My two pence for what is worth. Just before the season I was a little bit worried that without a pure enforcer out there, Cardiff Devils would get bossed about on some occassions. However the way they played this year, it just simpy didn't happen.
The game is changing. For sure. When the opposition did try and get physical, tried to knock the boys about, the devils just seemed to keep calm and roll with the hits, the checks, the punches.
They focused on the scoreboard not the fight card this year and it worked. For most of the season a number of other teams tried the intimidation piece. A couple of things happened. Within the devils team, certain individuals stepped up and got just enough physical back at them (players which the other team didn't necessarily expect to provide this back, aka Joey Martin in that game against Sheffield). The 2nd thing which happened was Cardiff just didn't stop playing tic tac toe, fast, past it into space hockey. They didn't let it affect them and they put numbers on the board.
It was simply too late in the season for other teams to figure this out and adjust. Sheffield Steerlers in particular just didn't know how to stop Cardiff. Thommo couldn't figure out the Devils all season. He just stood there with a vacant look on a his face, scratching his head. Sure, last night in the NHL, Boston beat Toronto. Because Toronto let a tougher, more physical team intimidate them. Cardiff Devils didn't let that happen all year long. This was Lord's plan from the off. Leave emotion at the door and get our own back when we score. It worked. Like I said the game is changing.