Pens Take Game Two

The Penguins took a two-game lead over the Flyers last night.  Another hard-fought over, and another 2-0 series lead in the Conference Finals.

Before any of the goal scoring started, Scottie Upshall and Tyler Kennedy got the crowd going by dropping the gloves off of a faceoff.  It was an entertaining scrap which left the fans in a frenzy.

Georges Laraque started the play that broke the 2-2 tie in the third period.  After a quick shot towards the net, Gary Roberts dished it right off to Maxime Talbot, who put it home for the game-winner.

No suspensions

Mike Ribeiro was not suspended for his hack at Chris Osgood Saturday.

However, both Ribeiro and Osgood were fined, as was Steve Ott for his actions against Kris Draper.

Worlds get fiesty

Ilya Kovalchuk and Anton Stralman were roughing it up Saturday, but it was David Backes and Anssi Salmela who really went at it yesterday.  The USA-Finland game was horribly officiated (the side of the net?  really?), and it led to things getting chippy.  By the end, Backes and Salmela had gloves off and were swinging.  The two are now automatically suspended each team’s next game.

US fans can watch the Worlds over at WCSN.

Videos added

Scottie Upshall vs Tyler Kennedy May 11, 2008
Anssi Salmela vs David Backes May 11, 2008

Today’s NHL game

Detroit Red Wings vs Dallas Stars 8:00 PM ET

Some reads

Dallas Stars think return home will provide lift
Wings hit, just aren’t hitting back
Red Wings plan to keep their cool in Game 3
Flyers’ Coburn struck in face by puck, leaves game
Hossa pays off in spades
Canadians admire Latvia’s lovable fans
$ather’s Hard Line on Avery Will Cost Rangers
Basketball vs. hockey playoffs? It’s no contest
Co-owner: Waddell hasn’t been asked to step down
A Net Loss For Washington
Thomas: U.S. teeming with talent
Goalie feels a little tender

Wings Win Again, Ribeiro Slashes Osgood

The Stars are down 2-0 and before the very end of last night’s game, they decided they were going to make the Red Wings feel it before heading back to Dallas.

With about five seconds left, Steve Ott went after Kris Draper, giving him a shot before having the scrum broken up and Ott being escorted off the ice.

The Stars won the ensuing faceoff and Sergei Zubov shot the puck in the Wings zone.  Mike Ribeiro skated after the puck, and Chris Osgood gave him a bump with the butt-end of his stick.  Draper tried to grab onto Ribeiro, but before a scrum could even develop Ribeiro gave Osgood a two-hander to the chest.

Ribeiro received an attempt to injure match penalty, meaning he’s already suspended pending league review.  If I had to guess, I’d say it’s unlikely he’ll see any further playoff action. It seems harsh, but the Wings are already up by two and the highlight of Ribeiro swinging his stick with both hands will be replayed over and over. There will be media pressure on the league, no doubt.

Draper, involved in all of the action at game’s end, wasn’t concerned about Ott, just Ribeiro:

“I’m fine with that,” Draper said of the Ott assault. “He threw a punch at me.

“No harm done. You get up and you go. But something like (the slash on Osgood), that’s right out of Slap Shot. (Ribeiro) just literally . . . intent to injure on our best player. I couldn’t believe it when he did it.”

Osgood said of his butt-end:

“If it did, it was an accident,” he said. “I don’t think it justifies a two-hander over the top of the net.”

And of the slash:

“I do have a lot of padding up there but it got me in the side where I didn’t have much,” he said of the Ribeiro slash. “It did hurt a bit.

“It was kind of a full swing right to the side. But I’ll be fine, I’m sure. A little sore, but I’ll be fine.”

Dominik Hasek didn’t play last night, but his presence was felt when Osgood flopped to the ice like a fish when slashed, only to be up and fine a minute later.  No one expects a slash like that to tickle, but it did seem like overkill.

While we were all looking at the Flyers-Pens series for the war, the Stars and Wings are now sharing the battle spotlight.

Tonight’s game

Philadelphia Flyers vs Pittsburgh Penguins 7:30 PM ET

Some reads

ESPN: Don Cherry Breaks Down The NHL Playoffs
Stars’ Ott stirs the pot
Flyers playoff goalies from Bernie Parent to Marty Biron
Penguins-Flyers series a war? That’s the idea
Series puts rivalry in state of frenzy
NHL needs to be body slammed (the gist of this is something I’ve written myself quite a few times)
Flyers’ Upshall is feisty and talented
Landing an OHL job doesn’t mean you’ll make the NHL
Roberts: Physical play, fights can shift momentum
Goons on parade: Cote and Laraque
Oilers reincarnated
MLSE suits are still calling all the shots
Cote’s call to arms
What does the future hold for Dan Carcillo?

Penn Meet-Up

If not for the Sharks refusal to die this round, the best part of the second round of the playoffs was the setup for the Conference Finals between the Flyers and Penguins.

The Sharks playoff run did come to an end though. After six games, four of which went to OT, Brenden Morrow put the series away for the Stars after 129:03 of hockey last night.  It was really the only close series of the round.

After seeing some great first round action, most of the second round simply didn’t last long enough to give it the same feel.  The Flyers and Penguins each took out their opponents in five, and Detroit demolished Colorado.

There was a great recap of The Battle of Pennsylvania a few months ago by Rob Rossi and Joe Starkey of the Tribune-Review (something pointed to back in January).  The two teams fought 13 times in 8 games this past regular season.  There was a real passion on and off the ice for all games, something that will easily continue into the Conference Finals.

Philly and Pittsburgh were nominated for the 2007-08 Best Team Feud, part of the hockeyfights.com Season Awards.

Videos added

We’ve been focusing on minors and juniors lately, here’s a sample:

Josh Beaulieu vs Nicolas Blanchard Jan 5, 2008
Jordan Bendfeld vs Garrett Klotz Feb 29, 2008
Dale Purinton vs Triston Grant Jan 11, 2008
John DiPace vs Mitch Woods Apr 13, 2008
Kevin Westgarth vs Jesse Boulerice Jan 13, 2008

Some reads

Sean Avery out of intensive care
Players in ‘hairsute’ of the coveted Cup
LIers own and manage Crunch, as in punch
Getting to know: Paul Holmgren
Clarke forever the face of the Flyers
Everybody Loves Georges | Laraque goes more than the extra mile

A Taxing Twosome

There were a couple of bouts last night.  Mike Green went with Scottie Upshall (did I hear a “finally”?) early in the third period of the Flyers 6-3 win over the Caps.  The Flyers are now up 2-1 in that series.

The Wild and Avalanche have had a great series so far, and tempers flared last night after the Avs went up 4-0.  No one wanted to go near Derek Boogaard, who acquainted himself with most of Colorado’s roster.  After roughings and misconducts all over the place, Stephane Veilleux and Ian Laperriere dropped the gloves shortly after a faceoff and took some swings before getting tied up.  Todd Fedoruk tried to get at Laperriere at the end of the game, but Lappy wasn’t interested in the Fridge.  Lappy’s also already told the media he wouldn’t consider fighting Boogaard.

Boogaard spoke about his lack of a willing partner:

“They have guys on their team whose job is to open their mouths and try to get us to take penalties on them, and I mean, it’s just not going to happen,” said Boogaard, who ended up taking a 2-minute roughing and 10-minute misconduct in the second period and another roughing penalty in the third period of the 5-1 loss Tuesday.

Boogaard then has some words about Cody McLeod‘s style of play.

“I’m going to laugh when the instigator [penalty] is out this summer because I’m pretty sure [McLeod’s] ... going to be a lot more quiet next year,” Boogaard said. “[The way he plays] is not hockey. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be played. It’s supposed to be played with respect. He doesn’t show respect.”

Elsewhere

- The Habs took a huge game four from the Bruins and are up 3-1 in the series.
- The Ducks went into Dallas and won, 4-2.  The Stars are now up 2-1 in the series where the away team has won every game.  There have been no fights in the series.
- Joe Thornton scored with just 10 seconds left to give the Sharks a 3-2 win.  The series with the Flames is now tied at 2.

Videos added

Stephane Veilleux vs Ian Laperriere Apr 15, 2008
Mike Green vs Scottie Upshall Apr 15, 2008
Ryan VandenBussche vs Stu Grimson Nov 19, 1999 (Round 2)
Ryan VandenBussche vs Stu Grimson Nov 19, 1999 (Round 1)
Chris Murray vs Chris McAllister Feb 28, 1998
Craig Berube vs Turner Stevenson Apr 17, 1995
Dan LaCouture vs Brandon Sugden Sep 22, 2005

Tonight’s games

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators 7:00 PM ET
New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers 7:00 PM ET
Detroit Red Wings vs Nashville Predators 7:00 PM ET

Some reads

O’Reilly’s a big fan of Lucic
Lucic gives confidence big bump
Roberts forever young in playoffs
Thornton finally makes his presence felt
Beaten To the Punch
Stanley Cup going to the dogs

First Round Tightening

Slow fighting-front, but some good action so far out of the first round.

The one fight last night was from Montreal-Boston.  Guillaume Latendresse and Shane Hnidy threw some punches in-tight after a scrum developed at the end of the first period.

Including the regular season over one third of Montreal’s fights have been against Boston this season.

Marc Savard scored the game-winner in OT for the Bruins.  The series is now 2-1 in the Habs favor.

The Devils took the same route, winning in OT and now trailing the Rangers by just one game.

Philly-Washington‘s tied up, and Calgary came back from being down 3-0 early to win 4-3 and take a one game lead on the San Jose.

Book giveaway

Just a reminder we’re giving away 20 Years of the ECHL. Contest rules | Entry thread

Video added

Guillaume Latendresse vs Shane Hnidy Apr 13, 2008

Tonight’s games

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators 7:00 PM ET
Detroit Red Wings vs Nashville Predators 7:00 PM ET
Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche 10:00 PM ET

Some reads

Agitated Brodeur gets last laugh
Wild tough guy Todd Fedoruk has become a much more rounded player
Flyers’ tough guy Cote happy to be here
Detroit’s McCarty back from rock bottom
Phaneuf takes his boos ‘with a grain of salt’
Guest columnist sees lighter side of Pens’ Laraque

Cup Hunting Season Opens

Actually, it’s “huntin’”, right?  I’m from New York, so what do I know… either way, the first playoff night was a good one.  Just one fight from the four games last night.

Dean McAmmond shoved Sidney Crosby into the boards.  Crosby returned to his feet, with the puck and went to the front of the net.  As the puck went out of area, Crosby and Wade Redden started shoving and throwing some gloved shots.  The whistle blew and players gathered and Ryan Whitney took on Redden on behalf of his captain.  Whitney wound up getting Redden’s jersey over his head, throwing punches at will before the linesmen moved in.

Just one minute into the game Gary Roberts made his presence felt, scoring the first goal of the playoff season, quickly becoming enemy #1 in Ottawa - again.  Big Georges had the first assist.  Roberts scored again with 1:35 left.  He then picked up 16 PIMs with just 12 seconds left.  It looks like it’ll be a chippy series.  The Pens took the game, 4-0.

Wild comeback fails in OT

The Wild were down 2-0 to the Avalanche going into the third before Mikko Koivu scored a few minutes into the period to bring the Wild within one.  Todd Fedoruk then scored on the power play to tie things up a few minutes after that.  That’s right, a little PP time for the Fridge in the playoffs.  It was all for naught, as Joe Sakic scored the game-winner for the Avs in overtime.

Derek Boogaard was in the lineup, logging 8:56 of ice time.  Mark Parrish left the game with a head injury.  That may lead to Chris Simon dressing for next game.

Video added

Wade Redden vs Ryan Whitney Apr 9, 2008

Tonight’s games

Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens 7:00 PM ET
Nashville Predators vs Detroit Red Wings 7:00 PM ET
Dallas Stars vs Anaheim Ducks 10:00 PM ET
Calgary Flames vs San Jose Sharks 10:00 PM ET

Some reads

Western Quarterfinals Preview 2008
Eastern Quarterfinals Preview 2008
Not One Extra Minute
In defence of hockey brawls
Goons take night off in Game 1 of Rangers-Devils
Roberts remains Senators’ nightmare
This time, Penguins a true playoff team
Flames head coach reflects on playoff history
Unglamorous, but successful
Simon’s new team is ‘true’
Muscle in spades
Producing Pens’ telecasts a dizzying endeavor

Playoff Ready

The 2007-08 NHL regular season has come to a close.

It was a fairly busy weekend, at least for the Blues and Blue Jackets.  St Louis won the back to back set by a combined score of 7-1, but there were also 7 fights in the faux playoff series (1, 2).  Matt Walker had four fighting majors alone.

Flames atop FM list

For all the fighting Ducks talk this season, the Calgary Flames finished first on the team FM leader list with 70.  Anaheim had 69, and the Vancouver Canucks 68.  Last season the Ducks finished with 71 FMs, but the nearest team, the Phoenix Coyotes, had 47.

Fighting was up overall this season.

Great matchups

Some great playoff matchups to watch this first round.  I’m keeping this post rather brief to get started on some playoff previews to post the next couple of days.  From Rangers-Devils in the East to Ducks-Stars in the West, there should be some great games.

Videos added

Matt Walker vs Zenon Konopka Apr 6, 2008
Matt Walker vs Aaron Rome Apr 6, 2008
D.J. King vs Tom Sestito Apr 6, 2008
Marian Gaborik vs Ian Laperriere Apr 6, 2008
Jody Shelley vs Steve Ott Apr 6, 2008
Doug Murray vs B.J. Crombeen Apr 6, 2008
Milan Michalek vs B.J. Crombeen Apr 6, 2008
Bryan McCabe vs Greg Stewart Apr 5, 2008
Darcy Tucker vs Josh Gorges Apr 5, 2008
Jared Boll vs Matt Walker Apr 5, 2008
Zenon Konopka vs Barret Jackman Apr 5, 2008
Zenon Konopka vs Matt Walker Apr 5, 2008

Unfortunately some DVR and scheduling issues gobbled up a few vids this weekend, I’m working on getting them and adding them soon.

Some reads

Dennis Bonvie set to retire as pro hockey’s most-penalized player
Not Quite Ice in His Veins, but Hockey in His Blood
Odd NHL interpretation hurts Ducks
Matchup hairy for Mottau
Parrish in a tough spot, but OK with it
Rangers tough-guy Avery insists his name wasn’t in prostitute’s electronic ‘black book’
Hockey rockers on a roll
Shame on gutless Sens
Big, bruising Wild trying to squeeze in lots of muscle for Stanley Cup playoffs
Mitch flashback: Bob Probert seems like he’s finally turned the corner

T-Minus Three

After last night, there are only three days of the regular season left.  Playoff time is nearing.  Check out the standings page for the current playoff picture.

The Coyotes won’t be playing for the Cup this season, but Daniel Carcillo gave Phoenix fans something to cheer about last night, leaving his gloves on the ice twice in the third period.  In the first fight, he dropped Krys Barch with a heavy right.  Later in the period Steve Ott was looking to remind Carcillo the Stars weren’t backing down and gave Carcillo little choice but to go again.

After playing 78 games before picking up his first fighting major this season, Brent Burns now has two in three games.  Burns was (is?) Derek Boogaard‘s roommate.  I guess eventually something just rubs off on you.  Burns took on Dion Phaneuf last night after Phaneuf laid out Stephane Veilleux.

Things got chippy towards the end of the Bolts-Caps game.  As the whistle blew Jason Ward looked like he was going to go with John Erskine.  Ward was held back, a scrum formed and Junior Lessard dropped the gloves with Matt Bradley to cap off Washington’s big W.

Finally, Shean Donovan took on Bryan McCabe in a Sens blowout of the Leafs.

Slow Duck

The Calgary Flames now lead the NHL in fighting majors.  The Anaheim Ducks are only one away, with the Vancouver Canucks just one behind them.  Looking at Anaheim’s schedule it’s easy to see that they’ve kept their gloves on recently, with just 4 fights in the last 11 games.

Thanks

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who wrote to me with thoughts, congratulations, etc. about my son.  Him and his mother are doing great, and there’s been nothing but sleepy happiness since he’s arrived.

Videos added

Steve Ott vs Daniel Carcillo Apr 3, 2008
Krys Barch vs Daniel Carcillo Apr 3, 2008
Dion Phaneuf vs Brent Burns Apr 3, 2008
Junior Lessard vs Matt Bradley Apr 3, 2008
Aaron Downey vs James Wisniewski Apr 2, 2008
Joffrey Lupul vs Brooks Orpik Apr 2, 2008
Riley Cote vs Georges Laraque Apr 2, 2008

Some reads

Laraque respects Flyers’ Cote
In a Must-Win, It’s Ovechkin
Canes need to win, or else
Rangers’ win over Islanders lands a playoff spot
Panthers’ Olli Jokinen mired in NHL-high playoff drought
Alberts back in the swing
Journal Hall of Fame hockey writer Jim Matheson answers your questions
Trash talk underway between rockers and former NHLers prior to Juno Cup

Expect the Unexpected

Only two scraps last night. One was expected, one was not.

Jody Shelley hooked up Raitis Ivanans and the two had a decent heavyweight scrap. Surprisingly, it was the first regular-season fight between the Sharks and Kings this season. It’s key to note that both teams were without a heavy for the majority of the year but it doesn’t really matter in this situation. The teams have combined for a total of only four fights against each other post-lockout, rare for divisional rivals even in today’s “new” NHL.

Jason Spezza received his first fighting major of the season when he danced with Andrei Markov in the first period of Habs-Sens. It was Markov’s first career-fight in 491 total games.

The world’s newest powerforward

After sporadic updates over the weekend, we had everything ironed out by Monday.  The cause of the delay was a good one: David’s wife gave birth over the weekend to the couple’s first child, a son.  Noah weighed in at a healthy 7lbs 11oz.

Videos added

Raitis Ivanans vs Jody Shelley Apr 1, 2008
Andrei Markov vs Jason Spezza Apr 1, 2008
Ryan Malone vs Sean Avery Mar 31, 2008
B.J. Crombeen vs Sean O’Donnell Mar 30, 2008
Marc Staal vs Kristopher Letang Mar 30, 2008
Zack Stortini vs Jim Vandermeer Mar 29, 2008
Adam Burish vs David Backes Mar 29, 2008
Craig Adams vs Cam Janssen Mar 29, 2008
Chris Neil vs Shawn Thornton Mar 29, 2008

Some reads

Regehr lacks respect for Hemsky, says MacT
Avery strongly denies involvement with Manhattan madam | Avery laughs off hooking allegations
Buyouts not the answer to Leafs’ problems
Happy 80th birthday Mr. Hockey
Tatrn, Doornbosch show great potential, GM says
Grinder earns primetime praise

More reaction to Roy

Just a few of the million reactions to the Jonathan Roy incident

Roy’s antics are unusual, not the norm so stop with the silliness
Quebec seeks rules to curb hockey fights
Police chief to would-be hockey goons: no room for on-ice attacks in Ottawa
Hockey fights pitiful, dull
Fight debaters are misguided
Hockey Canada boss calls for reduced rosters to stem violence

Have a Major

Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora picked up their first fighting majors last night.  Never mind that punches sans gloves never happened, the gloved shots seemed to be enough to warrant FMs.  Gloves were shed, but there was only some hugging and dancing before the Czech and Slovak were easily split apart by the linesmen.  Velvety, I guess.

Later in that Isles-Pens game Darryl Sydor took on Tim Jackman.  Sydor, in his second fight since the pre-lockout 2003-04 season, took a shot or two from the bigger Jackman.

There was one other fight, BJ Crombeen taking on Kyle McLaren after McLaren laid-out Toby Petersen deep in the Sharks‘ zone.

I’ll see your McKenzie and raise you a Spector

The fight-filled QMJHL game that made it across media outlets, thanks to Patrick Roy‘s son Jonathan being involved, has sparked the latest “why is fighting still there?” debate.

Bob McKenzie is a good NHL analyst to have.  He’s a staple come trade deadline day, and free agent signing day.  His latest blog entry is that he’s ambivalent about fighting in hockey and doesn’t care whether or not it’s tolerated.  My favorite not-really-fighting-related part:

But if it were announced tomorrow that fighting in any league, including the NHL or Major Junior hockey, would be punishable by automatic ejection, I wouldn’t stop watching it, I wouldn’t stop buying a ticket. I wouldn’t wring my hands and say, woe is me.

Bob McKenize of TSN buys hockey tickets?  Seriously?  Are we supposed to believe that?

I definitely got a laugh from that one.

Mark Spector of the National Post had a different view on the “controversy”:

I love the game and have covered the league for nearly 20 years. But sports writers do not get the right to call themselves fans, because my press pass gets me in for free. I make no tangible investment in the game.

...

The Canadian hockey fan likes fighting in the NHL—period. This isn’t about junior hockey. It’s about the NHL, a league that has never been healthier in Canada than it is today.

So where is the debate?

NHL players don’t want to ban fighting. NHL management does not want to ban fighting. NHL fans express nightly that they like a good tussle.

The debate is in the only place it’s ever been, the media.

McCarty to play tonight

Ansar Khan is reporting that Darren McCarty should be in the Wings lineup tonight against the Blues:

“He told me he’s ready to go. I expect to see him in the lineup,” Holland said. “I’m excited for him. I like Darren, he’s worked very hard to get himself in this position. I’m hopeful he can help us.”

Philly talk

Thanks to Steve in the Philly area for letting me know about Riley Cote and Kidd Chris on the Kidd Chris Show talking about hockey, fights, and this website.  I don’t have a clip of it, but if anyone out there does, give me a shout.

Videos added

B.J. Crombeen vs Kyle McLaren Mar 27, 2008
Tim Jackman vs Darryl Sydor Mar 27, 2008
Miroslav Satan vs Petr Sykora Mar 27, 2008
Jeff Cowan vs Ian Laperriere Mar 26, 2008
Zack Stortini vs Derek Boogaard Mar 26, 2008
Brent Seabrook vs Aaron Rome Mar 26, 2008

Some reads

Fedoruk a believer in tough-guy role
Staals put brotherly love aside to fight for cup
Seventh heaven with Lucic
Work along boards leads to goal
Ex-Leaf fought ‘didn’t get shot’
Sharks might have score to settle with Ducks
Avery hated by fans, but can get the job done
The Rangers Go 7 for 7 Against the Devils
Goalie Rivalry Gets ‘Weird’

Two for Tootoo

Five fights last night and they all took place in the West.

Jordin Tootoo had a pair of scraps in the Predators 3-0 win over the Blue Jackets last night. An eventful third period saw Tootoo drop the gloves in a quick fight with Jan Hejda and then lock horns with Jason Chimera on his very next shift. Shea Weber and Aaron Rome also danced earlier on in the third.

Taylor Pyatt participated in one of his seemingly annual heavyweight scraps last night against a familiar opponent in Jim Vandermeer.

Rounding out the night, Craig Weller had a go with Doug Murray in Coyotes-Sharks. Afterwards it was questionable whether Wayne Gretzky was smiling at Weller’s killer left or Daniel Carcillo‘s failed deke of Evgeni Nabokov moments before the fight.

Roys Suspended

Following Saturday’s game, both Jonathan and Patrick Roy have been suspended.

Videos added

Doug Murray vs Craig Weller Mar 25, 2008
Taylor Pyatt vs Jim Vandermeer Mar 25, 2008
Jason Chimera vs Jordin Tootoo Mar 25, 2008
Jan Hejda vs Jordin Tootoo Mar 25, 2008
Aaron Rome vs Shea Weber Mar 25, 2008

Some reads

Iron Mike makes Huselius vanish
Penguins Q&A with Dave Molinari
Dallas Stars hope injured players adjust quickly
Stability helps Liles rebound
Phaneuf’s tactics fail to pay off
Panthers’ push for playoffs stalls out in big way
Committee favours new arena for Edmonton
Apple of his (black) eye
Ovechkin Picks Up 61, Caps Get 2

Wild, Wilder and Wilderer

The Minnesota Wild started the season with Derek Boogaard.

Towards the end of November, when it was becoming clear that Boogaard’s back was going to cause him to miss games, the Wild picked Todd Fedoruk off of waivers.

At the trade deadline Minnesota then traded for Chris Simon.

Boogaard recently returned after missing a large chunk of games and few doubted the Wild would ever dress the big three.  Friday night, all three were in the lineup against the Canucks.  There were no fights that night.  The Wild won the game, 2-1.

Saturday, the Wild only made one line-up change, starting Harding in net.  Unlike Friday each of the big three dropped the gloves against the Flames.  Boogaard took on a familiar foe in Eric Godard about five minutes into the game.  Somehow the heavyweight match-up became an undercard when Simon fought Jim Vandermeer just seconds later.  A longer, more energetic scrap, Simon dropped Vandy.  The crowd and both benches were fired up for what continued to be a hard-fought game through all three periods.  In the third period it was time for the Fridge to have a go.  He found a willing partner in Cory Sarich.  The Flames took the game that went down to the wire, 5-4.  Another three from that evening: Jarome Iginla’s natural hat trick.

St… Joe?

Patrick Roy‘s son Jonathan was involved in a brawl Saturday night that could lead to supplemental punishment.  We’ve added the video to our videos page along with other QMJHL action (or find it on the game page).  The Québec Remparts and Chicoutimi Saguenéens have played two games of a seven-game playoff series.  The series is currently split 1-1.

Videos added

David Backes vs Niklas Hjalmarsson Mar 23, 2008
Shane Hnidy vs Steve Begin Mar 22, 2008
P.J. Axelsson vs Maxim Lapierre Mar 22, 2008
Todd Fedoruk vs Cory Sarich Mar 22, 2008
Chris Simon vs Jim Vandermeer Mar 22, 2008
Derek Boogaard vs Eric Godard Mar 22, 2008
Brian Sutherby vs Daniel Carcillo Mar 22, 2008
Cody McLeod vs Matt Greene Mar 22, 2008
Ian Laperriere vs Steve Staios Mar 22, 2008
George Parros vs Jody Shelley Mar 21, 2008
Josef Vasicek vs Rod Pelley Mar 21, 2008
Matthew Spiller vs Arron Asham Mar 21, 2008
Bill Guerin vs David Clarkson Mar 21, 2008

Some reads

Retrievers must be dogged
Fighting for what’s right
Tugs-of-war take their toll on Amerks
Scott Gomez’s ribs bruised, not broken
Injury sparks debate on no-touch icing
Teams with 90 points may fall short of playoffs
A little bit of separation
QMJHL mulls sanctions against Roy after brawl
Will Islanders give Nolan contract extension?
Company in 60-Goal Club

Bracket Busters

A trio of fights last night.

Tom Kostopoulos took on Jeremy Reich early, and then there was a bit of a lull until the later games.

Nathan McIver and Zack Stortini were talking it up after a whistle.  They kept going until the puck was dropped again, but the fight wound up being a lot shorter than any of the yapping that was going on.

Ian Laperriere and Jim Vandermeer wasted no time dropping the gloves in the Avs-Flames game.  Just nine seconds in and the two went at it after a whistle stopped play.

Videos added

Ian Laperriere vs Jim Vandermeer Mar 20, 2008
Nathan McIver vs Zack Stortini Mar 20, 2008

Kostopoulos-Reich will be added soon.

Some reads

Sharks hoping Clowe can return before playoffs
Hockey punch overblown
No-touch icing would eliminate ‘car wrecks,’ Sharks’ Wilson says
Injured Richard Zednik keeping busy rehabbing, but misses the action
Disappointing return by Chara
Breaking the ice for visitors
IceDogs agitator; Legein back to rough and tumble style just in time for playoffs
Atlantic going to wire
When Tradition and Taunts Collide: Gay Hockey Fans Criticize Garden
Has Richards deal killed Stars’ chemistry?

No Quit

There were three lengthy fights last night.

It started early, with Sean Avery and David Clarkson dropping the gloves just 35 seconds into the Rangers-Devils game.  They fought for about an hour or so before falling to the ice.

In the Ducks-Stars game Brad May and Krys Barch went for the fourth time this season.  Two of the other fights are among the top rated fights of the season, and this one will likely come close to them in voting.  “Wanna make a highlight reel?”

The three other May-Barch fights this season: Nov 5, 2007, Nov 21, 2007 and Jan 15, 2008.

Lastly, Derek Boogaard got into his first scrap since Nov 23.  His opponent then, and last night, was Jody Shelley, although Shelley switched team jerseys in-between.  Boogaard didn’t look rusty, maintaining control throughout the bout.

Attenzione! Carcillo vicino

Tuesday’s Coyotes-Oilers game led to a couple of articles yesterday about Daniel Carcillo from up north.

Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal defines Carcillo as the new breed of tough guy

Carcillo is essentially the new breed of the NHL tough guy. He can play a regular shift, skate and shoot, get on your nerves and he likes to fight. He’s not your true night watchman because he doesn’t weigh 260 pounds like Laraque or Boogaard or Raitis Ivanans.

“I tried to fight Ivanans once ... he tagged me one and I was gone. I cut him, so I was pretty happy, though,” said Carcillo.

Mark Spector of the National Post declares Carcillo a new breed of fighter (see a trend?).

Carcillo states that coach Wayne Gretzky isn’t really concerned about the fighting as much as his post-penalty penalties: mostly Carcillo mouthing off and picking up extras.

An interesting tidbit towards the end of Spector’s article:

Laraque predicts that the NHLPA will vote to push for the abolition of the instigator rule. The topic was addressed during new NHLPA head Paul Kelly’s fall tour, and will come up again at the union’s summer meetings. Should Kelly get the go-ahead from his players, he could then approach the league about dropping the instigator.

And Laraque thinks that could end the trend towards players like Carcillo.

“That’s their job - to draw penalties. Now [without the instigator penalty] you can beat the piss out of the people who do that, and not get two minutes extra,” Laraque said. “Most of the guys in league, they hate these agitators.”

Videos added

Brad May vs Krys Barch Mar 19, 2008
Derek Boogaard vs Jody Shelley Mar 19, 2008
Sean Avery vs David Clarkson Mar 19, 2008

Note that the two clips on the Avery-Clarkson page contain basically the same video, but one has Doc and Chico announcing (MSG+) and the other has Sam and Joe (MSG).

Some reads

Boulton, Holik get in shoving match
Fritsche’s solid game backs up tough talk
The years fly by
Barch has another marathon fight
Team Canada in Kandahar for ball-hockey rematch
Curtis Brown back after missing 25 games
Will late push save Panthers, Martin?
Garden of Grit
Okposo’s debut only excitement in Isles’ loss
Wrestlers fit right in with Buffalo tough guys
Top Madison Square Garden chants
Stevens’ job should depend on playoff berth

Slow St Patrick’s

Just two games last night, only one fight, but it was a good one.

Daniel Carcillo took on Rick Rypien mid-way through the first period of the Canucks 3-1 win over the Coyotes.

Carcillo racked up 21 PIMs last night.  Two of them led to the Canucks third goal.  Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said Carcillo’s a target:

“I thought Danny played a tremendous game,” Gretzky said. “His penalty late in the (second) period where they ended up scoring their third goal, I thought the call wasn’t warranted. It was two guys pushing each other and Danny gets the extra penalty. He’s definitely a marked man.”

Welcome back Boogey

Derek Boogaard played his first game last night since Jan 22.

Fighting Canes

With Wade Brookbank and Tim Conboy on the roster the Carolina Hurricanes have the most fighting majors since 1997-98, the first season the team played in Carolina.  Thanks to Luke DeCock of The News & Observer for pointing that out.

Commenting fixed

Thanks to those who sent me email about the blog commenting being down.  It’s been fixed.

Video added

Daniel Carcillo vs Rick Rypien Mar 17, 2008

Some reads

Pronger stomp part of NHL culture: Stewart
Okposo prepares for NHL debut | Isles’ Kyle Okposo ready for debut
New lease on NHL life
Sharks Shelley got ‘too excited’ on play that led to penalty