Do not overlook Boyle's rare feat

In this era of hockey, few defensemen notch 20 goals in a season.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published April 6, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle, right, gets a hug from Vinny Lecavalier after scoring a game-winning goal in Calgary last month.

TAMPA - It pretty much flew under the radar, but Dan Boyle on Tuesday accomplished something pretty significant.

He scored his 20th goal.

All right, so it's not quite Vinny Lecavalier scoring 50 or Marty St. Louis reaching 40.

But in an era in which scoring from the blue line is relatively rare, 20 goals for defensemen has become the brass ring.

"That's pretty special," Boyle said. "For a defenseman, that's a big number."

Only one other, Montreal's Sheldon Souray with 26, had crossed the threshold this season, and only seven had done it since the 1999-2000 season.

Quite a difference from, say, 1984-85, when six defensemen scored at least 20 and Paul Coffey led with 37. The next season, five hit the mark. Coffey led with 48, and two others had 19.

That, of course, was a time when it was more important to go than trap. And Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said Boyle's success with his old-school sensibility is one reason he should be given consideration by NHL writers for the Norris Trophy, given to the season's best defenseman.

"Absolutely," Tortorella said. "And I'm saying that objectively. I know I'm his coach - but the things he has done in the game."

Boyle, 30, entered Thursday third in the league among defensemen with 63 points and fourth with an average 27:01 of ice time.

He is minus-3, but that comes, in part, from goaltending that entered Thursday with a league-worst .884 save percentage.

So numbers aren't Boyle's problem as much as perceptions.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Ottawa native always was known as an offensive threat who had little care for defense.

Playing for a small-market team that gets relatively little exposure, especially in Canada, has provided little chance to change minds, and that makes it difficult to compete with players such as Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom and Calgary's Dion Phaneuf.

It doesn't help, as Tortorella said, "I think we have a bunch of numbskulls that cover the NHL nationally. They get glued in on people because of what the perception is about people who have a bigger name.

"The thing that impresses me," Tortorella added, "and what no one talks about, is how hard he competes defensively. He wins a lot of battles. That's where he's grown since he's been with us."

Said Boyle: "If a puck goes in the corner, I don't care if I'm going in there with a guy who is 6-6, 250, I'm going to find a way to come out with it."

That said, Boyle doesn't deny his priority is offense, and his 20th goal came against Carolina after a half-rink rush in which he eluded at least three defenders.

Still, he said, "I don't think I'm a goal scorer. I'm more a passer. I pass way too much. The goals are one of those things where I remind myself to shoot more."

When the Lightning starts the playoffs, the league's tastemakers will have a chance to take a look.

"As long as the guys I play with and my coaches appreciate me, it's not necessary," Boyle said.

But, boy, it would be nice.

[Last modified April 5, 2007, 22:45:04]