The honor was certainly was certainly well deserved for Haley, who scored the game-winning goal in Thursday's 6-4 win against the Winnipeg Jets at the BB&T Center. He also added an assist -- his first multi-point game of the season -- and set the tone physically for the team, finishing with a game-high four hits despite seeing just 6:59 of ice time.
"He's a responsible guy, and sometimes he doesn't get credit for that because of the role he plays," said Panthers coach Bob Boughner, who began working with Haley in San Jose back in 2015. "There's not too many times where we watch a game over the next day and say that he's out of place or he's in the wrong spot. He's pretty tight with that and responsible."
Boughner -- himself a noted enforcer with an impressive 1,382 penalty minutes accumulated over 10 seasons in the NHL -- said Haley is the type of player that not only discourages opponents, but also lights a fire under his own team both in the locker room and on the ice.
"You need a guy like that," Boughner said. "These skill guys don't have to be looking over their shoulder every night. I can tell you one thing: the other team knows he's playing when the rosters come out. It's good to have him on our side and he's been solid for us all year. He's given us exactly what we thought he would."
Haley is one of nine players to play in all 28 of Florida's games this season.
"I know what [Boughner] expects," said Haley, who played in a career-high 58 games with the Sharks last season. "It's good that he has that trust in me."
As the NHL game continues to place a greater emphasis on speed and skill, Haley said he's worked hard to evolve into a the type of player that not only defends teammates, but also attack opposing defenses. Making good use of his limited minutes this season - he averages a team-low 7:32 a game - the 31-year-old currently ranks seventh on the Panthers in points per 60 minutes (1.99) and first in hits (51).
"Goals don't always come, the chances aren't always there, but if you're skating you can get the hits," said Haley, who has notched seven points (2-5-7) this season. "That's an important part of my game. I'm not trying to send a message, but I want to be consistent. I want the other teams to know that it doesn't matter what the score is, what the time is, I'm going to finish my check every time."
Although he leads the NHL with seven fights this season, Haley said he doesn't necessarily see himself a designated pugilist. In his mind, the fights fall under a larger umbrella of physicality, one that revolves around succeeding in the dirty areas of game, such as winning tough board battles, clearing pucks, breaking up passes and throwing big hits.
"If this was five, six, seven, eight years ago, it'd be 20 already," Haley said of his current fight card. "It's a different league. Now, I don't think being tough is about just fighting. You've got to be able to take a hit and keep going and make the play, whether it's getting to the red line knowing you're going to get hit or finishing checks."
"As whole, we've been good. We've been sticking together. That'll rally anybody. They may say that fighting's gone, but physicality will either unite you or break you…. We've been uniting."
