Defensive side

I'd like to take the time to write a little, or a lot depending on how I feel, about the state of defense in the NHL, especially our Senators, today.

To quickly introduce why I'd do this; all my hockey playing career, which consisted mostly of minor hockey as a child, pond hockey behind my home in rural Newfoundland, and nowadays any type of putting a stick to a small object that I can be a part of. I was a defensemen. I've dedicated my time in the past few years to becoming schooled in the art of defense and all the theoretical and practical knowledge I can find on doing it effectively.

This year the Senators got a little bigger and, arguably, a lot slower on defense. I have no problems with this. I don't really care if any of our defense is potting any more than 10-15 points a year just as long as they are solid when keeping the other team off the scoreboard. Throw some body around, stick check, block shots, cover your man - or area - diligently, take your time and create space for yourself, and never take the puck before the man on a one-on-one.

I've come to a conclusion. I hate the moniker of offensive defensemen, I truly believe that this conflict of ideas, an abstraction if you will, and cannot actually exist. Alas, the term has persisted, and grows, each season to describe any defensemen who is; a little faster out of his own end, can score more than 10 goals or near 50 points a season, makes passes that cross the red line from behind their blueline.

Whatever...

These guys rarely do a good job as a defensemen, and have only vague dreams of being Bobby Orr as they sleep at night.