Best Pest In Show - hockey players

Hockey Digest, Feb, 2001 by Karl Samuelson

Whether dogging star forwards or hounding the crease, Tomas Holmstrom and the NHL's other top pests always manage to get under their opponent's skin

THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS WON two consecutive Stanley Cups in the mid-1970s by overcoming the offensive juggernauts of the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. A great deal of credit was justifiably bestowed upon Fred Shero, one of the most innovative coaches the game has ever known. Goaltender Bernie Parent won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the best playoff per. former, both years, and the superlative play of captain Bobby Clarke, sniper Reggie Leach, and outstanding forwards such as Bill Barber and Rick MacLeish are well documented. But lost in the, shadows is the work of super pest Bob Kelly. Nicknamed "The Hound" because, of this relentless play at all points on the. ice, Kelly was a vital cog in the Flyers, drive to the top.

"Bobby was a great forechecker and a real agitator," says the St. Louis Blues' all-time points leader Bernie Federko, now color analyst for the Blues' television network. "He was a little guy, but he could really skate and he used his speed to hurt you. Everything changes when you've got someone coming in at 100 miles per hour. He got under everyone's skin and that's what he did best. The defensemen knew Kelly was coming so they got rid of the puck more quickly than they should have. He used . his strength and his speed to try to punish other teams."

"Kelly was able to get people off their game and help change the momentum," says Blues assistant coach Mike Kitchen. "No player likes to get hit on the ice. It's embarrassing if you get knocked down, especially by a small player, and when you stand up the first thing you think of is retaliation. That's how pests draw a lot of their penalties. All they're really doing is finishing their checks. They're in on you so quickly they strip you of the puck. The embarrassment factor is just human nature and you want to get even right away instead of picking your spots."

The Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s was the direct antithesis of the Flyers. While the Philadelphia game was based on disciplined defensive play and "in your face" hockey, the Oilers devel oped a lightning-quick offensive attack and wore down the opposition with speed and finesse. Still, the Oilers employed one of the most irritating players to ever lace on a pair of skates: Esa Tikkanen. The contributions of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, and Grant Fuhr are legendary but the opposition was often so preoccupied with Tikkanen that it opened up the ice for his linemates. Typical of any hockey pest, opponents hated the hard-driving winger but Tikkanen was a hometown hero and one of the most popular players in Edmonton.

"Esa was a guy the fans always loved," says the St. Louis Blues' Tyson Nash, an Edmonton native. "He created so much havoc out there and was such fun to watch. Everybody liked Gretzky and Messier. With my skill level I knew I'd never be the next NHL scoring champion so I looked at Esa and modeled my game after his."

Speed and intensity are prerequisites for the job of a pest, but the most critical factor is the innate ability to get under the opponents skin and put them off their game. While rarely if ever placed on a team's top line, the pests make the best use of every minute of their ice time to frustrate the opposition and turn the game in their favor.

"Those players add a dimension to a team that is hard to quantify but you know when it's there," explains Blues assistant general manager John Ferguson Jr. "They are very tough to play. They discourage the other team mentally as well as physically. You know in a seven-game series you want to play with them and not against them and that's what it all comes down to" Every team in the league employs at least one of them but here are the ten pests that stand out from the crowd.

1. Tomas Holmstrom, Detroit Red Wings

Ask any goaltender Milch player they detest the most and Holmstrom's name is usually mentioned. While the fouryear veteran is effective in driving to the corners and putting on a strong forecheck, Holmstrom is at his irritating best when he sets up office in front Of the other team's net, throwing off the concentration of goalies and defensemen alike.

"Tomas is pesky because he's relentless," says Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Barry Smith. "He is relentless on the puck and he's relentless in front of the net and fighting for loose pucks. I don't think he's smart enough to know how to goad somebody into retaliation. He just plays hard. What happens is the other players are so ticked off because Tomas won't give up that they cross-check him or knock him down just to get rid of him and end up taking a penalty.

"What makes him different from a lot of other pesky players is Tomas Holmstrom is a power-play specialist who you can put out there with anybody. His ability to get other teams to concentrate on him, and to have goaltenders concerned about him has helped us tremendously. Sometimes it frees up somebody else for a rebound. Plus, Tomas tips a lot of pucks in front and can put it in himself. He protects the puck extremely well and it's hard to get it off him."