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(GRADED)DD #1 - Last Men Fighting
#1
(This post was last modified: 04-19-2023, 10:22 AM by CptSquall. Edited 2 times in total.)

Last Men Fighting
A Deep Dive by SHL Analyst Dick Shivers

At this point in the season, 225 games have been played, 1552 goals have been scored, and countless chirps have been exchanged. While the teams have been jockeying for points in the standings, one part of the game seems to have fallen by the wayside regardless if you are the top-of-the-table Great Falls Grizzlies, or the scrappy underdogs of the dregs of the league. Theis role was once crucial, game-defying, mystical, and some may say, the greatest honor in all of hockey. That is the role of the enforcer. Through 225 games played so far this season, only two players have squared up. Let's take a look today into the careers of those players, who they are, and what we can learn from them about the lost art of dropping the gloves.

If you ask any Calgary native who the toughest bastard in the all of Alberta is, you'd get one of two answers. The first would be Davos Otasrob. Davos is a built, stocky 6ft, 6in and 225 lbs. One of the best two way defensemen in the S67 SMJHL draft, Otrasrob was a highly regarded recruit and high on the draft board of every team - most notably due to his connection with player agent Rublic, who is a three time Challenge Cup Champion across two players and a former GM of the now-Anchorage Armada Armada . So you wouldn't imagine the excitement in the Armada war room when, at #6, Davos Otasrob was available. Without hesitation, the Armada got their man.

Otasrob showed promise in S67 - potting 5 goals and 18 assists in 67 games for the Armada while shouldering a lot of minutes. However, Otasrob's development stalled - Otasrob has managed only 30 points in the past two full seasons. Furthermore, after being drafted by the Baltimore Platoon in the third round in S68, the Platoon no longer list Davos on their prospect roster. At 265 TPE, Davos is the 46th ranked prospect in the S68 class, and it is unclear whether Davos will ever crack an SHL roster.

Calgary natives disillusioned by the rocky career of Davos Otasrob would tell you that one other man could take the crown of the toughest bastard in Alberta is Don Juanary. Don is a 6ft 2in, 213 lbs. scrapper who has had to fight for every opportunity he's received this league. Don was not a highly regarded SMJHL prospect. Taken by the Maine Timber Timber at 51st Overall, Juanary likely noticed that he was the last player taken before teams started PASSing on their picks. Even worse, he would very soon be dealt to the Regina Elk in exchange for a S70 4th round pick. Also, in a first that I've ever seen, it appears that his name was misspelled in the index all year. Unlike Davos Otasrob, Juanary was a prospect who most simply forgot.

Juanary would struggle in S69 - making the roster in only 34 games and only finding a way to put up 4 points total on the year. Despite his best efforts, Juanary would experience the ultimate disappointment when his name was not called in the S70 SHL Draft. While exact numbers are unknown, very few SMJHL players who go undrafted in the SHL Draft ever crack an SHL roster.

It's day 2 of SMJHL S70, and both the Regina Elk and the Anchorage Armada are 0-1. More importantly, it's another game in another season where Otastrob and Juanary have been left off the scoresheet. 31 seconds into the 1st Period, Finn Weib sets up Sebastien Regazzoni who finds the twine and gives Anchorage an early 1-0 lead. The onslaught wasn't over; as Juanary steps on the ice to take his first shift, he gets blown over by Otasrob - a dirty hit! Tony Soprano would take advantage, dragging the netminder away from the crease and finding Georg N'Zola on a beautiful pass to make it 2-0.

Juanary immediately approached Otasrob, putting a glove onto his collar and pulling him face-to-face.

"The [censored] your problem blindsiding me, you dirty [censored]."

The players began to scrum, but the refs restored order and the game was underway again. 30 seconds later, Kool-Aid McKinstry would answer for the Regina Elk, and the score would move to 2-1. As the players regrouped, words could be heard between Otasrob and Juanary on their respective benches. The play would resume, but the shouting match would not end. At 5 minutes into the first period, the coaches would send out both Otasrob and Juanuary. As soon as the puck dropped, the gloves were off.

The Anchorage Faithful cheered on Otasrob from the stands. A fight in Juniors? Let's have a donnybrook! Otasrob kept his arm straight and hit a few jabs. His heavier weight and taller stature seemed to make him an early favorite - just like he had been a better prospect than Juanary, Otasrob also had the upperhand in a fight as well. But, Juanuary wouldn't go down so easy, Juanary would break Otasrob's grip and grab him from behind. Almost climbing up his back like a monkey, Juanary would get three blows straight to the back of Otasrob's head. With a final right hook, Juanary fell with his entire weight over the top of Otasrob - clearly winning the fight.

Otasrob spent the time in the box chirping at Juanary. "Let's go again." "You can't fight me toe to toe, you squirrelly runt." "Fight me like a real man!" But Juanary paid him no attention. Cheering on his team, as the five minutes came to an end, Thor Odinsson would beat Anchorage goalie George Walsh stick side and tie the game 2-2. As the doors of the penalty box swung open, Juanary skated at a full sprint to join his team in the celebration.

Anchorage would go on to win that game 4-3 on the back of a two goal performance by Georg N'Zola. But what about the two protagonists of our story?

Davos Otasrob has struggled on an Anchorage team that finds itself at the bottom of the table - 4 points clear of the next closest team. Fingers could be pointed in Otasrob's direction; his player rating is an abysmal -35 and he only has 6 points in 35 games.

Halfway through the season, Dan Juanary is just happy to still find himself on a SMJHL roster. The Elk are 12 points ahead of the Armada at the bottom of the standings, and Juanary has 8 points in 31 games played. The Elk have games in hand and could easily find themselves in the top half of the league standings if things go their way.

Why do we let hockey players fight? Is it to allow an outlet for the aggression that builds up in an inherently physical sport? Is it an admission that we as a species best motivate ourselves through displays of violence? I believe that, at its core, a fight is an expression of frustration. Some may fight because they're not meeting expectations that may have been placed on them by forces outside their control. For others, fighting is simply a way of life, the only avenue by which they can obtain anything in this world. Do they know that the fight cannot, by its very nature, change the outcome of the game they play?

Maybe a fight has more power than we realize. Maybe a fight can turn the tides of a battle because the fight will reveal who truly has nothing left to lose. As this cornerstone of the sport of hockey continues to drift further away from the mainstream, let's appreciate the role it's played in our storied history, and welcome new ways for men and women to compete at the highest levels of sport.

[1362 Words]
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#2

damn, I missed Dick Shivers.

“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. ... There are neither beginnings nor endings to the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.”

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#3

Approved +5 TPE for @Whikadoodle

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