Thomas Vanek makes bold claim about the NHL

In an interview on "The Instigators" podcast, free agent forward Thomas Vanek said that the NHL isn't as tough as it used to be.

"The last four-to-five years, besides (Zdeno) Chara, the league isn't that tough anymore. I think we can all agree on that, "I think early on when we all played together and you got the (Chris) Prongers, the (Derian) Hatchers, that was tough." Vanek said.

"Standing in front of the net, there was no penalties back then. The ref would say, 'Hey, loosen up Pronger' and Pronger would look at the ref and was like 'Don't ever talk to me again.'"

"I don't know if it was really dirty (in the past), that's the way it was - if you go in front of the net, you're taking a punishment," Vanek said. "Now the game has changed. You've got a lot of smaller defensemen who are more mobile. They cross-check a little bit, but those guys are nonexistent really anymore."

Vanek hasn't played in the NHL since the 2018-19 season, but he isn't officially retired. He is currently the head coach for an under-14 single-A team in Stillwater, Minnesota.

Vanek, 36, was drafted in the first round, fifth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2003 NHL entry draft. During his 14-year career, he spent time with 9 different teams. The Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings (two separate stints), Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

In 1,029 regular season games, Vanek has recorded 789 points (373 G, 416 A), 547 penalty minutes, and is a +5. In 69 career playoff games, he's tallied 36 points (21 G, 15 A), 26 penalty minutes, and is a -17.

Internationally, Vanek has represented Austria on multiple occasions, most recently at the 2014 Winter Olympics, where he was the captain. In 4 games, he had 1 point (1 A), 4 penalty minutes, and was a -4 as Austria finished 10th following a loss to Slovenia in the qualification playoff round.

Vanek also played for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. In 6 games, he had 1 point (1 A), 2 penalty minutes, and was a -2 as Team Europe finished second after losing to Canada in a best-of-three final.

Source: theScore

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