Pest (hockey) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

, a pest is a characterization of player who attempts to antagonize opponent players either by physical play or verbally.
Pests employ legal, illegal, or borderline tactics to accomplish their goals. Some common tactics include trash talk or slashing and hooking

Hooking (hockey)

Hooking in ice hockey is the act of impeding or obstructing an opponent's progress by placing the shaft or blade of the stick on the midsection of the opposing player and pulling him or her back...

while referees are not looking. Also, they may sometimes employ the tactic of goading opponents into a fight but then backing off in order to draw a penalty against them. Some pests may not only use these tactics against opposing skaters, but opposing goaltender

Goaltender

In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

s as well. Pest and agitator are sometimes used synonymously, as both are usually characterized by short bursts of intensity and speed with the intention of creating havoc. The pest characterization has been used derogatorily, as a player who incites anger in the opposition but is unwilling to directly confront the result of their actions by engaging in fighting. George McPhee

George McPhee

George McPhee is the general manager of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals as well as the team's alternate governor and vice president...

, general manager

General manager

General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

of the Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...

, said, "Pests are really the guys who have no courage. They start stuff and don't back it up."

Examples of pests in NHL

In February 2001 Hockey Digest published a list of the NHL's best pests. They were: Bob Kelly, Esa Tikkanen

Esa Tikkanen

Esa Tikkanen is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, St...

, Tomas Holmström

Tomas Holmström

Tomas Holmström is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League , where he has won four Stanley Cup championships...

, Darius Kasparaitis

Darius Kasparaitis

Darius Kasparaitis is a retired professional ice hockey defenseman. Known by the nickname Kaspar, he has dual citizenship in both the United States and Russia, and he has played for the Russian national ice hockey team.- Playing career :Kasparaitis left Lithuania for Russia at age 14 after...

, Ian Laperrière

Ian Laperriere

Ian Laperrière is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently under contract to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League , but who has not played since the season because of post-concussion syndrome....

, Tyson Nash

Tyson Nash

Tyson Scott Nash is a former ice hockey left winger. He announced his retirement on September 11, 2008. He last played for the Nippon Paper Cranes in Japan during the 2007–08 season....

, Todd Harvey

Todd Harvey

Todd Douglas Ross Harvey is a former professional ice hockey forward. He was selected in the first round of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, 9th overall, by the Dallas Stars, following a successful junior career, which included being the captain of the Canadian team at the World Junior Hockey...

, Matthew Barnaby

Matthew Barnaby

Matthew Barnaby is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey right winger. Barnaby played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars.-Playing career:He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres...

, Kris Draper

Kris Draper

Kristopher Draper is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. Draper is a four-time winner of the Stanley Cup, a Frank J. Selke Trophy winner and scored over 100 goals in the Red Wings uniform. Draper was a member of the famous Grind Line in Detroit, consisting of himself, Kirk Maltby...

, Bill Lindsay

Bill Lindsay

William Hamilton Lindsay is an American retired ice hockey player. He has played in the National Hockey League for the Quebec Nordiques, Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens and the Atlanta Thrashers. He was drafted 103rd overall by the Nordiques in the 1991 NHL...

, Jamal Mayers

Jamal Mayers

Jamal David Mayers is a professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. He wore jersey number 21 for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the St. Louis Blues, number 19 for the Flames, and number 10 for the San Jose Sharks...

and Steve Staios

Steve Staios

Steven Staios is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is an alternate captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. He has played both right wing and defence in the NHL.-Playing career:...

.

In 2009, Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

also compiled their own list of "Notable Pests of the NHL". Their list was: Sean Avery

Sean Avery

Sean Christopher Avery is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He formerly played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. Prior to the NHL, Avery played for the Owen Sound Platers and the...

, Claude Lemieux

Claude Lemieux

Claude Percy Lemieux is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He last played for the San Jose Sharks before announcing his retirement on July 8, 2009. He is one of only ten players in Stanley Cup history to win the Cup with three different teams. His 80 career playoff goals are the...

, Steve Ott

Steve Ott

Steve Ott is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, an alternate captain of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, Jordin Tootoo

Jordin Tootoo

Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo is a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League . He is both the first Inuk player and the first player who grew up in Nunavut to participate in an NHL game....

, Jarkko Ruutu

Jarkko Ruutu

Jarkko Ruutu ; born August 23, 1975) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player. Ruutu is currently playing for SM-Liiga team Jokerit. He is the brother of Tuomo Ruutu, currently playing in the NHL on the Carolina Hurricanes, and retired player Mikko Ruutu....

, Matt Cooke

Matt Cooke

Matthew David Cooke is a professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. His playing style has earned him a reputation of being a "pest" and he is known for his ability to aggravate opponents...

, Alexandre Burrows

Alexandre Burrows

Alexandre Ménard-Burrows is a French-Canadian professional ice hockey winger with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . He is known for playing in the style of an agitator and for his ascension to the NHL from being an undrafted player in the ECHL...

, Chris Neil

Chris Neil

Chris Neil is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Neil currently plays right wing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League .-Early years:Neil started out playing minor hockey in the town of Flesherton, Ontario...

, Ian Laperrière

Ian Laperriere

, Darcy Tucker

Darcy Tucker

Darcy Tucker is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, who played most of his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A sixth round draft choice, Tucker began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens...

, Chris Simon

Chris Simon

Chris Simon is a former Canadian professional ice hockey left winger whose last club was UHC Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League . He played 15 seasons in the NHL.-Minor hockey:...

, Matthew Barnaby

Matthew Barnaby

, Theo Fleury, Pat Verbeek

Pat Verbeek

Patrick Verbeek is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played for the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and Detroit Red Wings during his career...

, Esa Tikkanen

Esa Tikkanen

Esa Tikkanen is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, St...

, Ken Linseman

Ken Linseman

Kenneth "The Rat" Linseman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs...

and Tiger Williams

Tiger Williams

David James "Tiger" Williams is a former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1974–75 to 1987–88. He is the NHL's career leader in penalty minutes.-NHL career:...

Examples of pests in NHL

See also