Penalty Kill: NCAA Tourney

ARTHUR:
Anaheim calling to the hockey world...

The NCAA tournament opened this weekend. If you haven't been glued to ESPN2, ESPNU and even the Notre Dame game on ESPNC then I'm sorry, but I just don't know what you're doing with your life. Anaheim had four prospects in the tournament. I thought we'd take a brief look .

JUSTIN VAIVE
Vaive isn't a featured forward for the Redhawks, but his size (6'6") could prove valuable in DC, so tune into the Frozen Four if you can.

Vaive took an undisciplined holding penalty against the Bulldogs that Mercier converted into a shorthanded goal. As good as Stalock was playing, I'm going to give Vaive an honorary assist on that one.

MARK MITERA and STEVEN KAMPFER
Kampfer has become more famous for his off ice injury and a vicious on ice hit than for his playing ability. Hopefully, he will stay for a senior year in Michigan to show he can still play hockey.

Michigan senior captain, Mitera spent most of the year holding a clipboard and a crutch after ACL reconstruction. He looked good coming back in late February, making only the occasional mistake. He didn't look great against Air Force, but none of the Wolverines really did. Expect to see Mitera in the upcoming preseason.

NICK BONINO
Against Ohio State, Bonino had a goal and two assists in a one-sided blowout, and in my opinion, Bonino and Yip have provided more energy and scoring chances for the Terriers this postseason than Wilson and the other forwards.

Today, this kid completely blew me away. A tenacious UNH team traded chances with BU for three periods, locked in a 1-1 tie. With under a minute to go, the Terriers established play in the UNH end. Bonino came streaking into the zone calling for the puck in the slot. He got it, and skated it forward into a gauntlet of blue jerseys. After two dekes, he was hauled down with 45 seconds to play, drawing the penalty that sent Boston to the Frozen Four. What more can I say about a kid, playing for the best team in college hockey, who wants the puck when the game is on the line...

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Rap Around: March 25th, 2009

ARTHUR:
This is the Rap Around for March 25th, 2009. Daniel and I will run down hockey headlines from the week with answers limited to one paragraph. Let's get started.

Alexander Ovechkin's "hot stick" goal celebration for his 50th of the season-- more, less or just as outrageous as Selanne's "skeet-shooting" celebration with the Jets?

DANIEL:
Ovechkin's celebration was a little over the top. I enjoy big celebrations, but this one was just too far. I felt like I was watching a football game. I don't have a problem with good celebrating, I'm just saying I'm looking for more creativity from one of the premiere goal scorers in the NHL.

Everyone seems to be making a big deal about whether the Sharks or the Wings will walk away with the Presidents' trophy, so who takes the Presidents' and does it mean anything?

ARTHUR:
They both have easy remaining schedules, but a lot of those games are against division rivals. The Sharks were struggling, but they've seemed to regain their scoring touch. Still, I have to give the trophy to Detroit, who's up by 1 point and will only be on the road TWICE for the rest of the season. Presidents' Trophy doesn't really forecast anything. Cup success depends on how deep the team is, and who the 8th seed is that year.

Brad Richards came back from a hand injury just in time to injure his other hand, are the Stars out of the playoffs?

DANIEL:
The Stars aren't done yet, but if they don't scare up some wins quick, they will be. Modano is done and Morrison is not the scoring answer they are looking for. I don't think they have the offense to get it done, but if Turco can steal some games and they hang around for another week, they're going to be a problem down the stretch, they're just too feisty to roll over and die. Of course that doesn't mean they won't choke.

Positions 7-12 in the Western Conference are only separated by 5 points with about 10 games left. Since we are clearly biased Ducks fans, and greatly concerned with magumbo, I will only ask this, if not us then who makes it in?

ARTHUR:
If the Ducks are out (huk huk), then on strength of schedule I have to say the Predators and Wild are out, too. The Wild are at home, but they don't get to play the Coyotes or Avalanche at all, so no free points. 7 and 8 on my Ducks-free bracket would be the Stars and Edmonton, respectively; I just don't think the Blues will have what it takes to close the gap with Edmonton.

Best Deadline Duck so far? Christensen, Nokelainen, Whitney or Wisniewski?

DANIEL:
I call toss up, Nokelainen is great in the circle and has been a really solid force with Robbie on that line, and he's got two goals both of which came in wins, and the one against Nashville would have been a game winner if we didn't cough up the late lead. Whitney is so solid, he eats minutes and gives us an opportunity to have our second powerplay unit be a first unit on some other teams in the league. Right now I say Whitney only because he's locked up for the next few years and will give us more leverage in the offseason with Pronger and Niedermayer.

What move, or prospect that will come up, do you think will help propel us back into competition in the Pacific and keep us from having this dogfight for a playoff spot in 2010?

ARTHUR:
I think we called up a lot of the guys we might see next year. If we re-sign Beauchemin, you'll still likely see Mikk or Fest out there before you see Salcido or Bickel or even Mitera. Of course, Niedermayer's destiny will determine Pronger's and may shake up the pairings, if not the whole team. I think Murray will re-sign Todd and/or Rob, maybe trade Pronger, and then window shop in the free agent market. But with the cap likely going down the year after next, I expect to see a lot of one-year deals, which may have us back in the dogfight as early as 2011. Read more...

Calder-copia

[Ryan forces Bob Miller to learn his name]

ARTHUR:
With about ten games left in the NHL season, a number of the statistical awards appear settled. Evgeni Malkin will take home the Art Ross Trophy, while Alexander Ovechkin will claim the Maurice Richard. However, the more subjective trophies, like say, the Calder Trophy, remain up for grabs. For the first half of the season, Kris Versteeg (CHI), Drew Doughty (LAK), and Steve Mason (CBJ) positioned themselves as the front-runners for the NHL's Rookie of the Year honor, but Blake Wheeler (+36 for BOS) and Bobby Ryan (24G) have filled out the picture.

With such a tight race, Daniel, who do YOU think the Calder Trophy winner should be? And make the statistical argument for your choice.

DANIEL:
This is a tough choice for me. I'll start by saying that if this was a list of all position players then Ryan is the obvious choice. He's played almost 15 less games than everyone on the list except Steve Mason, and he's still second in scoring. If he's here when the year starts maybe Morrison has a better year surrounded by Bobby and Selanne. I honestly believe that. Versteeg has been just as good as Bobby in everything else. Versteeg has a better +/- by 2. I think that Ryan is a little more important to how well we do though, that is we need Ryan a little more than Chicago needs Versteeg.

Wheeler is an interesting option as well. His +/- is a ridiculous 36 and he's third in rookie scoring behind Versteeg and Ryan, but he's also played the most games and has had a solid year on what has been a really good Bruins team leaving the question if his +/- stat isn't padded by being on that team. Also, of all the rookie candidates Wheeler spends the least amount of time on the ice averaging just under 14:00 a game. Versteeg averages about 17:00 a game and Ryan about 15:00. I think this stat is a little deceptive though. When Ryan first came up he would maybe get 10:00 to 12:00 minutes a game and he was spending a lot of time with Parros and Miller. Over the last 5 games Bobby only played less than 17:00 minutes once, putting him right around the kind of minutes Versteeg is logging with Chicago. I think you can dismiss Wheeler because he's played the most games and therefore his TOI stat is the most revealing, his 14:00 minutes a game mean he isn't a significant part of the Boston game plan. Another thing to look at when seeing who is more important to what their team does, is Ryan's 9 PPG. That's 4 more than Versteeg and 6 more than Wheeler. That means that Ryan is playing significant Power Play time and is instrumental in the Duck attack.

Yes, Doughty deserves honorable mention. He leads rookie defenseman in TOI and points as well as game played, but his -12 is pretty glaring. Yes when you play that many minutes and you're a rookie, +/- is bound to be affected, but more importantly I haven't seen Doughty take over a stretch of play. Ryan does hard work along the boards and he comes up with big plays. Remember the Hat Trick he hung on Doughty's Kings in less than 5 minutes, and 2 of those goals came with Doughty on the ice. I think the fact that the Kings are out of the Playoff picture hurts Doughty. He's definitely the best rookie defenseman, but I don't think he's had the kind of spalsh and overall effect on a team that the other candidates have. And the only person on the list who's had the same impact on his team as Ryan is the next Candidate.

Goalies are a special breed, and it's usually hard to just step in and carry a team, but that's exactly what Steve Mason did. It's usually sexy to pick a forward who racks up a lot of points for the Calder, but Mason has led a team that's never been to the playoffs and has them the closest they've ever been. He leads all rookie net minders in almost every category, is in the top ten in both wins and save percentage and is 2nd in GAA. A team can ride a hot goalie into the post season and sometimes deep into the playoffs. The fact that this kid is performing so well that this former league doormat could be a problem in the post season means something. Not to mention that he completely dethroned the oft-injured Leclaire and his fancy new contract. I've got to give the Calder to Steve Mason. I love everything Bobby has done for us this year and he's going to be a star for a long time, but for a rookie to step between the pipes and do what Mason has done is just special. Mason has to get the Calder. Every GM and pundit will tell you that you need solid goaltending to make it in the post-season, and Mason has provided that for Columbus. The kid is going to make history for his organization in his first year. I don't know what else you need to be rookie of the year.

ARTHUR:
First, let me say that I don't think that hockey writers should speculate on what Bobby Ryan would have done with the Ducks in the first dozen games of the season, not when evaluating him as a Calder Trophy candidate. Versteeg and the other candidates should not be penalized because Brian Burke couldn't manage his finances. At best, you just have to think of Ryan as being injured or ineligible to play for the games he spent out of the lineup-- nothing that was his fault, but nothing that spells untapped potential for all those "lost" games.

The Calder declares itself as the award for the most "proficient" rookie. Let me give you some numbers that speak to proficiency - 30W and 9-SO for a team that is 18th in Goals scored AND Goals per game. The last netminder to win the Calder, Raycroft in 03-04, ended the season with 29 wins and 3-SO but a slightly better GAA at 2.05 (compared to Mason's 2.26). The new NHL rules skew a lot of the straightforward number comparisons, but wins and shutouts can always be balanced against a team's production to measure a goalie's skill. Mason has done what it takes.

But I won't dismiss the forwards. Immediately, Versteeg has the advantage of playing in Chicago. Unlike Mason and Ryan, it's likely that the voting hockey writers have seen Versteeg play. Remember that he opened scoring in Wrigley on New Year's Day. Versteeg has also shown some true grit and grind as a rookie, taking the major penalties when they need to be taken and potting four shorthanded goals for the Hawks. The only downside to Versteeg is that he isn't ending the season well, nursing a scoreless streak and a decrease in shifts due to some minus play. But overall, during the course of the season, he's been consistent, and has one fewer minus game than Ryan has.

If there is one thing Bobby Ryan has going for him, it's poise. I despise hockey intangibles in a stats discussion, but you have to look at what a team is asking you to do. The Blue Jackets were asking Mason to lead them to the playoffs. His success in that regard will speak to his proficiency. Versteeg is producing, but he's a 5th rounder playing on a team with Kane and Toews. Essentially, the game (with all its pressure and consequence) is NEVER on his stick. Bobby Ryan doesn't have that luxury. He's asked to win games, and to win them with whatever ice time Carlyle can spare in his matchup system. Bobby Ryan has played 35 games this season with fewer than 20 shifts; Versteeg has played only 6. Versteeg has seen 30+ shifts twice, Bobby's never seen more than 25. As you said, TOI can often be deceiving, and I think this is a head-to-head that goes to Ryan.

I'll still say Mason; the numbers are undeniable, but Ryan's performance this season puts him at a close second.

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Penalty Kill: Eric Tangradi

ARTHUR:
Anaheim calling to the hockey world...

Back on the Penalty Kill today after digesting 9 straight hours of WCHA tourney goodness (Slingbox owns my soul during these Selection Sunday countdowns).

I said before that my Penalty Kill posts would focus on players who are (or who I think SHOULD BE) in the Ducks organization. Well, file this one under 'should be' because we're taking a look at LW Eric Tangradi, the plus-one that went to Pittsburgh on the arm of Chris Kunitz.

When Brian Burke left for Toronto, the company line was that nothing would change. Players marveled to the media that Bob and Brian were not just a team, but practically the same individual. Bob saying something was as good as Brian saying it. They were two voices speaking for the same body, two entities sharing one managerial destiny. Then came the trade deadline. Bob went rogue. Bob went solo-- and I mean Bobby Brown singing a 15-minute rendition of "Mr. Telephone Man" kind of 'Solo.'

Burke was an Entry Draft artist, doing some of his best work in the second round (Anaheim picked there thrice in 2008). Murray moved Burke's 2008 43rd overall pick, Eric O'Dell, in a straight-up deal with the Thrashers for Erik Christensen. And days before that, Bob moved Burke's 2007 42nd overall pick, Eric Tangradi, to Pittsburgh as the bow that gift wrapped Chris Kunitz.

I'm sure Ducks fans would like to continue to debate the Kunitz trade, but the truth is that Ryan-Ebbett-Selanne established themselves as the second line and Kunitz's size prevented him from ever clicking with Getzlaf and Perry's cycle game on the first line. He had become a superfluous Top Sixer. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was desperate to find a linemate for Crosby, and they were locked into a long-term deal for Whitney when they had plenty of cheap, young defensemen, hungry for on-the-job training. The meat of the deal made sense for both teams. However, Tangradi tipped the scales far in Pittsburgh's favor.

"Why?" you ask. Let's start with size. Tangradi is 6'4" 220 lbs., and he's posted 32, 41 and 61 PIM during his three seasons with the OHL's Belleville Bulls. That's not all fight time. Don't forget that Tangradi is the same guy who took a stick blade to Chris DiDomenico's face when the Canadian forward took a victory lap by the US bench in the World Junior Hockey Championships.

When he wasn't riding the pine, the Bulls' captain matched his penalty numbers with the directly proportional 20, 60 and 88 points, proving himself to be a dynamic and dominant scorer. As to his abilities as a leader, Coach George Burnett welcomes a comparison to Tangradi's former teammate and still Ducks' property, Matt Beleskey. Both players display the poise to deliver the fight, the block, the big hit or the goal when the team needs it. But don't forget that Tangradi is bigger than, and also a stronger skater than Beleskey.

Add to this the consensus that Tangradi is still getting better and still gaining confidence in the physical and finesse parts of his game and you have to wonder what Murray was thinking. Tangradi should be a Duck, not just because he WAS a Ducks propect, but because he's ALREADY a Duck. He's the sort of gritty, skilled power forward who has no business playing anywhere else. Read more...

Too Many Cooks in the Crease

DANIEL:
Jonas Hiller's performance Sunday night against the Sharks and Jiggy's continued struggles have created an interesting situation. Jiggy's GAA has been over 3.00 for a few weeks now, his positioning has been off and his former brilliance has only flashed through occasionally. It's true that he's been having a lot of off-ice trouble, but he hasn't rebounded the way we would have hoped. You've said it yourself, Hiller is one of, if not the, most athletic goalies in the league right now. Unfortunately, Jiggy is 31 and Hiller is 27. If we don't make a move and use Hiller's best years now while Giguere is struggling, are we wasting a great goaltending talent? Can the Ducks afford to play out the rest of Jiggy's contract before letting Hiller take the reins?



ARTHUR:
Since I saw the game against the Kings in London, I've been adamant in declaring Jonas Hiller the most athletic goaltender in the NHL. To me, Jonas is first, and Luongo is tied for second with Hiller's glove hand, okay? This kid's a starter who knows how to win games. He was great BEFORE Allaire got a hold of him, and that's new for the Ducks. It would be a SIN, a Cardinal Hockey SIN, for Hiller to be a backup in the 10-11 season, no matter what he's paid!

I think the most interesting thing here is that Hiller signed a two-year extension at the beginning of this season. That means he becomes a free agent before the last year of Jiggy's contract-- Jiggy, who has a no-trade clause. HIller has set himself up to either steal this job or come close enough to stealing it that he can get himself a fat UFA paycheck while the Ducks' hands are tied to Giguere. Now, I'm not suggesting that this was Hiller's or even his agent's plan, but this is what the Ducks have set themselves up to face at the end of next season by signing this kid to a two-year extension. They either ask Jiggy to waive his no-trade clause next season, or they ask Hiller to sign-and-wait and play behind Jiggy for another year, which no truly talented goaltender should ever do.

The Ducks don't really have the option to change horses before Jiggy's contract runs out, unless Carlyle commits to flipping the depth chart for good. As it stands, only Jiggy can give Hiller the job. However, if Jiggy doesn't waive his no-trade clause, Hiller WON'T go the way of Bryzgalov. Murray will move him next year; Bob showed at the trade deadline that he values his assets above all else.

As far as Jiggy's slump goes, I think Giguere's performance has always been inextricably tied to his confidence. That's what got us to the Finals in 2003, and that's what put Bryzgalov in the net in 2006. You have to take the good with the bad, AND you have to assume that your father dying after a year of your son's serious health problems creates a lot of bad. I've always said, though it's EXTREMELY insensitive to the tragedy that befell number 23, that at least Jiggy didn't take up baseball. He still wants to play, and Allaire is teaching him to rely on his fundamentals when his focus is off.

I think it's a cold day in hell before Jiggy surrenders this job willingly. He waited too long in the AHL, after being drafted in the first round, to have any appreciable sympathy for HIller being 'too good to be held back.' Jiggy might see evidence of it on the ice, Carlyle might offer him a front row seat for it next season, but I don't think that will change his mind. Ultimately, I see the Ducks moving Hiller next year, and that's the only thing they can really do if Jiggy won't waive his no-trade clause.

DANIEL:
I've been worried about this for a little while, and the Ducks might regret giving Giguere that no-trade clause. Hiller is athletic, and he makes some of the best stops. Let's face it, outside of the strong positioning game Jiggy plays, there's not a whole lot to him. He's still a great competitor and if he decides to show up, and we decide to get in, I wouldn't want to face us in any round of the playoffs. But Hiller is younger and has a lot more potential. I'm very sentimental when it comes to Jiggy. I'll never forget the way he and Paul carried us in 2003, but he just hasn't looked like himself all year. I think based on that alone, you've got to give Jiggy one more shot to prove that he can be who he is. He's only 31. Brodeur, Roy, and Hasek have shown that a net minder who takes care of himself can go a long way, which means Jiggy could be in a Ducks sweater for another 6 years if he makes it back next year, and shows that all the off-ice drama is out of his system.

I think you've got to move Hiller. Not only for the same reason we moved Bryz, that is he deserves to be a starter and carry his own team to a cup, but because that trade will get us a top 6 forward or a top 4 D and a high draft pick. We picked up San Jose's top goalie prospect for a reason. Let's be honest, when Washington fails again this year, or Detroit realizes that they need someone between the pipes that isn't 80, they'll be willing to part with plenty to make that run to the cup. It makes me sad because I've developed a soft spot for Hiller too, but I think that of all the great back ups Allaire has produced, he's the most likely to have success in another place because he won't be just a position goalie. Of course Bryz would be doing better if Phoenix had anything that even resembled a defense. I just don't see this ending really well for anybody. When HIller gets a starting job, his team will be really good for a solid 4-5 seasons.

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Penalty Kill: Jake Gardiner

Updated look at Gardiner (11/6/09) available here.

ARTHUR:
I'm shorthanded today, as Daniel is handling some offline business. That's bound to happen from time to time here at Anaheim Calling, life being what it is, but we've planned ahead for these scheduling emergencies with these solo "Penalty Kill" posts. For my part, I will try to use my PK posts to highlight players that are (or that I feel should be) in the Ducks organization.

With the Conference tourneys warming up in college hockey, I thought we should take a look at Jake Gardiner.


[Gardiner assists the first two goals in the video and pretty much scores the last one]

The Ducks traded down in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, and picked 17th overall. They claimed 6'2" 175 lb. offensive-defenseman Jake Gardiner, who played all four years at Minnetonka High School in Minnesota, though only the last year on the blueline.

Gardiner now plays for the University of Wisconsin-Madison in college hockey's WCHA. In 35 games for the Badgers, Jake's posted 2G (both on the Power Play) and 16A on 58 shots. He's a breathtaking skater, who can lead a rush or make the smooth quarterback moves on the man-advantage, but his incredible on-ice awareness makes him much more valuable as a blueliner than he ever was as a forward.

The one 'knock' I can place on him, from the televised games this season, is that he needs to fill out physically. He's strong on his skates and he's a smart checker, but he'll need to show that he can physically dominate at the 200 lb. mark without sacrificing any of the quickness in his feet and hands.

Luckily, Gardiner has seen plenty of ice time with Junior defenseman and Hurricanes' property, Jamie McBain. The Badgers' Assistant Captain has a better pedigree than Gardiner, having played high school hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's, and that shows in his conditioning. Jamie plays textbook offensive defense at 197lbs., and he was imposing his visage on the Hobey Baker picture until the last few games of the season. A testament to his leadership, he went scoreless in six games and the Badgers lost four of them. McBain has given Gardiner a look at an NHL-ready offensive defenseman, where Gardiner hopes to be in two years.

Wisconsin swept the Mankato Mavericks over the weekend to advance to the WCHA Final Five. The Badgers were, as usual, unstoppable at the Kohl Center, opening up a 2G 2nd period and a 5G 3rd period in the first game on Friday. Mankato pulled Zacharias in the 3rd, and Gardiner immediately found the net with a wicked wrister from the blueline that got behind relief goaltender Dan Tomey. Gardiner would tack on 2A (1EV, 1PP) during superfluous scoring on the way to a 7-1 victory.

The Ducks' prospect failed to show up on the scoreboard in the second game on Saturday, but he got a few clean shots on goal and made some timely defensive plays in a tight 4-2 victory. Read more...

Follow Up: "Pugilists" and "Kariya"

ARTHUR:
This post is a follow up to two previous posts: "9: A Problem Like Kariya" and "Punishing The Pugilists." In the Kariya post, I repeated the popular hockey rumor, which I agree with, that Kariya wanted out of Anaheim or should have wanted out of Anaheim because he wasn't being protected. One of our readers from Facebook asked me to defend that opinion. Now, I have always thought that this rumor was tacitly confirmed when Kariya continued to get cheapshotted after the holdout, and when Gauthier made a trade to get back Stu Grimson. This seemed to confirm that Karpa and the existing squad of enforcers since Grimson left were not getting it done. But our reader from Facebook found that opinion laughable, citing the overwhelming fighting statistics during the no-Grimson era.

I continue to disagree because I think there's a difference between two enforcers fighting, and the real strategic enforcing that protects players. Grimson had a Claude Lemieux kind of nastiness to him where he would cheap shot small players, and really let the other team know that there would be consequences. A GM has to decide to have a nasty player like that on his team, but that player will potentially send stronger messages with his fights. For recent Ducks fans, the effect is the difference between Parros fighting Boogard and Beauchemin fighting Iginla.

The GMs seem to agree with me, as they voted to make recommendations to create a 10-Minute Major for 'staged' fights i.e. two enforcers fighting for the sake of fighting, as well as an enforcement of the instigator penalty for unnecessary fights i.e. a guy should be able to take a bodycheck once in a while without it turning into a brawl.

Now, Daniel, this is all you, as my opinion is clear from the feed question, but what do you think? If the NHL approves these adjustments, will they neuter fighting? Are the fights between two non-enforcers just as effective or more effective than having two 'designated hitters' drop the gloves every game? Should a Duck let a teammate get laid out every once in a while?

DANIEL:
Hitting is a part of the game, and I think we do a good job of not letting every hit get us down. Getting laid out is part of the game and, let's be honest, good clean hits are usually met with good clean hits. That is, you hit our star, we'll hit yours. These types of exchanges are pretty common and hardly result in fights. But when cheap shots start happening, or worse you have a Sean Avery not even following the play and just putting his stick in the goalie's face, someone has to pay the price. I don't think these new penalties will have the effect that people think. Sure, guys will stop dropping the gloves right after the faceoff and instead wait 5-10 seconds and skate to a different part of the ice. Or, guys will just avoid that problem all together and choose a better time to have their fights. Hockey is a tough game and the enforcer will never really go away, they will instead evolve. Think, Steve Ott in Dallas, or Parros when he was on a line with Ryan. The enforcer will still fit into that mold of a guy who can skate, forecheck and at least provide a good shift and some energy on the 4th line. "Goons" like Grimson and Domi may be gone for good, but the job of enforcer will never truly leave. I don't think the NHL's new rules will do anything to deter fighting, it'll just make fighting occur in more creative circumstances.

As I've said, I don't think the enforcer will go away, but will instead evolve. This also means that the Beauchemin-Iginla style tilt will become more common. Not because the enforcer will be gone, but because we might start seeing 15-20 goal scorers becoming enforcers. I also think that because of the new circumstances and penalties surrounding fighting you'll see some skill guys dropping the gloves and sticking up for teammates. I think we do this more than any other team. Perry and Getzlaf have fighting majors this year. I think Perry has more than one. When the circumstances of fighting become unpredictable, so do the participants. I'm not saying I want to see Getzlaf and Perry throwing down every game, but you never know what will happen. In the end, fighting will just become something that falls in the hand of the more rugged forwards and defenseman who only contribute minor minutes, but still have the skill to not be dead weight.

Finally, I think there's one part of fighting that no one has explored, and that's fighting as a momentum tactic. It's not always your teammates getting laid out that triggers these altercations. If the ice is tilted one way and the opposition is carrying play, a fight can really alter the energy in the building. I think that's a good reason to leave fighting in; the players like it and use it as a part of playing the game. Yes, protection and self-policing is important, but sometimes a guy showing he'll go as far as fighting another guy to help his team win builds camaraderie in the locker room and creates an appreciation in the fans that our heroes aren't all overpaid primadonnas. I appreciate fighting and I think the players are as interested as anyone in keeping it in the game, and they know better than the rest of us just how dangerous it is.

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