Flyers tough Nicolas Deslauriers says he didn’t feel he had a duty to fight CH defender Arber Xhekaj when the young man started to make a name for himself in the NHL.
That’s not how things work, the tough 31-year-old winger told ‘JiC’ on Wednesday.
If Deslauriers dropped the gloves in front of Xhekajten days ago, it was mainly because the match situation required it.
“These are not things I’m looking for, it’s more the situation, said the Quebecer. Our game was starting to get a little flat, there was a big hit.”
“I’m not trying to find out who the new sheriff is or anything, there are going to be young people every year who appear who are going to try to do that,” he added. You just have to be on your guard and be ready.”
In the meantime, Deslauriers appreciates what Xhekaj is trying to do in his first NHL season.
“It’s not an easy job, but at the same time… I’m a guy from Montreal too,” he recalled. We follow the media, we hear a lot of things. I see what he has been doing since the beginning of the year and with his story, it’s always “fun” to see things like that. There are not really any more who do this job.
“When you see a young person like that, who is ready to do that, it’s always pleasant, also mentioned Deslauriers. I’ve been in his shoes, it takes guts to do it.”
During the fight as such, a duel in which he had the upper hand, Deslauriers made sure to do things with respect.
“In this case, the check was correct (…) when I dropped the gloves, I think he was not extremely ready and I gave him time and I even asked him , just before we throw punches, if he was correct and he said yes to me, ”he said.
“I’m not a guy who’s going to start ‘varging’ when you haven’t taken your gloves off yet,” he later clarified.
Deslauriers then confirmed that he kind of cheered Xhekaj on after the fight.
“I told him to keep doing what he’s doing, I like to receive respect, but I like to give it too, where it’s needed,” he said.
Rififi against the Islanders
Deslauriers also had his hands full in the Flyers’ last two games, a “round trip” against the Islanders.
In the first of two games, the Quebecer stirred things up when he rushed on Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov, who had just hit his teammate solidly.
He then had to answer for his actions to the next game.
“It was a clean shot (from Romanov) on Kevin Hayes, but the way the game was going, and considering the next game was going to be against them, we sent the message that it was going to be something,” he said. -he explains. During the warm-up (of the second game), I was talking with Matt Martin and I knew that Ross (Johnston) was there for that. I answered the invitation (“answer the bell”), after we played hockey and we won the game.
“He’s a big guy, let’s say that!”, laughed “D-LO” about Johnston. His hands have also paid the price a little.
“They have seen better days, but we are doing treatments and it will be okay,” he said.
Happy to play for “Torts”
The Flyers are having a rough start to the season and that’s due, in part, to the absence of some injured veterans, Deslauriers said. The team’s new head coach, the fiery but experienced John Tortorella, is therefore working to give the team an identity. And that goes through one thing: work.
Until now, Deslauriers appreciates his experience under the orders of the American.
“What I like about him is that it’s black on white,” he said. We are not beating around the bush. If there’s anything to say, he’ll tell you. I have been lucky so far not to be attacked in a “meeting”! It keeps everyone’s butts tight. You come to the arena, it’s to work.
Watch the full interview in the main video.