Unsung Heroes
Those show-stealers are great, but in my opinion, these guys are even better. As a true team sport, hockey can't be all about the spotlight. It has to be about teamwork, and a supporting cast. It doesn't matter how many dazzling play-makers you have, if you don't have the generally unspectacular players to back them up, your club's not going many places. I love that for every mind-boggling goal by Max Afinogenov, or set-up by Tim Connolly, there are a dozen equally important, but infinitely less exciting plays that go unnoticed. Whether it's a strong backcheck by Jochen Hecht that results in a turnover, solid positional play by Henrik Tallinder that negates a possible breakaway, or an absorbing save by Ryan Miller that makes a dangerous shot seem like it never had a chance, every game is littered with understated plays. These may not seem like game-alterers, but don't be fooled. If they don't happen, the opposition gets shots, and scoring chances, and goals. One of my favorite moments of the past post-season, was when Adam Mair forced a Ranger to cough up the puck at the red line, and then raced down the ice to be there for the tip-in. What started as an ordinary open-ice hit ended in a goal. The media may reward the superstar, but the game rewards the workhorse.
The best part is that in the NHL, players can make careers out of going unnoticed, quietly going about their business, avoiding being flashy. I know the ladies behind Interchangeable Parts--Pookie and Schnookie--are quite enamored with the Devils' Jay Pandolfo (I almost typed "Pandolfski" which just goes to show, I guess, how anonymous he is). I have to admit I don't know much about him (and really I shouldn't, considering the only time I would notice him is when he's not doing his job properly), but he seems like just the kind of player I would love, for all his unassuming hard work and contributions to his team. Sure, I may wear out my keyboard looking for YouTube clips of the greatest goals, hardest hits, and the most stupendous saves, but in the end it's the players whose value goes above and beyond their highlight reel status who always win my heart.
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Gambler, how did we miss this post?! Shame on us! (We've fallen a bit behind on our reading, obviously. Sorry!) Needless ot say, though, we give this Reason to Love Hockey a solid 5 stars out of 5.
Unsung heroes are the best, aren't they? Especially the ones like Pando who, even when they're "sung", they still seem like the same old humble non-star-players they always were. And don't feel bad about calling him Pandofski. For a long time, the guys on ESPN called him "Jay Pendelfo". We get the feeling if Pando walked into the dressing room for a game and his sweater read "Padolfski" he'd shrug and say, "Whatever the team wants."
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