CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg was fed up with San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic by the end of Sunday’s game.
Within a 15-second span late in the game, Vlasic had delivered an elbow to Versteeg’s head and shortly later shoved him with two hands near his face after a Blackhawks goal. The shove was the final straw for Versteeg and his gloves came off.
With it, the Blackhawks became the final team in the NHL to be involved in a fight this season. They had gone 14 games without one. Ironically, Jeremy Morin became the second Blackhawk to fight 23 seconds later when he and Adam Burish went after each other.
The Blackhawks haven’t been a big fighting team in recent seasons -- they ranked 27th in the league with 16 fights last season -- but they have cut down on that just as most teams have throughout the league.
There had been 117 fights in the NHL through 225 games last season, according to hockeyfights.com. That number is down to 82 through 230 games following Tuesday’s NHL schedule. The Blackhawks have taken part in just those two fights.
“All of that stuff is never by design, but they say the numbers this year are down rapidly across the league,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Tuesday. “I think there’s been constantly each and every year been more ratio as far as the number of fights in the game. They usually start the season where fighting usually starts and wanes as the season goes on. But this season being down early could be an indication [of fewer fights]. You don’t see too many one-dimensional guys in the league anymore as well. So everybody needs energy guys. Fights that are caused by what happens on the ice is not a bad thing.”
Quenneville and most players do still feel fighting has a place in the game, but they can’t ignore the decreasing totals.
“I think that part of the game is slowly coming out,” Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell said. “There’s obviously times where things like that escalate that to happen. I didn’t know we were the last team. There were some emotions on both sides [against the Sharks] to make things happen. We’re just going to stand up for our players, and if things happen out there, we’ll stand up.”
Versteeg certainly believed there was a reason to stand up for himself against Vlasic. The Sharks have a way of making people feel like that. They along with the Buffalo Sabres lead the league with 12 fights this season.
“When you get cross-checked in the net a couple of times and slashed, it’s generally a chemical reaction in the brain,” Versteeg said. “I don’t think you’re very happy about it.”
Versteeg holds an old-school approach to the game. He also believes fighting is still necessary in the NHL and respects those who are willing to do it.
“I’m not going to say there’s not a need because I grew up, I guess, in a game where it’s needed for certain times and certain momentum swings,” said Versteeg, who has been in nine career NHL fights. “And guys put a lot of their heart and soul into being able to fight. A lot of those guys have the toughest job in the game. I’m not going to say it’s not needed. It’s definitely trending in a direction where there’s a lot less to it.”
The Blackhawks’ lineup as of late has been further proof where the game is going. Quenneville has traditionally preferred to have an enforcer/energy type of player in his lineup. Brandon Bollig filled that role last season.
The Blackhawks specifically signed Daniel Carcillo just before the season began because they believed it was important to have that element in the lineup. But since Carcillo has been out of action since Oct. 25 due to an injury, the Blackhawks haven’t possessed someone in their lineup who would fit that mold. The Blackhawks have been playing with 12 versatile forwards who have given Quenneville the luxury of blending his lines in a variety of ways.
Versteeg said it’s not that the Blackhawks don’t have players who are willing to fight if they feel the situation calls for it, but it’s not their focus.
“I think our team we’re by committee a lot of it,” Versteeg said. “It’s not really about going out there and winning fights that are going to win the game. I think we definitely try to play as four lines who can all compete and create offense and play defense at the same time.
“I think you have some guys in the lineup that can step up and do that. Guys have done it before. It’s not going to be an everyday occurrence. But I think when it needs to happen, it’ll happen.”
