Update: Dec 14, 2006

Not a lot of action other than a quick scrap between Mayers and Lappy.

Ad update: I’m testing out interstitials here right now.  The ad would show once per day max.  There’s further information and a poll about it in the forums.

Update: Dec 13, 2006

Just one fight last night, videos page updated.

Mini Yardsale Night

Only a few games on the schedule last night, but there were a few notable moments outside of your regularly scheduled power play goal scoring.

We’re not talking line brawls, but gloves and sticks could have been easily swapped if you were on the ice and looking for an upgrade.

Feedback so far has told me you guys like to preview the longer/larger clips, so I’ve made both available in the preview area via Youtube on the videos page.

Hockey blog note: as I mentioned over on TIB, Alanah will be shutting down VCOE and moving to over to Kukla’s.  Best of luck to her over there.

Bill Daly on Fighting

Something I’ve been meaning to get to for a few days now: Christy, from Behind the Jersey asked Bill Daly a few questions about fighting.

Daly, who many view as a possible future commissioner of the NHL, commented that the league doesn’t plan on changing any rules related to fighting at the moment and doesn’t believe any change would affect the popularity of the game in the States.  As a top-level executive his comments on attendance and lack/no lack of passion in the game can only be expected.  Attendance (reporting) is still high compared to years before, and it’d be improper for anyone in the league office to broadly criticize players in such a way.

Something from the Q&A that needs repeating:

“Fighting” is going to happen regardless of what our rules are, so there is no such thing as “banning” or “eliminating ” fighting in the game. The only issue is how severely it is penalized.

This is reality and it is amazing how few realize this.  It’s not just why incidents like Bertuzzi-Moore can happen whether you “ban” fighting or not, but also why basketball players have run into the stands, and baseball still has bench clearing brawls.  Pro athletes are human and emotion can get the best of them.  No matter what rules you make, they will be broken at some point.

It was good to see Daly respond directly to Christy’s questions.

Contact Form Working Again

I was wondering where all the crazy emails went.  It was awfully quiet since the upgrade.  Sorry about that peoples.  The contact form is now back in action.

Update: Dec 11, 2006

Three games, two fights and a heavyweight matchup that more than a few were hoping for: Brian McGrattan vs Jody Shelley.

Demitra Happy About Boogaard’s Return

The Star Tribune has a story about Pavol Demitra, and how the Sens’ Neil and Volchenkov might not have taken a run at him if Derek Boogaard was playing that game (he was out with an injury at the time).

From Teams lacking enforcer have faced consequences:

The Wild was defenseless with bruiser Derek Boogaard at home because of an ankle injury. Demitra is convinced both Ottawa players would have thought twice about running them if Boogaard and the intimidating presence he supplies had been in the building.

Demitra says that’s proof there’s still a place for fighters in the NHL. “You need a guy as tough as Boogey that the other team respects, a guy that backs up the team,” he said.

There’s a hockeyfights.com reference in there as well.  We get to provide the sad statistic about how much fighting has declined since 2003-04.

It was a slow Saturday night.  Just three scraps.  Ian Laperriere finally (a little background info) got his chance to go with Sean Avery, who was booted immediately after the fight for not having his strap tied down.

After the jump is a Youtube video of Parros-Roy.  It’s a little longer than the downloadable clip.  It includes Bolts’ color man Bobby Taylor talking about Brian Burke wanting to put together a team that scores, doesn’t trap - and fights.  It doesn’t get old hearing about it and the fact that it’s happened, that the Ducks are sitting on top of the league and not letting anyone push them around, is why there are more fans of Anaheim here on the site than ever before (and I’m sure de-Disney-ifying didn’t hurt).

Update Dec 10 105pm: Links for older fights were broken, now fixed.

Continue reading: Demitra Happy About Boogaard’s Return

The NHL’s Best Hits of November

The NHL has release its best hits of November video via their channel on Youtube.

Update: Dec 09, 2006

The three clips from the Ducks-Caps game are up.

Gratton and Vandy Get Them Cheering

Light night for 10 games, but Josh Gratton and Jim Vandermeer didn’t disappoint.  9,078 was the announced attendance in Chicago and they got to see a decent show, or at least a couple of highlights.

If you don’t know what FOY stands for, let me tell you: Fight of the Year.  Tonight’s bout might not be it, but it’s a candidate.

Hopefully I get to keep saying that.

‘Hawks fans were treated to a beauty of a bout early on, then saw a game end 1-1 after regulation before watching a shootout, if you’re into that sort of thing.  I doubt many were after watching Phoenix win it, having to wait five rounds before seeing the first goal.  I also have little doubt some fans were confused about how Jeremy Roenick was wearing a Coyotes jersey.  “He was on the Blackhawks last time I went to a game.”

We have the bout on the videos page as a Youtube preview along with the normal size clip.  You can also view the YT version after the jump in this post and in the forums along with a larger version for download.

Enjoy.

Continue reading: Gratton and Vandy Get Them Cheering