manny
12-27-2005, 07:55 AM
Ex-plosive!
Never mind Outkast. Defenseman Garnet Exelby is the biggest hit-maker in Atlanta.
By Jon Cooper
It used to be that "hitting the ice" was something every hockey player relished and couldn't wait to do.
Garnet Exelby is changing that.
The Thrashers' third-year defenseman has given opponents a different, all too literal, and not nearly as pleasant meaning to the phrase.
http://atlantathrashers.com/Resources/News/Xhit_122205_220.jpg"He's got to be one of the most feared hitters in the league," said fellow Thrashers blue-liner Shane Hnidy. "His timing, the way he's able to step up at the appropriate time and hit guys, that's a skill that not everyone has. Everyone thinks you can just do that, no problem. But being able to do that without putting yourself at risk or out of position is hard to do. He's exceptional at it."
"That open-ice hitting is a skill just like being a 50-goal scorer," said defenseman Andy Sutton, the only current Thrasher defenseman who played with Exelby prior to this season. "It's very difficult to do and 'X' is very good at it. It's important to have a guy on your team that can add that dimension and instill that sort of fear among opposing forwards."
If ever there was a case of practice makes perfect it's the 24-year-old Exelby, the team's leading hitter with 75 hits.
"It's something I've always been able to do fairly well," he said. "I just try to keep a solid stance. I don't try to use my whole upper body, try to push more from my legs and pursue the guy. I guess it would be similar to a lineman in football or something like that. You get nice and low and get push from the legs. Other than that, I just try to get him when he's not expecting me. So it's a little less impact."
"There's a lot of timing in that," he added. "Just try to time it so they don't see me coming, which usually works out for the better. Sometimes I need to take the body because I think I'm going to be able to get the puck but when I get there, that's not the case so I have to take one or the other."
There are those who say that the 'New NHL' has taken physicality out of the game, but in only his second full season the eighth-round draft pick (217th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft is proving those people wrong. Exelby is determined to make potential goal scorers pay an exorbitant price every chance he gets.
"'X' keeps players on the other side real honest," said Thrashers Head Coach Bob Hartley. "They know that if they come up the ice with their head down they might have a price to pay. That plays on many players' minds."
Exelby not only has adapted to the NHL's new rules, he has thrived.
http://atlantathrashers.com/Resources/News/Exelby_Forsberg_122205_170.jpg"I don't mind them," he said. "There's less time back in the defensive zone, you're backing the puck up so you have to be prepared to maybe not make the play you always want to, like you may have to just whip [the puck] around the boards. On the penalty kill you have to be careful because you're stretched because there is no red line. It's a little tricky to cover the back but also kind of keep a big gap and not get caught flat-footed when they're breaking up the ice. I think I've adapted pretty well. You just have to keep those things in mind. I haven't had too many problems with the hooking and using my free hand, stuff like that. I think I've been going pretty well so far."
In fact, faster players lead to greater impact.
"The faster it is, the harder the impact usually. So I wouldn't necessarily say it's more fun," he said, then added with a laugh, "You know what? They're all fun."
Veteran defenseman Greg de Vries has had a lot of fun playing with Exelby, who has been remarkably durable, having played in every game since having to sit out the season opener in Florida with a leg bruise.
"I really enjoy 'X'," said de Vries. "The thing I enjoy most is the way he hits people. I know playing my side, he'll come across quite a bit and the guy's maybe focusing on me and he'll come across and hit him hard, which is a hard thing to do. I'm not an open-ice hitter so it's quite a talent he's got there. He's really intense. He's ready to play every night. He moves the puck well and being a young guy like that he's only going to get better."
While de Vries appreciates Exelby's presence which opens up extra skating room, his Thrashers teammates simply appreciate the opportunity to watch him ply his craft.
"He's caught so many guys coming through the middle," Sutton said then laughed. "There should be a stat for how many rotations you can make a guy do before he hits the ice. You know how they have the degree of difficulty in diving, maybe his is the degree of rotation. I think 'X' probably has the record on that one."
Knowing the importance of his role and that he has the confidence of his teammates, Exelby is determined to keep the hits coming.
"Anybody can get hit out there," he said. "So if someone's sitting on the bench and they see a big hit on the opposing team, they might think twice about cutting in the middle or making a high-risk play. I think any time the team's coming out a little flat, if there's a big hit out there it can spark the team a little bit and get the energy up."
Jon Cooper is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.
Never mind Outkast. Defenseman Garnet Exelby is the biggest hit-maker in Atlanta.
By Jon Cooper
It used to be that "hitting the ice" was something every hockey player relished and couldn't wait to do.
Garnet Exelby is changing that.
The Thrashers' third-year defenseman has given opponents a different, all too literal, and not nearly as pleasant meaning to the phrase.
http://atlantathrashers.com/Resources/News/Xhit_122205_220.jpg"He's got to be one of the most feared hitters in the league," said fellow Thrashers blue-liner Shane Hnidy. "His timing, the way he's able to step up at the appropriate time and hit guys, that's a skill that not everyone has. Everyone thinks you can just do that, no problem. But being able to do that without putting yourself at risk or out of position is hard to do. He's exceptional at it."
"That open-ice hitting is a skill just like being a 50-goal scorer," said defenseman Andy Sutton, the only current Thrasher defenseman who played with Exelby prior to this season. "It's very difficult to do and 'X' is very good at it. It's important to have a guy on your team that can add that dimension and instill that sort of fear among opposing forwards."
If ever there was a case of practice makes perfect it's the 24-year-old Exelby, the team's leading hitter with 75 hits.
"It's something I've always been able to do fairly well," he said. "I just try to keep a solid stance. I don't try to use my whole upper body, try to push more from my legs and pursue the guy. I guess it would be similar to a lineman in football or something like that. You get nice and low and get push from the legs. Other than that, I just try to get him when he's not expecting me. So it's a little less impact."
"There's a lot of timing in that," he added. "Just try to time it so they don't see me coming, which usually works out for the better. Sometimes I need to take the body because I think I'm going to be able to get the puck but when I get there, that's not the case so I have to take one or the other."
There are those who say that the 'New NHL' has taken physicality out of the game, but in only his second full season the eighth-round draft pick (217th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft is proving those people wrong. Exelby is determined to make potential goal scorers pay an exorbitant price every chance he gets.
"'X' keeps players on the other side real honest," said Thrashers Head Coach Bob Hartley. "They know that if they come up the ice with their head down they might have a price to pay. That plays on many players' minds."
Exelby not only has adapted to the NHL's new rules, he has thrived.
http://atlantathrashers.com/Resources/News/Exelby_Forsberg_122205_170.jpg"I don't mind them," he said. "There's less time back in the defensive zone, you're backing the puck up so you have to be prepared to maybe not make the play you always want to, like you may have to just whip [the puck] around the boards. On the penalty kill you have to be careful because you're stretched because there is no red line. It's a little tricky to cover the back but also kind of keep a big gap and not get caught flat-footed when they're breaking up the ice. I think I've adapted pretty well. You just have to keep those things in mind. I haven't had too many problems with the hooking and using my free hand, stuff like that. I think I've been going pretty well so far."
In fact, faster players lead to greater impact.
"The faster it is, the harder the impact usually. So I wouldn't necessarily say it's more fun," he said, then added with a laugh, "You know what? They're all fun."
Veteran defenseman Greg de Vries has had a lot of fun playing with Exelby, who has been remarkably durable, having played in every game since having to sit out the season opener in Florida with a leg bruise.
"I really enjoy 'X'," said de Vries. "The thing I enjoy most is the way he hits people. I know playing my side, he'll come across quite a bit and the guy's maybe focusing on me and he'll come across and hit him hard, which is a hard thing to do. I'm not an open-ice hitter so it's quite a talent he's got there. He's really intense. He's ready to play every night. He moves the puck well and being a young guy like that he's only going to get better."
While de Vries appreciates Exelby's presence which opens up extra skating room, his Thrashers teammates simply appreciate the opportunity to watch him ply his craft.
"He's caught so many guys coming through the middle," Sutton said then laughed. "There should be a stat for how many rotations you can make a guy do before he hits the ice. You know how they have the degree of difficulty in diving, maybe his is the degree of rotation. I think 'X' probably has the record on that one."
Knowing the importance of his role and that he has the confidence of his teammates, Exelby is determined to keep the hits coming.
"Anybody can get hit out there," he said. "So if someone's sitting on the bench and they see a big hit on the opposing team, they might think twice about cutting in the middle or making a high-risk play. I think any time the team's coming out a little flat, if there's a big hit out there it can spark the team a little bit and get the energy up."
Jon Cooper is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.