Extinction of NHL Enforcers Still Far Away

Winning with "character" is an antiquated adage. If character is so integral to winning hockey, teams should hire a good character coach, or a nice guy mascot to run around giving players the thumbs up with a dopey smile. The Boston Bruins win despite guys like Shawn Thornton the same way the Leafs lose with guys like Colton Orr. The two are just in tremendously different situations, with different teammates around them. The Bruins are one of the best possession teams in the league, which covers for Thornton's inefficiencies. The Leafs are at the other end of the spectrum.

Let's look, firstly, at Shawn Thornton's on-ice impact for the Boston Bruins in the past few seasons. Over the past four years, per stats.hockeyanalysis.com, players that have played a minimum 100 minutes on the ice with Thornton have fell into the vortex of negative shot attempts. Only two players, Vincent Paille and Steven Kampfer, have better possession numbers on the ice with Thornton. Including goalies, 19 others have a lower overall shot attempt for percentage at even strength. His possession numbers have been negative in comparison to the rest of the team over the past three regular season and playoff campaigns, all while receiving some of the most favorable zone starts on the team. In that same time, per Extra Skater, he's taken 21 more penalties than he's drawn.

But what about the intangibles? Well, part of the point of advanced analytics is to help make the intangible tangible. Years ago, it would be difficult, without scouting, to measure the impact guys like Justin Williams-your most recent Conn Smythe winner-or even Thornton's teammate Patrice Bergeron have on the team. It used to be about points and nothing else. Now, we can measure a player's defensive acumen and his ability to progress play, two tangibles that are tremendously valuable. There's no doubt that Thornton is a good teammate and a good guy to have around the locker room. That doesn't mean he should be taking a spot form a capable NHL talent.

There's also an argument that Thornton plays the game The Right Way and his ability to act as an enforcer on the ice acts a deterrent for opposing teams crossing the line and protects stars. The mere presence of Thornton in the lineup was not enough to deter Matt Cooke from delivering a blow to the head of Marc Savard and subsequently ending his career. In game three of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, Thornton's presence did not deter Aaron Rome from taking out Nathan Horton-a play for which he was subsequently suspended. Feelings on fighting notwithstanding, no presence is a deterrence.

Daniel Carcillo, who has seen his share of suspension time served and fighting, said, when he was first acquired by the Rangers that the presence of another enforcer does not impact his game at all.

"You gotta play the same way," he explicated. "It doesn't matter who else is on the ice."

He added, that at this level, all of the enforcers know how to fight, so there's no fear aspect.

A deterrence is hurting your teammates where it matters most, on the scoresheet and sitting in a post-game locker room apologizing to your despondent teammates after your selfish play costs them the game or forces them to take extra shifts because a boneheaded play resulted in a game misconduct. Was Thornton playing the game The Right Way when he kicked out Brooks Orpik's feet and pummeled him as he lay on the ice in a vulnerable position? Was he playing the game The Right Way when he squirted water from the bench at P.K. Subban as he skated by? Sure, fans will say that Subban play is cheeky and harmless-and really it is-but let's not prattle on about character and respect.

The game, on the ice, is moving away from guys like Thornton, which is a good thing. Take a look at the fourth lines of team's like the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Rangers. The fourth line can almost act as a specialty unit if deployed properly, taking big defensive zone starts and progressing play, setting up the offensive players for success. The Rangers did just that and were able to shelter the hell out of guys like Brad Richards throughout the season.

Unfortunately, the role of the enforcer is not extinct yet. Sports know little of progress. There are plenty of team presidents and general managers that come from the "old school," and build their teams like it's the 1970s. You don't need grit or jam-which, if we're being honest, aren't even real things-to win in the NHL. You don't need a guy that moves like his skates are filled with sand and his hands are concrete cinder blocks-both skill-wise and face-punching-wise-alongside your stars to protect them. Yet some teams, blind to the success of others, will still go down that road. Shawn Thornton will find a team, as will Orr, John Scott, Tom Sestito and Krys Barch.

Yes, the league is moving away from enforcers, but it won't be soon enough. Until the league gets serious about concussion protocol and fines teams something tangible for letting guys back onto the ice that have suffered a concussion- draft picks, for example-toughness is going to be praised as a desirable trait, over intelligence.Guys that are classically thought of as enforcers, need to adapt their game and learn to impact games in a different way than with bruised knuckles.

Paul Bissonette, one of the league's beloved enforcers told National Post about a conversation he had, last season with his head coach Dave Tippett. "He was honest with me," Bissonnette said. "He was like, 'You're at a crossroads in your career, where fighting's kind of deteriorating a bit—you've got to kind of figure it out as a player.'"

Carcillo, while he was discussing the role of an enforcer, acknowledged that "it's a tough thing to adapt to," on playing a different style. This year, with the Rangers, he found himself in the lineup in some big spots and for the most part, stayed away from the plays that earned him a reputation as a dirty player.

Nobody wants these players out of a job, but nobody wants to see them suffer serious injuries and degenerative brain conditions at a young age. The NHL is moving away from their role, but it's not happening fast enough.