This is like seeing a Bat-signal in the night sky. I started a thread about this last summer. The basic idea was that I felt that some ironman players have a special skill in avoiding injuries where so-called injury-prone players are challenged in this area, though I believe that this skill can be conditioned (learned). I don't believe in injury prone players per se if that individual has rehabbed the snot out of that injury, like Monahan finally rehabbing that wonky hip and then playing 83 games.
But I also believe that an ironman like Suzuki would not let Tinordi run him into the bench the same way Dach did. He is significantly better at protecting himself. Or Kessel, or Marleau. The Habs need to do more to condition players into protecting themselves better, even if it costs a 2-minute penalty. Adam Nicholas needs to key on this, or hire a biomechanics expert who understands hockey. Look at game film of ironmen avoiding injuries, in the face of vicious contact, and drill these techniques into them. Stop being the league's injury patsies. Make injury avoidance one of the top priorities, like a potent powerplay.
Edit: some of this boils down to communication. Teammates telling one another: "Wilson on your 6. Hard left!" Make it a team priority with a multifactorial solution. You could actually practice like that, with the whites playing dirty against the reds, and maybe an extra layer of padding on the boards. The reds have to both score and avoid getting plastered into the boards using these techniques. What is preventing the Habs from being the most injury-proactive, communicative team in the league? Nothing, except lack of critical thinking.
