totally agree. A developing play looks a heck of a lot differently from the back end than it does from down low. Because high level hockey is so incredibly fast, you can't just read and react, you have to anticipate the read and put yourself into position to react. Again, this makes it really hard to switch from back to front and maintain that offensive ability. They can all skate and read and react, but that anticipation is crucial. The ability I describe is what makes Jonathan Toews so unbelievably good. He anticipates and positions himself perfectly on virtually every play- almost clairvoyant- on both ends of the ice. Gretzky was even more of a fortune teller in the offensive zone.