Defensive hockey is more than just the defencemen though. If the forwards aren't committed to playing hard without the puck, coming back hard into their own zone when they lose the puck and picking up their checks, the best group of defencemen in the world can't look good on a team like that. Conversely, if everyone on the team is committed to playing well defensively, that makes the job of an average defence that much easier.Originally Posted by HomerSimpson
Spokane has allowed by far the fewest goals in the league which to me, means they have a good team commitment to defensive hockey. That makes the job of everyone on their defence, including Cowen, much easier than the defencemen on some other teams.
It's really, really hard to pick one out of that group of Cowen, Elliott, and Barrie. They are all going to be huge stars in this league by the end of their careers here, and probably in the NHL as well. It's a tough group and they're all great players.
And for the guy who keeps bringing up Niemi in these discussions - he's 17, not 16.