INSIDE HOCKEY
BLUES ENFORCER BY COMMITTEE PUTS BEST FISTS FORWARD
Dave Luecking
© St. Louis Post-Dispatch
October 22, 2000
Just when you think the pacifists are right, that there's little
or no need for the traditional enforcer in the NHL, something
happens on the ice to remind you that the need still exists.
Whether it's Los Angeles' Kelly Buchberger breaking Pavol
Demitra's nose with a hard check in the neutral zone, or the Kings
ganging up on Blues disturber Tyson Nash, it's nice to have a tough
guy on hand to curb the hostilities in the long run by escalating
them in the short term.
In the first case, it was captain Chris Pronger, jumping over the
boards to give Buchberger a licking. That Pronger received a
one-game suspension for defending his teammate only lends more
credence to the argument that such cleanup work should be handled by
an enforcer, whose hockey skills are less essential to the team's
success.
On Thursday, rookie defenseman Bryce Salvador adopted the role,
cleaning up on Buchberger in a retribution fight. Although Salvador
plays on the Blues' No. 2 defensive pairing with Al MacInnis, his
minutes usually rank sixth among the Blues' six defensemen, meaning
that the Blues could spare him for the five-minute penalty that goes
with a fighting major.
And then it was rookie enforcer Reed Low stepping in to quiet the
Kings' Ian Laperriere, an ex-Blue who was an agitator long before
Nash broke into the league. The Kings weren't quite so rambunctious
after Salvador and Low got their message across.
In either case, having a dedicated enforcer such as Low or
veteran Reid Simpson, a young gamer like Salvador or a willing
veteran like the currently injured Marc Bergevin, serves notice that
the Blues refuse to be pushed around.
"Our guys have fought right away, too," veteran Craig Conroy
said. "They didn't sit back. They let it be known that they're not
here just to be on the ice. They're going to fight. You need a
presence just to keep everything under control.
"That's where Kelly Chase came in last year. If someone hit one
of our top players, Kelly said, 'Hey, you touch them again, you're
in trouble.' Now, these guys do the same thing. It makes (the
opposition) leery of hitting our top guys, and if they do, we'll hit
one of their top guys. Those little things make a difference."
For the tough guy, those little things are big. It's what they
get paid for and take pride in.
"I can't handle watching guys take liberties on our players," Low
said last week. "It just aggravates me. I'm glad I'm getting an
opportunity to get in there. The biggest thing is for our guys to
know that they can feel comfortable out there. When there's not a
(tough) guy out there, the presence isn't there. When there is, they
can feel a lot better knowing that if something happens, I will be
there to clean up the mess.
"That's something I want everybody in the league to know. That if
you mess with these boys, you're going to be in trouble. It doesn't
matter if it's in our barn or your barn. If you're going to run
around, you're going to pay the price. I don't care who you are,
where you've been or what you've done. I want to get that
reputation."
The modern tough guy, though, has to be able to play the game
with some proficiency. Gone are the days of the one-dimensional
heavyweight. The Y2K enforcer can't be a liability on defense,
particularly with many teams rolling four lines.
Going into Saturday's game against Chicago, Simpson and Low had
handled the role perfectly for the Blues, who coincidentally were
undefeated when one of them played -- 2-0 with Low in the lineup and
1-0-1 with Simpson. They were 1-2 without a designated tough guy.
"Every time I get an opportunity to be in the lineup, I want to
prove myself so they feel comfortable putting me in every night,"
Low said. "That's my goal."
Same with Simpson.
"The game has changed a lot in the last few years," Simpson said.
"The days where the coaches sent the fourth lines out against each
other and say, 'Go at it,' just doesn't happen anymore. You have to
be able to play against any line. The coach can't be afraid to put
you out there and worry that you won't be able to handle it if they
put out their top line.
"I feel confident in my ability to do it. I've worked very hard
on my skills and defense, all the little things."
Low has followed Simpson's lead. He works on his skating after
practice -- his stride, his stops, starts and turns. He also spent
time at a recent practice deflecting point shots.
"That's got to be part of my game in front of the net -- get my
steak (rump) in front of that goalie's face," Low said, noting that
there will always be a place for players of his ilk on an NHL
roster. "I don't believe at all that the role is diminishing. People
keep saying that, but it's part of the game and has been for 80
years. It isn't going anywhere."
ON THE MARC: After missing five weeks with a broken right thumb,
Marc Bergevin might need some time to get his legs into game shape.
But his wit was as sharp as ever upon his return to practice last
week.
Two days after having the pin removed from his surgically
repaired right thumb, Bergevin jokingly implored trainer Ray Barile
to "put the pin back in" after a grueling skate in his first full
practice with the team.
"My legs are going to take some time getting back," Bergevin
said, adding that, "it feels like I have the pin in my legs right
now. I feel like I was skating with the cast on my feet. Five weeks
off took a toll on my legs."
That might not be good for a 35-year-old, but as Bergevin was
quick to point out, "I'm 35, but that's 26 Canadian with the
exchange rate."
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