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Wichita Enforcer
Wichita's newest enforcer not your typical tough guy
When it became obvious what was going on -- that Tulsa Oilers bully Mario Joly was trying to coax Thunder veteran left wing Jason Duda into doing something that would land him in the penalty box, Chris Bain was there.
Yes, he had to skate for a bit to get there from his spot on the Thunder bench. But, ultimately, he was there to attack Joly before Joly could attack Duda less than a minute into a game last week at the Kansas Coliseum.
Bain is the team's enforcer, its tough guy. He is not getting a paycheck for his deft hockey precision. He's getting one for his willingness to stick his nose into a melee.
In his first game with the Thunder, an exhibition against Memphis, Bain took on RiverKings veteran Ken Goetz after Goetz had hit the Thunder's Kris Weibe from behind.
Bain was kicked out of that game just a few minutes after picking up an assist.
"I love it when I get to score a goal or get a point here and there," Bain said. "But the most satisfying thing for me in that game was the fight."
You can question the culture of hockey, which a player like Bain personifies, but you'll never change it.
It's a tit-for-tat sport in which a violation of the code of conduct, a code only hockey people truly understand, never goes unpunished.
Every team has a player like Bain. But on most teams, that player is older and bigger. Definitely bigger.
Bain, who was suspended for three games for fighting Joly last week, just turned 21 last weekend. He is 6-foot and 210 pounds.
Joly is 6-4, 225.
As if size matters to Bain.
He has tangled with Odessa's Jeff Ewasko (6-7, 240). With Oklahoma City's Jason Goulet (6-5, 245).
"I give Bainer credit," said Duda, a Thunder veteran whose value to the team is unquestioned. "He's not scared to go out there and battle anybody on the ice. It doesn't matter how big, how small or how tough. That takes a lot of character and a lot of grit to go out and do what he does every night."
Because Bain always follows trouble -- and often instigates it -- he ranks first in the CHL in major penalty minutes.
Ho-hum.
Every minute Bain kills in the box is a minute one of his teammates isn't. That's his spin.
"I don't know, maybe it's having more courage than smarts," said Bain, who signed with the Thunder after playing junior hockey the previous four years in Ontario, near his hometown of Sudbury. "I just go out there and try to play a physical style of game. I'm ready to do whatever the team needs -- take a hit, block a shot or start a fight to get the boys going."
Every hockey team has a player or two -- sometimes more -- like Bain. The best teams really need them.
Why wouldn't Tulsa try to bait Duda into doing something stupid? He's one of the Thunder's dangerous scorers. Get him off the ice and your chance to beat Wichita greatly increases.
But if Bain is serving a three-game suspension, the fallout is less severe. He knows that.
"Part of my job is to make sure a player like Jason Duda is out there putting up points," Bain said.
When the three-game suspension was handed down, it was explained to Bain that while his intention might have been good last week, his decision to leave the bench wasn't.
"OK, I made a quick move without maybe fully thinking about the situation," Bain said. "But in the end, I'm just doing my job. Maybe next time I wait for a better situation."
Being so young, Bain admits he's in the process of learning the professional dos and don'ts. Protocol doesn't top his list of priorities.
Earning the respect of his teammates is. And if he's not there when a ruckus arises, he might as well not even suit up.
"I'm not the type of guy who is looking to fight, but I'm usually ready when it happens," Bain said. "Usually, my size is a disadvantage. So I'm just trying to make the most of it and learn as I go along."
Other CHL teams have enforcers who are bigger and tougher and have more hockey experience.
"I'm a little guy," Bain said. "A young one, too."
So far, though, he's holding his own.
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