Talking about the amount of games Cody McLeod is getting, I noted Tanner Glass getting waived out of Calgary (and the NHL for the xxth time)- I pointed out that the knuckledraggers are fewer and farther between. This guy disagreed… and when all is said and done, I disagree with him.
Eric de Montarnal said: Given the fact that points are not at all related to the term enforcer like most think (ie: probert, iginla, etc.): this is a list of players with not only the mentality but also the statistics to prove that they are an enforcer (not pests ie: perry gallagher tkachuk). Some only just cracked the lineups this year as rookies, none the less:
1.)Nsh McLeod
2.)Pit Reaves
3.)Wsh Wilson
4.)Van Dorsett
5.)Fla Haley
6.)Phi = Manning + Simmons
7.)Bos =multiple but Mcquaid is their heavyweight
8.)Lak Andreoff/ MacDermid; last year was Clifford
9.)Dal Roussel + Mckenzie
10.)Ott Borowiecki used to be Neil
11.)Edm jeeze where do I start Lucic Kassian and company
12.)Mtl Shaw
13.)Wpg Lemieux (rookie but is an enforcer)
14.)Njd Prout/wood
15.)Sjs n/a was haley previously
16.)Nyi Mayfield
17.)Tor Martin
18.)Chi n/a although tootoo and hartman combined for 10 fights last year
19.)Stl Thorburn (long time Jet )
20.)Buf n/a was Foligno last year
21.)Tbl Brown
22.)Col n/a *Greer is young and seems to have taken that role
23.)Vgk Engelland (Cgy long time enforcer)
24.)Min Stuart
25.)Ana Boll
26.)Det Witkowski
27.)Cgy Ferland
28.)Cbj Anderson
29.)Car n/a but multiple in minors
30.)Ari Rinaldo
31.)Nyr n/a although Glass was that guy last year with 11gp so he was already on his way out last year.now for the 6 teams with no definite enforcer they all have one in the minors; however, this causes star players, and young rookies to have to fill that role look at Sjs, Nyr and Car as prime examples of that. so yes you’re correct 6 teams don’t have one, but they’re suffering because of it.
My reply:
OK, let’s look at the stats, and Mr. deMontarnal’s statement:
NSH – McLeod (averages 6:17 per game and has 60 PIM in 12 games)
PIT – Reaves (averages 7:18 per game and has 59 PIM in 17 games)
WSH – Wilson (averages 13:45 per game and has 46 PIM in 12 games)
VAN – Dorsett (averages 15:38 per game and has 65 PIM in 16 games)
FLA – Haley (averages 7:51 per game and has 45 PIM in 14 games)
PHI – Manning (averages 18:56 per game and has 10 PIM in 11 games)
PHI – Simmonds (averages 18:18 per game and has 15 PIM in 16 games)
BOS – McQuaid (averages 14:42 per game and has 12 PIM in 6 games)
LAK – Andreoff (averages 8:43 per game and has 24 PIM in 14 games)
LAK – MacDermid (averages 9:48 per game and has 26 PIM in 11 games)
DAL – Roussel (averages 11:49 per game and has 26 PIM in 15 games)
DAL – McKenzie (has not played this year, but averaged 10:51 per game last yr.)
OTT – Borowiecki (averages 13:14 per game and has 25 PIM in 9 games)
EDM – Lucic (averages 16:06 per game and has 14 PIM in 15 games)
EDM – Kassian (averages 12:18 per game and has 19 PIM in 15 games)
MTL – Shaw (averages 16:32 per game and has 20 PIM in 17 games)
WPG – Lemieux (averages 7:44 per game and has 19 PIM in 7 games)
NJD – Prout (averages 13:59 per game and has 13 PIM in 4 games)
NJD – Wood (averages 11:31 per game and has 19 PIM in 14 games)
NYI – Mayfield (averages 16:47 per game and has 17 PIM in 10 games)
TOR – Martin (averages 8:21 per game and has 14 PIM in 16 games)
STL – Thorburn (averages 7:52 per game and has 7 PIM in 8 games)
TBL – Brown (averages 10:16 per game and has 7 PIM in 9 games)
COL – Greer (averages 8:10 per game and has 18 PIM in 6 games)
VGK – Engelland (averages 19:03 per game and has 6 PIM in 15 games)
MIN – Stewart (averages 13:03 per game and has ZERO PIM in 15 games)
ANA – Boll (averages 4:05 per game and has 9 PIM in 8 games)
DET – Witkowski (averages 5:16 per game and has 2 PIM in 6 games)
CGY – Ferland (averages 14:36 per game and has 7 PIM in 15 games)
CBJ – Anderson (averages 16:48 per game and has 11 PIM in 14 games)
ARI – Rinaldo (averages 10:41 per game and has 6 PIM in 13 games)
BUF, CHI, SJS, CAR, NYR – none listed
Well… what do I see here? There are a few “Enforcers” in the league. They are:
McLeod, Boll, Haley and Reaves. Those are the only four guys that play OVER protected minutes, don’t do much on the ice other than knuckle drag (though Reaves has a goal and two assists already) and honestly, are dinosaurs in the latest incarnation of the NHL.
The original poster, in defending his argument with me, lists some laughable choices to be called their team’s “enforcer.” Of course, any defenseman, logging top 4 minutes on his team can’t be listed, so let’s take Engelland and Manning out of the mix, and Mayfield is close, so pull him out as well. Chris Stewart has 6 goals and no penalty minutes for Minnesota, so there isn’t a person in that state calling him an enforcer. Michael Ferland and Josh Anderson are very regular forwards for their respective teams, and their lone fighting majors this season came by way of the opposition goading them into taking a five minute holiday. Neither team’s coach is happy when those guys fight, they are both solid offensive weapons. Rinaldo was once a pest, and now he’s remarkably getting ice time in the desert, but offers little in terms of talent. He has no fighting majors in 13 games, and he wasn’t terribly feared a few years ago in either Boston or Philly, so he’s only re-enforcing how bad the Desert Dogs are. Wayne Simmonds: Enforcer makes me laugh. He’s more like Wayne Simmonds: All Star, and Cody McLeod wouldn’t be anyone Simmonds would waste time with. Guys like Witkowski in Detroit, and Greer in Colorado are getting “enforcer” minutes as they break into the league, but neither is a designated goon (just yet.) Witkowski came up through the Lightning organization and is a tough guy, but Detroit doesn’t seem to be much in enforcer mode, so ice time is at a premium for him. As for Greer, he’s a 2nd round pick out of a US college, and he had 15 goals, 38 points in his first season in the American League last year, so he’s hardly being groomed as the Cody McLeod replacement in Colorado. Thorburn has never been an enforcer, but always an honest fourth liner, with varied results. Brown, in Tampa, has 60 points and 175 PIM in 275 NHL games, compared to McLeod’s 123 points and 1512 PIM !!! in 702 NHL games, so let’s not compare them apples to these apples.
So, while Aberg, Gaudreau, and to an extent, Salomaki (with the adding of Bonino to the active roster, all three could be scratches for McLeod) retard their development as legitimate NHL players, we spend an active game day lineup spot on a guy who will play 5-10 shifts “protecting” our smaller players. Sorry, I don’t buy it. Don’t you want Tanner Glass to protect Johnny Hockey? Is big bad JT Brown really there to “protect” Stamkos and the triplets? The whole concept is just silly. Emelin hits like a brick on the back end, and Watson, Sissons, Salomaki and even stars like Subban and Johansen have been known to take care of themselves when called upon. This is not a “soft” team, though it’s not as heavy as Duck and Kings teams of years past. This team has a great mix, and to say that McLeod is a welcome part of that mix in the locker room is fair, but it’s rare that we need to see him in the lineup. Tonight, vs. Reaves, I will grant you, but the chances of a GOOD McLeod v. Reaves scrap? Meh. They may dance in circles for a bit, but ither than seeing some knuckles dragged over helmets… it won’t be or mean much. It never does.
mdnathan on the preds 