the 7th defenseman listed, is Josephine Pucci. You try to ignore her, but you can't. There she is on the point in the power play, and suddenly she's playing a period up front on a top line. And 24 is making plays like 14, 25 and 26.
If you read the USA Hockey link above, you can see she has a very special pedigree, and if you watch her practice, you see she has a fabulous work ethic to complement that glorious hockey stride. You know, the stride that creates separation with the puck, or closes separation in pursuit of it. All done zone by zone. The more you watch, the more you realize that 24 needs to be memorized like 14, 25 and 26.
The numbers game also applies to those personally devastating cuts dangling over their heads. There is no room for an extra forward or an extra defenseman. Three goalies are mandatory, and that leaves 18 skaters: 4 lines, 3 sets of D, 0 wiggle room. Except for "Pooch", a top 6 F OR a top 4 D, who despite a frightening concussion history, plays with abandon, AND that superior skating stride.
Flash back to 1980 Lake Placid. O'Callahan sits out early games with a trashed knee. F Dave Christian slides seamlessly back to D, and Herbie's Miracle Men don't miss a beat. That is Jo Pucci, the perfect swingman, a coaches' dream. In this short season Pucci was originally listed as one of 9 D, then was changed to one of 13 F. Now she is back at D. Don't be fooled by labels, she can be anything her former Harvard Coach Stone wants her to be. Identify her by her skating stride, and memorize that number. 24. Place it anywhere you want, but there is a good chance she will be out there. The Dave Christian of Team USA.
