Bring Back enforcers?

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alancac98
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Bring Back enforcers?

Post by alancac98 » Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:48 pm

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/bringing-back

I know it's an article from Yahoo sports but it is a good read and actually makes a lot of sense from a guy who used to be an enforcer. He even mentions the abuse Sidney Crosby takes as a result of no enforcers on the ice to protect him, which I totally agree with. Hey, we know that NHL officiating totally sucks and is as inconsistent as a meteorologist's weather forecast, yet the exec's sit there and talk about making the game safer. The refs "swallowing" the whistle during the playoffs is an abomination of the sport and there have been several ex-NHL players that have called them out for it. I think that enforcers need to part of the game, but consistent officiating from start to finish needs to be a hallmark of change in the NHL. McCarty also referenced accountability. I have thought about player accountability and have come up with a plan to not only hold players accountable, but also their team for illegal and potentially dangerous hits (all of this hinges on the NHL's desire to actually make the game safer).

My plan is this: 1st - every team orders their guys on the roster with a valuable number: "1" being the most valued member on the team. We will use Crosby and Ovechkin as the examples. So the Pens and Capitals designate Crosby and Ovechkin as the "1". Should a 4th line guy with the designation of "18" hit and injure Crosby with a hit that resulted in a penalty (this is where the NHL officiating would have to be real tough), that player would be eliminated from their roster for as long as Crosby is out. However, this doesn't square things up because Crosby is the Pen's most valuable team member and the other guy was just a guy! So, since Crosby was the "1", Ovechkin would also have to sit and not play until Crosby returns as he was designated as the Capital's "1". This would even up the teams in terms of value of play. I realize you would be further hurting a team's ability to win games and it wouldn't be fair for a player to sit even though he himself did nothing wrong, but one could make an argument that how is it fair for one team to be in that situation losing one of the best members of their team due to a scrub off the street that can easily be replaced? Now, these things would need a legit panel to review each incident as NHL officials will still get calls wrong and things happen real fast on the ice, but it would go a long way in making the game safer if it was all consistent. Don't get me wrong, I love the hits as long as it's the Pens dishing it out, but I hate when it happens to the Pens, so I can't be the hypocrite! Thoughts? (I know this may be stupid, but what the hell, I had time to kill this morning!)



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Pabst
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Post by Pabst » Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:47 pm

alancac98 wrote:
Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:48 pm
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/bringing-back

I know it's an article from Yahoo sports but it is a good read and actually makes a lot of sense from a guy who used to be an enforcer. He even mentions the abuse Sidney Crosby takes as a result of no enforcers on the ice to protect him, which I totally agree with. Hey, we know that NHL officiating totally sucks and is as inconsistent as a meteorologist's weather forecast, yet the exec's sit there and talk about making the game safer. The refs "swallowing" the whistle during the playoffs is an abomination of the sport and there have been several ex-NHL players that have called them out for it. I think that enforcers need to part of the game, but consistent officiating from start to finish needs to be a hallmark of change in the NHL. McCarty also referenced accountability. I have thought about player accountability and have come up with a plan to not only hold players accountable, but also their team for illegal and potentially dangerous hits (all of this hinges on the NHL's desire to actually make the game safer).

Most of the abuse Crosby takes is a direct result of him puck handling behind the net or parking his ass right in front of the goalie. That's not to say that Sid doesn't garner his fair share of cheap shit, but when you're playing in high traffic areas, you're going to get hit.

Also, here's the critical flaw in McCarty's argument - Most of the guys that were doing the cheap shotting back in his day were......the enforcers. Marty McSorely anyone? Claude Lemieux? Tom Wilson?

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fractalsteel
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Post by fractalsteel » Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:46 pm

R Reeves failed because he didn't fit what the HC wanted. Minimal minutes there.

Hextall is on record saying he wants to add size. Also, the dynamic next year is to rinse and repeat what they have been doing the past 3-4 years so any sudden changes to that dynamic are not happening. They might add a player here or there but the roster you saw at the end of the playoffs is going to be what you mostly see next year.
Maybe find a player with skill that plays with an edge so to speak.

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Ice
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Post by Ice » Mon Jul 05, 2021 11:14 am

Count me in on general truculence and becoming overall more difficult to play against, and out on the idea and execution of the "enforcer" concept.
Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile...

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