Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan
Not trying to antagonize, but did you miss the part where Hamonic scored the only goal of the game?
I'm glad to see the Hamonic love after all the crap I read last season where people thought the trade was stupid and that Hamonic was overrated. Ok, he wasn't amazing last year, but nobody was. I blame Gulutzan.
Now you can all see the type of shutdown game Hamonic can bring when required, especially in more physical games. Mark my words, he's going to be incredibly valuable in the playoffs this year (yes I said it).
I've watched Hamonic for years in Long Island and this is the type of player he can be when the games get elevated. Even when he's not playing at an elite level, he's never going to hurt you and he's a strong character guy. Really good defensive defensemen are undervalued these days, but he's as good as it gets in that role.
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Great post, Cali! I also think Hamonic got a bum rap last year. And to think that this year he started out by breaking his face only to come back into the lineup and become the steady influence/mentor Hanifin needs.
For me, the best play Hamonic made last night (amongst so many good ones) was that one where he fought past Kovalchuk’s interference at our blue line to chase down the winger (Carter maybe?) and deflect his shot out of play. Even better was that he immediately afterward chirped the ref for the brutal non-call on Kovalchuk. It was like Hamonic knew he was making the play no matter what, but “geez, ref-make the damned call!”