Brophy on Dupuis: Grinding out a niche

Nobody grows up aiming to win the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Nobody.

The goal-scorers get the big money, the notoriety and the ice time.

Defensive players get splinters.

So you’d think with no goals and no points in 22 games this season, Philippe Dupuis would be beside himself; constantly looking over his shoulder for a replacement who can chip in on offence.

If that’s the case, then he’s the world’s greatest liar. Ask Dupuis about his season and he’s all smiles.

“I love it,” Dupuis said. “I’m part of a winning team now. We have good chemistry and the boys are having fun. I couldn’t be happier.”

Among Leafs regulars, there are six players that have not scored a goal this season – and three of those are goalies. Dupuis and defencemen Jake Gardiner and Carl Gunnarsson are the skaters that have no goals.

Funny thing is, when Dupuis was drafted 104th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2003, he was a fairly productive player with the Hull Olympics of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Two years later he fired 32 goals and 108 points with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats.

In his mind, Dupuis’ future in the NHL included lots and lots of goals. Not everyone saw it that way, though.

“When I was drafted by Columbus, the team’s coaching staff told me that if I want to play in the NHL I’m going to be a third- or fourth-liner,” Dupuis said. “I was 18 at the time and it was like, ‘I’m not sure about that.’ But once you turn pro you realize how good the guys are and how much skill it takes to be on the top two lines. I realized I don’t have enough skills to score goals. At the junior level I was fine, but when I turned pro I realized they were right and this was the right way to go.”

Dupuis didn’t step immediately into the NHL after his five-year junior career ended. Rather, he played the majority of his first four years of pro in the American Hockey League. That, he said, is where the transformation in his game took place.

“I’m used to it now, but when I made the transition two years ago in the minors, playing in Erie with David Quinn as my coach, it was a little hard on my ego,” Dupuis said. “He slowly turned me into a two-way guy, a defensive specialist and a penalty-killer. It was tough for me to get my head around at first, but now I am so glad I did it. I’m really happy about my role and I take a lot of pride in it.”

The Leafs penalty-killing has been a sore spot for the club the past few years, and currently ranks 27th. However, it has been getting better and Dupuis has been a big reason for the recent success.

“You look at (the improvement in) our penalty-killing over the last dozen or 15 games and he’s a big part of that,” said coach Ron Wilson. “He’s usually the first forward to go out on the penalty kill so we have a lot of confidence in him. He’s not out for goals against. I feel comfortable that he can go out and we won’t be in danger when he’s on the ice. We may not score, but you need players who can shut down the opposition or have a smart shift when we have possession of the puck in the offensive zone.”

Added captain Dion Phaneuf: “I think he’s done a really good job coming in here and identifying his role. For teams to have success you look at a guy like Dupes and he does a lot of little things well. He doesn’t get rewarded on the score sheet every night, but at the end of the night you look at his faceoffs and his blocked shots and you realize he’s doing a good job.”

As a player who averages an average of 11:21 ice time per game, Dupuis said it is paramount that he keep his head in the game.

“You can’t really black out or think about other things,” Dupuis said. “You always have to be focused on the game. Things can change quickly. In the Carolina game, I didn’t play for seven or eight minutes and then suddenly I had to go out and kill a penalty. You have to be quick on your feet. It’s hard sometimes to stay focused, but you have to do it. That’s part of being a pro hockey player.”

Last year, in his first full season in the NHL, Dupuis managed six goals and 17 points in 74 games. He distinctly remembers his last goal since it came in the final game of the season against the Edmonton Oilers. Now his stats show zeroes across the board and he’s not losing sleep over it.

“I don’t really look at it,” Dupuis said. “If I had three or four points now, what would that change? We’re having a good year and for me to have three or four points wouldn’t change what I do or what my role with the team is. Obviously, like everyone else I’d like to score my first goal of the season. I’m not going to lie; I’d like to get the first one out of the way. But if, at the end of the year I have eight, 10, 12 points; it doesn’t really matter. That’s not my job. I’m trying to focus on the right things and that is to make sure I play good defensively.”