Agitator Lemieux deals with annoyances of his own

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This article was published 19/09/2016 (3355 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PENTICTON, B.C. — It’s early in the pre-season but Brendan Lemieux already looks like he’s in the middle of a regular-season war.

Several stitches have closed a cut above his left eye courtesy of an elbow from Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames Friday night and Lemieux was limping and required post-game treatment Saturday for an unspecified lower-body injury.

“I’m pushing through a few little bumps and bruises,” said the Jets forward after Winnipeg’s 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at the Young Stars Classic NHL rookie tournament at the South Okanagan Events Centre. “It’s been challenging. I’m looking forward to a couple days rest and getting healthy and as a group we just want to get a win and play a little cleaner. Our power play needs to get cleaned up.”

Lemieux completed his Ontario Hockey League career last spring before finishing his season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose. Making the NHL’s Jets is next on the agenda.

Sunday’s game was not vintage Lemieux, the agitator extraordinaire. There were good reasons for that.

“I think there’s a time and a place and there really wasn’t a time and a place today,” said Lemieux, who was in the middle of several dust-ups during Friday’s game against Tkachuk and the Flames. “At the next level, if I’m playing seven minutes a night you’re gonna find a little bit more of it. Whereas, when you’re playing as much as I did tonight, you only have so much energy.

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“You talk about young, skilled guys. There’s a reason they’re not running around hitting people because they’ve gotta conserve that energy to beat a (defenceman) wide or make that move.”

“… It’s a fine line. Tonight I was leaning more towards survival. I didn’t see the need for extracurricular and there was none.”

For all of his considerable reputation as a physical force, it’s sometimes easy to forget Lemieux has been a substantial point producer for his entire career. He doesn’t plan to abandon that part of his game now.

“I have a good offensive side, I know that,” he said. “I want to produce but also want to continue to show I’m defensively responsible (and) hard on the forecheck.”

Mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14