We the fantasy hockey players have a thing called sin bin love. Pugilists are people too and some of them can actually play the game of hockey! Most, if not all, fantasy hockey leagues include penalty minutes to some degree. I’ve played in various league formats with regards to PIM’s, and they are a valuable part of any team’s success. Drafting a player who can pot 15-20 goals and register 100 or so penalty minutes is fantasy gold. In the 2013-14 season, of the 32 players with 100 penalty minutes, there were only three who scored 20 or more goals. Those players were David Backes, Wayne Simmonds and Scott Hartnell. So you drafted your team, and now you realize you need some heavy sandpaper to compliment your turtleneck wearing softies (here’s looking at you, Tomas Plekanec). Backes was drafted on average in Yahoo! Leagues at 50, Simmonds at 59, and Hartnell at 92. Now what? Let’s take a look at two players who could very well still be available in your league, and will certainly help you with your “sin bin love”:

Antoine Roussel, Dallas Stars: Roussel was third in the NHL last season with 209 PIM’s. Conversely, he chipped in offensively with 29 points. At present, Roussel is owned in just 24% of Y! leagues. He is on pace to not only best his PIM’s from last year, but with 5 goals and 5 assists, he’s looking at rarified air for fighters: 40 points! Watching some Dallas games this year, Roussel has seen some power play time (he currently has 2 assists on the man advantage), making him even more valuable. If you’ve got the room, add him now. If that’s not enough, here’s a scrap from Sunday, where Roussel and Chicago’s Andrew Shaw go at it. This may in fact be the scrap of the year so far.

Steve Downie, Pittsburgh Penguins: Downie is no stranger to this category, as we’ve seen flashes of fantasy brilliance from him for a few years with different teams. There are two factors that make him more valuable this year with his new team. First, the Pens have never really had a player like Downie, who can both protect the team’s stars and contribute offensively (Matt Cooke doesn’t count). The second biggest factor is Pittsburgh’s new assistant coach, Rick Tocchet (a fighting legend in his time). Tocchet was with a young Downie in Tampa Bay, and the two have a great connection. So what does this mean for fantasy owners? Tocchet is responsible for running the Penguins power play and Downie is averaging 1:35 minutes per game on the man advantage. Downie is presently the NHL’s leader in PIM’s with 60, and with 9 points in 17 games, he is on pace for 42 points and 288 minutes. Currently only owned in 29% of Y! Leagues, he makes for an even better add than Roussel. Grab him, quickly! Here’s a recent Downie fight. Would why anyone ever want this out of hockey?

Just for fun, I did a statistical breakdown of what my all-time favorite fighter Bob Probert’s 1987-88 season would have looked like from a fantasy perspective. Awesome is the only word to describe it!

74 GP, 29 goals, 33 assists, 15 power play goals, +16 and 398 PIM’s!

Using standard points league settings, he would have scored a ridiculous 306.5 points. He would have outscored Sidney Crosby (2013) by 148 fantasy points!

“Give blood, fight Probie”

Statistical credits: Hockeyfights.com, TSN.com, ESPN.com, NHL.com

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Derek Gibson is The Sports Script’s resident fantasy hockey guru. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @Extra_Attacker!