Official Site of Darcy Hordichuk

Nashville Predators forward Darcy Hordichuk will always be a fighter, but he is doing everything he can to prove he is a more well-rounded player.

The Predators’ ranks have been thinned by injuries, including a knee injury for Hordichuk who missed seven games. This time around he is taking the opportunity to solidify a spot in the four-line rotation. But he is also not shying away from a fight with four fighting majors in his last six games.

“I think I turned the corner in my career a little bit the last 15 games before I got injured,” Hordichuk said. “I just wanted to pick it up where I left off.

“I know if I don’t perform in these games I will be the easy guy to sit out. A lot of the other tough guys around the league are playing. I want to show the coaching staff that not only do I bring toughness, but that they can rely on me to contribute.”

The Predators take on the Detroit Red Wings, their biggest rival in the Central Division, tonight at 7 at the Sommet Center. This is the first of five games against the Red Wings down the stretch run.

It all starts with defense for the Predators and Hordichuk’s line had some issues early in the season.

“Our line got scored on a few times, but over my last 12 games I have been a plus five or plus six,” Hordichuk said. “Another goal I set was to get in a few fights.

“The guys on other teams were running around and taking liberties with our players. My job is to protect my teammates. Players know if they run around on us they are going to have to back it up.”

The Predators have to prove down the stretch that they are a playoff team. Hordichuk has to prove to coach Barry Trotz and general manager David Poile that he is an important part of the team.

“These last games are big for me,” Hordichuk said. “I have battled through injuries. I have to show them after my knee injury that I am back better than ever.

“I think Trotzy has a lot more confidence in me than he did at the start of the year. That is how I will get my minutes. When he gives me minutes he shows that he believes in me.”

Mark McGee – Nashville City Paper

It’s becoming tougher to be a tough guy in the NHL.

Although fighting remains a prominent and fan-enticing part of the game, these days an enforcer needs to pair skating skills with swinging fists for a true one-two punch.

“Throughout the league everyone is getting better,” feisty Predators forward Darcy Hordichuk said. “You have to keep up with the times.”

Rules changes in the wake of the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season led to a perceived decline in “staged” fights — one player calling out another — yet fighting majors are on the rise.

Such an evolution has created an interesting challenge for traditional tough guys like Hordichuk.

Known for his slugging but not necessarily his slap shot, Hordichuk has been asked to follow the lead of hard-hitting teammates like Jordin Tootoo and Shea Weber by contributing offensively as well as aggressively.

Across the league fighters are being forced to keep pace with the game’s speed and skill elements.

Failure to do so, as Hordichuk learned earlier this season, can mean an extended stay on the bench.

“The pure tough guy who struggled to get around the ice is a little bit of a dying element,” Predators Coach Barry Trotz said.

“Now you not only have to be the toughest hombre on the ice, you also have to be able to play a regular shift.”

Full Story: Enforcers fight to keep place in game – [Tennessean.com]

Darcy snapped a 64-game goal-scoring drought to help lift Nashville in Los Angeles. Predators won 7-0. Read the rest of this entry »

Nashville Predators forward Scott Nichol has been suspended five games by the NHL for a blow to the head of Montreal defenseman Patrice Brisebois.

Darcy Hordichuk will be inserted into the lineup and the Predators will also use a seventh defenseman, probably Ville Koistinen.

“He’s just got to prepare and make sure when he gets in, he can’t be rusty,” Trotz said of Hordichuk, who’s played once in the last 15 games. “He’s just got to be ready to go and perform. That’s the reality of the position he’s in.”

Hordichuk (toe) returned to practice Thursday for the first time since undergoing surgery on his broken right toe in late October, the Nashville Tennessean reports.Hordichuk is now near fully recovered from the broken toe he suffered almost two weeks ago. He is expected to return to the lineup as early as this weekend.

Predators forward Darcy Hordichuk had been placed on Injured Reserve. Darcy will be out of action for 10 days to two weeks with a broken toe, general manager David Poile said today.

Hordichuk suffered the injury last Thursday and missed Saturday’s win over Florida.

He did not make the journey to Calgary with the team today.

The Nashville Predators re-signed forward Darcy Hordichuk to a one-year deal Monday.

Hordichuk, 26, had 17 points and 253 penalty minutes in 127 games over the last two seasons.