2010-11 Worst Enforcing Team

[JKidd]

Nominees

Detroit Red Wings - 13 fights
The benchmark for this award, the Red Wings return to defend their title. Just when you think last years minuscule 19 fights were bad, they come back with even less... 13. Gone from recent years is Aaron Downey, Brad May and Dallas Drake, replacing them is Todd Bertuzzi, Justin Abdelkader, and Jonathan Ericsson. To put 13 into comparison, 20 players have just as many or more, and the Blues, who led the league in FMs, had 78. Bob Probert is rolling in his grave at this team.

Nashville Predators - 18 fights
Another visit from the Preds to this dubious list. On the outside, they appear tough with the likes of Shane O'Brien, Jordin Tootoo and Wade Belak. But in reality, Tootoo missed a lot of time due to personal issues, Belak never played and eventually was waived, and O'Brien continued his decline in the fighting major department to just 5.

Phoenix Coyotes - 23 fights
Oh the Coyotes... their future is up in the air as a franchise, but here on ground level, they were awful in the fight department this past year. Paul Bissonnette held down the fort with over half of the team's total fights (13 by himself), but after that, Vernon Fiddler and Derek Morris round out the crew of players with more than one fight (two a piece). The worst part, is seeing Taylor Pyatt square off with Deryk Engelland during a line brawl. I doubt Pyatt even remembers it, as he was knocked silly on his way to the ice.

Tampa Bay Lightning - 20 fights
No team saw a bigger decrease in fights compared to the year prior. From 73 fights down to 20. Yes, you read that correctly... less than a third comparatively. Gone are Matt Walker and Zenon Kenopka who held teams accountable. In this year, Steve Downie who tested himself with Chris Neil and Ryan Malone who got knocked down in a one sided loss to the Sharks' Jamie McGinn.

Carolina Hurricanes - 25 fights
To the Canes credit, they tried to address toughness in snagging the Ducks Troy Bodie from waivers. On paper, not too bad. Tim Gleason, Jay Harrison and Troy Bodie... but considering Gleason and Harrison are defenseman - with Gleason playing bigger minutes overall as a shutdown guy, it doesn't leave much with just Bodie.

My pick

I didn't vote for them one year, but this year there is no team that deserves it more than the Detroit Red Wings (my hometown Minnesota Wild are a close 2nd though). They're just awful to watch if you like physical, tough hockey, and the lack of anything resembling an enforcer - other then their power play - is comical.

Past winners

2003-04: Detroit Red Wings
2005-06: Detroit Red Wings
2006-07: Detroit Red Wings
2007-08: Detroit Red Wings (The one year I didn't vote for them)
2008-09: Detroit Red Wings
2009-10: Detroit Red Wings

[BrianTheAdsFan]

Like the Norris perpetually belongs to Lidstrom, so does this award to the Wings.

Barely.

[Trognitz]

toss-up tween detroit and tampa. tampa almost deserves it having downie but the wings are just too euro sad

[kam]

Detroit slight edge over Nashville for me. The entire Norris div.., oops sorry, Central division, just ain't what it used to be.

[Pillager]

Detroit gets it once again. This is pretty much a sure thing. If Vegas gave odds on this, I put quite a bit of money down on the fact that they'll have the fewest FM next year, too.

[Fatt Patt]

I'll write in the Habs (surprised they're not a choice) With Pacioretty hit an no retaliation makes then a default candidate to me.

[RayzorEdge]

Not much of a contest here. Anyone on the Wings that could fight would end up in Grand Rapids.

[McDonald19]

Detroit every year until they add a legit fighter.

[brandonh19]

Originally Posted by Fatt Patt

I'll write in the Habs (surprised they're not a choice) With Pacioretty hit an no retaliation makes then a default candidate to me.

hit the nail on the head, enforcing in hockey is when an incident happens and someone needs to stand up Habs have no players that can stand up or enforce. Just becase they can fight doesnt mean they are good at it.

[bruiser11]

There are others below the Habs.

[Wild_KO King]

Is there a chance that this award will be named the "The Red Wing Award" next year?

[Sapunka16]

Why on earth are the Montreal Canadiens not even an option?

They absolutely exemplify the opposite of what "enforcing" is.

A great enforcing team stands up for itself, doesn't allow cheap shots on teammates, and doesn't get beat up or pushed around. Therefore, the worst enforcing team is a group of players who consistently sits back as the opposition takes runs at them, kicks their ass, only to have absolutely no response.

The Montreal Canadiens were absolutely the perfect example of the worst enforcing team this season.

Find any team in the NHL that allowed THIS MUCH to happen to them and I'll vote for them, until then my vote is the inexplicably-absent-from-the-options Montreal Canadiens.

[skacore]

Gotta go with the obvious pick here, the Red Wings. Although as it's been stated, they don't deserve 6 straight. The one year they were voted worst simply because they won the cup and people were upset with that. Downey, McCarty, Drake on a team automatically cancel you out. ANYWAYS... that wasn't 2011. They win... well, lose, this year.

[29th_Candidate]

Originally Posted by Sapunka16

Why on earth are the Montreal Canadiens not even an option?

They absolutely exemplify the opposite of what "enforcing" is.

A great enforcing team stands up for itself, doesn't allow cheap shots on teammates, and doesn't get beat up or pushed around. Therefore, the worst enforcing team is a group of players who consistently sits back as the opposition takes runs at them, kicks their ass, only to have absolutely no response.

The Montreal Canadiens were absolutely the perfect example of the worst enforcing team this season.

Find any team in the NHL that allowed THIS MUCH to happen to them and I'll vote for them, until then my vote is the inexplicably-absent-from-the-options Montreal Canadiens.

Hear, hear.

The selections need to be modified to include the hapless Habs. There's just no excuse for this glaring omission.

[MOFOR]

Originally Posted by Sapunka16

Why on earth are the Montreal Canadiens not even an option?

They absolutely exemplify the opposite of what "enforcing" is.

A great enforcing team stands up for itself, doesn't allow cheap shots on teammates, and doesn't get beat up or pushed around. Therefore, the worst enforcing team is a group of players who consistently sits back as the opposition takes runs at them, kicks their ass, only to have absolutely no response.

The Montreal Canadiens were absolutely the perfect example of the worst enforcing team this season.

Find any team in the NHL that allowed THIS MUCH to happen to them and I'll vote for them, until then my vote is the inexplicably-absent-from-the-options Montreal Canadiens.

Jacque Martin is the biggest wuss coach ever, he fully deserves part of the blame for not wanting his players to respond, he use to do this with Ottawa.

He seems to be proud of his team showing no emotions or any fight in them.