OTTAWA — Don’t tell Paul Coffey that Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson needs to be better defensively.

A three-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman, the second-highest scoring career blue-liner with 1,561 points in his career and a four-time Stanley Cup champion Coffey doesn’t want to hear it.

Speaking with two Ottawa reporters after posing for pictures with the coveted mug at Rideau Hall on Thursday afternoon, Coffey said that, when he was a player, he heard all the same things being mentioned about Karlsson’s defensive game and believes his best bet is just to ignore the noise.

“How you deal with it is you do what you do best,” said Coffey. “Trust me, I went through all that stuff early in my career in Edmonton. I stayed back and I was that defensive guy. Then, I had guys like you guys all over me because I wasn’t scoring points. You’re in a Catch-22 situation.

“I’ll tell you one thing, a guy like Karlsson, not everybody can do it or they’d be doing it. No disrespect to anybody in the game or the way they play but the other side (playing well defensively) isn’t hard. It’s just commitment. Do you want Karlsson to stay back and be defensive or do you want him to play? You want him to play. That’s not easy. That’s a talent.”

While Karlsson, who has twice won the Norris Trophy in his career, went into Thursday’s visit by the Chicago Blackhawks with 13 goals and 62 points. He’s been lauded for the way he’s played in his own end and, more specifically, people have been patting him on the back because he’s the league leader in blocked shots with 185 in 68 games.

Don’t get Coffey wrong but he doesn’t really care if Karlsson is blocking shots because that’s not why he’s pulling down $6.5 million per season.

“Blocked shots don’t get you a Norris Trophy. That’s a dumb stat if you ask me,” said Coffey, who won three Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and one with the Pittsburgh Penguins. “If I knew they were going to pay me $6 million a year, I would have had the biggest shinpads, the stiffest skates and the biggest pants I could find.

“That’s no disrespect to the guys that do it but that’s not his game. Here’s one for you: Ask the guys who block shots to do what (Karlsson) does. It would never happen. He can do that but it will take away from the other parts of his game. It frustrates me because he’s a talent.

“When we coach great players, they shouldn’t have to come down here (motioning to the floor with his hand), they should be pushed to get to there (pointing upwards).”

The mere fact people want to talk about Karlsson’s play at both ends of the ice doesn’t even make sense to Coffey.

“It’s a crazy conversation,” Coffey said. “It’s like saying, (Wayne) Gretzky couldn’t skate or (Steve) Yzerman wasn’t big enough. It’s just: What do you want? Do you want Erik Karlsson to stay back and do all that — which he would be great at — or do you want him on the other side (offensively)?

“The other side is the hardest part. It’s not easy.”

Coffey has a lot of respect for Karlsson’s talent, however. He doesn’t love the way game is played these days and doesn’t think it’s nearly as tight defensively as everybody does because it’s not nearly as physical.

“Back then, you got checked and you hit. I’d love to play in today’s game but that’s not taking anything away from today’s player” Coffey said. “What I’m most impressed with about his game, and they obviously let him do it which is perfect because when you have a talent like that, you have to let him, is just his risk-taking. I love it.

“It’s not risky. It’s what he does best. He’ll take chances and he’s incredible at it. He’s a great skater, vision, competes. The game’s not tight. There are no hits today. I never hit but I got checked. Tell me how many times Karlsson gets hit? As great as he is, in our era, he’d be pounded all the time. Ask Bobby Orr how he liked getting hit?”

Coffey said Karlsson could handle it because of his incredible skills and ability.

“I think he’s an elite player for sure,” Coffey said. “He could have played in our era for sure ... 100%. Me in today’s era, Gretzky in today’s era and (Mario) Lemieux in today’s era, we’d be unbelieveable because there’s so much room and there’s no hitting.

“There’s no space because they’ve got to get the red line back in. That’s such BS with that redline out. Everyone throws it from here to Ganonoque, chips it in and nothing happens. You put that red line in and all of sudden you’re going to have (odd-man) rushes because it’s going to create smaller spaces and the talented players will have to be better.

“Erik Karlsson is better if that red line comes in because he knows he’s got to make that pass quick. A lot of guys can’t make that play.”

So, the next question is how does Karlsson someday get his name on the biggest prize in the NHL, the Stanley Cup? Coffey said it’s up to the Senators to surround him with talent.

“Great players don’t win Stanley Cups. Great teams do,” said Coffey. “Gretzky, arguably the greatest player ever (has) four (Cups), Bobby Orr (has) only two. You need a team around you. When you have the Karlssons, the (Connor) McDavids or the (Auston) Matthews ... (Sidney Crosby) won a Cup but everybody thought he would win more He won his first in 2009 and didn’t win again until last year.

“You have to have a good team. It doesn’t matter how good Karlsson is or how good (Daniel) Alfredsson was. You’ve got to have a great team around you.”

And that’s why Coffey insists Karlsson shouldn’t try to be anything he isn’t capable of doing.

“The last thing you want to do is do more,” said Coffey. “You just want to do your job. Any coach will tell you, your best players have to be your best players.”

And, Coffey considers Karlsson of the NHL’s best players.

STANLEY CUP MEETS LORD STANLEY

Governor General David Johnston called it a homecoming for the Stanley Cup on Thursday afternoon at Rideau Hall.

With the coveted mug in Ottawa this week to mark its 125th anniversary, Johnston looked across the room at the picture of Lord Stanley of Preston hanging on the wall and wore a smile.

After all, it was Lord Stanley, the late Governor General of Canada, who originally commissioned the trophy in 1892 and it was fitting to have the oldest trophy in professional sports in the room as part of the celebration.

“I’d say we’ve come home because we have Lord Stanley’s portrait on the wall with the Cup in front of him and, of course, he donated that Cup,” said Johnston.

It doesn’t surprise Johnston, who invited the pubic inside the residence to get their picture taken with the Cup, were flocking to the grounds to see it. On hand were legendary NHLers Frank Mahovlich, Paul Coffey, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Dave Keon and Bernie Parent.

“Hockey has a mystique in this country,” Johnston said. “It’s a sport that represents so much that is attractive about Canadians. First of all, it’s the speed. You can go faster on skates by far than you can on foot and the remarkable teamwork that’s required to play the game.

“Always the individual has to blend in with the team and it’s a lesson in teamwork that’s so attractive. That’s not only important on the ice but how we conduct our lives as citizens.”

The Cup will be in around and town for the weekend as part of the celebration and the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a 25-cent coin to mark the occasion. There will be a groundbreaking Saturday morning downtown for Lord Stanley’s monument and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly noted that getting to the see the Cup never gets old for anybody.

“It’s the most famous and revered trophy in all of North American professional sports and around the world,” Daly said. “It never ceases to amaze, it’s our rock star and wherever (the league) brings it, it’s the most popular person in the room.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com