The Art of Hits Again - Sigard Petrenko

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SEATTLE - Hitting has always been a part of hockey. While rules have reduced the amount of unsafe hits, hitting is still a prevalent skill needed in today’s top leagues. This can be seen in former Bears’ captain Vinny Detroit’s play and his consistent ability to hit. Another example of a consistent hitter is Sigard Petrenko. He is a couple of hits away from 1200 career hits. In terms of hits, he has come off a career 292-hit season. Hitting has always been Sigard’s bread and butter when scoring didn’t work. You wouldn’t think that such a consistent hitter would come out of a 5’8” winger, however, Sigard has proven to be one tough cookie on the ice. Even in the VHLM, Sigard hit and hit hard.

 

“Hitting is an art.” Sigard stated in an interview. “It is not the prettiest of hockey skills and can take a toll on the body. But if hitting gets my teammates the puck, then hitting is what I’ll do. If I can’t score, I’ll make sure that I’m physical. It is hard to find the balance because sometimes you might get penalized a lot if you hit too much. However, when done right, I think a good hit can be appreciated.”

 

The winger was asked the secret to hitting. “Hit smart, not hard. A hit that knocks someone off their feet is useless if their teammate is just gonna pick up the puck. But if you can hit in a way that can angle them off the puck AND allow you or your teammates to take possession, that’s a good hit.”