Good bye Goons?

Where have all the goons gone? Perhaps they have all retreated to some secret resort where they reminisce over past upper cuts or the first tooth they ever lost. The new face of the NHL does not facilitate an environment in which the goons of the ol' days can survive. It seems that there has been a gradual progression in which the goons have been phased out and replaced by the enforcer, and the enforcer has been replaced by? This leaves me asking, is the grinder in today's game what the goon once was? The goon was often the character of the team. Loved by fans, hated by opposition. Without them the game has lost a sense of it's identity. Is it just me or does the game feel a little less intense these days? Even the players do not seem as invested in it as they once were. Although I may be lamenting for a more fiery side of the game, I am not sad that the general lack of skill and constant antagonism are near extinct. While fighting may have its place in the game, violence does not. Today's players still continue to fight as much as they used to. Although they have replaced the general buffoonery that was attached to the goons with a general ability to play hockey. Even Sean Avery scores a goal every now and then. Avery is also solid defensively. The appeal in a player like Avery who averaged 13:40 per game last season and 15:83 per game this season, is that he is not a liability on the ice. He sticks to basic play and he protects his superstars. Avery keeps the other team in line. Top goal scorers who fight, like Jarome Iginla or Vincent Lecavalier are a rare breed. Lecavalier dropped his mitts tonight, and Iginla is often seen punching someone in the face. This being said, I wouldn't expect to see Marcus Naslund or Peter Forsberg in any sort of scuffle any time soon. With today's game shifting further and further from its original form it leaves me wondering where today's players will fit in the future NHL. If you had asked Tie Domi a few seasons ago if he thought he would ever become expendable to his beloved leafs he probably would have punched you. Will we be seeing Avery working at our local McDonald's?? I think Wade Brookbank pumped my gas for me last week.