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Name: Richard Physt
Position: Defenseman
Born: Regina, Saskatchewan
Height (ft.): 6'1"
Weight (lbs.): 202 LBS
Birthplace: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

I’m overwhelmed by the smells and noises as I step out of my rental just outside of Regina, Saskatchewan onto the property of Richard Physt, homegrown talent and pride of the Pats. Across the yard, Physt notices me – how could he not, I stick out like a sore thumb – and climbs down from his tractor. Or is a combine? Something else? I don’t know, farm vehicle thing.

We lounge on his deck with a cool drink in hand as our conversation begins. Physt is a man of few words but the words he does speak are made with a certain heaviness, a gravitas that comes from how deliberate they are. As if he takes a few seconds to figure out the shortest possible way to express himself.

We talk briefly about his time in the WHL and his short responses belie the love the fans here have for him. There’s something special about the connection between a fan base and a tough guy. Sure, the fancy skaters and goal scorers are popular but they don’t earn the same respect, the same passion from their fans the way physical players do. There’s something innate in the mind of a hockey fan that knows these guys are sacrificing their health and well-being – both physical and mental – for the team they love. That selflessness, that martyrdom inspires an almost cult-like following amongst fans and indebts their teammates to them.

Look at the way guys like Marty McSorley or Dave Semenko are talked about. They’re talked about in glowing terms usually reserved for The Great One himself.

Physt, of course, brushes it off. He’s just a farm boy doing his job to the best of his ability. To him he’s no different than every other guy out there who gives it his all to make the team better.

But he is.

Calling him an enforcer is technically incorrect. It has the connotation of a player who lacks puck skills, a player who struggles to pass or score and exists solely to protect his or her teammates and make life for opposing players a living hell. Though he does play that way on the ice and is what he prides himself on, he’s that rare breed that does have the puck skills, that can make that pass, that can take that shot.

A bit uncomfortably he compares his game to Chris Pronger. I’d say that’s pretty accurate.

As we talk a bit (and by “we” I mostly mean “I”) about the SMJHL draft and what he’s looking for in a team and hoping to get out of the experience he takes a long drink from his mason jar before answering.

Quote:Playing time is earned and can build success.

In stark juxtaposition to myself who vomits forth words to weave points together and over-explain things for the sake of column inches, Physt gets his point across in as few words as possible.

As I patter on more specifically about the teams, hoping to find something that turns him into a fountain of quotes for me to sift through he shrugs me off and once again goes for quality over quantity.

Quote:The only team I don’t want to play for is a team full of softies.

He doesn’t elaborate or mention any teams specifically he feels are soft but the message is loud and clear: if I’m going to be putting my body on the line for you, I expect the same in return. This is a two-way street.

He does mention Montreal and St. Louis as teams that have made a favorable impression on him during the draft process. The Montreal Militia for their dedication to Defense (Praise Be Unto It) and the St. Louis Scarecrows for, well, Physt is done elaborating so we are left to speculate on what makes them so attractive to the young defenseman.

Those two teams control a bevy of picks in the first three rounds and both may be looking to bolster their blue line so is that the range Physt expects to hear his name called? Nope.

Quote: Honestly I feel late. I’m more balanced and a bit fighty.

I point out the success of previous balanced players who were, as he put it, “a bit fighty” but I’m met with nothing but a dismissive shrug. He said what he wanted to.

In particular I wax poetic about Danny Foster, who owns two of the 3 most penalized seasons in the SMJHL record book. I wonder aloud if Physt sees himself challenging for that record – or if he even wants to. He replies with typical non-committal.

Quote:I wouldn't mind having a record I can hang my hat on.

Whether it’s that record or something else is anyone’s guess but given the way he envisions his development as a player I could definitely see him racking up the penalty minutes:

Quote:I want to build into the physical nature but also be able to move the puck.

The sun hangs low in the sky as we say goodbye; me headed for my rental and the airport, he for his tractory thing and the fields. I can’t help but wonder whether he felt our interview was a colossal waste of his time. The thought nags me for a while until I next check my phone and see several text messages from one Richard Physt. The man of few words has text game that rivals his on-ice game and we've been in constant contact since I left.

Now, I should be clear here lest I unfairly portray the man. In the writing of this article I may make him come across as someone without a personality – that is not the case, he simply says what he needs to say and no more. I may make him come across as a goon – that is also not the case, as anyone who has watched him play can attest, he simply plays physically in an era where that stands out. And I may make him come across as dumb or unintelligent. That, too, is incorrect as our conversation about history revealed Mr. Physt is a learned man and intellectually curious.

It’s hard to be misunderstood in life but Physt takes it in stride. What other choice does he have? He seems to recognize that some teams may mistake his quietness for blandness or his physicality for goonery. He’s fine with that because he wants to play for a team that appreciates what he brings to the table and is willing to sacrifice just as much as he is to win games.

Not that he would ever tell you that.