By Matt Blittner, The New York Extra/TheNYExtra.com
“It wasn’t something I necessarily enjoyed or looked forward to ’cause some of the guys I was going against were just massive human beings. But it was what I did.” – Tim Conboy, Former Carolina Hurricanes Enforcer.
If you’re a casual hockey fan you may be a tad perplexed at the above statement. So let me explain. Conboy is explaining how he felt about fighting when he played in the NHL from 2007-08 to 2009-10. During his brief time in the NHL – Conboy played in 59 regular-season games and three playoff games for Carolina – he was known as an “Enforcer,” which, if you aren’t familiar with hockey terminology, is somebody whose main role is to protect his teammates and drop the gloves with the opposition should the situation warrant it. It’s not as simple as that sounds and it’s actually a rather intricate role that we’ll delve into a little later.
Of course, Conboy is more than just a former NHL enforcer. He’s currently a High School hockey coach in Minnesota, where he focuses on training the next generation of hockey players.
And that’s why we’re here today. There are so many people involved with hockey at all levels of the game. Most of the attention is paid to the best players/coaches/executives at the highest level – The NHL. But that doesn’t mean we should just overlook everybody else who helps make the game of hockey so great. In this feature and in several more to follow, we’ll be shining a spotlight on various individuals in the hockey world. The purpose is to enlighten you – the reader – and to let you learn more about the sport we all love.
Now, getting back to Tim Conboy…
Some former NHL players like to ride off, quietly, into the sunset; popping up every now and again for special occasions. That’s not Conboy. He keeps himself very busy as a High School Coach, as well as with other responsibilities.
“I run a ton of training camps,” said Conboy. “I’m very hands-on with the youth program as well. And I coach my two sons, a 13-year-old and a 10-year-old. I coach with their teams. So I’m still pretty heavily involved (with hockey).”
Part of that involvement entails developing the right “culture” for the next generation of hockey players. Now, we all know “hockey culture” has been called into question over the years for many reasons.
In order to prevent those reasons from festering and continuing to plague the sport, we need people like Conboy to continue to do what he does so well. And he’s in the perfect position to help develop the right “culture” because he’s coaching players when they’re at the right age. They’re not so young that they don’t understand his teachings. And they’re not old enough where they are set in their ways.
“I think what I’ve learned since I’ve been retired is that it’s not so much about the X’s and O’s or drills or the training,” Conboy explained. “It’s more about the culture that you create. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. I have another guy who coaches with me, who actually played in the NHL, Jeff Taffe. We have a super good crew of coaches who are just trying to build a culture that kids want to be part of. Every single kid, no matter their skill level or ability, feels like they have a fun chance to play hockey. So, I think that’s where the basis should be. It’s creating a fun culture and a good atmosphere and then, just kind of building the hockey piece from there.”
“So, it’s basically surrounding the programs with all the right people; which we’ve done,” Conboy continued. “We have a great group of coaches and board members within our youth association. It’s all people who put the program first, ahead of themselves. Once you get that, it kind of just trickles down from the top. It’s basically getting the right people on board and delivering a message everyone is excited about. And then, people just start, kind of, hopping on board as you go. It’s been fun to see since I’ve been doing it here the last few years.”
For as complex an issue as hockey’s “culture” is, it really is remarkable how difficult, yet simplistic it can be to instill the right “culture” in the game. Sure, it sounds simple to just get the right people with the right message in place. The truth is, that’s not simple. Finding the “right people” can take years of trial and error. And once you get those people in place, getting the right message across is another tall task. But once those two aspects come together, it really makes the sport of hockey a wonderful thing.
Once you have the “culture” you want, your program can really take off. For Conboy, he’s also able to lean on his NHL experience to help those he is responsible for.
“I think the biggest thing is just learning how to work within a team or work within a group,” Conboy explained. “It’s learning how to find a role and whatever role that you have, that helps the team. You just try to fill that role to the best of your ability. It’s that team concept.”
Who better to help young hockey players find their role on the team than Conboy, who, during his own playing days, latched onto the role that got him to – and kept him in, however briefly – the NHL. Let’s go back to the quote at the very beginning of our journey. “It wasn’t something I necessarily enjoyed or looked forward to ’cause some of the guys I was going against were just massive human beings. But it was what I did.”
Conboy knew his role was to protect his teammates and to fight players on the other team when necessary. He didn’t necessarily love doing that. But he did it, because that’s the role he had. That, to me, is the definition of finding your role and doing it to the best of your ability. Again, it goes back to what he was saying before, “it’s that team concept.”
“That was the role I played,” Conboy said. “It’s what I had to do to stay in the league. That’s the role I brought to the team.”
And now, since we promised to teach you all about the sport, it’s time to give you some insights into the world of hockey fights.
“I always talk about how it’s a part of hockey,” Conboy began, “whether people like it or not. And just like with anything else in life, you want to do it responsibly and carefully and respectfully. I know there’s certain times where we cross that line, a little bit, as players, but for the most part, I think, if you talk to any guy who dropped the gloves, more often than not, we all kind of lived by a code where it was just one of those things that had to be done.”
“When it is over, you just go back to playing hockey,” Conboy continued. “I fought some guys who I’m really close with. And then, afterwards, we’d go out to dinner and have beers together. It just wasn’t a big deal. It was just part of the game. So I kind of try to just approach it that way when I’m teaching. There’s a time and a place for everything. I don’t condone or preach violence, but it is a violent sport.”
For those of you wondering how two guys can go from fighting each other on the ice to having friendly beers at the bar after the game, it’s just one of those things that makes hockey unique.
“For whatever reason, it just gives you a closer bond with those guys,” Conboy explained. “Just like a mutual respect. We leave it all out on the ice.”
Oh and by the way, nobody said all fights were created equally.
“A lot of times, there’s just different occurrences,” Conboy said. “Sometimes you’ll fight because your team comes out a little flat and you’re using it as a way to send a message to the rest of your team. Like, ‘Hey boys, let’s get going here. Wake up a little bit.’ There’s other instances I had where one of your better players takes a huge hit or something. It’s changed a little now — it’s gotten better — but back in the day, it was just an automatic. Someone’s gonna get after that guy. It’s (the game) policing itself. Maybe the Refs call a penalty on it. But, maybe, if he gets a penalty and a couple right hooks to the head, maybe he thinks twice next time before he (does it again). And then, there’s just sometimes where it’s two teams who hate each other, like the old Detroit, Colorado days where stuff just boils over.”
And so you know, just because Conboy was a willing participant during his playing days, that doesn’t mean he’s coaching his players to do what he did. “It’s not something I really encourage,” Conboy explained. But he does understand it’s part of the game. So, when a player comes up to him and asks about fighting, he explains the right way to go about fighting in hockey. As he said before, “you want to do it responsibly and carefully and respectfully.”
Those probably aren’t the three words you expected to hear when talking about the subject of hockey fights. But that’s why it’s important to talk to people all over the hockey world. You never know what you’re going to learn.
