The new league mandates on obstruction and the hurry-up faceoff rule have turned the game back over to the skill players and put a premium on fighting. As a result, role players -- enforcers, goons, energy guys -- are seeing less ice time.
While it's difficult to imagine fighting completely disappearing from hockey, we asked our staff of analysts and writers the following:
Below is a list of players who fit into a loosly defined role of enforcer: They are players who are either specifically on their team to fill that role, have served in that role for lack of a better candidate or have filled the role in the past.
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PLAYER
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IN
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OUT
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SKINNY
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ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
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Kevin Sawyer
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Can't score into an empty net.
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ATLANTA THRASHERS
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Jeff Odgers
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Solid team guy, hanging on by leadership skills.
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Francis Lessard
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10 career games, 51 career PIMs.
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BOSTON BRUINS
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Sean Brown
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Barely. Has made appearances on the power play.
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P.J. Stock
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Can skate and disturb without hurting his team.
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BUFFALO SABRES
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Eric Boulton
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Leads the league in PIMs (66) despite averaging just 5:03 of ice time.
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Rob Ray
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Although, his leadership skills and savvy earn him the benefit of the doubt.
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CALGARY FLAMES
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Craig Berube
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Jarome Iginla already has begun to fight his own battles.
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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
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Bob Probert
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Once the reigning champ, now just a press-box observer who's could be close to retiring.
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COLORADO AVALANCHE
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Scott Parker
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Even in limited ice time, he has a tendency to take bad penalties.
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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
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Jody Shelley
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65 career games, 259 career PIMs, 6 career points.
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DALLAS STARS
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Aaron Downey
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Was he a bonafide NHLer under the old standards?
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EDMONTON OILERS
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Georges Laraque
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Heavyweight who can play. Plus, who's going to tell him he's out?
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FLORIDA PANTHERS
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Brad Ference
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Nothing flashy, but can be a decent stay-at-home defenseman.
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Peter Worrell
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Neither skill -- fighting or scoring -- is particularly impressive.
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LOS ANGELES KINGS
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Ken Belanger
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Typical tough guy who's earned the respect of his teammates.
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MINNESOTA WILD
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Matt Johnson
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Has hung on longer than his contributions warrant.
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Jason Marshall
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Doesn't emabarrass himself on the blue line.
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NEW JERSEY DEVILS
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Jim McKenzie
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Close call, but the warranty is about to expire.
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Colin White
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Legitimate top-six defenseman on most teams.
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NEW YORK ISLANDERS
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Jason Wiemer
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If he stops trying to prove how tough he is, he can become as good as junior teammate Adam Deadmarsh.
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Eric Cairns
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PUSH
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You can't teach size (6-6, 232).
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Steve Webb
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A good skater. The type of player who should stay on this side of the fence.
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NEW YORK RANGERS
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Matthew Barnaby
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He talks better than he punches, anyway.
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Sandy McCarthy
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Has proven he's got good hands for a tough guy.
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Krzysztof Oliwa
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Hasn't gotten better with time.
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Dale Purinton
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Some say there is still hope.
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OTTAWA SENATORS
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Dennis Bonvie
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The posterboy for the expendable. Will be the odd man out when Neil returns to the lineup.
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Chris Neil
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More than just a toughguy. Career stats: 72 games, 10-7-17, plus-5, 231 PIMs.
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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
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Donald Brashear
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Has proven he can play ... and has been trying to shed the enforcer mantle, anyway.
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Todd Fedoruk
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Has good wheels for a 250-pounder.
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PHOENIX COYOTES
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Darcy Hordichuk
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Often hurts his team more than he helps.
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Andrei Nazarov
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Not that he's an artist, but his ability to aggravate comes in handy.
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Todd Simpson
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Has worn the "C" and is a good leader, if not a great defenseman.
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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
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Steve McKenna
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Could score ... if put on a line with Mario.
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ST. LOUIS BLUES
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Reed Low
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Is a good enough skater and is much improved, but has a tendency to run around.
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TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
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Chris Dingman
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Barely. Some say he's a servicable power forward. Others say his feet and hands are too slow.
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Andre Roy
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Close call. When he puts his mind to it, he can play ... sometimes.
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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
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Tie Domi
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His seven points in 13 games this season prove he can contribute in non-fighting roles.
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Wade Belak
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Not good enough ... at two positions.
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VANCOUVER CANUCKS
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Darren Langdon
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Couldn't crack the 'Canes' lineup during the playoffs last year.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS
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Stephen Peat
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The type who will hang around, unless fighting is banned altogether.
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