A Strong Ending

PL3 fights Trevor Gillies. AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

Evander Kane KOing Matt Cooke started the highlight reel for the last weekend of the 2009-10 NHL regular season.

Later in that same game Eric Godard had a great toe-to-toe fight with Eric Boulton.

There were also a couple of high-rated bouts in the Islanders–Devils game: Michael Haley and Rod Pelley had a good, open exchange — and Trevor Gillies eventually convinced PL3 to drop the gloves, leading to another back and forth scrap.

Will any make the best of 2009-10 list or be nominated for one of our season awards? Find out soon as we start releasing the nominees this week.

The final day

Aaron Voros took on Ian Laperriere in the most important, and probably most entertaining game of the day. Philly took the 8th and final playoff spot in a shootout. Jody Shelley had the lone goal for the Rangers.

Another Penguin down: Joel Rechlicz dropped Mike Rupp with a clean shot, but Rupp popped right back up. Wrecker’s glove toss alone makes the video worth watching.

Boogaard the Bolt

From Michael Russo:

According to multiple NHL sources, the Wild traded enforcer Derek Boogaard to the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 3 for third- and fourth-round draft picks and NHL penalty-minute leader Zenon Konopka. GMs Chuck Fletcher and Brian Lawton were talking trade all day, and just before the 2 p.m. trade deadline, Lawton called to sweeten the deal. It was accepted by Fletcher, but the Wild soon discovered the Lightning no longer owned one of the draft picks. By the time the mistake was resolved, it was past the deadline and the trade couldn’t transpire.