While I’m not the “beta chapter” of the Matt Walker fan club, as described by the self-appointed “alpha chapter” of the Matt Walker fan club in St. Louis (and for those who don’t know, Walker played for the Blues first), I can recognize good, solid play when I see it.  But I think critics of Matt Walker misconstrue him.  I watched Walker all season in Chicago in 08-09 and he was solid — laying on heavy hits, blocking shots, and playing the role of an all-around good enforcer.  Yet just like in Chicago, fans in Philly just didn’t seem to get what Matt Walker was all about.  Most fans merely judged Walker on his goal points, assists, and his +/- score which is a ridiculous thing to do to a defenseman whose primary role involves hits and enforcement.  Would you have judged a similarly aggressive defenseman like Chris Chelios in the same way?  And if Chris Chelios had had to have surgery due to an injury, would he immediately have been put on waivers?  I know the Flyers had to free up cap space with Matt Walker, but hopefully it doesn’t tarnish Matt Walker’s reputation as a solid and aggressive defenseman, which he has been and still is.

Incidentally, when Chelios played for the Blackhawks in the late 90s, he recorded two consecutive seasons with minus ratings, and in his career he went entire seasons without scoring at all or only scoring once with a few assists.  But that only means Chelios was what they call a defensive defenseman.  It of course doesn’t mean Chris Chelios wasn’t a good defenseman.  And just as you wouldn’t hate on Chris Chelios for recording a -7 season, Chicago Blackhawks fans don’t necessarily use only those criteria — goals, assists, +/- scores — to judge the play of similarly defensive defensemen like Niklas Hjalmarsson either.  In other words, it’s particularly unfair to judge a defensive defenseman only by his offensive stats.  It’s odd too because even though Hjalmarsson and Walker were paired on the same line in the 2009 playoffs and were a big reason why the Blackhawks got as far as they did in the playoffs that year, people only seem to recognize Hjalmarsson’s contribution, not Walker’s.  So what makes Matt Walker so different from Hjalmarsson other than that it’s easy to make “Big Country” the fall guy because he’s so humble he’ll actually take scorn and derision from fair-weather fans? Is that why all the hatin’ on Walker?  Because he actually takes it, and no one, including even Walker himself, defends him?

They call Walker “Big Country” I guess to mock his folksy manner, or because he’s not very verbose with the press, but what’s wrong with that? Dave Bolland is the same way but I’ve never heard of Bolly being called a country bumpkin.  What gives? Should Walker act like Chris Pronger or God forbid Sean Avery?  Those guys talk so much trash they give their true, obnoxious selves away.  I’m guessing given a do-over Elisha Cuthbert (who was very publicly dissed by ex-boyfriend Sean Avery in 2008) wishes she had dated a Matt Walker-type instead of Sean Avery, just to put that in perspective.  And the Sean Averys of the hockey world?  Well, thankfully they’re few and far between since that’s not how most hockey players are; most are gentlemanly and humble.  So, why make sport of Walker’s aw-shucks demeanor?  If you ask me (and I’m guessing Elisha Cuthbert), the world needs fewer arrogant sports stars, not more.

I also don’t understand why Matt Walker was and has been written off by Philly fans.  I think, once fully recovered, he could be as good as the “fans” would let him be no matter where he plays.  For instance, Walker virtually flew under the radar here in Chicago and he had his best season ever.  Now just imagine how well he could play with wellness and a little encouragement.  I mean really, how well would you do your job with jerks in your face constantly making fun of you, implying you’re a boor, and deriding your performance?  Still, there were many more lackluster defensemen here in Chicago who were more deserving of criticism like Brent Sopel, Cam Barker, or even takes-up-too-much-cap-space Brian Campbell.  Yet for some reason it was Matt Walker who was judged most harshly by outside hockey “pundits”; the same hockey “pundits” who went on to dog him in Tampa Bay and Philly.  Gee, did it ever occur to you that if you cut the guy a little slack and didn’t put such immense pressure on him, he might actually relax and be able to perform as expected?  And what?  Can’t hockey players even suffer injuries anymore without the constant threat of being traded?  You know it degrades humans to view them as mere chattel.

So here’s your education so-called hockey “pundits.” You want to know where the value-add for Matt Walker can be seen?  Look at his penalties in minutes. Count how many blocked shots he has in a game or how many times he cuts off passing lanes.  He’s a goaltender’s best friend.  Count how many times he harasses the puck away from his opponent.  And look at what he can do when he’s on the PK.  That’s where Matt Walker makes his contribution.  Still, his offensive stats in Chicago weren’t so shabby either for the kind of aggressive, defensive defenseman that he is.  For those who are offense-minded, he scored 1 goal, had 13 assists, and was +7 for the season in Chicago, and that’s with all his hits and enforcement duties and an average of 13-16 minutes of ice time.  I can’t find his hits tally for his time in Chicago, but his PIM was 79.  In Tampa Bay the following season he had 2 goals and 3 assists, his hits tally was 82, and his PIM was 90, and that was him playing with injuries.  Granted he was -11 for the season in Tampa Bay, but how is that all Matt Walker’s fault?  The entire team had problems in the 09-10 season.

As for Philly, well, Walker got injured and so he never got a chance to be the value-add that it was hoped he would be. Can’t you chalk that up to happenstance?  It is the rarest of hockey players who don’t have an injury at some point.  Still, when Philly “fans” talk about Walker’s time in Tampa Bay or Chicago, it appears that they just don’t understand the role he played which is why they didn’t even bother to give him a chance in Philly, especially once he was injured.  It’s as if they turned Walker into a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I guess the fans are fickle and so their behavior can be dismissed somewhat, but what about the Flyers putting Walker on waivers when he got injured?  Seems like they may have jumped the gun a little, though, as always, you can blame the cap for that.

And like Tampa Bay and Philly, it’s too bad Chicago didn’t know what they had in Matt Walker when they let him go.  I think things would have been a whole lot different for Matt Walker had he stayed in Chicago, but I was actually happy for him when he went to Tampa Bay in 2009 because I thought with his signing of a 4-year deal worth $1.7 million a year, he might actually finally have gotten the respect he deserved.  Unfortunately, Walker was back on the bus the very next season, this time to Philadelphia in exchange for Simon Gagné, much to the chagrin of Flyers fans.  But you never really gave him a chance did you Philly?

Regardless of what the fickle fans say, I’ll always remember Matty as the guy who broke his finger in two places during the 2009 playoffs, went back to the locker room, had it put back in place and taped, and went back out on the ice.  Look at this YouTube video of an interview Walker gave about his broken finger:

That’s the kind of hockey player Matt Walker is, and it’s the kind of player he will be if a team and its fans would give him a chance to prove himself. And precisely because Matt Walker played with that broken finger in Chicago, he had trouble the next season in Tampa Bay with, you guessed it, his finger (as well as some other hindrances that would follow him to Philly, apparently).  So, instead of being a hero for playing through the pain so as not to let the Blackhawks and the fans down, he gets traded to Tampa Bay and then to Philly! Seems no good deed goes unpunished for Matt Walker.

So, for whatever it’s worth, to Matty I say thank you for a great 08-09 season in Chicago.  It was and still is my favorite Blackhawks season, and it should have been the season the Hawks won the cup.  I’m just sorry so few recognized your contribution, or saw what you were truly capable of.

P.S. And hey Philly, tell Chris Pronger the Blackhawks want their Stanley Cup finals game-2 winning puck back.  I mean really, who does that?  Who steals the winning team’s souvenirs???  Such poor sportsmanship! (even for a goon.)

And, you don’t see this often, but Brent Sopel scored a goal late in the first period. Sopie’s screener, Bryan Bickell, would go on to screen the second goal as well which was scored by Patrick Kane, on another set-up by Jonathan Toews, in the 2nd period. (Hmm, Patrick Kane sure does score a lot when his contract is about to be renewed.)

Speaking of you don’t see that often, Sharks’ Manny Malhotra had a go at Brian Campbell of all people.  Someone shoulda told Malhotra that Soupy ain’t on the scrappin’ list.  Ben Eager is on the scrappin’ list however, and so when Eager and Doug Murray went at it shortly after the Malhotra/Campbell kerfuffle, gloves were actually dropped.  For some reason, Ben Eager got an additional 2-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, but the reason why is anyone’s guess. (Looked like Eager may have taken a cheap shot at Sharks’ goal tender Evgeni Nabokov.)  All of that scufflin’ made for an exciting start to the 2nd period, though.

Also, I just can’t stop talking about Niklas Hjalmarsson.  His battles for the puck, particularly in the corner, are epic.  This kid is a legend in the making, no doubt, so it was great to see him finally get some recognition as the second star of tonight’s game.  Bang on Hammer.

Now, on to the Circus Trip.

P.S.  How great was it to see Bobby Hull and Chris Chelios on Jeremy Roenick Heritage Night?

After seeing Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Tony Esposito on the ice at the UC the other night, Chris Chelios being back in town is just the cherry on the sundae, even if he is skating with the Wolves.  Who knows?  Maybe his career will even surpass Gordie Howe’s.  (And if Cheli signs with the Wolves, does that mean Cheli’s Chili Bar will be coming back to town???)

Related:

Chelios Likely to Sign Contract with Wolves