Brian McGrattan fights George Parros in October. AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

Brian McGrattan Continues Impactful Comeback

Brian McGrattan took on the Blue Jackets' biggest tough guy in Jared Boll last night. The fight, an open exchange where McGrattan clearly landed some hard shots, makes McGrattan 4 for 4 this season. All dominating wins, and all rated high by the users of hockeyfights.com.

Boll immediately skated off for repairs and returned with a shield on later in the game.

I asked McGrattan if he was surprised Boll stayed on his feet during the exchange. McGrattan said, "he's a tough guy and can take a punch. [I was] a bit surprised, but didn't wanna get caught up in that and take one."

On what he felt like seeing Boll return with a shield: "I didn't know exactly what happened, but it was good to see him come back and that he wasn't badly hurt."

It seemed like they might have exchanged a word or two later in the game. I asked if there was another challenge, possibly even for next game. McGrattan said, "he didn't challenge me again. We lined up and I tapped him on the pads and said 'good job'. I took a shot from Colton Orr a couple of years ago the same way. But I feel that being a good fighter and a tough fighter is how hard you can take a punch and come back and win the fight."

Even though McGrattan and Boll fought just a minute into the game, they were actually the second pair to drop the gloves. Derek Dorsett and Jordin Tootoo went right off the opening faceoff.

The rivalry we remember

The Sharks and Stars had a hard-fought game last night. There were a trio of fights. Jim Vandermeer had a go with Krys Barch in the second period. Off of the ensuing faceoff, Jamie McGinn and Eric Nystrom dropped the gloves. Finally, with under two minutes to play, Barch went again, this time with Ryane Clowe.

Marek vs Wyshynski

I was a guest on the new podcast: Marek vs Wyshynski on Friday. You can listen to it here, I'm about 38 minutes in. There are links to subscribe in a couple of different ways. It's only one week in and I've got to recommend it.

In fact, they insanely encourage your feedback: email puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet the Twitter fiends with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski.

Videos added

Daniel Carcillo vs Theo Peckham Nov 19, 2011
Jared Boll vs Brian McGrattan Nov 19, 2011
Derek Dorsett vs Jordin Tootoo Nov 19, 2011
Ryane Clowe vs Krys Barch Nov 19, 2011
Jamie McGinn vs Eric Nystrom Nov 19, 2011
Jim Vandermeer vs Krys Barch Nov 19, 2011
Andre Deveaux vs Petteri Nokelainen Nov 19, 2011
Raffi Torres vs Robyn Regehr Nov 19, 2011