Buffalo Sabres
Former Star Says NHL Has Lost Status as a ‘Tough’ League to Play in
Will the NHL game ever return to the fierce battles seen around the turn of the millenium?
Yesterday marked the anniversary of a highly anticipated hockey game at Madison Square Garden in 1992. An original six match up, the home squad New York Rangers were hosting the Red Wings of Detroit. At this time in hockey history, the actual game was overshadowed by an eagerly anticipated rematch between Tie Domi and Bob Probert. Round number two did not disappoint.
Related: Scribe Writes Red Wings and Lightning Could Make Huge 3-Player Trade
28 years later it would be next to impossible to find an NHL game being hyped for the second round of what might be labelled as a staged fight now. The fact is the game of hockey has changed and the stigma toward fighting has intensified in the several decades since that game.
Just how far has the game changed in this respect?
Vanek Says NHL Toughness is Gone
According to recently retired NHL player Thomas Vanek, the changes have been quite dramatic. In a recent article, the Austrian went so far as to say that the game at the NHL level is not even tough anymore.
Vanek, a former fifth overall pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2003 entered the league when the level of truculence was much higher. Especially in hot zones like the front of the net and close to the crease. At 6’2 and over 210 pounds Vanek, made a living in front of the net battling for loose pucks in the crease during his 1,029 NHL game career.
In a recent Score article by Brandon Maron, Vanek was candid about how things were back then: “Standing in front of the net, there was no penalties back then. The ref would say, ‘Hey, loosen up Pronger’ and Pronger would look at the ref and was like ‘Don’t ever talk to me again.'”
Since then, defenders have become smaller, more mobile, and more polite. The days of hacking and whacking to gain front net position have decreased and infractions for abusive behavior have increased. For better or worse, the physicality continues to decline as the speed of the game only increases.
Who Are the League’s New ‘Tough Guys’?
Yes, the pendulum of physical play in the NHL has swung a long way since the early 90’s and even into the turn of the millennium as noted by Vanek. The days of Probert, Domi, or Pronger have been replaced by the Tkachuk brothers, Brad Marchand, and Drew Doughty.
Will the pendulum ever swing back to the rugged NHL days of the 20th century? Given the ever-increasing amount of young talent entering the league every season I have my doubts.
NEXT: Prediction: 2021 NHL Regular Season Will be a 42-Games Schedule
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