Defensemen Often Go Ignored/Salute to Matt Walker
As I have noted in prior posts, we often don’t appreciate the vital work of the defensemen until they’re injured, the most recent examples being Duncan Keith and Matt Walker.
For instance, Matt Walker, (who had a birthday yesterday. Happy B-day Matty!), was a veritable tour de force in last night’s game against the Predators. He was checking guys like a cement mixer all night long. But most importantly he was there, on net, to block shots, which is what fans have been screaming for all season. After all, if you only rely on your goal tender for defense…um…well, you’re not going to win a lot of games. Better the Hawks figured that out later than never.
But as I’m now getting nostalgic at season’s end, memories of Matty repeatedly blocking shots on net keep flashing through my mind, not to mention all the things he did that didn’t show up on stats sheets. (For some reason, people tend to measure defensemen mostly by their offensive stats, i.e. their +/- rating, which can be misleading.) Imagine what he could have done this season with more ice time. So, not only are defensemen underrated as players, but this season in particular, fans and commentators alike seem to have passed Matt Walker by. It’s only now that fans and hockey pundits are beginning to see Matt’s season-long contributions.
Matt Walker has always been my favorite defenseman, but he’s fast becoming my favorite Hawk as well. Matty’s hard checks on the boards that rattle guys’ teeth and his blocking shots on net are what we’ve needed to see more of from all our defensemen this season, and there Matty’s been all season long right under everybody’s noses. So here’s my salute to Matt Walker. If he doesn’t return next season I swear I’m going to picket out in front of the United Center!