Darcy Verot is doing his best to blend in with the Pirates, less than a year after cementing his status as a sworn enemy.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

PORTLAND – It might just be like Darth Vader joining the Force.

When the Washington Capitals and Portland Pirates went shopping for players to add depth over the summer, there was one name few expected to hear as a potential signee – Darcy Verot.

With the Saint John Flames last year, Verot made a name for himself in Portland, putting two Pirates out of action with hard hits while being a constant agitator to the team all season.

“Obviously I was surprised,” said Pirate defenseman Matt Libby, who missed 33 games after he was the recipient of a Verot elbow last December. “I found out through the grapevine, talking to my agent. I was a bit surprised, especially with everything that happened last year, not only with my case but the fact that he was such a pest for us and a thorn in our backside.”

Not many opposing players have drawn the scorn from the home fans like Verot did last year. After his hit on Libby and a career-ending check on Nate Forster the following game, Verot was Enemy No. 1.

Still, with a contract on the table, Verot had little concern about coming to the town where his reputation was, to say the least, tarnished.

“I didn’t really think about it,” said the soft-spoken 27-year old forward, who was second in the AHL in 2000-2001 with 347 penalty minutes and has more than 1,100 in his career. “I remember seeing a couple of shirts in the stands saying ‘Kill Verot’ and stuff like that. It’s not a first for me. I’ve had those kind of things said about me. Hopefully, people can learn to appreciate the way I play.”

When you play hard and aggressive, you tend to get your hands dirty and ruffle feathers. That comes with the hockey territory.

“Matt seems like a great guy,” said Verot. “Everybody that laces ’em up knows that anything can happen when you’re out there. Unfortunately that night something happened to him. Tonight, knock on some wood, it could happen to me, but that’s the chance you take when you lace your skates up.”

With the new season underway, Verot, Libby and the Pirates have tried to put last season’s history on ice, but it hasn’t been easy at times. A bloody brawl occurred during training camp with the Capitals, forcing Pirates coach Tim Army to sit down with various players to make peace.

“I knew maybe we’d have to address some issues,” said Army. “I knew there might be some awkwardness, and it might take some time. I know the type of person he is, and once you get him into the team environment that would just mesh with everybody else.”

Most people in Portland had never even heard of Verot before last Dec. 26.

With Libby skating behind his own net, Verot came alongside and delivered a high hit that leveled the blue-liner. The Saco native lay sprawled on the ice unconcious for sometime before being taken off on a stretcher. He wouldn’t play again until March.

The following game, another hit to Forster put him out with a concussion, likely finishing his career. Verot was a target for Pirates players and fans thereafter.

“I don’t think he intended to hurt Matt Libby,” said Army, who sent a tape to the league asking for a suspension because Verot left his feet and his elbow came up. “It was a heavy hit on Matt. I sent the film in. I thought it warranted a suspension, and he was suspended. I don’t think his intention was to hurt people. He didn’t chase Matt Libby around the net saying, ‘I’m going to knock this guy out.’ He was just trying to get a hit on him. That’s what he’s supposed to do.”

The reality in hockey, especially in the minor leagues, is that players move around. You never know who just might find himself mixed in with a few former enemies, especially for a player that plays as fiercely as Verot.

“I started my career in Wilkes-Barre and went to Saint John last year,” said Verot, who had 299 penalty minutes there. “I had played them in the finals the year before that. So there was a bit of history between us. I don’t think I’ve signed with any team where I didn’t have somebody that probably didn’t have kind words to say about me right off the top, but I think I can show my teammates that I’m here to help them win and help to make them better.”

Army knew the kind of tension that adding Verot to the mix would create, but it wasn’t a concern. Another reality in hockey is that as players come and go, you adjust and try to build a cohesive team, putting personal differences aside.

“To me, it’s a non-issue,” said Army. “The issue is, are guys going to follow suit? Guys that are worried about why he’s here or were (concerned) in July or August, the reality is he’s here because he plays hard every night. Instead of being worried about whether he’s here or not, they should be worried about bringing that game collectively to our team game every single night. They should be more concerned with playing the type of game expected by the coaching staff.”

Both Libby and Verot knew they’d have to deal with the situation. When both arrived in training camp, they met and tried to smooth things over with a brief conversation.

“I just chatted with him a little bit, nothing elaborate,” said Libby. “It was very professional, the way we wanted to handle it and we’ll see how the rest of the year goes.”

Libby had plenty of time to contemplate such a meeting and tried to prepare himself to cope with the situation. He knew holding onto a grudge wouldn’t serve any purpose.

“I had some time to think about it,” he said. “I decided to deal with it professionally. To be honest, yeah, it bothered me a bit, but my focus is not on Darcy Verot. My focus was on Matt Libby. Going into Washington, all I wanted to do was go in there and test well, play well and make myself look good and not worry about personal revenge.”

Still, the past wasn’t buried that easily. During a preseason scrimmage in Washington, Verot ended up in a heated brawl with both Mel Angelstad and Dwayne Zinger. Verot and Angelstad fought numerous times. Angelstad was bloodied and players and coaches had to step in to break up the melee.

“It’s not a situation you like to see,” said Army. “I won’t sugarcoat it. It was a nasty situation. Fortunately, no one got hurt, and we came out of it. Maybe the situation itself is not something you want to have occur, but maybe the resulting conversation was a good thing because we got it right out in the open.”

Army sat down with Verot, Angelstad and groups of players in an attempt to help ease tensions. While preseason scraps are sometimes the norm, this was different. Army wanted to make sure that the hard feelings were softened before camp continued.

“I said, ‘It’s been dealt with, and let’s move on from here,’ ” said Army. “It’s good (that) it came out. I wish it didn’t come out the way it did, but it came out early and we were able to address it. We’ve moved on from it, and we’re very comfortable with our team makeup right now.”

Angelstad was among the first group of cuts sent to Portland. Verot stayed with the parent club right up until the final week. The scrap in Washington may have allowed for a fresh start for all parties in Portland.

“I think camp was an airing-out process,” said Verot, who went fishing with his new teammates just before the season began. “Anyone who had some grudge, they could take it out there. I fought Zinger and Mel, and I think that might have helped ease their minds, being in the same dressing room with me.”

Angelstad is a veteran of the rough-and-tumble hockey life. He’s had scuffles with many a friend and made friends out of many an enemy during his journeyman career. Forgetting, and maybe even forgiving, has to be a way of life at times.

“In hockey, there’s always battles,” he said. “There’s always another battle on the next horizon. So you don’t worry about those things in the past. You’ve got to get by them, and you’ve got to just move on as a team.”

Winning over the fans may be a different story. Many may not forget the taunting Verot gave them when he was escorted off the ice after earning a game misconduct in his last game here in a visiting jersey.

“I’m sure there’s going to be some fans that are going to have a tough time with it,” said Verot. “Hopefully, they can forget about that after a few wins.”

Thus far, Verot says, his welcome has actually been a pretty warm one.

“Off the ice, everyone’s been friendly. Maybe they’ve even gone out of their way a little bit to say, ‘Welcome to Portland,’ ” said Verot. “Things like that go a long way, and I really appreciate it.”

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