When you follow the Flyers from the big stories down to the minutiae, you can get caught up in the details and forget to see the big picture. I’m beginning to think that this was the case with enforcer Jody Shelley, who showcased just why he was signed by Paul Holmgren last night against the Senators.
With the Senators getting chippy after being embarassed by the 6-2 score, Shelley declined a bout with Matt Carkner to take on Chris Neil, who was taking runs at many of the Flyers superstars. Shelley thoroughly took him to task and helped protect his teammates.
Shelley’s initial signing was met with skepticism due to the size and length of the contract for a guy who isn’t particularly adept at skating and scoring. He filled the role that Riley Cote used to serve, but Cote retired because he wasn’t intimidating enough to be effective.
Looking at the Flyers line-up, my initial thought was “Why do we need this guy?” The make-up of the team is still pretty physical without him, and there aren’t many teams post-lockout that have won the Stanley Cup employing goons.
Earlier this week, though, a line from Hockeybuzz blogger Ryan Garner, who covers the San Jose Sharks, caught my eye. It put Shelley’s usefulness into perspective:
“[Recently acquired Ben] Eager won’t do much on the scoresheet in his six or seven minutes a night, but he’ll fill the toughness void that was left by Jody Shelley’s departure last season. Shelley didn’t do a whole lot besides making whoever was standing next to him look better, but he did deter teams from taking liberties with the Sharks and their best players.”
I don’t have any way of proving that the Flyers’ lack of concussions or serious injuries are purely thanks to Shelley, but his usefulness is finally becoming clear.
