The Agitator

I think that we can all agree that the goon is now gone from hockey. However, one position that has flourished in the new NHL is the agitator. I would have to say that currently the best agitator in the game would go to Darcy Tucker, Matt Cooke, or Sean Avery (because he is so hated).

Zack Stortini, who was a mid-season void filler, has attempted to fill this position on the Oilers roster since the day he arrived at the airport. I would have to admit that I believe that he did a decent job in the roster spot. Hey he had more points that JFJ.

However, my one pet peeve of this guy is his yap factor. If Stortini is out and a whistle is blown you can guarantee that he will go and yap/push with who ever will listen or take part. Stortini has to realize that is not what makes you an effective agitator. When I watched him play in the last 20 games of the season it was nice to see the intensity that he was trying to bring to the game. However, Stortini has to realize although it will bring some intensity to the Oilers the consistency of it also shows a great deal of disrespect and just gets plain annoying to watch.

Stortini does need some work, but, I could see him in a year or two be mentioned with the guys from the first paragraph.

*Aside* something that I learned today. If you type Zack Stortini into the address bar on your browser the NHL futures site of Zack Stortini opens up. Crazy.