Without hesitation, Ilya Solovyov acted.
Solovyov went straight to the misbehaving parties after a group of good-for-nothings tried to injure Sidney Crosby, the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, during a 7-4 home preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
His defensive partner, Declan Carlile, was a little faster, which was the only thing preventing him from getting there first.
Over the course of the game, Solovyov, Carlile, and defenseman Kaeden Korczak showed some aggression, sometimes even taking penalties.
At 2:56 of the third quarter, Carlile attempted a fight by roughing up Red Wings forward Wilmer Skoog, giving him 14 penalty minutes, which was the highest in the clubhouse. Skoog quickly fell to the ice and had little interest in the conversation, which led to a 10-minute misconduct penalty and two roughing minors for Korczak.
Carlile stated, “It’s all part of the game.” “That’s probably not going to happen in a regular season game. Clearly, I won’t be paying the fine at the conclusion. However, I believe I’ve had enough by the end of the game.”
After Red Wings defenseman Anton Johansson knocked him to the ice in retaliation for a low blow that brought down Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, Korczak received just two minutes.
“It doesn’t matter who it is,” Korczak said. “Anyone in this room would do the same when someone targets one of your colleagues, especially since I believed it was dirty and hazardous.”
Even if he didn’t receive any free trips to the penalty box, Solovyov was always open about his views on guarding players like Crosby and the other top players on the team.
He believes he has a duty to protect his colleagues since he is a little larger than average (6 feet 3 inches, 229 pounds).
Solovyov stated, “Of course.” “Particularly when (opponents) attempted to assault the captain and the icon of the hockey team. What do you mean? I just smoke cigarettes? No. I need to stand up for him because he is a vital member of our team and will produce results. He, (Evgeni Malkin), (Erik Karlsson) also. Many guys must be protected since other teams know who our superstars are. They will attempt to enter them under the skin.
“A portion of my work is just to calm those folks down (opponents).”
Solovyov (trade, Jan. 20), Carlile (free agent signing, July 1), and Korczak (trade, June 30) have all joined the team in the last nine months.
“You want to make sure you’re protecting your colleagues and standing up for your teammates,” according to coach Dan Muse. “Your captain and all of your teammates are definitely you. You want to be difficult to play against. There are various ways that manifests throughout a game.”
