Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
Of course he could, he just couldn't be as mean and reckless with his hits. He was still a high IQ defencemen with fantastic awareness and positioning.
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Well sure he's not in the HOF for his hits alone but a big part of his game was intimidation and he wouldn't have that now because most of his big hits would be considered suspension worthy. He's one of a small few in the top 15 all time penalty leaders that wasn't a goon. He got in the heads of forwards and that played a big role in his success. Chris Pronger is probably the last defenseman to play close to that style and even he was getting singled out at the end of his career and I simply think it's a style of play that's possible today. Perfect defenseman for the 80's and 90's but not possible today. This kid isn't being compared to Stevens for his offensive prowess.