THIS IS A LEAGUE THAT’S SO RECKLESS NOW ... IT’S HARDFOR OLDER GUYS.

his role Sunday the Dallas coach talked a lot about the fact that the club’s former top centre isn’t young anymore.

“It’s really hard for older players; it’s not just Jason, it’s everything,” Hitchcock said. “This is league that’s so reckless now, so fast, it’s hard for older guys. There’s a lot of older guys. I don’t want to say you have to reinvent yourself, but your value system has to change.

“I don’t think there’s many players that go from leading the league in scoring to retiring. The evolution points-wise starts to drop. That’s just the way it is. You can’t be on top of it just (based) on wear and tear. Then it comes down to attention to details and then your role changes a little bit.

“More detail has to be placed in your game, you’re playing on a different line and maybe you’re not playing with the top-end skill guys. It’s a big adjustment for a lot of guys.”

OK, but Spezza isn’t exactly a greybeard by NHL standards.

“I think it’s a little bit of a stigma of the league right now that it’s a young man’s game,” Spezza said. “Is my role 20 minutes a night anymore? No, but there’s definitely a place and I feel pretty good about my game.”

This isn’t easy for Spezza because he’s never been afraid of being the guy who was counted on to score the big goal or accept responsibility if he wasn’t performing up to his own high standards.

“It’s been tough,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said it was just easy. I’ve been the go-to guy pretty much my whole life. When you get your ice time cut like that, at first there’s a little bit of anger and disappointment with it and now I’ve adapted to it a little bit more and accepted it.

“It makes it worthwhile when you’re playing down the stretch here and you get to play some big games. Hopefully I can contribute at some big times. It was tough at first, I think I expect more out of myself than what I’ve done this year and I feel like I have a lot left inme.”