Cue-up the Van Halen, and put on your favorite
old-time hockey fights DVD, it’s time to talk goons! Is it just me, or are
present-day NHL enforcers just watered down, knockoff versions of the real
deal…??? Think back to the 1990’s when fights and outright bench-clearing
brawls were commonplace in the NHL. That environment virtually made mandatory
the signing of at least one enforcer (or as I like to call them, goons) on each
team. Imagine for a minute the physical punishment that would have been endured
by snipers like Yzerman and Fedorov without big Bob Probert around. What kind
of real success would Brett Hull have had with St. Louis without Tony Twist
watching his back? Would Jeremy Roenick have been able to enjoy the success he
had in helping the Blackhawks get to the Stanley Cup Finals without Stu Grimson
patrolling the ice? In those scenarios, messing with one of the star players
would certainly mean risking your health, and ending up spitting out a mouthful
of Chiclets would be the least of your worries. Remember when Tony Twist crushed
Rob Ray’s eye socket…??? Ah yes, those were the good old days…
When I
watch the enforcers of today, they just don’t seem (in my opinion) to have that
same presence about them that the goons of the 1990’s had. Fights occur far
less often in today’s NHL than in the 1990’s, and when they do, with rare
exception, there is more dancing and wrestling than the throwing of haymaker
bombs. That has to make Marty McSorley and the enforcers of his day embarrassed
for this new breed of wannabe enforcers. At least when Chris Nilan and other true
enforcers of 1980’s handed over the reins to the next generation, they had to
have taken heart in knowing there was a more than capable crew waiting in the
wings to carry on the role. I dread the thought of what “enforcers” will be
like in another 10 or 15 years… Will they be reduced to using harsh language
and face washing against one another…??? I hope not…
While the role of the enforcer is clearly
not what it once was, there are still those of us who will always be huge fans
of the old school goons. I practice what I preach. Everything hockey that I
associate myself with is connected in some way to old-time goon hockey. I loved
the role of the old-time enforcer, and will always do my best to keep those
memories alive. My Twitter ID is Goon24, my NHL jersey sales (Goon-Gear Rare
and Vintage NHL Hockey Jerseys), for which I am the sole proprietor
(specializing in goons to a large extent), is http://webstore.com/~goongear and my hockey jersey blog
is http://goon-gear.blogspot.com/ are you seeing the theme
here? As long as I am able to draw breath, I will always be a fan of the
old-school NHL enforcer culture. Hopefully, some of the old-school will begin
to rub off on to the new-school… NOW,
DROP THE GLOVES!!!
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