[Cat Smasher]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/...eir_fists.html

Truculence — so lacking under Ron Wilson — is back in a big way under Randy Carlyle.

The Maple Leafs are among the lead leaders in fighting majors (seven through the first seven games), with the lion’s share of the poundings being delivered by heavyweight Colton Orr and middleweight Mike Brown.

...

“Our players have to feel they’re protected,” said Carlyle. “When you have a 48-game schedule, the points mean so much more and those are the things that set the tone. I would say if you look at the league as whole, I think there’s been a revitalization of that role on various teams. Teams have gone out and acquired that.”

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The Leafs got a little more truculent when they added forward Frazer McLaren, claiming him off waivers from the San Jose Sharks. Carlyle called McLaren a “George Parros-type.”

Far from being joining the dodo bird and dinosaurs on the extinction calendar, Carlyle believes fighting is here to stay in the NHL.

“It’s a part of the game that won’t go away,” said Carlyle. “I know there are people that want it out of the game. But I don’t think it’s going as quickly as some people would like. It’s a fact of life in the NHL.”