I will be honest, Neilson is one of my favorite players. He is not just a good player, he is a great man overall. I've had the opportunity to interview him in the past and talk with him several times in the past few years. He always has a smile on his face and a personality that lights up the room. I am not lying when I say I, along with most of the Crunch community, will miss him.
However, this move is one that was going to happen eventually. Neilson, who can be labeled as an enforcer, only suited up for 20 games this past season. If you think about it, his spot is now open to a player who can play most of the season and have a bigger impact on the Crunch's performance. This may be part of the answer to boosting the Crunch's offense or strengthening the defense.
This situation also brings up a question that is being asking over and over again; is the enforcer role in hockey officially dead? Sadly, I think the answer is yes. The NHL and all it's affiliate leagues have been trying to reduce fighting for years now, thus eliminating the need for players who just play to drop the gloves. Though it means more hockey being played, it does take out the excitement of heavyweights trading blows and bringing fans to their feet. This hurts even more here in the Salt City. Think about it, the Crunch have a long list of great enforcers that bruised and bloodied opponents game after game, This includes guys like "Big Bad" John Badduke, Brandon "Sugar" Sugden, Jody Shelley, Jon "Nasty" Mirasty, and Eric Neilson. Really, the Syracuse Crunch have always had a reputation for being rough and never afraid to mix things up. Even with the leagues trying to reduce fighting, Syracuse has not stopped being rough and tough. Returning Captain Mike Angelidis is never against defending his teammates and getting nasty with opponents. Dalton Smith brings an edge to his shutdown defense. Even scorers like Yanni Gourde have developed an attitude on the ice. When Gourde first arrived to Syracuse, I never pictured him dropping the gloves. However, Yanni has proven to be tough cookie, jumping into several fights and blackening the eyes of opponents all over the AHL.
Is the enforcer era over? Unfortunately, yes it is. On the other hand, I don't think this will stop fighting and rough play being a key component to the Crunch's success. The Crunch have never been a team that has a ton of pretty wins. Syracuse hockey is defined by grinding out wins with scrappy play and wearing opponents down. That's something that will never die. I think this will only grow stronger now that all the New York State teams are in the same division. The Crunch will need to be bruisers if they want to claim the division.
Concerning Neilson, I say thank you. Thank you for being a great representative for the Syracuse Crunch both on and off the ice! You will be missed here in the Salt City. WOOOO!!!
Thanks/Credits:
http://www.syracuse.com/crunch/index.ssf/2015/07/eric_neilson_kod_popular_syracuse_crunch_enforcer_wont_be_re-signed_by_tampa_bay.html#incart_more_sports