Official Site of Darcy Hordichuk

One of the playoffs’ livelier topics of conversation concerns the double standard which exists in the NHL’s judicial system between tough guys and stars.

You can guess where the Canucks’ Darcy Hordichuk falls out in that debate.

“You come to expect it when you play that role,” says the Canucks’ winger. “You know you’re going to get more than anyone else. It’s definitely unfair. You look at what (Calgary’s Mike) Cammalleri did (to Chicago’s Martin Havlat in the first round). Talk about a double standard. That’s a perfect example.”

Hordichuk, of course, was reacting to the controversy surrounding the six-game suspension handed out to Washington’s Donald Brashear for his head shot on the Rangers’ Blair Betts in the first round.

Cammalleri’s head shot to Havlat, meanwhile, went unpunished and the league is still deliberating over a similar incident involving Anaheim’s Corey Perry.

Brashear, like Hordichuk, is a tough guy. Cammalleri and Perry are frontlliners.

“I don’t want to accept it,” says Hordichuk. “But the reality is, every time someone like me steps on the ice, we really have to be careful. It’s so easy to say three years ago you did this or two years you did that.

“It’s just my opinion but I think a lot of guys around the league share that opinion.”

With a bit of a break here, I’m going to catch up on some writing. There are two questions that I saw were asked quite a bit in my blogs so I’m going to try and answer them.
First, some of you were wondering about our equipment and how we choose what we use and what works or doesn’t. Well, unfortunately, there’s no real concrete answer for that. It’s such a personal preference and everyone is different.

When I first got into the League, I didn’t have any one brand preference but right now I’m head to toe in Bauer, which I switched to in the last couple years.
Reps from different companies are always trying to get players to wear their stuff and so we try it out and see if it fits what we need. There’s really no formula or right or wrong way to do it – it’s just about feel when you use it. They’re always coming out with new equipment so they’ll bring you things that they’ve created or readjusted and get you to try it and see if that’s a fit. It’s a constant process.

For sticks, we have our own patterns like what kind of flex you want, how stiff you want it, what kind of curve you want and sometimes you try different guys’ sticks to try and find something that works. Most guys have their pattern that they’ve used since junior. Everyone has their own preference on the way the stick should be made – it can be pretty much designed however you want but every stick has a different feel.

The difference between my stick this year and last year is maybe the difference between a BMW and a Porsche. In my case, I’ve been trying out equipment all year, trying to find that stick that fits but I actually went to a Burrows pattern in the last three months and see how that works (it’s working for him pretty good). He’s using it in Warrior and I’m using it in Bauer and obviously, it looks like the Warrior is having more success – it couldn’t be the person at all (haha).

I’m going to stick to this pattern, I like this pattern a lot but I’ll probably just make some changes in the summer: try to get a lower line so there’s more blade on the ice but everything else is good.

The second question that has come up frequently is has having a baby changed my approach to fighting in the game. But I don’t think either of those really relate because there are a million people after my job and I have to go out there and do my job to the best of my ability. When I’m on the ice, that’s my office and I have to work and when I’m at home, I’m a dad – they’re completely separate things so I don’t think it’s fair to compare those.

Like I’ve written in a previous blog, I’m not out there to just fight to hurt someone, I have a role to play. If there are certain guys getting run, I have to call them out and let them know, it’s just doing my job and I think that’s why I’ve been in the league as long as I have.

I think what a lot of people don’t understand is it’s tough to get a fight sometimes and in the post-season it’s definitely changed. For example, in the St. Louis series, I fought Wincester last year and had a pretty good fight with him and now I don’t think he’d want to fight again. Jackman, a few years ago, I broke his jaw in a fight so I got a lot of respect from these guys. With Crombeen, I called him out 5-6 times a game and he just didn’t want to fight.

It’s tough and the guys that you can fight aren’t playing, you need two people to fight. A lot of the tough guys don’t play in the playoffs and the nice thing is I can bring the energy and physicality to calm down the guys that usually play tough like Oshie, Crombeen, Wincester, who would give us a little more respect for the team when I’m on the ice because they know I can call them out. But I’d rather be effective bringing energy than starting a fight, if that’s more successful – essentially, it’s just doing what is best for the team.
But while we’re on talking about playoffs, as you know, the playoff beard tradition is strong and in our room, it’s no different. I think most of the guys do the beards and I ‘m doing that this year so the day before our first playoff game, I started growing out my beard. Hopefully it can get as big as Chris Mason’s.

I never let it grow out on a daily basis but when we won the Turner Cup when I was in the IHL, I didn’t realize I could grow a beard like that. It was really big but not quite as big as Chris Mason’s but for me, it was enough to look like a bush man.

There should be no trimming in between, what you see is what you get, you can’t trim it up. Some guys will trim it up but I’m a believer that it’s playoffs and that you should just let it be.

It’s been a while now since I last wrote but I mean, it’s been busy with the road trip but while I have a chance, I’m going to check in quickly. I’ve been away for two weeks on that last trip and Braden’s grown a good four pounds – he’s very quickly growing into a man and it’s so fun to see how he changes everyday.

He’s starting to make faces and become more responsive when he hears our voices and he gets a little bit of smile. He’s starting to recognize things and even start to get into a sort of routine – mostly – and that’s nice to have right now.

Our dogs have responded very differently to him. Frankie, our girl, was really protective at the start and she wouldn’t even let our other dog, Chandler, near him. She had protective instinct in her and he’d be growling whenever he came near. She’s not as protective any more but she still thinks of Braden as her baby. Chandler, our boy, on the other hand, could really care less about little Braden so it’s funny how different they are. They normally get along but when Frankie’s next to Braden, Chandler can’t come too close to her because that’s her baby.

On the hockey side, everything is so exciting right now at this time of year and with just two games left and a division title up for grabs, there’s just a lot of buzz around the arena and the city. I know when I was in Nashville, we made the playoffs a couple years in a row and it’s pretty fun to be part of something like this. I think everything’s just magnified that much more when you’re in a hockey city so we’re just focusing on these last two games and try to play well as a team and keep the momentum in the playoffs.

Speaking of everything being magnified though, I’ve heard about the media intensity that happens once the post-season starts and being in Vancouver, the media’s already huge during the regular season so playoffs will definitely be big. But luckily, I don’t let anything really get to me. Everybody will have their own opinion and I can’t make everybody happy in this world but as long as you go out there and continue do to give it all in what you do, work hard every game that’s all you can do.

My favourite playoff memories would have to in Orlando when we won the Turner Cup that year. It was a special team and a special moment for me coming out of juniors because I was supposed to go back as a 20-year old and the next thing you know, I’m on a championship team. I still keep in touch with a few guys from that team and it’s all good memories so that was definitely a good time in my life. I still have the ring but I think I’ve only worn it once and it’s secured my safety deposit box.

Maybe I’ll have to pull it out for some inspiration but that’s IHL and now it’s time to get an NHL ring. So it’s time to focus and get ready for the last two games