Leafs and Isles Bruising On
The Maple Leafs and Islanders sit atop of the fighting majors leaders list this preseason. The Leafs still have players fighting for roster spots and are embracing the Brian Burke way of hockey. The Isles will have players fighting for roster spots all season long and have a handful of players looking to make sure they get some games in with the big club during the regular season.
While it wasn’t the fight of the night, the clip of Paul Bissonnette and Francois Beauchemin‘s fight is one to put your eyes on. First, Jay McKee sets this up with a suicide pass to Tim Wallace. Ignoring the misnomer of “suicide pass”, Beauchemin takes advantage of the situation and levels Wallace. Biz steps up for his teammate and drops the gloves with a willing Beauchemin. Beauchemin is one of those players who doesn’t fight often, but is very strong (hey, Pierre McGuire got that right), and can definitely hold his own. It’s real quick in the clip, but good on Biz for good sportsmanship. Right after they drop the gloves Bissonnette points to the ice, making sure Beauchemin knew where his stick and glove were, and not to trip over them.
Kip Brennan still with Oilers
Kip Brennan hasn’t been able to find a fighting opponent yet, but his overall play has been strong enough to keep him in Oilers camp. The Oilers have posted this interview with Kip, asking him about any frustrations over not finding a fight, how he prepares and how thinks the preseason is going. Pat Quinn‘s comments about Kip are at the end.
Videos added
Paul Bissonnette vs Francois Beauchemin Sep 22, 2009
Jordan Staal vs Michael Komisarek Sep 22, 2009
Paul Bissonnette vs Jay Rosehill Sep 22, 2009
Krys Barch vs Cam Janssen Sep 19, 2009
Some reads
Exelby’s world travels an excellent adventure
Ducks’ Erik Christensen gets pushed around—and it’s all good
New regime promises up-tempo game for Wild
My comfort with fighting shattered by bloody preseason bout
Regina homecoming for Tampa Bay Lightning and former Pats left-winger Todd Fedoruk
