Stricter rule enforcement in the National Hockey League has led to more defensemen taking draws this season and, well, it has been a challenge — even for some of the best players in the world.
"It's a little bit unnatural," Arizona Coyotes defenseman Luke Schenn said. "It's not something you see all the time. You see a D-man go in there, you're probably not going to win too many of them."
Such is life for NHL defensemen these days, thrown into the faceoff circle to do something they never figured was in their job description. Like position players taking the mound to pitch in a Major League Baseball game or NFL running backs having to throw a pass, defensemen aren't accustomed to taking faceoffs and almost never work on it in practice.