NEW YORK — Ryan Warsofsky, at least online, has been under fire.
For the Sharks’ 0-4-2 start. Joking about sacrificing one of his children for a win. Sitting Michael Misa or Sam Dickinson or Shakir Mukhamadullin. Benching Will Smith. Playing Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Reaves, Nick Leddy, or virtually anybody over the age of 30 not named Tyler Toffoli or Alex Wennberg or Jeff Skinner.
Through it all, Warsofsky has stuck to his guns about the Sharks youngsters needing to learn “winning habits”, saying that phrase about a dozen times, over multiple interviews, since the beginning of the season.
“Winning habits were not good,” Warsofsky said on Oct. 11, after the Sharks lost their second straight OT decision of the season, in large part because of Macklin Celebrini forcing the play and turning over the puck in the offensive zone. “Gotta keep working with these young guys and our team here to have an understanding of what that looks like.”
What does a winning habit look like here?
“Got to live to fight another day sometimes,” Celebrini, 19, said postgame. “I can’t turn over the puck there.”
Basically, learn to prize possession of the puck in overtime.
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