It doesn't take toughness to hit somebody else. Both needed elements, but are definitely not the same thing.
Sacrificing your body to deliver the big hit not only takes toughness ..a good hitter is also mentally tough since while trying to make a clean hit you also put yourself at risk to be injured....This type of player as in the case of the "identity line"...risks everything to change the eb and flow of a game.
This is why few have the common denominator explained above...Its called Toughness
This same type player can take a hit to move the puck also....no turning your back..no dipsy doodling spinning around to avoid the contact...so many on the Leafs do this resulting in turnovers and loss battles.
Ring any bells?....the makeup of the Leafs is not to play for the guy next to you....I follow both leafs and Isles ..the difference in chemistry and toughness is clear.
Year 1 when #17 came to Toronto...a "Glue became evident" between players a team toughness identity was being created ..( do you recall Leafs tender skating 200 ft during the Vancouver game when Martin was fighting and Vancouver's goalie got involved)..see anything like that lately?....Players with little intestinal fortitude stood a little taller....toughness on the back end with even a Komorov type helped immensely.....all checkers....where are they now...near all leafs that left played in the playoffs to some degree...How did the Leafs do?
If not for the head case coach at the time who thought he would re-invent the game by breaking his own players by benching them for sticking up for fellow mates. .. this very coach intimidated the Marners etc..the Leafs should be playoff bound consistently. Player chemistry was lost due to the very person that was put in charge to coach them. Reason why?..since we know he did the very same to players he coached elsewhere...one can be confident with the explanation.."it was all about Mike" and his 50 mill.
