On Thursday night, after the Canadiens were eliminated by the Ottawa Senators, I took up my customary spot in the production booth for the final post-game show on MontrealHockeyTalk.com. During that show, Simon Tsalikis of TSN 690 questioned why the Habs didn't go after a play like Raffi Torres at the trade deadline to bolster their physical game. I took exception during the show, and voiced my displeasure of entertaining the notion of having Torres wearing the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.
I don't have anything against tough players. I loved former Habs like Chris "Knuckles" Nilan, Lyle Odelein and Todd Ewen (to name a few) who could be physical, yet brought some game along with their truculence. They are the type of players this team needs moving forward, in order to compete in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and possibly make a run at hockey's Holy Grail.
However, players in the mold of Torres, along with Matt Cooke and to a certain extent Ryan White, are example of players who have not distinguished the fine line between physicality and borderline recklessness.
Last night was a prime example, where in the second round opener between the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks, Torres took a run at Kings' forward Jared Stoll. Torres hit Stoll from the blind side, making the head to principle point of contact, while Stoll was reaching for a puck.
I don't have an issue with the play itself, but like the Erik Gryba hit on Canadiens' forward Lars Eller, there was no need to cut to the front of the player, and take an unnecessary risk of putting your team on the penalty kill. If Torres, like Gryba, would have hit Stoll on his lead shoulder (the one facing the direction Torres was coming from), my point would be moot.
Of course, in the professional ranks, selling the game has become more important than protecting its assets. Fans love a good open ice hit, that not only rattles the receiving player, but those watching from the stands as well.
Players like Torres and Cooke have deprived fans of talents like the Penguins' Sidney Crosby, Chicago's Marion Hossa and Bruins' forward Marc Savard, because they believe their jobs are to remove a player from competition, not simply make them pay physically for having the puck.
As a team in the process of reestablishing its franchise identity, am I certain that, to a man, the Canadiens' brass most certainly wants to address the need for more size and physicality on their current roster. However, I find it disconcerting that fans clamor for players that play with reckless abandon, without any concern for their opponents or the repercussions for their respective organizations.
Sure, we all love the acquisition of a player like Brandon Prust, who not only bring character and a physical game, but he has above-average hockey sense for a player whose primary role has always been to bring energy and help with special teams. That said, there is a point that I, and I believe the Canadiens, simply do not want to cross.
Ask yourselves: Would you prefer the Canadiens draft a young, physical player, that can mold into the type of player the organization needs, or would you prefer dealing with the track record of the aforementioned perennial judgmentally challenged?
I think you can all guess what my answer would be...
