Misplaced Pages

In ice hockey, a pest is a player who attempts to antagonize opponents either by physical play or verbal incitement. Pests employ legal, illegal, or borderline tactics to accomplish their goals. Some common tactics include chirping or slashing and hooking while referees are not looking. They may employ the tactic of goading opponents into a fight but then backing off in order to draw a penalty against them. Some pests may not only use these tactics against opposing skaters, but opposing goaltenders as well. Pest and agitator are sometimes used synonymously, as both are usually characterized by short bursts of intensity and speed with the intention of creating havoc.

The term has been used derogatorily to refer to a player who incites anger in the opposition but is unwilling to directly suffer the consequences of their actions by engaging in fighting, as would an enforcer. George McPhee, former general manager of the Washington Capitals and president of the Vegas Golden Knights, said, "Pests are really the guys who have no courage. They start stuff and don't back it up."

Examples of pests in NHL

In February 2001, Hockey Digest published a list of the NHL's best pests. They were: Bob Kelly, Matt Cooke, Esa Tikkanen, Tomas Holmstrom, Darius Kasparaitis, Ian Laperriere, Tyson Nash, Todd Harvey, Matthew Barnaby, Kris Draper, Bill Lindsay, Jamal Mayers and Steve Staios.

In 2009, Sports Illustrated also compiled their own list of "Notable Pests of the NHL". Their list included: Claude Lemieux, Steve Ott, Jordin Tootoo, Jarkko Ruutu, Matt Cooke, Alexandre Burrows, Chris Neil, Ian Laperriere, Darcy Tucker, Chris Simon, Matthew Barnaby, Theo Fleury, Pat Verbeek, Esa Tikkanen, Ken Linseman and Tiger Williams.

See also

• Grinder (ice hockey)

Notes

1. Smith, Josh (June 6, 2013). "Hartnett: There's A Rat On The Ice, His Name Is Brad Marchand". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
2. Diamond, Dan (1998). Total Hockey: the Official Encyclopedia of the National Hockey League. Andrews McMeel Publisher. p. 618. ISBN 978-0-8362-7114-0.
3. ^ Hockey Digest; Samuelson, Karl (February 2001). "Best Pest In Show - hockey players who get under their opponent's skin". bnet. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
4. Matheson, Jim (April 14, 2008). "Hartnell an agitator, not a pest". Canada.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
5. "Notable Pests of the NHL". SI.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.

References

• Podnieks, Andrew (2007). The Complete Hockey Dictionary. Fenn Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55168-309-6.

v t e Ice hockey
History Leagues Teams
Equipment	Cooperalls Goaltending equipment Blocker Mask Trapper Glove Puck Skate Stick Tape T-Blades Uniform Helmet Jersey Pants Socks Skate guard
Positions	Main Goaltender Defenceman Centre Forward Power Two-way Winger Other Captain Coach Enforcer Grinder Pest Rover
Rules	Arena Awarded goal Boarding Breakaway Charging Clipping Cross-checking Delay of game Face-off Goal Halifax Holding the stick Hooking Icing Officials Offside Overtime Penalty Penalty shot Rink Roughing Short-handed Shot Slot Tripping Tuck rule
Skills	Butterfly style Deke One timer Pass Saucer pass Snap shot Wrist shot
Variations	Broomball College Fantasy Minor Pond Power‎ Rink bandy Shinny Sledge Special Table Underwater
Strategy	Analytics Backcheck Breakaway Checking Cycling Dump'n'Chase Extra attacker Forecheck Left wing lock Line Loafing Neutral zone trap Screen Torpedo system
Terminology	Gameplay 200-foot game Assist Diving Empty net goal Five-hole Full strength Gordie Howe hat trick High-sticking Michigan goal Point Save Scoring chance Scramble style Shot on goal Skatemill Slapshot Stop Culture Ceremonial first puck Hockeytown Playoff beard Puck bunny Three stars Towel Power
Statistics	Analytics Arenas by capacity Outdoor games Games with highest attendance Films Fenwick Point Shot quality
Related topics	Broadcasting Fighting Nicknames In popular culture Violence
Category Commons

v t e Positions on the hockey rink
Positions	Goaltender Defenceman Centre Forward Power forward Two-way forward Winger
Other roles	Enforcer Grinder Pest Rover Captain Head coach Officials

• Ice hockey terminology