Not new. Just add these terms to your hockey lexicon: "Crease rats", "garbage goals", "dirty areas". As previously mentioned, Esposito and Cicarelli (among others) had great success as that type of scorer.
In the bygone era a player had to have the attitude/willingness to absorb an inordinate amount of punishment, abuse, and cheap shots to make the crease their office combined with quick hand/eye and close-quarter skills to make it pay off. They were the antithesis of a soft, perimeter player.
Changes in rules/penalties have made playing on or near the crease far more benign and has diminished the notion of it being a specialized role not unlike being a "power forward". Better goalies mean more players have become adept at the skill of redirecting/deflecting/tipping pucks.
Of course, redirects/tips and cleaning up rebounds were never garbage, and lucky deflections from simply being there creating chaos/screens aren't exactly either. It just means they aren't pretty. Despite the changes, players who have a consistent knack for being there to exploit and finish fleeting, close-in opportunities will always get noticed.