Light Return

Things have been a little slow in the NHL post-Christmas.  Too much holiday cheer, maybe?

The last couple of nights have each had three fights.  The resurgent Chris Neil took on Darcy Hordichuk last night in a pretty good scrap.  It was Neil’s tenth major this season.  It’s the first time Neil’s hit double digits in fights since the 2004-05 NHL lockout season when he played a quarter-season with the Binghamton Senators.

Wade Belak had another fight against someone other than Derek Boogaard (Zack Stortini, last night).  A quick one between Jordin Tootoo and Ethan Moreau rounds up Sunday.

Videos added

Chris Neil vs Darcy Hordichuk Dec 28, 2008
Wade Belak vs Zack Stortini Dec 28, 2008
Jordin Tootoo vs Ethan Moreau Dec 28, 2008
Cody Bass vs Eric Nystrom Dec 27, 2008
John Zeiler vs Daniel Carcillo Dec 27, 2008
Joffrey Lupul vs Rostislav Klesla Dec 27, 2008

Some reads

Tampa Bay Lightning’s Evgeny Artyukhin (again) shows promise
Laraque in Carbonneau’s doghouse
TO haunted by the Gardens
Parrish hopes to seize chance
The year that was in TV
Claude Lemieux in Sharks’ future
Guerin not ready to hang up his skates
Red Wings were NHL’s worst team in 1985-86

Boxing Day

A decently active day after Christmas led to six fights in nine games.

The highlight of the night is an easy pick: Josh Gratton taking on Craig Adams in Chicago.  A good, back and forth, toe-to-toe battle, it was one of few positives from the Flyers yesterday.  The rest of it?  The Blackhawks won the game 5-1 and Philly captain Mike Richards took a big punch from Troy Brouwer towards the end.

In Florida, Evgeny Artyukhin dropped the gloves against a couple of in-state rival Nicks, and came out on top each time.

In other action: Andre Deveaux went with Tim Jackman on LI; Zack Stortini had a quick one with Mike Brown in Vancouver.

Videos added

Zack Stortini vs Mike Brown Dec 26, 2008
Mike Richards vs Troy Brouwer Dec 26, 2008
Josh Gratton vs Craig Adams Dec 26, 2008
Evgeny Artyukhin vs Nick Boynton Dec 26, 2008
Evgeny Artyukhin vs Nick Tarnasky Dec 26, 2008
Andre Deveaux vs Tim Jackman Dec 26, 2008

Some reads

St. Louis at the end of his rope with struggling Lightning
A look at the Canes’ best and worst
Wings give Holmstrom Santa duty
NHL reins in chicanery in All-Star voting for Ducks
Sharks’ Roenick prepares for life after hockey
Q&A w/ Thrashers GM Don Waddell

Not Even a Mouse

‘Twas the night before Christmas break and, well… it was a light night, no need to expand on it much.  Just four fights from thirteen games.

Krys Barch and Andre Deveaux doubled up in Toronto.  The two split a couple of decent bouts in a game that couldn’t end soon enough for the Leafs.

In other action: Shawn Thornton and Mike Rupp went at it in Jersey.  Nathan McIver and Eric Nystrom had a good, even bout in Calgary.

Server update

We’ve moved over to a new server setup here.  Outside of some log in issues, which have already been addressed, it’s been pretty smooth so far.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all celebrating the holiday (or simply celebrating a day off).  Happy Hanukkah, too, it’s day number three.

Videos added

Thornton-Rupp will be added by Thursday night.

Nathan McIver vs Eric Nystrom Dec 23, 2008
Krys Barch vs Andre Deveaux Dec 23, 2008
Krys Barch vs Andre Deveaux Dec 23, 2008
Daniel Carcillo vs Jason Strudwick Dec 22, 2008
Ryan Getzlaf vs Ryan Kesler Dec 22, 2008
Travis Moen vs Mike Brown Dec 22, 2008
Eric Godard vs Andrew Peters Dec 22, 2008

NHL Hits of the Week Dec 22, 2008

The best hits from the past week, made by the NHL.

Brash Reminder

Donald Brashear started yesterday strong when he pounded Riley Cote to the ice mid-way through the first period of the Caps-Flyers game.  Philly was only up 1-0 at that point.  By the time Brash gave Cote a rematch, the Caps were down 6-1.  Round 2 was somewhat uneventful.  With a few minutes left Josh Gratton had a dominating win over Matt Bradley.  Seconds later Brashear went for fight number three against a willing Arron Asham, but the linesmen stepped in as the two went to square off.

Another top heavy, Georges Laraque, dropped the gloves yesterday.  He had a quick scrap with Andrew Peters.

Server update

I’m spending most of my free time with a new server setup and should have things running well within a couple of days.  Sorry for any delays you experience until then.

Videos added

Jared Boll vs Daniel Carcillo Dec 20, 2008
Cal Clutterbuck vs Carlo Colaiacovo Dec 20, 2008
Craig Weller vs B.J. Crombeen Dec 20, 2008
Andre Deveaux vs Ruslan Fedotenko Dec 20, 2008
Andrew Peters vs Georges Laraque Dec 20, 2008
Matt Bradley vs Josh Gratton Dec 20, 2008
Donald Brashear vs Riley Cote Dec 20, 2008
Donald Brashear vs Riley Cote Dec 20, 2008

Some reads

Paradox of an angry Avery
Beware of vet signings
Two minutes for trickery
Cheap shots, not comments, keep NHL down
Fists flying
LaCouture to stay with River Rats

Jackets and Stars Battle

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars were in the mood to throw down last night.  The two teams played a close, hard-fought game that went down to the wire, with Dallas winning in a shootout.

After James Neal crunched Fedor Tyutin in the corner, Derick Brassard took on the bigger Neal and ate a few rights.  On the ensuing faceoff, Jared Boll dropped the gloves with Krys Barch.  Barch lost his balance fairly quickly, and little came of it.  Barch had a go again in the second, this time with Mike Commodore.  A back and forth jersey-jab contest, Commodore landed a few decent shots and sent Barch down with a good right at the end.

Videos added

The Leafs-Bruins vids will be added later today.

Mike Commodore vs Krys Barch Dec 18, 2008
Jared Boll vs Krys Barch Dec 18, 2008
Derick Brassard vs James Neal Dec 18, 2008
Noah Welch vs Brandon Sutter Dec 18, 2008
Gregory Campbell vs Tim Gleason Dec 18, 2008
Matt Bradley vs Tim Jackman Dec 16, 2008

Some reads

Flames’ Roy battles stress of his job
The Hush-Hush on Avery
Back to you, Dick
Q&A with TV analyst Darren Pang
Bargain-basement league
Witt says Gordon’s system makes defense difficult
Chelios’ comeback quite remarkable
The firing line: Poor play getting NHL coaches axed

Roy Takes on Boogaard

Andre Roy went after Derek Boogaard last night.  He fared like most do against the enormous Boogaard, not well, but it was about showing up.  Wade Belak‘s had some success against Boogey this season, but he’s been the only man able to claim that so far.

Also from the Flames-Wild game: Rene Bourque had a bout with Nick Schultz.  Later in the night Mike Brown had a short scrap with Zack Stortini.

Server update

I’ve been working on the server as much as possible.  It’s had a few slowdowns, but otherwise has been relatively stable.  I’m making some bigger changes, and a few days from now all issues should be resolved.

Videos added

Zack Stortini vs Mike Brown Dec 17, 2008
Andre Roy vs Derek Boogaard Dec 17, 2008
Rene Bourque vs Nick Schultz Dec 17, 2008
Jay Leach vs Andre Deveaux Dec 16, 2008
Aaron Voros vs Steve Montador Dec 16, 2008
Ben Eager vs Zack Stortini Dec 16, 2008
Cory Sarich vs Cam Janssen Dec 16, 2008
Cory Sarich vs Brad Winchester Dec 16, 2008
Andre Roy vs Cam Janssen Dec 16, 2008
Jim Slater vs Jarkko Ruutu Dec 16, 2008
Ian Laperriere vs Scott Hartnell Dec 16, 2008
Chris Stewart vs Arron Asham Dec 16, 2008

Some reads

Stars talk about options for Avery
Fans don’t know how to treat Gaborik return
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier has “good conversation” with coach Rick Tocchet on team conduct
Claude Lemieux on comeback, Avery
Has former coach Barry Melrose violated his contract with Tampa Bay Lightning
OHA won’t alter fighting rules after player ends up in coma
Sean Avery just latest on list of NHL players lacking self-control
Rouse back on bus, for now
Etiquette of NHL fighting
Fighting and Hockey: Together Forever

NHL Hits of the Week Dec 15, 2008

The best hits from the past week, made by the NHL.

Shelley and Ivanans Impress

There were only two games last night.  The once-heated, and now low-simmer Wings-Avs match-up, and a Cali coast battle between the Sharks and Kings.

Jody Shelley and Raitis Ivananshad the lone fight of the night.  A good, long battle that’s already being rated high.  That seems to be a common theme for Shelley this season, and I’m sure the fans in San Jose don’t mind.

Server issues

We’ve been plagued by some server issues since last Friday.  I’m doing everything I can to remedy the situation and keep everything stable until a permanent fix can be made.  I will give updates when I can in the forums.

Sport is secondary

When the story broke about Don Sanderson, the young man injured after a fight when his head hit the ice, I expected to read and hear all sorts of attacks on fighting in hockey, and defenses of it.  While there were a few, now is not the time to sensationalize or exploit; and Bob McKenzie wrote about how Sanderson’s parents must feel and how little hockey really matters in a time like this.  How true.  Best wishes to Don Sanderson for a full and speedy recovery, and for his family to remain strong.

Videos added

Jody Shelley vs Raitis Ivanans Dec 15, 2008
Gregory Campbell vs Shane O’Brien Dec 14, 2008
Anthony Stewart vs Mike Brown Dec 14, 2008
Erik Reitz vs Travis Moen Dec 14, 2008
Shane O’Brien vs Kyle Brodziak Dec 13, 2008
Rob Davison vs Jason Strudwick Dec 13, 2008
Darcy Hordichuk vs Zack Stortini Dec 13, 2008
Zenon Konopka vs Chris Neil Dec 13, 2008
Brooks Laich vs Ryan O’Byrne Dec 13, 2008
Boris Valabik vs Zdeno Chara Dec 13, 2008
Eric Godard vs Scott Hartnell Dec 13, 2008

Quads

There were a pair of four-fight games last night.

The Hudson River Rivalry flared up in the first period.  Mike Rupp, not known as a fighter, but certainly has the size and willingness to match up with the heavies, bested Colton Orr to start things off.  A few minutes later Aaron Voros and David Clarkson dropped the gloves in what seemed like a very spirited scrap, lots of talking before and after.  First-time fighter Travis Zajac got dropped by Daniel Girardi in the second.  Ryan Callahan and Jamie Langenbrunner then mixed it up near the end of the game.

The Bruins and Thrashers also had a rough and tumble game.  Just a few minutes in, resident tough guys Shawn Thornton and Eric Boulton decided to try and spark each of their teams.  Later on in the period Chris Thorburn attempted to go with giant Zdeno Chara, but it barely got started before it was over.  Milan Lucic then decided to give Boulton a shot mid-way through the game.  Finishing it off was Thornton again, this time taking on big Boris Valabik.  Valabik handled the smaller Thornton well, and scored his first NHL goal last night… or did he?  NHL.com’s game summary does not list Valabik with any goals, only an assist on an Ilya Kovalchuk goal.

Videos added

Shawn Thornton vs Boris Valabik Dec 12, 2008
Milan Lucic vs Eric Boulton Dec 12, 2008
Zdeno Chara vs Chris Thorburn Dec 12, 2008
Shawn Thornton vs Eric Boulton Dec 12, 2008
Ryan Callahan vs Jamie Langenbrunner Dec 12, 2008
Daniel Girardi vs Travis Zajac Dec 12, 2008
Aaron Voros vs David Clarkson Dec 12, 2008
Colton Orr vs Michael Rupp Dec 12, 2008

Some reads

Shane O’Brien’s Media Blitz
Q & A with Geoff Courtnall
Sharks D Boyle glad to have “Bolted” the Lightning
Kings players don’t offer a lot of support for Sean Avery
Gaborik ready? ‘Not yet’
Where will free agent Mats Sundin land?
Facing Off with David Amber: Q&A with Eric Staal
Leaving Las Vegas