Frozen Forensics: Steve Downie

Derek Gibson

2015-05-29

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Steve Downie and his penalty minutes brought a lot of value to his fantasy owners this year. 

Pugilists are people too (no seriously), and some of them can actually play the game of hockey as well! Most, if not all, fantasy hockey leagues include penalty minutes as a statistical category. I've played in various league formats with regards to PIM's, and they can certainly be a valuable part of any team's success. Drafting a player who can pot 15-20 goals and 100+ PIM's? As we like to say, that's fantasy gold!! For the 2014-15 season, of the 20 players with 90+ penalty minutes, there were only four who scored 15 or more goals: David Backes, Brad Marchand, Dustin Byfuglien, and Scott Hartnell. Those four players were no doubt drafted somewhere in rounds 7-10, and you're going to be looking past those rounds for adding sandpaper to your team at a decent spot. Now what? Let's take a look at Steve Downie, who could be available in your draft at a reasonably, affordable spot, and will certainly help with your "Sin Bin Love":

Downie is no stranger to this category, as we've seen flashes of fantasy brilliance from him for a few years with a few different teams (Flyers, Lightning, and Avalanche). Two factors that made him more valuable this year with his new team: The Pens have never really had a player like Downie, who can both protect the team's megastars AND contribute offensively (Matt Cooke doesn't count). The second biggest factor was Pittsburgh's new assistant coach, Rick Tocchet (a fighting legend in his time). Tocchet was with a young Downie in Tampa Bay, and the two have a great connection. So what did this mean for fantasy owners? Tocchet was responsible for running the Penguins Power Play; Downie averaged 1:25 minutes/game on the man advantage. So take these factors, sprinkle in 14 goals (three on the man advantage), 14 assists, AND also add in 238 PIM's (leading the league by over 40 minutes), and Downie no doubt pushed more than a few fantasy teams into contention.

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