Music: {allcanada} Senators' Konopka won't back down

There aren't too many promises being made on behalf of the rebuilding Ottawa Senators, but new member Zenon Konopka has something of a guarantee for the upcoming season.

"The reality of the matter is, we're going to be one of the toughest teams in the league, I don't think anyone would argue that point," said Konopka.

He should know, after leading the NHL with 307 penalty minutes last season while with the New York Islanders. He did that while managing to appear in all 82 games, indicating durability and an unwillingness to skirt the rules despite being intimidating.

While he was putting up those totals in 2010-11, Ottawa wasn't exactly setting an imposing reputation around the league, particulary when defenceman Matt Carkner went down for a long stretch.

Nobody's talking about Konopka when with respect to Ottawa's upcoming season, but he's around in case the likes of Erik Karlsson, David Rundblad and Mika Zibanejad — average age of 20 — encounter trouble.

The Senators clearly want to avoid anything like what happened last season to the Edmonton Oilers, who saw their top rookie Taylor Hall lost for the season a month early after he dropped the gloves with a foe.

Return to Ottawa

Konopka, 30, spent four seasons of junior hockey with the 67's and has taken a circuitous route to get back to the Canadian capital.

Idaho, Utah, West Virginia and southeastern Russia have been among the non-NHL markets where he's plied his trade.

"I haven't played back-to-back full seasons in the same city ... so to come back to a city, I was here four years and had a lot of success and met so many great people, and to see the familiarity of the city, it's nice."

Amazingly, of the 15 stops since junior hockey, none have been north of the border.

"It's definitely in the back of your head to play in a Canadian market before your career done," he said.

He hopes to catch up with former junior coach Brian Kilrea for a cold one, and says the shawarmas in town can't be beat.

Former sparring partner, now teammate

Konopka spent his most recent NHL seasons on rebuilding clubs Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders, but he doesn't see that many similarities between those clubs and Ottawa.

In his mind, there's too many heady veterans still with the Senators to make the comparison fit, the likes of Jason Spezza, Sergei Gonchar, Daniel Alfredsson, Craig Anderson and Chris Phillips.

Oh, and Chris Neil.

One of his fondest memories as an NHL opponent of the Senators was seeing an Ottawa Citizen scribe write before a Tampa Bay game that he hoped to see Konopka and Neil tangle.

They obliged.

"Me and Chrissie fought three times [in our careers], and now we're linemates in camp," he said, laughing.

Unlike most Senators, Konopka came in with some familiarity with new coach Paul MacLean. While with Anaheim, MacLean and Mike Babcock busied themselves during the 2004-05 lockout by taking in many games featuring Konopka and the AHL's Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

It might not be a crescendo, but there is a sentiment among some fans in these recent dark months for hockey that the enforcer way is anachronistic at best, and brain altering at worst.

Konopka knew each of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak to some degree. All three died tragically this summer after on-ice careers largely known for fisticuffs.

Boogaard's death may have resonated the most, as the pair were among a group trip to Las Vegas in the past.

"It was a tough summer for everyone involved in hockey, especially at the pro level," said Konopka. "It's something we need to learn from."

The job description is tougher physically with age, but Konopka claims it's less of a toll mentally these days.

"I used to take a lot of work home with me, and it wasn't the best thing for me or anyone around me," he said.

Life off the ice

He's learned not to define himself solely as a player. Yes, he runs a hockey camp for kids, but he also shows his Niagara-on-the-Lake roots by getting involved in businesses involving grapeseed oil and wine aeration.

Zenon Konopka can play hockey. In the AHL, he's had seasons where's he put up nearly 60 points and fewer than 200 penalty minutes.

It's hard to say if he ever got the chance to show that he can do that at the NHL level, but at this point he's not losing sleep over his circumscribed role.

"It's not easy getting back to that, especially at this level, but obviously it's in the back of your head to try to contribute a little bit more on the offensive scoresheet," Konopka said.

"But at the end of the day, as a player I need to do whatever it takes to help my team win."

Ottawa begins its season Friday in Detroit, travelling to Toronto for a Hockey Night in Canada date the following night (CBC, CBCSports.ca 6:30 p.m. ET).