WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- There was a time, not too long ago, that Ryan Reaves wondered if the NHL wanted him anymore. The league has been turning to smaller and faster players over the past decade. Fighting has, organically, come out of vogue. Reaves -- a thick 6-foot-1, 225-pound winger, the son of a professional running back, a player who earned his ticket through grit -- began asking: Are hockey players like me becoming extinct?
For a few summers in the NHL, Reaves trained solely in the boxing ring. He'd spar for hours and "throw weights around so I could fight 250-pound guys," he said.