Rinky The Pluimber

Eynhallow Registered Senior Member Posts: 298 Threads: 21 Joined: Apr 2021 Reputation: 9 #1 03-20-2022, 07:44 AM Rinky McDangle The Plumber It appears, for all intents and purposes, that Rinky McDangle is destined to be a Plumber as a hockey player in the SHL.  In his first season, Season 63,  with the Minnesota Monarchs he was able to amass 31 points in 66 games played. He was only on the ice for 1060 minutes which was fourth lowest on the team.  By way of comparison, the most minutes played by a forward was 1504.  An interesting side note to this is that Rinky played a total of  52 seconds on the power play and, yet, he managed 2 power play goals.  Rinky’s Season 64 pre-season has followed very much the same path, 4 points in 7 games. So what is a “Plumber” anyways ?  Well a Plumber in hockey refers to a player who is not the most talented guy on the roster.  It refers to a player who, much like a grinder, will do the dirty work in the corners and get to those greasy areas in front of the net.  Plumbers are notorious for their hard work.   Rink is a center so he has a specific role to play when he is on the ice.  The Center position is generally the main player responsible for dictating the gameplay while the puck is in the offensive zone. They are also instrumental in getting the puck into the offensive zone in the first place.  Centers have a variety of different responsibilities while on the ice, on both offense and defense. One of the primary responsibilities as a Center is to win faceoffs. This an area of concern for Rinky at the moment. This is crucial in order for their team to gain possession of the puck. Another key responsibility is to provide support for their wingers, meaning setting up the plays in the offensive zone, making great passes, and leading the forecheck and backcheck. Centers also spend a lot of their time in front of the net.  In the offensive zone centers can screen the goalie, “taking away his eyes”, or preventing the goalie from seeing the shot clearly.  In the defensive zone centers suppose the defensive pairing and protect the front of the net. So, where does Rinky go from here ?  Being that Season 64 will be only Rinky’s second season in the show, he has room for growth and skill development.  As mentioned earlier, there should be some attention paid to Rinky’s faceoff skills.  The ability to control the puck either in the offensive or defensive zones is paramount to success, whether that be scoring or keeping the puck out of your own net.  Rinky has to be able to read the play somewhat better.  This refers, again, to both defensive and offensive plays. Rinky is unlikely to become a superstar in the SHL.  But he will be a valuable addition to any team as his skill set allows him to absorb ice time, not be a liability defensively and occasionally be able to help out on the offensive side of the puck.   Rinky was interviewed recently about his physical style of play; Interview Question:  So you play a pretty physical brand of hockey.  Do you feel that this still has a place in the modern game ? Rinky:  My style of play, I will admit, is more physical than that of other players, but as you can clearly see from my statistics, I am not a dirty player.  I only got 26 minutes in penalties over 66 games.  That is less than a penalty every 2 games. Interview Question:  But Rinky doesn’t that style of play lead to more fighting? Rinky:  Again, you have to look at the stats.  With the Monarchs last season I was not in any fights,  In fact, there were no fights registered for the entire team.  Nor was I in any fights during my three season stay with the Colorado Raptors in the SMJHL.  If it looks like a guy wants to dance, I just try to get in real close so that there are no pouches thrown.  Mostly that eliminates any fighting calls and the scrum breaks up fairly quickly. Interview Question:  So, really, rough play has been eliminated form the game ? Rinky:  Of course not !!.  Let me emphasize here that hockey, by its very nature, is an emotional game.  And, sometimes, our emotions get the best of us and we do things that are not, shall we say, appropriate.  Also,to use an old hack, there are ten large men with knives on their feet and clubs in their hands moving around a confined area at high speed. There is bound to be some physicality involved. Further into the interview, Rinky was asked about his thoughts after his first season in the SHL.  His comments were as follows: “Ya, first off let me thank the Minnesota Monarchs for providing me with the opportunity to play in the show.  It is very different than the SMJHL in that there are so many highly skilled players and many teams that have an abundance of players such as these.  I knew that the Monarchs would not be a contender when I signed with them.  But, it is always gratifying and exciting to be part of something that is growing and improving.  I am sure that we will have a better season next year.  I, for one, spent my off season in the gym or on the streets trying to be in the best physical shape possible.  As well, I have been working with skill specific coaches in order to be more productive at both ends of the ice.  In any event, whatever the outcome, I am certainly enjoying the ride !  After my career is over and I reflect back on this period of my time playing hockey I am sure those memories will be filled with the love of the game and the thrill of playing with and against such talented players.  The regular season is set to begin shortly and I am as ready as I can be.  I believe the Monarchs are about ready to go on a run that will get them to the playoffs.” Word Count:  1026 Reply

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