from Don Duval of WhatsOnThorold,

With the Evolution of the game, have we removed the emphasis on skill in favour of the excitement of speed? If we are to look closely, speed has bypassed the need for skill in today’s fast paced game of entertainment. We all love to see the players fly around the ice, give tremendous hits on opponents, shoot the puck into the corners and have three or four 6’ 3” - 225 pound players try to put each other through the boards. Now this is exciting! Or, is it?

Would you rather watch Sidney Crosby or Mike Richards make some moves and leave others asking “what happened?” But perhaps you love watching big bodies running into each other, does it take skill? If we were to look at the majority of the ‘best’ players in the NHL over the past several years, which players come to mind the quickest? I would guess most would mention Gretzky, Richards, Yzerman, Richards, Datsyuk and Lidstrom in this category. Have you noticed the big, strong, tough guys have very few who would fit into this exclusive group? Can we learn anything from these selections? The answer is yes!

As today’s game has evolved to size and speed, we do not have a great deal of need for the smaller, smarter player with more ability, but does not give us the glamour of monstrous hits. Also, it is easier to build such a player. We do not need to spend as much time teaching and developing his skills., Skills? Or, lack of ?

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