Enforcer Advent Calendar – December 14th – Darcy Hordichuk
For an array of reasons, December 2020 will be a month none of us will ever forget. The toll this pandemic has taken on society has been different for every individual in every part of the world. Regardless, we can all relate to experiencing some anxiety, stress and fear about the uncertainty of things. That’s why it felt fitting to put out the ‘Enforcer Advent Calendar.’ These warriors dealt with the aforementioned emotions night-in and night-out to a degree that only they can truly comprehend. I get it – it’s been tough not being able to go out with the boys, see a good game and cheer-on a good scrap, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the past. It sucks because enforcers are sometimes forgotten by fair-weather fans but, luckily, the diehards will always chant their name in the arenas and on the streets. Whichever side you land on, here’s a reminder of a few legends.
Past Poster Boys –
December 1st – John “Fergy” Ferguson Sr. December 2nd – Tony “Twister” Twist
December 3rd- Dave “Cementhead” Semenko December 4th – Ryan “Muffin Man” Reaves
December 5th – Darren “Big Mac” McCarty December 6th – Colton “Bobby” Orr
December 7th – Stan “Bulldog” Jonathan December 8th – Lyle “Cornelius” Odelein
December 9th –Krzysztof “The Polish Hammer” Oliwa December 10th – Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson
December 11th – Basil “Baz” McRae December 12th – Jordan “Tootoo Train” Tootoo
December 13th – Dave “Browny” Brown
December 14th – Darcy Hordichuk
Even though he was only there for two seasons, ‘Horrrrrrdi, Horrrrrrrdi, Horrrrrrdi’ often echoed throughout GM Place in beautiful Vancouver. The former Saskatoon Blade endeared himself to the fans of British Columbia’s biggest city quickly by throwing down in the pre, regular, and post-season. Timing didn’t matter to Hordi, he was always ready. Hordichuk’s fight catalog is full of battles with some of the best enforcers to ever step on the ice – Laraque, Boogaard, McCarty and of course his Deca Dance Partner, George Parros were some of his favourites. The Saskatchewan native accumulated 1140 penalty minutes during his 13 seasons in the NHL and struck fear in the opposition with his huge right hands. Hordichuk and Tony Twist shared the same fighting technique of patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to drop the hammer. Here are a few examples of when that hammer hit the nail-on-the-head.
Darcy Hordichuk vs John Craighead – September 25, 2002 – 1st period – 15:27
Perhaps Hordichuk was a master of inception, because he certainly implanted himself in the psyches of Canucks fans with his pre-season tilt in 2002. Although he wouldn’t arrive in Vancouver until 2008, in his lone season with the Coyotes Hordichuk gave Vancouver fans a taste of what he would later bring to their table during his tilt with John Craighead. Pre-season fights are rare, so when they happen it’s usually because two warriors are trying to earn their spot in the lineup. This tilt started near the end of the 1st period and directly in front of the Canucks’ bench. I can only imagine the feeling of sitting front-row during any scrap, let alone one where the two warriors are just trading. Hordichuk started the bout off strong with a couple quick rights, donning those hideous Coyotes jerseys (maybe the embarrassment of the jersey is what fueled him). Regardless, Craighead was able to land a few rights of his own before Hordichuk let off two big right hooks that looked to have clearly landed on the chin of Craighead. Unphased, the Virginia native stood his ground against the Yotes’ enforcer and ended the tilt by wrestling him down to the ice. Pre-season is often overlooked by the average fan, but for diehards it’s when you can identify the grittiest players in the lineup. Hordi = Gritty.
Darcy Hordichuk vs George Parros – October 31, 2008 – 1st period – 11:04
The Sedin twins were getting hit…a lot. Hordichuk knew that’s why GM Mike Gillis brought him to BC – protect the twins and the youngsters. Hordichuk wasted no time in his inaugural season with the Canucks to let their Western Conference rivals know things were going to be different that year. Parros and Hordichuk are members of the exclusive Deca Dance Club, meaning they have tangoed at least 10 times in their careers. On Halloween of 2008 they had their 4th dance. Parros towered over Hordichuk with his 4-inch reach advantage and, while most fans would’ve thought the fight was over when Parros got Hordichuk’s jersey over his head, they don’t know Hordi. The former Thrashers draft pick never backed down, never quit and more often than not, never left a fight without a smile. We couldn’t see Hordi’s smile because he’d been jerseyed, but he must have been grinning ear-to-ear when he landed two huge right hands square on Parros’ jaw that forced him to drop to the ice. Halloween hockey games crowds are always filled with ghouls and goblins, and lifelong Nucks’ fans were likely rubbing their eyes as they wondered whether Hordichuk was the reincarnation of Scott ‘The Pitbull’ Walker. Unbeknownst to them, Hordichuk was no Walker. Somehow, he was even tougher. That’s why the 4th dance between the two warriors was all Hordichuk.
Darcy Hordichuk vs Zack Stortini – March 04, 2008 – 2nd period – 3:16
If you’re ever buying tickets to a game and want to guarantee you’ll see a good scrap, you only need to do one thing: buy tickets to a game between a team in the basement and one battling for a playoff position. The fireworks are inevitable. That’s exactly what happened during the Spring of 2008 when Nashville went to Alberta’s capital city. The Oilers were in a ‘rebuild’ – a sentiment that, for Oilers fans, has been said far-too-many times. At the same time, Hordichuk and the Predators were looking to sneak into the final playoff spot and shock the Western Conference. Hordichuk knew that Stortini was a big boy, but that didn’t matter to the right-handed slugger because he knew how powerful his punches were and that they could drop anybody, anytime. The two locked up in front of the Preds bench where Hordichuk landed two big right hands on the Oilers’ big man. Pulling Hordichuk’s jersey over his head, Stortini was able to capitalize and land a massive uppercut to Hordi’s chin. Hordichuk showed he didn’t have a glass jaw by responding back with two huge right overhands (Tony Twist style) that forced Stortini to the ice. Although Hordichuk was never able to maximize the benefits of his jersey coming off (a la Rob Ray), he did take advantage by throwing some unrestricted bombs at Stortini and the ‘rebuilding’ Oilers that Tuesday night in Edmonton.
Darcy Hordichuk was a true student of the game and made many adjustments and sacrifices during his 500+ games played in the NHL. Dedicated to his craft, this translated into an eventful 2008 offseason where he trained with UFC legend, Chuck Liddell in order to improve his fighting techniques. The octagon is obviously a little different than fighting on skates, but after the 2008 season you could tell Hordichuk’s fighting tactics had improved. Hordichuk never thought he was going to make the NHL and it took a phone call and a vote of confidence from his coach, Brad McCrimmon to convince the Atlanta Thrashers to take a chance on a farm kid from Saskatchewan. The rest is history. Hordichuk was able to carve out a niche for himself in the NHL and has done the same in his post-playing career, working as a real estate agent and investor. The former Canucks enforcer now spends his days helping Canadian snowbirds find their way south to Arizona for the summer. While Hordichuk had some bitter rivalries during his time in the league, he’s said the camaraderie of the game was what kept him coming back to the rink. The fans were lucky enough to see this hard-hitting Saskatchewan boy battle it out every night and now we know why he always had a smile on his face while doing so.
Twitter:@Jonesinthezone
