March 29, 2007
David Amber On Tampa Bay Defenseman Dan Boyle
Like my friend James Mirtle, I'd like to sing the praises of ESPN's David Amber and the series of Q&As he's been doing this season online. His latest is on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle:
Q: Would you describe yourself as the Rodney Dangerfield of the NHL?
A: Yeah, I've heard that before. I look at a guy like Ron Francis, who was underrated his whole career. He did get some recognition, but certainly not as much as he should have. There are certain guys in certain markets where that's the case. Look back at the last five or six years, and take any stats you want, and you'll notice that I'm up there in all of them. But like I said, my coaches and teammates appreciate me and that's what keeps me sane.
With the league's unbalanced schedule, I've gotten a chance to see a lot of Boyle this season. Together with Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, Boyle plays a crucial role in one of the best power plays in the Eastern Conference. While I'll never be an expert when it comes to diagramming plays, it's easy to see that the whole operations runs through Boyle as Tampa Bay's lone pivot along the blue line.
When he becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season, he'll be cashing in big time.
Elsewhere in Tampa, things aren't looking so good.
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06:27 AM