Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) covers the puck while taking on the Ottawa Senators during first period NHL hockey action in Ottawa on Monday, April 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Martin St. Louis recalls having to pay a much higher price.
Rod Brind’Amour vividly remembers the punishment he endured getting to the front of the net throughout his NHL career.
And Paul Maurice points out he coached a middle-of-the-road team to the Stanley Cup final with a group that not-so-subtly used how officials interpreted the rule book to its advantage.
Times, however, have certainly changed in the NHL when it comes to producing offence.
Connor McDavid and his Roadrunner-like speed became the first player to crack 150 points since 1996 this season. Erik Karlsson turned back the clock to become the first defenceman to reach 100 since 1992.
With the regular schedule set to conclude this week ahead of the playoffs, scoring is up again after a big jump last season (6.36 goals per game compared to 5.88 in 2020-21), while save percentages continue to drop, with the average sitting at .904 in 2022-23.
The league is faster and more skilled than ever before. And the tools available to defenders have drastically diminished.
A generation ago, clutching and grabbing, vicious cross-checks and all other sorts of nasty business were simply part of NHL life.
Those days are long gone.
“Going to the (net), you were getting punished way more than now,” said St. Louis, head coach of the Montreal Canadiens and a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. “You see a lot more teams getting in there now, and guys have to pay less of a price.”
Brind’Amour said the changes have been stark compared to the on-ice wars of the 1990s and early 2000s.
“Let’s face it,” said the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. “Your marquee defenceman – your Scott Stevens-type – you can’t do that anymore.”
Maurice, who now coaches the Florida Panthers, was behind Carolina’s bench when the 91-point Hurricanes ground their way to the 2002 final.
“You got a two-goal lead and it was just over,” he said. “We clutched and grabbed through Toronto to the Stanley Cup final with a real average, average team.”
So how hard is it to defend – and teach defence – in the modern game?
Maple Leafs blue-liner Mark Giordano, who’s in his 17th NHL season, has lived the sport’s evolution.
The league’s oldest skater at 39 said defencemen now have to be aggressive to get a jump on opposition in the offensive and neutral zones compared to passive tendencies that were previously the norm.
“It’s different … night and day,” Giordano said. “The skill level and the speed is dumb. Every team has four lines – right through their lineup, guys who can beat you one-on-one.
“If you give guys time to get speed, it’s really hard.”
Toronto counterpart Morgan Rielly said all it takes is looking around NHL locker rooms to see how things have changed on the physical side.
Speed and skill now trumps brawn.
“I remember being a young defenceman and being overwhelmed at times,” he said. “There’s not as much of that anymore.”
Nashville Predators defenceman Ryan McDonagh said the game has become about quickness and angles in his team’s end.
“You want to be tough to play against,” he said. “But you’ve got to be very careful about how you play a physical game, especially around the front of the net.
“Got to be so smart with your stick and your free hand. A constant battle of making sure you’re in the right spot, keeping yourself between them and the net. At times it might look a little passive, but it’s the way defence needs to be played.”
Teams are also generating far more offence from the back. Rosters used to have one or two puck-moving defencemen capable of joining the rush. Now it can be four, five or even six on a given night.
“Play inside the dots, never really pinch,” Giordano said of old-school defending. “You were never gonna get beat back in the day by a guy not on the first or second line.”
Brind’Amour said the changes in the NHL are a byproduct of growth in youth hockey.
“Better athletes,” said the veteran of 20 seasons in the league. “Everyone’s getting better and faster and stronger and more skilled. They work on it 24/7 since they’re 10 years old.”
As a result, Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness said teams in 2023 have to contain the opposition in tandem.
“The speed of the game today is unreal,” he said. “It’s faster than it was five years ago … it keeps getting faster. It’s a lot harder to defend. You need numbers and you need layers and you need puck management.”
But St. Louis said no matter the skill level on the other side, defending is still about commitment.
“Everybody has a lot more fun going on the offensive side,” he said. “You have to convince your players how important the other side is – understand the magnitude, the domino effect.
“Playing hard defensively is a choice.”
Jets blue-liner Josh Morrissey said for the top teams, unlocking the right mix when it comes to structure and awareness remains at a premium.
“That might look different than it did before,” he said. “But the principles of the game still have to be there.”
In some ways, the craft is more straightforward because of what NHL defencemen aren’t allowed to get away with anymore. It’s also a massive challenge.
“Our game is in a great place,” Giordano said. “It’s exciting to watch.
“But for defencemen, it’s tough.”
RACE FOR CONNOR
The final days of the regular season mean the draft lottery odds are nearly set.
The last-place Columbus Blue Jackets are currently in pole position for the right to select phenom Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in June with 57 points from 80 games.
The Anaheim Ducks sit 31st overall in the standings with 58 points from 81 contests – same as the Chicago Blackhawks, who are 30th because of a tiebreaker.
Columbus is home to Pittsburgh on Thursday and Buffalo on Friday. Anaheim hosts Los Angeles on Thursday, while Chicago welcomes Philadelphia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2023.
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