Hordichuk's expertise

EDMONTON - In the end, the Vancouver Canucks got pushed around, then pushed right out of the Stanley Cup final by the big, bad Boston Bruins.

So you can imagine the scrappy Darcy Hordichuk, who was unceremoniously dealt away by Vancouver three days before the start of last season, watched with interest as the Canucks came up lacking in his precise area of expertise.

"That was the series where (Vancouver) needed a guy," said Hordichuk, who finds himself now riding the range in Edmonton, with a fresh, young crop of Oilers skill players to fit under his protective wing.

Hordichuk showed his wares Thursday night at Rexall Place, as he battled for a spot on Edmonton's fourth line. He fought Vancouver hopeful Todd Fedoruk twice and laid the body consistently on any Canuck that brought the puck through his area code.

Like him or not, Hordichuk - who landed a one-year, $825,000 deal with Edmonton, his sixth NHL stop at age 31 - knows how to make an impression. He stamped his passport with authority here in Oil Country Thursday, as a nice upgrade on the departed Zack Stortini and a sturdy backup to free-agent signing Ben Eager, on an Oilers team that is apparently tired of being pushed around.

Hordichuk spent last season in Florida, then watched as Boston's Brad Marchand and Shawn Thornton abused the skilled Canucks with impunity as the Cup final wore on. That's where Hordichuk comes in. Or, he would have come in, had the Canucks not sent him packing.

"It's like having a gun in the house," he said of having a player of his skill set on the roster. "You're not going to use it a lot of the time, but when you need it, it's there.

"It wasn't there, and it was the biggest games of the year."

The disconnect between hockey players and the hockey world has been remarkable to watch this fall. The atmosphere around fighting in hockey has never been more charged; never before have those of us who don't strap the gear on in the NHL, spent so much time and angst discussing whether fighting has a role in the game anymore.

Then the games started. And on the ice, they are playing as if not a single player reads a newspaper, watches a television, or goes online where the debate rages on.

The Penticton B.C. rookie tournament attended by both these organizations was rife not only with spontaneous fights, but featured even more staged fights, as young players made sure to show scouts and managers in attendance how they could handle themselves in a scrap.

And in two Oilers exhibition games, Hordichuk has found dance partners three times. There were four tussles in Vancouver's 2-1 win Thursday evening.

Of course, you may be able to guess what side of the debate Hordichuk falls on.

"It's embarrassing," he said of the introspection going on around the game these days. "I just watched a UFC fight, and the guy got hit more in one round than I have in my whole career. And they're talking about hockey and fighting…

"It's preseason, I've looked at the rosters. We've got eight games and I'm probably going to have eight fights. I'm motivated this year, I'm excited."

Doesn't exactly sound like the classic, conflicted heavyweight, does he? On Thursday the emphasis was on "Chuck," not his nickname Hordy, and Oilers coach shoed his appreciation by sending his slugger over the boards for a late shift in a one-goal game - a sign the coach is pleased.

In fact, the ultimate failure of the Canucks last spring may have been good news for all of the Hordichuks and Fedoruks out there. In the end, mite was right as Boston won the Cup - whether the pacifists like to hear that or not.

It's something that doesn't surprise Hordichuk, when it comes to his former team.

"Against Chicago, as soon as they inject (Ben) Eager into the lineup, it slowed down (Alex) Burrows, it slows down (Ryan) Kesler… Those guys don't become as tough. They can't play their game.

"At the end of the day, Thornton helped out a lot of us guys in that role. Had Vancouver won, again, every team is trying to be like Detroit. 'We didn't need that toughness.' But what he did in that series, and Lucic and Marchand and guys, I think it's going to change Vancouver's approach."

Mark Spector is the senior columnist on sportsnet.ca