Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 19, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba SPORTS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM B6 SUNDAY JANUARY 19, 2020 SIDELINE CHATTER BY DWIGHT PERRY — The Seattle Times B RENDAN Smith caught his breath for a few seconds on the bench before New York Rangers coach David Quinn called his name again. Smith had just skated a shift as a defenceman and was needed at for- ward, too. The natural defenceman hopped over the boards and got back on the ice at a different position. “The more I do it, I get more com- fortable,” he said. Smith is one of a couple of throw- back-style players bouncing between forward and defence this season. He and Florida’s Mark Pysyk are the lat- est to follow the lead of Hall of Fam- ers Red Kelly and Mark Howe and present-day Brent Burns and Dustin Byfuglien, and their experience could open the door for more multiposition players in a sport that usually defines being a centre, wing or defenceman very specifically. “It’s definitely different,” Pysyk said. “I think guys at this level probably could make the switch given enough time to get comfortable with their new position because everybody skates well.” Kordell Stewart earned the nick- name ‘Slash’ by playing quarterback and wide receiver in the NFL and slugger/pitcher Shohei Otani can star for the Los Angeles Angels in multiple ways in baseball. But specialization in hockey starts early as it does in other sports — forwards, defencemen and goalies all tend to be identified as such at a young age. Smith recently shifted from his regular wing position back to defence to fill amid injuries, and the same night, Pysyk — back for another stint at forward — scored his third goal of the season. For one game in November, (almost) lifelong defenceman Tyler Lewington played a few shifts up front for the salary-cap strapped Washington Capitals when they could only dress 11 forwards. “There’s a lot more to a forward’s game than I thought before,” said Lew- ington, 25, who hadn’t played forward since he was 10. “It’s something that’s not easy.” This kind of thing was more com- mon in the 1920s and ’30s, Kelly played his first 12-plus seasons in Detroit as a defenceman and next eight-plus in Toronto as a forward, winning the Stanley Cup eight times — four at each position. Howe played his first three World Hockey Association seasons as a left-winger alongside dad Gordie and brother Marty before switching to defence full-time. Before video was more prevalent, Howe used to watch game replays late at night to figure out how to hone his game on the blue line. He made the Hall of Fame primarily for his time as a defenceman. Before and after his transition, he noticed differences like fewer scoring chances in practice as a defenceman — and more idle time on the bench as a forward biding his time for the next shift. Now pro scouting director with the Detroit Red Wings, Howe called Smith the perfect example of a player who can adjust to the variations of playing forward and defence. “(As a defenceman) it’s more of a game of you go when you can, but you have to be responsible defensively. You have to learn to read and when to jump up in the play,” Howe said. “As a forward, you’re learning at key points of the game: ‘When do you try to make a play? When is it a smart play to dump the puck in the corner? When do you definitely not want to turn a puck over?’ And with both (positions), you take dif- ferent chances.” While Pysyk hadn’t played defence since he was 6 or 7 until earlier this season, Quinn knew from recruit- ing Smith to Boston University that this dual role was possible. Quinn asked Smith last season to try it, and it worked so well that it has stuck, with Smith also killing penalties as a defenceman. “You’ve got a guy who obviously plays forward 5-on-5 but he’s been one of our better (penalty) killing defence- men,” Quinn said. “It gives you a little bit of flexibility on your roster, which is always nice game in and game out.” Three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville trusts Pysyk the same way. He won the Cup in 2010 with Chicago moving Byfuglien back and forth and using the combination of his big frame, hard shot and smooth skating as an advantage. “That versatility was a great asset to have in playoff series,” Quenneville recalled. “Sometimes you could put him on a forward line to create space, I’d like to say, on power play (as a) net-front presence, but then you’ve got a big shot at the point. You could multi-task with him in the course of the games.” The same was possible for Burns when he played forward and defence with Minnesota earlier in his career. He became a full-time defenceman before a 2011 trade to San Jose and won the Norris Trophy as the best player at that position in 2017. Quenneville likes having a defence- man at forward at times because they tend think of the game more conserva- tively. “They usually have that mindset of being above the puck, so they keep themselves in the play, and defen- sively they have that responsibility,” Quenneville said. “You get to handle the puck a little bit more, but I think they’re always in that position where offensively they’re complementing the guys they’re playing with, being either the safety guy or the extra guy that’s always going to be in the right spots.” Pysyk, who’d prefer to play defence but can do both, is still getting used to the idea that he is not always the last guy back. “It’s weird seeing a pass go past you and then chasing it from the other end,” he said. Smith, who is in his 10th NHL sea- son, is more comfortable on defence but thinks he could be a ‘slash” player if need be. “The biggest adjustment would be to change your mindset of defensive to offensive and knowing where to be at the right time because there’s so many moving parts,” Smith said. “The hard- est part is making sure that you can mentally prepare yourself for it.” Vegas Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith sees his brother playing two different positions and knows he — and many others — wouldn’t be able to handle it. “I can’t skate backward, can’t stop anyone,” Reilly Smith said. “It takes a lot of versatility to be able to do that.” —The Associated Press Double duty Defencemen as wingers show it can be done STEPHEN WHYNO Have no passport, will not travel Casey DeSmith just coined a new hockey term: the stay-at- home goaltender. DeSmith, the netminder for the minor-league Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins, missed out on a call-up to join the parent Pittsburgh team in Montreal because he misplaced his pass- port. You know what they say in puck circles: It pays to fore- check. Talking the talk • RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com, on Jeanne Calment — who died at age 122 in 1997 — attributing her longevity to olive oil, port and “regular smiling”: “Oh, well; at least Bill Belichick can buy olive oil and port.” • Syndicated columnist Norman Chad, on NFL color commen- tators: “Going from Booger McFarland to Tony Romo is like going from Earl Scheib to Pablo Picasso.” Pass the crumpets Three or more teas a week can mean a longer and healthier life, according to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Note to Draymond Green: That’s teas, not T’s. The Big Uneasy Another New Orleans team — the Pelicans — were livid over a last-second no-call in a 128-126 loss to the Jazz. Just who do NBA refs think they are, NFL refs? Quote, end quote • Bruce Penton of the Medicine Hat (Alberta) News, projecting 34-year-old Alex Ovechkin’s chances of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time mark of 894 NHL goals: “Five more years at 40 goals per year and The Great One will be The Great Two.” • Jim Barach of JokesByJim. blogspot.com, after West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins was fined $10,000 for calling referees “Three Blind Mice”: “Unfortunately for him they weren’t also deaf.” • ESPN’s Adam Schefter, via Twitter: “No more need for Cleveland to rush their head- coaching hire; Browns have their choice of the field.” • Jack Finarelli of SportsCur- mudgeon.com, on the Dolphins firing offensive co-ordinator Chad O’Shea: “Confession: I could not pick him out of a lineup with the WNBA All-Star Team.” Good while it lasted Hawaii America’s least depressed state, in the estimation of QuoteWizard.com. At least it is until the Miami Marlins relocate to Honolulu. JEFFREY T. BARNES / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien was a force with the Chicago Blackhawks as both a forward and a blue-liner during their 2010 Stanley Cup run. FRANK FRANKLIN II / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES AMY SANCETTA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Philadelphia Flyers’ Mark Howe (2) was a multi-positional, Hall of Fame player. KARL B DEBLAKER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Florida Panthers’ Mark Pysyk thinks more players could play multiple positions. TONY AVELAR / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES San Jose Sharks D-man Brent Burns played up front and on the blue-line while with Minnesota. The New York Rangers Brendan Smith (left) is a natural defenceman who is often called upon to play a shift up front. ;