Carcillo Becoming Huge Plus

It’s hard to believe, but a Trade Deadline deal that GM Paul Holmgren got done last season is actually looking a lot better now.  Holmgren took a lot of heat for trading fan-favorite Scottie Upshall to the Phoenix Coyotes for what appeared to many to be a one-dimensional player, Daniel Carcillo.

This is a player that then-Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky would make a healthy scratch periodically for taking an exhorbitant amount of misconduct penalties.

In the National Hockey League, the act can be a distraction.

The 25-year-old Carcillo’s theatrics are well-documented.  Coming up through the ranks in the Pittsburgh Penguins system, he registered over 300 penalty minutes for the first time in 2005-06.  Traded to Phoenix in February of 2007, he played the last 18 games with the Coyotes, racking up 74 PIMs.  He led the NHL in PIMs over the course of the next two seasons, with 324 in 2007-08 for Phoenix, and 254 in 2008-09 (combined Phoenix / Philadelphia).  Flyers fans were all wondering the same thing.  With the team’s history and reputation, and sometimes perceived league bias against the team, why would Holmgren go out and acquire someone with Carcillo’s reputation?

The team already had many issues with undisciplined penalties at the time.  Then-head coach John Stevens was justifiably criticized for not being assertive enough with players like Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, Joffrey Lupul, and from time to time, Upshall.  So the decision to bring in Carcillo, the two-time defending penalty minutes champion, seemed questionable at the time, at best.

Carcillo began his time in Philly behind the eight ball.  Not only did the fans love Upshall, so did the players.  Upshall was friends with a group of players that liked to go out and have fun, and the trade was rumored to begin breaking up that group.

But Carcillo’s penchant for over the top antics continued as he picked up 80 PIMs in just 20 games after the trade with the Coyotes.  In the first round of the playoffs against the Penguins, Carcillo was involved in one of the most crucial and pivotal moments in the series.  The Flyers trailed the series 3 games to 2, but had staved off elimination in Game 5 in Pittsburgh with a big win.  The teams headed back to Philadelphia for Game 6 with the Flyers gaining confidence.

After Briere scored to give Philadelphia a 3-0 lead early in the second period, it appeared the Flyers could be sending the series back to Pittsburgh for a deciding Game 7.

Carcillo - Talbot fight in Game 6

Pittsburgh winger Max Talbot challenged Carcillo to a fight shortly after the next faceoff.  Carcillo obliged, and promptly pummeled Talbot.  The fight somehow seemed to inexplicably change the momentum of the game.  Penguins winger Ruslan Fedetenko scored just 14 seconds after the fight, and the ice seemed to be tilted in Pittsburgh’s favor from then on out.  The Penguins rallied to win the game, 5-3, ending the series in six games.

Momentum is a strange thing, and sometimes leaving things “as is” is a good idea.  Carcillo took much criticism for giving in to Talbot and not just skating away.

This season, Carcillo has had stretches where he has channeled his aggression, playing smarter and becoming a lethal weapon.  But he has also had his moments of falling off of the disciplined wagon.  The day after Thanksgiving, Carcillo twice tangled with Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Craig Rivet.  Carcillo had a bit of a meltdown after the second bout and was given a misconduct.  He accumulated 20 PIMs that afternoon.

But the worst was just three games later on a Saturday night in Philadelphia against the Eastern Conference powerhouse Washington Capitals.  Carcillo has assisted on a Mika Pyorala goal to even the score at 1-1 late in the first.  But on the next shift, all hell broke loose.  Carcillo was drilled away from the puck and hit with a high stick in the process by the Caps’ Matt Bradley, which somehow went undetected by the officials.  Carcillo was enraged and sought out revenge, hitting him along the boards, then cross checking Bradley while the Washington player was still on the ice.  When Bradley got up, Carcillo challenged Bradley to fight.  As both players dropped their gloves, Carcillo dropped Bradley with one quick punch.

Carcillo was slapped with a cross-checking minor, instigation minor, fighting major, 10-minute misconduct, and a game misconduct.  Overall, 29 minutes in penalties.  Bradley was assessed…nothing.  The aftermath was something I don’t believe I have ever seen in 30 years of watching NHL games.  The Capitals had what amounted to a 9-minute powerplay, in which they scored 3 goals, and never looked back as they cruised past the Flyers, 8-2.

Later, the NHL suspended Carcillo for four games for good measure.

That game had to be the low-point for the feisty Flyer winger.  Sure, his reputation absolutely had something to do with the suspension, there is no doubt in my mind.  With much talk of a sucker-punch, the league saw that the video evidence indeed showed that Bradley had dropped his gloves first.  They quickly back pedalled with the talk of punching a defenseless player.  They instead chalked the suspension up to “cross-checking a player that was on the ice.”

At any rate, Carcillo has streamlined his game.  He has been moved up to play on a line with Mike Richards and Simon Gagne, and has been chipping in with timely offense.

He still has the occasional fight and loses his cool, and that will never be completely gone from his game.  He just doesn’t have the make up to change that much.  But he has learned to control himself and direct his anger in a better manner.

Two games in the new calendar year against the Toronto Maple Leafs are good examples.

Carcillo and  Leafs’ enforcer Colton Orr have had some interesting run-ins this season.  In a game on January 6th at the Wachovia Center, Orr tried to goad Carcillo into a fight along the player’s bench.  Carcillo, obviously irritated, skated away and jumped the play.  He took a left wing feed from Blair Betts, cut in across the left circle, toe-dragged around Leaf defenseman Luke Schenn, and deposited a beauty of a backhander past Leaf goalie Jonas Gustavsson.  It was a highlight reel goal and proof of what Carcillo can bring to the table in addition to the fisticuffs.

Last night, Orr once again tried to goad Carcillo into a fight in front of the player benches.  He cross-checked the Flyer winger, then shoved him backwards over the boards by the face.  Once again, Carcillo kept his cool, drawing a double minor on Orr, and a 4-minute powerplay for his team.

He even ended the night with an assist on the eventual game-winning goal by Gagne in the second period.  15 seconds later, Carcillo went in alone on Leaf goalie Jean-Sebastian Giguere, and fired a perfect backhand into the top left corner.  Only problem was with all of the crowd noise, he had not heard the whistle for off sides.  Carcillo tangled with Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf afterwards, with Phaneuf taking a slashing minor and Carcillo a roughing minor.  Even though he took a penalty, he took the Leafs’ best defender off the ice with him in the process.

After the game, Carcillo had some animated thoughts, as usual, this time regarding Orr:  “That guy, I‘m just never going to fight him. I mean, he plays three minutes a night.  He doesn’t really do anything unless somebody fights him.  I kind of knew he was going to run me there, and then I suckered him into a few [penalties], and luckily, we scored a little bit later.”

As he continues to hone his trade as one of the best agitators in the game;  one who can not only fight with the best of them, but also be involved in Philadelphia’s offense, Daniel Carcillo will continue carving out his niche with the Flyers.  And in the process, becoming one of the most popular players with Flyers’ fans.

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