Tony Twist on what the NHL has lost without enforcers; says players to blame as much as league
PUBLICATION
TJ Tucker
March 31, 2023 (10:46)
One of the most feared men to ever put on an NHL jersey is disappointed in the way the league has gone over the past two decades. Tony Twist was involved in 104 fights over his 10 year NHL career (close to 500 he claims, if you include juniors, minors, the bars, and the streets). He told The Athletic that there's no question the game is better today skill-wise, but the lack of enforcers means players have lost the ability to police themselves. With that, he insists that the game is worse because of it.
"The intimidation set the tone so that everybody could play and the fans got to watch the best players: Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky, Al MacInnis. Nobody's taking cheap shots. Why? Nuclear weapons. Mike Keenan instilled in me, 'It's not how many times you fight. It's how many times you don't have to fight because your presence is enough to keep everybody in line.'"
Twist added the last of the "gunslingers" in the NHL were gone around the year 2000. He said he gets it, but modern day players are letting things go that shouldn't be.
Still, that doesn't mean everybody has to lay down and throw their f—— binky in the middle of the ice when they see something happen. They don't have to skate by and pretend they didn't see it. The whole mindset has changed, and I blame the league, but I also blame the players for buying into the league's program. When you take the opportunity to police yourselves out of the game and expect the league to police for you, nobody's doing that."
What that, Twist believes the locker room leadership simply isn't there anymore like it was in years past.
"At the end of the day, it takes a passing of the baton to make a championship team, and you can't build a baton-passer. He builds himself. His testimony and performance dictates that he can pass the baton. Those guys that have the baton, well, it's either not being recognized by that player or there's no responsibility to owning the value you have to that team. I'm tired of hearing the whiny little f—– who says, 'The world is against me.' No, you know what? Own your job! Own it! Find an answer. Don't whine. Don't make excuses. Own the job. I want to see more of that, and then the rest will follow suit."
Twist explained that third and fourth lines have become nothing more than ice-time eaters. They no longer have an impact on the game on or off the ice.
"As a consequence, your third and fourth lines are mutes. Their influence on the game can only be measured by their minutes on the ice. When, in fact, your third and fourth lines, when given the opportunity, will keep the team in check. So it's not the minutes on the ice as much as it's the minutes off the ice and how valuable that player can be in the dressing room and in practice."
Twist's words will surely ring true with old-school fans who continuously lament the lack of fighting and enforcers in today's game. At the same time, it seems the league has attempted to get away from it because of the serious and long-lasting injuries that many of those enforcers were left to deal with when their careers ended. It's very unlikely the NHL ever goes back to the days of the "Wild West" mentality in the NHL.
| POLL |
MARS 31 | 350 ANSWERS Tony Twist on what the NHL has lost without enforcers; says players to blame as much as league Does hockey need enforcers? |
| Yes, for the exact reasons Tony said | 251 | 71.7 % |
| No, it's a different game now | 65 | 18.6 % |
| Not sure | 34 | 9.7 % |
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