Thread: Sourray
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01-22-2004, 11:58 PM
  #4
Mike8
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I don't know what you're talking about when you say Souray's not physical. Am I reading that properly?

Souray makes one or two big hits a game. Several other solid checks along the boards. He stands players up at the blueline. He's always clearing the crease and virtually all his penalties have come from abusing the opposition in front of the net. Heck, he was going after Brashear for taking an extra whack at Theodore against Philly.

He's a huge physical presence on the ice. He doesn't need to make the big hits that Stevens does in order to be a presence. Souray commands that presence with his size and his mean streak.

I don't understand how anyone ever saw Scott Stevens in him. It's physically impossible for Souray to ever play like Stevens or vice versa. Stevens is quite a bit shorter and stockier than Souray, with better speed which enables him to make the big open ice hits. Souray, on the other hand, isn't all that mobile and doesn't have the low center of gravity that Stevens does. This means he can't make those devastating open ice hits.

Notice all the best hitters have lower centers of gravity and generally aren't that tall, but are on the heavy side? Three of the best hitters in the game today are Stevens, Marchment and Kasparaitis. All three are pretty much average height (Kasparaitis being a good deal shorter than average).

In answer to your question: I've always felt Souray commands a lot of room and plays a physical game. He sticks up for teammates and isn't afraid to drop the gloves. I can't compare him to what you felt his potential was (re: "Scott Stevens clone"), because I never saw anything of the sort in him.

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