ST. LOUIS — The type of coach you have at the helm of your organization will define the type of game your team will play.
If that coach happens to be a former professional athlete of the sport, then a good way to see how he's going to run a team would be to look at how he played the game.
It's no secret St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube was a terror on the ice. In 1,054 games in the National Hockey League, Berube accumulated 3,149 penalty minutes.
Granted, the times have changed, and so has the game of hockey since then with many less fights. But, the idea of aggression and physical play remains the same.
The Blues no longer have the option to play a physical style of game.
"Hard on the puck, and hard on the forecheck." This may as well be nailed on the door to Berube's office.
It's been made clear that if you want to crack the lineup, or remain in the lineup, then you have to play physical hockey.
MacKenzie MacEachern was given the opportunity to return to the Blues' lineup for his second game of the season on Monday just in time to face the Colorado Avalanche. At the time, this was the best team in hockey.
What was his order from Berube? Play physical. Play aggressive. Play hard on the puck, and play hard on the forecheck. Go hit some guys.
And this is exactly what MacEachern did. The hits he gave on the board shifted the momentum and energy of the game. He also remained in the lineup after that.
While MacEachern is a larger player standing 6'2" tall, he hasn't always been a very physical forward. Skating around and handing out hits wasn't his focus before making it to the NHL.
A good amount of skill and speed can land a player a spot in the lineup in college, in juniors and in the minors. Basically anywhere besides for in the NHL.
Because good, or even great, does not always translate once you get pulled up. This is where physicality continues to rise in importance.
Unless you're Sidney Crosby, Vladimir Tarasenko or a top-end player, you're not going to crack the lineup with only skill. But even Tarasenko has transformed his game and found ways to utilize his body to his advantage when carrying the puck. Crosby is no push-around.
MacEachern knows his role, and knows Berube's expectation. While the role of an "enforcer" may not exist in the NHL as much anymore, there are modern ways of playing a "heavy" hockey game.
Hard on the puck, and hard on the forecheck.
This is how the Blues won the Stanley Cup, and this will be mandatory under Berube's structure.
