Music: {allcanada} Vandermeer, Peckham form tough tandem

Sunday, October 10, 2010

{allcanada} Vandermeer, Peckham form tough tandem

EDMONTON - The stay-at-home pairing of the Edmonton Oilers defensive corps are separated by eight calendar years and 343 NHL games.

That's an ideal scenario, said Theo Peckham (notes).

"He's the player I want to be," Peckham said about his playing partner, Jim Vandermeer (notes).

"I want to be a solid guy who fights and hits and plays a really tough game. And he's been taking me aside and showing me some things and making sure I'm on top of things.

"We both play like we're six-foot-eight and 255 pounds. That's what it's all about."

Peckham, 22, is starting his first full season with the Oilers, who drafted him in 2006.

Meanwhile, Vandermeer hopes to stay put for more than a season. The eight-year NHL veteran played 23 games for both the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks in 2003-04, and then suited up with Chicago, Philadelphia and the Calgary Flames in 2007-08. He then played 45 games with Calgary in 2008-09 and had a 62-game stint with the Phoenix Coyotes last season. There is still mail chasing him around the country.

"I think that's what any player wants to do, and that's find a place where he's a good fit with a key role on the team," said Vandermeer, 30. "I have bounced around quite a bit in the last three, four years."

The Oilers acquired the defenceman in the off-season in exchange for the underachieving Patrick O'Sullivan (notes), and handed him a spot on the defence. The Caroline native is in the final year of a contract that pays him $2.3 million a season.

Vandermeer was deemed expendable when the Blackhawks were starting their youth movement in 2007-08, and the Flyers shipped him to Calgary for a draft pick when they were up against the salary cap and he was set to become an unrestricted free agent.

After a full season with the Flames, he started to think that he might finally get some stability when Calgary acquired defenceman Jay Bouwmeester (notes). By the time the new defenceman signed a five-year, $33-million contract, Vandermeer had another ticket out of town.

In Phoenix, Vandermeer became the odd man out again when the Coyotes wanted Sami Lepisto (notes) to play the requisite number of games so that he would remain a restricted free agent.

"You want to be a guy who finds a home and plays a big role on the team—a big enough role that they're moving other guys out, instead of you," he said.

"This is a great opportunity. I'm ready to go. Not that I'm an old guy but compared to some of the guys around here, there's a lot of youthful enthusiasm. And it makes you feel young again," said Vandermeer.

If Vander meer feels young, Peckham feels empowered with both his mentor and with the overall toughness that the team now has.

"Just to know you're not out there alone, doing it by yourself is key," said Peckham, who played 17:34 in Thursday's season opener and got into a scrap with the Calgary Flames' Tim Jackman (notes).

"In past years, up here and in Springfield, I've ended up being one of maybe two guys that were that physical type. It's so tough to play that role when you don't have guys behind you, backing you up.

"On this team, everybody is standing behind each other."