A League Lacking Lunks

By: Medina Chebatoris @Medina_MarieC

(Or, the no-so-subtle demise of the NHL Enforcer)

By now, almost everyone in the English-Speaking world is familiar with the musical “The Sound of Music”. Whether it be the Julie Andrew’s classic or the abomination they had the nerve to call a performance…I mean the NBC Live Musical event staring Carrie Underwood, the story of the Von Trapp family is well engrained in our psyche.

“Woman, what does this have to do with hockey?”

Well, shut up and be patient and I will get to that!

In the musical, we are introduced to Maria (a nun), who needless to say, is not like the other nun’s. She is VERY different, as is outlined in the song “How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria”. In the NHL, we have had a fair share of Maria’s, but of a very opposite breed. While she was energetic, inquisitive, loving and melodic, the men I speak of were big, mean, and brutal. They were the names that struck fear into lesser players: George Laraque, “Scary” Gary Roberts, “The Albanian Assassin” Tie Domi and even the now almost legendary, John Scott. Some called them troublemakers, goons, but the name they all shared is Enforcer. These were the guys that were called upon to do one thing…protect your team’s stars at all costs. The Penguins recently signed such a player to a one-year contract and he carries his own colorful, reputation. I speak of Tom Sestito. Sestito currently is playing for the Penguin’s AHL team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Baby Penguins but has played for various NHL teams in his career. Why isn’t he playing with the main team? In 7 years, Sestito has only scored 10 goals, only taken 57 shots on net, but has accrued 432 penalty minutes (which works out to a little over an hour of PIM per year in the NHL). To add fuel to that fire, he was the league’s leading man in penalty minutes for the 2013-2014 seasons. When the Penguins were struggling defensively, there was a rather large push by fans to try and get Sestito called up. Four or five years ago, Sestito was everything a team would want in star protection- someone to go out and wreak havoc- and he gladly lived up to it, but rarely did it result in goals. That was then, and in short time, it has become whole, new league. So, with all of that in mind, all together now: “How do we solve a problem like Sestiiiiiitoooo?” (Clever, huh?).

With the evolution of hockey in America and the increased pressure for better player safety, it is (mildly) sad to say that the time of the true Enforcer has come to a close. Gone are the days where a man could grab up another player that he didn’t much care for or that checked his star center just a bit too hard for his personal liking and beat them into a toothless pile of bloody equipment. It is not a grind out, beat down style of game anymore. The game has become much faster, much younger, and more skill- based. You can’t take needless penalties and then have nothing to show for it. Sestito’s low goal scoring and high PIM would be a huge detriment for a team fighting for their playoff lives. “Goons” that will fight at the drop of a dime have, indeed, become irrelevant.

Big bodies, hard checks and annoying natures are still needed. The job of defending star players and punishing those who try to hurt them has instead fallen onto the shoulders of the referees by utilizing more consistent penalty calling and an almost no-tolerance policy for a blatant attack on an innocent opponent (stop laughing, I never said that they were GOOD at it). For example, it is now an automatic 2 minute minor penalty if/when a player removes their helmet for a fight. So if two guys decide to portray their manliness, they can pretty much guarantee they will both get a nice breather after they are through because no one wants to punch hard plastic. As much as the league wants to cut back on fighting (and have as the numbers of fights is down significantly league-wide), the players themselves have made it known (via internal polls done by the union) that fighting is actually okay with them as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. However, General Managers such as the Jim Rutherford have made it quite clear that he is not and will not be a fan of fights continuing in the NHL or even his hockey club. This does not bode well for a player like Tom Sestito unless he bites the bullet and changes his approach to the way he plays. His track record preceding him, I do not see that happening. If he could learn to control himself, a fight could be carried out when absolutely necessary to prove a point or re-invigorate a downtrodden team late in a game. Whether the league wants to come to peace with this fact or not, scraps between players brings up the entertainment value and excitement of a game (because who doesn’t like a little drama). Unless there is constant, eye-catching play or jaw dropping scoring displays going on, fans have described the NHL as becoming “boring” so even just a little player drama will keep the fans engaged in the game instead of burying their heads in their smart phones.

These new “Agitators” (such as Cody McLeod, Andy Andreoff, Bobby Farnham and Dustin Byfuglien) are used to keep other agitators in line and away from the playmakers so that they can focus on getting or making better scoring opportunities. Not only that, they can kill penalties, play responsible defense and even score the occasional goal. They don’t put up the same incredible numbers but they are assets to their team in all aspects of the game. Being a good fighter is just a lucky bonus. To stay in this league, an Enforcer of old must either face his fate of being buried in the minors (or lower) or make an effort to change their attitude and find a balance between being a physical player while also being useful to his team. A great example of a “changed man” would be the Ginger that every Penguin’s fan loves to hate- Scott Hartnell. Usually known for picking fights, he has now become an effective player and can put shots on net while still getting into the head of his opponents. If he can change his playing style, is their hope for Sestito? Given the right direction by the right coach and a chance, could be become a legitimate plus for a team needing a bit more grit? With the trade deadline looming and the regular season only have weeks left, it may just be too late. So, how do you solve a problem like Sestito? You don’t. Only he can. The question is will he change his ways in order to keep his professional career alive? Even I can’t speculate or take a guess on that.

#MedinaChebatoris #Medina #Enforcers #Hockey #Thugs #Lunks #League