The president of the Erik Karlsson fan club admits he is biased.
Thirty years ago, that was Paul Coffey out there. He was that slick-skating risk taker who played the game as though he was out on the pond. He was the defenceman in a forward’s body. A three-time Norris Trophy winner who, as some joked, never set foot in his own end.
Coffey’s response was always that anyone could play defence. Anyone could block shots, dump pucks deep and stay back in their own end. That was the easy part.
What made him so special — and what makes Karlsson so special — is that he was not afraid to take chances and become a difference maker.