NHL.com's latest 30-in-30 feature on the Nashville Predators is
here. In an
article about his reckless style of play, the Edmonton Journal asks whether Jordin Tootoo is " a hard, compact, ball of hate or an old-fashioned, finish-the-check hardrock player".
My opinion? Ball of hate. And Nashville's dirtiest player.
Tootoo's modus operandi is to seek out situations where a player has the puck but is not aware of his presence. Then he charges his opponent as fast as he can and surprises him with the hardest hit possible. He is interested in the puck, but only in the sense that he needs to make sure it is close by so he does not get a penalty. Taking control of the the puck, or getting it to a teammate is not what Tootoo is about. He's all about the hit. Admittedly, Tootoo's hits are usually with the shoulder and technically legal. But let's be honest, Tootoo's hits have "intent to injure" written all over them.
