Light NHL Night, Klotz to Continue to Fight

A nine game slate on Thursday only resulted in three total fights. Bryce Salvador started things off last night, turning in an impressive performance against Shawn Thornton in the first period of Devils-Bruins. They were followed by Chris Thorburn and Tim Jackman, who fought to a draw in Thrashers-Isles.  With helmet off, Thorburn looked like he had a little Mark Fidrych in him.

Later on, Daniel Winnik challenged Ryane Clowe in a relatively uneventful bout during the beginning of Coyotes-Sharks.

Klotz: “I know the risks”

Garrett Klotz, who seized after a fight with Kevin Westgarth over the weekend, spoke with the media for the first time since being released from the hospital.  He made his stance on fighting in hockey quite clear:

“I know the risks that I’m taking when I go out there and I’m willing to take that risk,” Klotz told reporters. “It’s not too often that this happens.”
—snip—
“It’s part of the game and it always has been part of the game. It keeps things on an even basis out there from guys taking cheap shots and running around out there being stupid.”

Klotz is expected to resume skating this weekend.  It is unknown when he will be cleared to play again.

Videos added

Daniel Winnik vs Ryane Clowe Jan 29, 2009
Bryce Salvador vs Shawn Thornton Jan 29, 2009
Tim Jackman vs Chris Thorburn Jan 29, 2009

Some reads

Stars without Avery are playing like, uh, the Stars
Scrimmage Scandal
Tough-guy reputation may haunt Flyers
All Islanders can do is look toward the future
Finding a sequel to Sideshow not easy
OHA cracking down on fighting in sport
Frustration shows, as Canucks duke it out at practice
Canucks Heading Into Playoffs with Confidence

Godard Solves Orr

Eric Godard‘s struggles against Colton Orr are well-documented. After Wednesday, Godard’s problems are no more. The Penguins’ tough guy once again took on Orr right off of the opening faceoff of the latest meeting between the Rangers and Penguins. After a wild toe-to-toe exchange, Godard sent Orr to his knees with a hard right hand, prompting the linesmen to quickly intervene.

Last night’s only other bout was another heavyweight attraction between Matt Walker and George Parros in Blackhawks-Ducks. If the matchup looks familiar, it’s because it is. The two have fought five times in the last four seasons.

Videos added

Matt Walker vs George Parros Jan 28, 2009
Colton Orr vs Eric Godard Jan 28, 2009
Donald Brashear vs Byron Bitz Jan 27, 2009
Brendan Shanahan vs Jay Wells Nov 29, 1987
Scott Mellanby vs Jeff Jackson Nov 28, 1987

Some reads

Roy’s Relief
Fight Cub
Clutterbuck is more to Wild than cool name
Lemaire seeks more balance
Red Wings’ focus shifts to Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen
Ovechkin is ‘fine’ but gets day off after stinger

Welcome Back

The All-Star break has ended and NHL games resumed last night. Amidst questions concerning fighting and its role in hockey coming from all sorts of places these days, players are continuing to drop the gloves and doing so at a post-lockout record pace. At the moment, the 2008-09 season could end up producing 785 total fights, the highest number in more than five years.

Tuesday’s slate of games saw a total of five fights. Byron Bitz picked quite the tough customer for his first NHL regular season fight in the form of Donald Brashear, who he dropped the gloves with in the third period of Bruins-Caps. David Clarkson and Chris Neil also had an entertaining dance in the final period of Devils-Sens.

Seconds after being hit from behind by Lee Stempniak, rookie Cal Clutterbuck waded his way through a big-time scrum in Leafs-Wild and ended up tangling with Ian White. Further out West, Doug Murray locked horns with Chris Stewart in Sharks-Avs and Travis Moen and Steve Goertzen fought at the start of the second period in Ducks-Yotes.

Klotz KO’d, OK’d

There was a scare this weekend when Garrett Klotz suffered a seizure after a fight with Kevin Westgarth. He was stretchered off and taken directly to a local hospital. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren quickly let it be known Klotz was ok, and Klotz was released from the hospital the next day.

The frightening scene hasn’t put off Westgarth:

“There’s an element of risk and players know the risk. I can’t control the general public. It’s great to look at the safety of players, but people have to realize the guys doing it want to be there.”

Videos added

David Clarkson vs Chris Neil Jan 27, 2009
Travis Moen vs Steve Goertzen Jan 27, 2009
Doug Murray vs Chris Stewart Jan 27, 2009
Chris Chelios vs Teemu Selanne Jan 19, 1993
Dan LaCouture vs Tie Domi Mar 14, 2006
Tie Domi vs Jay McKee Apr 16, 2006
Denis Gauthier vs Grant Marshall Apr 16, 2006
Andre Roy vs John Erskine Apr 15, 2006
Dave Scatchard vs Brendan Witt Apr 15, 2006
Keith Ballard vs Brendan Witt Apr 15, 2006

The rest of last night’s clips should be added later today.

Some reads

Rookie Byron Bitz shows fight
Hockey school sucker-punch led to a career for O’Brien
Code-breakers and nose-breakers
Hockey fighting is back in the ring
C. Lemieux’s return sparks inspiration
Bruins’ Milan Lucic ready to rough it 
On air: Coyotes’ voice Dave Strader
Regehr and Roy face penalties from Columbus game

Break Time

Wednesday night marked the last time that NHL games will be played until after the All-Star break, and it also meant a busy night around the league as well. A total of 8 fights occured in the 9 games played.

Thrashers-Flyers took the cake in terms of numbers with three bouts. Resident heavyweights Eric Boulton and Riley Cote dropped the gloves in the first period with Chris Thorburn and Arron Asham following suit only seconds later. Asham danced again at the start of the second period.  His opponent that time around was Boris Valabik.

Brian Sutherby and Anthony Stewart locked horns late in the opening stanza of Stars-Panthers, and were followed by a rare bout involving Cory Stillman, who dropped Matt Niskanen with a right hand. Dan Hinote taking on Adam Burish was the lone fight in Blues-Blackhawks.

Dion Phaneuf was booted from Jackets-Flames after boarding R.J. Umberger. Marc Methot went directly after Phaneuf and the two exchanged a couple of punches in a quick bout. A scrap between Sean O’Donnell and Chris Stewart in Kings-Avs rounded out the night.

Videos added

Eric Boulton vs Riley Cote Jan 21, 2009
Marc Methot vs Dion Phaneuf Jan 21, 2009
Matt Niskanen vs Cory Stillman Jan 21, 2009
Brian Sutherby vs Anthony Stewart Jan 21, 2009

The rest of last night’s clips should be added later today.

Some reads

Stars should keep changes to a minimum
Fighting in hockey: The fine line between entertainment and safety
Tampa Bay Lightning’s Vinny Lecavalier will discuss trade rumors once at NHL All-Star Game
Muscling His Way to the NHL, PU Alum Powe Playing for Flyers
Burns faces another fight
Sharks’ Lemieux exposes ESPN.com writer

NHL Hits of the Week Jan 20, 2009

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

Heavy Hitters

Derek Boogaard continued his relatively successful campaign against players not named Wade Belak Tuesday night in taking on and winning a decision over familiar foe Raitis Ivanans in the third period of Kings-Wild. The bout was one of the better ones featuring big-time heavyweights this season.

Tuesday’s two other fights took place in Ducks-Rangers. Drew Miller went after Brandon Dubinsky after Dubinsky hit Corey Perry hard into the boards and the two exchanged some punches in tight. Travis Moen and Ryan Callahan also dropped the gloves later on in the game.

CHL Final to be broadcast by Universal Sports

Universal Sports will be broadcasting the first-ever Champions Hockey League final between the ZSC Lions and Metallurg Magitorgorsk. Game one begins tomorrow morning at 11:30 AM ET and will be aired on the Universal Sports television network as well as UniversalSports.com. Game two will take place one week later on January 28 and will be broadcast at 1:30 PM ET, again on both television and the internet. Encore presentations of the game will air via same-day tape delay nightly starting at 11:00 PM ET.

Videos added

Raitis Ivanans vs Derek Boogaard Jan 20, 2009
Travis Moen vs Ryan Callahan Jan 20, 2009
Drew Miller vs Brandon Dubinsky Jan 20, 2009
Ken Baumgartner vs Marty McSorley Nov 21, 1992

Some reads

NHL fighting to get a hard look | Red Wings’ GM open to debate on fighting
IHL Concludes Semi-Annual Meeting
Gretzky holding talks with possible investors
Ex-Dallas Star Halpern still adjusting in Tampa Bay
Foot troubles not over, Forsberg says
Islanders’ arena plans caught in red tape
Sports & The Economy: Will the fans still turn out?

Rupp Continues Role Change

Michael Rupp has become a legit NHL heavyweight tough guy.  He always had the size, that wasn’t the issue, but he never wore the label.  The former first round (and third round) pick was expected to fill a powerforward role.  Throw his body around, score some goals.  Rupp scored 32 his last season in juniors, but topped out at 13 in the AHL and has a season-high of 6 goals in the NHL.

Despite his goal totals being a little less than expected, he does have one monstrous Stanley Cup-clinching goal on his scoresheet (all Cup-clinching goals are monstrous, in case you’re wondering).  That was in 2003, his first NHL season.  He played for the Coyotes and Blue Jackets before returning to the Devils.

Rupp didn’t come into the league fighting for a roster spot, but his fight totals have increased the last few years and it’s become very apparent he’s willing to fight to keep stay in the NHL.  Approaching the All-Star break, he now has 11 fighting majors, already a career-high.

Rupp and Jay Pandolfo were thought to be the two who could lose their spot to Brendan Shanahan after it was announced Shanny would be returning to the Devils.  Shanahan played last night and Pandolfo was a healthy scratch.

Rupp let his presence be known in the first period, taking on Preds enforcer Wade Belak.  While that fight might have went Belak’s way, Rupp has had a strong season, and it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of his season plays out.  That was the only fight from the seven games played yesterday in the NHL.

Punch of the Year

Not hard to declare just a few weeks into the new calendar year, but over in the Central Hockey League, Fraser Filipic of the Colorado Eagles one-punches Jean Bourbeau of the Odessa Jackalopes in a big way that hasn’t been seen in a while.  Bourbeau, a university player who hasn’t racked up PIMs since playing in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League in 2003-04 knew he was taking on an experienced tough guy in Filipic, so it was all about showing up for him, but I doubt he was looking to make the highlights this way.  To his credit, he popped right up and skated off on his own.

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Videos added

Michael Rupp vs Wade Belak Jan 19, 2009
Brad May vs Francis Bouillon Jan 8, 2009
Jamal Mayers vs Tom Kostopoulos Jan 8, 2009
Brian Sommers vs Sam Klassen Jan 10, 2009
Todd Ewen vs Ken Baumgartner Jan 23, 1993
Jean Bourbeau vs Fraser Filipic Jan 16, 2009
Daniel Carcillo vs Ladislav Smid Jan 18, 2009
Jared Boll vs Darcy Hordichuk Jan 18, 2009
R.J. Umberger vs Ryan Kesler Jan 18, 2009

Listen up

Jan. 19: Off Day - Dustin Penner
Jan. 19: Off Day - Sam Gagner
Jan. 18: Post-game vs. Phoenix - Ladislav Smid

Some reads

Sharks adding Claude Lemieux to the lineup | Sharks Recall Claude Lemieux
Ducks’ Montador adds ‘bite on blue line’
NHL keeps Europe on their map
Forsberg back on the comeback trail
In praise of spare parts
Stars picking up the pieces
How the Thrashers have turned things around
Penalties putting drag on Flyers’ momentum
D-men due for a makeover
Leaving Long Island? Islanders Just May | Charron thinks Islanders, K.C. a good fit

Liles Gets His First

John-Michael Liles got into his professional fight Friday night when he dropped the gloves with Marc-Antoine Pouliot in the first period of Oilers-Avs. He mostly held on against a more experienced guy in Pouliot, but it’s good to see the veteran sticking up for himself.

More action was found when Paul Bissonnette had another good showing against Nathan McIver in Ducks-Pens. Cam Barker also avenged a hit on teammate Kris Versteeg by taking on Daniel Girardi during Rangers-Blackhawks.

Videos added

Marc-Antoine Pouliot vs John-Michael Liles Jan 16, 2009
Daniel Girardi vs Cam Barker Jan 16, 2009
Nathan McIver vs Paul Bissonnette Jan 16, 2009
Warren Rychel vs Brad May Dec 13, 1995

Some reads

Montreal university course explores “religion” that is Habs
Imaginez Lecavalier, le CH sur le dos au match des étoiles
Probert backs fighting rule | The fight goes on | Gretzky: No fighting outside NHL
Bettman: Islanders’ building needs to be replaced
Crombeen’s Denver ties aren’t binding
Harsh Suspensions After Death Inquiry of Rangers Prospect

Souray Floors Weller

The beast inside of Sheldon Souray hasn’t been awoken that often during the last few seasons, but when the veteran has been called on to drop the gloves, he’s been successful. Thus was the case last night when Souray decided to dance with his latest foe, Craig Weller, who received an old-fashioned beatdown before being put down for the count courtesy of Souray’s left hand. A spirited scrap between Ladislav Smid and James Sheppard was the other bout in Oilers-Wild.

Tuesday night started fast with a couple of scraps in the early night games. Shawn Thornton and Tim Jackman tangled in a short one in Bruins-Isles and Jordin Tootoo took care of Steve Begin in Preds-Habs. Paul Gaustad and Brian Sutherby also traded punches in Sabres-Stars.

In the West, two fights took place in Avs-Blues. Cody McLeod and Brad Winchester fought right off of the opening faceoff and rookies Chris Stewart and Tyson Strachan did the same in the second period. Rob Davison taking a decision over Daniel Carcillo rounded out the night’s action.

Videos added

Sheldon Souray vs Craig Weller Jan 15, 2009
Ladislav Smid vs James Sheppard Jan 15, 2009
Daniel Carcillo vs Rob Davison Jan 15, 2009
Paul Gaustad vs Brian Sutherby Jan 15, 2009
Chris Stewart vs Tyson Strachan Jan 15, 2009
Cody McLeod vs Brad Winchester Jan 15, 2009
Jordin Tootoo vs Steve Begin Jan 15, 2009
Shawn Thornton vs Tim Jackman Jan 15, 2009

Listen up

Jan. 13: Post-game at Washington - Steve MacIntyre
Mark Messier interview with Dan Tencer
Glenn Anderson interview with Dan Tencer

Some reads

Red Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg denies report that he has turned down 10-year, $75 million contract offer
Maurice has fun with Toronto media
So who is the Islanders’ backup goaltender? | Dubielewicz returns to Islanders
Shanahan expected to play with Devils tomorrow
New Yankee Stadium could host NHL’s Winter Classic
Gretzky confirms Coyotes in trouble
Shelley returns to action

More Goalies, More Central League

There were no fights in the NHL last night, so I thought I’d throw some clips together with some goalie fights.  If goaltenders start swinging, it’s always popular, even if it’s not that good.  Like bad pizza and all that…

So I bring you back to the Vancouver Canucks at Buffalo Sabres game of Jan 15, 1998, exactly eleven years ago.  In the third period Jay McKee took out Pavel Bure with a hard hit in front of the Sabres bench.  In retaliation Gino Odjick wiped out Dominik Hasek behind the goal.  Odjick received a charging major and was tossed for his actions.

Matt Barnaby, never one to let something like that go, ran Sean Burke later in the period.  Burke wasn’t shy about dropping the gloves himself, and let Barnaby knew how he felt.  Rob Ray grabbed Trevor Linden and took the opportunity to swing away while the officials were busy elsewhere.  A couple of Linden’s teammates tried to intervene, but Ray’s teammates held them off.  To his credit the Canucks captain hung in there well against the long-time Sabres tough guy.

After that was all over Lindy Ruff made a goaltender switch.  You could say it was to protect Hasek in such a rough game.  Or you could say it was because Steve Shields didn’t mind throwing down.  Immediately off the ensuing faceoff Donald Brashear grabbed Michael Peca.  While all skaters piled on, Shields and Burke met at center ice and became the main attraction.  They tossed some punches and then grappled for a while as the officials cleared up the rest of the mess, which was mostly Brashear throwing at Darryl Shannon, who stepped up to take some lumps for Peca.

That was Shields’ second NHL fight.  His first was the season before, in the playoffs no less, against now-Islanders General Manager Garth Snow.  A scrum developed in front of Snow, and as it went towards him, Snow’s stick and hands might have gotten into the action.  Shields took the opportunity to skate down the ice and join in, to the delight of the crowd in Buffalo.  Rick Jeanneret on the mic made it all the more fun to watch.

The vids:

Garth Snow vs Steve Shields May 3, 1997
Bret Hedican vs Vaclav Varada Jan 15, 1998
Sean Burke vs Matt Barnaby Jan 15, 1998
Trevor Linden vs Rob Ray Jan 15, 1998
Sean Burke vs Steve Shields Jan 15, 1998
Donald Brashear vs Darryl Shannon Jan 15, 1998

More CHL

No, no, not Canadian - Central.  The CHL brawl between the IceRays and Mudbugs posted a couple of days ago has gotten a lot of eyes.  It was a crazy scene as described here by John.  While the CHL can be fight-friendly, I should point out it’s not the Federal League from Slap Shot, and brawls like that aren’t a normal occurance.

That being said, I couldn’t help but post another line brawl avec goalie throwdown.  From Dec 20th‘s Texas Brahmas at Arizona Sundogs game, the Sundogs were getting beaten pretty bad at home in the last game of a three-games-in-four-days set (all three games against each other, that’s how AA hockey works).  With a little under a minute left the action starts just as the puck is about to be dropped (it never actually made it to the ice before the punches started flying).  It’s all skaters for a bit before goalies David Cacciola and Marco Emond joined in and started throwing with some intent.

The vids:

Matt Burto vs Matt Suderman Dec 20, 2008
David Cacciola vs Marco Emond Dec 20, 2008
Greg McConnell vs Matt Suderman Dec 20, 2008
Eric Lundberg vs Karl Sellan Dec 20, 2008
Matt Hanson vs Kyle Hood Dec 20, 2008

Brussian

Brash is taking on language number three (that I know of).  With high profile Alexanders (or Sashas, if you prefer) Ovechkin and Semin as teammates, the Donald has been inspired to start studying Russian:

Donald Brashear said he’s a long way from mastering the language, or carrying on a conversation for that matter, but he is studying Russian.

“It’s just for the guys,” he said. “It’s just very hard. They’ll say something and I’ll have them repeat it very slowly, but there’s different sounds in there that I don’t hear at first. I’m sure my French sounds the same to them as their Russian does to me when they speak fast.”

Mike V skating, absorbing

Mike V was on Fox Sports West tonight doing a little pimping for his role in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, as well as talking about his run-in with Steve Montador and his blog for the Ducks.  The clip can be seen after the jump.

OHL makes changes

As speculated, the OHL was the first league to make a fight-related rules change in wake of Don Sanderson’s death.  Any player who removes his own helmet before a fight will be given an extra minor penalty, a game misconduct and an automatic one-game suspension.  It was common for a player to remove his own helmet before a fight due to visors being mandatory.  Mark Spector’s take on this is worth a read.  Discussion in the forums is here.

Some reads

Coyotes develop nickname system
Lightning Warm Up With Pregame Jousts
Avery signing could have been avoided: Modano
Vinnymania hits Montreal
Tough guy would rather fight than switch
Les bagarres au hockey

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