Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Johnny's a grown man not a child. If he gets pushed down he gets back up. Responses these days typically lead to a two minute minor penalty for instigation or roughing. I think some of you people take this toughness stuff way too seriously. Johnny's seen this kind of stuff for his entire career being one of the smaller players on the ice at all ages. If it was something that he couldn't handle he would never had made the NHL in the first place. I don't understand why there has to be retribution for hard hits or a little pushing. Players are penalized after all for dirty play so I don't see the point of running after a guy that's heading to the box anyway? Flames have several players on the roster that can drop the gloves and it's not like the league has many heavyweight scrappers left anyway.
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I don't disagree that Johnny can take care of himself but I do think team toughness creates a certain identity and encourages confidence. We saw how Johnny seemed to respond better with more confidence when they put Ferland on that line. I think opposing teams strategy includes wearing down forwards over the course of a game or series and team toughness can factor into that.
Engelland didn't just bring size but added leadership and character which are important qualities. We will have to see how our team toughness stands up to the test without Engelland