Jad Abumrad

I was always a step or two behind.

I was, I think, the ninth defenseman on the roster and you only dress six for a game.

So I never played the first, I think, month of the season.

But while John was in Houston, he noticed that there were these other big guys on the team and they were getting playing time.

They kind of took me under their wings and they said, hey, listen.

If you really want to get noticed down here, if you really want to go to the NHL, you should learn how to fight.

It worked perfectly because that's what happened.

So for those of you who don't follow hockey too much, I have guys on my team who make $10 million, $9 million, $8 million, and they are paid to score, and they are paid to perform and play well.

but there are also guys out there.

They are the ugly children of the NHL.

Who their job is to.

Pester, annoy, and we call them the rats, the pests.

And you can hear these guys like when they're mic'd up.

Running their mouths.

they try to get under the star player's skin.

Ugliest.

They'll jab and poke at these star players, but sometimes... Oh!

They'll use their stick to hack at them, or they'll check them into the board.

Like, they'll try and really hurt them.

So in order to deal with pests, you got people like John who are called enforcers.