Nick Cousins among THN's 5 Villains Opposing Fans Love to Loathe
Cousins has grown into a player who you love as a teammate but hate to play against
Nick Cousins has earned himself quite the reputation since joining the Florida Panthers.
The veteran has played for six NHL teams during his 10 years in the league, providing solid play mostly as a checking forward with some scoring touch.
During his two seasons with the Panthers, Cousins has been asked to wear several hats.
He has proven able to play on differently constructed lines, whether it be in a top six role – as we've seen over the past couple years with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett – or in a more traditional spot providing depth when needed.
Cousins has also shown that he is not afraid of going into the dirty areas of the ice and playing a physically imposing brand of hockey.
His play has drawn the ire of several players around the league, some of whom have made a point of being extra physical with Cousins when the opportunity has presented itself.
The Hockey News recently posted an article on Five 'Villains' Opposing Fans Love to Hate who are playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In the story, THN highlights five guys who have proven to be crucial to their respective teams' postseason success, and who are also not liked very much outside of their respective cities.
Those players are Brad Marchand, Mark Stone, Max Domi, Tom Wilson and, you guessed it, Nick Cousins.
Here is an excerpt from THN's piece:
The 30-year-old is a depth player who makes you remember him each time he’s on the ice. While he’s never going to be a major-league point producer, he’s unafraid of taking on opponents and unnerving them to their detriment.
THN goes on to mention that Cousins will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and that teams will likely be jostling to signing him during the summer.
Cousins and the Panthers will be back in action on Thursday night when they face Tampa Bay in Game 3 of their opening round Stanley Cup Playoff series.
Florida leads the best-of-7 two games to none.
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