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“Should I? Should I? Should I fight him?” Chris Kreider yelled at the New York Rangers‘ bench. “Yes!” they all screamed. But before he could turn and to drop his gloves, P.K. Subban had jumped off the ice. The indecision spoke volumes. Neither man is a fighter. Kreider is a 6-foot-3, 226-pound intellectual out of Boston College, and Subban is one of hockey’s best trash talkers. Whoever said that enforcers were not needed was gravely mistaken.
Kreider planted the seed in the rivalry when he took out Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price in Game 1 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals. However, the Habs did not carry out any acts of retaliation toward the young forward. That all changed this morning when a member of the Canadiens said that if he was on the ice in Game 1, “Kreider would have needed shin pads on the back of his leg.”
It was no surprise seeing Kreider and Subban tangled early on in the playoff-like atmosphere that consumed the World’s Most Famous Arena. However, watching Subban evade a fight with No. 20 in blue was perplexing. At first, it seemed as though Subban was embracing the leadership role he has taken with this young Habs team, standing up for his All-Star goaltender. Kreider, knowing the entire city of Montreal has declared him Public Enemy No. 1, was ready to throw down.
While admirable, it is a blessing that the fight between Kreider and Subban never came into fruition. Kreider is coming off of hand surgery that kept him out of most of the second half of last season. His return in Game 4 of the Conference Semifinals refueled the Rangers during their run to the cup. On the Canadien blueline, Subban is invaluable. The team thrives on his phenomenal skills and feeds off of his emotions. The Habs cannot afford to lose the engine that motored them to the conference finals.
It is for this reason that enforcers are required. Not long after the Subban-Kreider altercation, Tanner Glass and Brandon Prust were exchanging heavyweight blows in front of the Blueshirts’ bench. While both men took a beating, there is a mutual respect amongst fighters. They know their roles and go about it in a very sportsmanlike manner. That manner lacks when non-enforcers attempt to enter the ring on the ice.
Fighting has always brought peace. It is no different in the NHL. Since the league began its crusade to eliminate fighting, the “code of conduct” on the ice has gone astray. Without the code, the game becomes more dangerous. Fighting keeps the game we love safe.
Adam Feld is a Rangers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @trublunyblog. Like him on facebook or add him to your network on google
