For those of you that have been following Goonblog for a while now, you know I follow hockey pretty closely. That is to say, I am slightly obsessed with it. OK, fine, it’s my reason for being. Having said that, there are two teams I follow with closer attention than others. The Boston Bruins in the NHL, and the AHL Lowell Devils. I haven’t followed the Devils as much in the last couple of years because I hate the Devils, and they seemed to have sucked the fun out of the Tsongas Center in a manner that would make most porn stars proud.

In the American League the theme song should be “Roadhouse Blues” by the Doors as a lot of the teams have a future uncertain, and the end is always near. In Lowell, things are no different. Depending on what you read, the Devils are either re-re-locating to Albany after being offered an alleged 10 year lease, or they are staying in Lowell provided they can work out a lease in which the arena doesn’t subsidize the Devils’ existence there. I heard a very interesting third option last weekend that makes no sense in the world, but makes all the sense at the same time.

From what I heard, and I can’t reveal sources here, was the possible relocation of the Providence Bruins to Lowell. My first reaction was probably very similar to what you are thinking now gentle reader, “no fucking way.” The Dunkin Donuts center has just been remodeled (nicely I might add. Although the seats are too narrow. Picture the wooden seats at Fenway. Yeah, that narrow) and the P Bruins owner just signed an 8 year lease with the Dunk in 2008. By my math, that isn’t up for another….carry the 2….divide for Pi…..6 years. So, there are a couple of reasons why it wouldn’t make any sense.

Now, onto why it might make sense, or at least give me food for thought on why it might. From what I heard, Mr. Renfroe (P Bruins owner) wasn’t happy with the way the building got a face lift, and apparently none of the team facilities, you know, locker rooms and the like, are still old and antiquated. I understand Marty Meehan, former Massachusetts Representative, current UMass Lowell President, and seemingly the cruise director as well, has given Mr. Renfroe three guided tours of the Tsongas, and I can’t help but think Mr. Renfroe would like what he saw from a facility standpoint. I have been in the home dressing room, and it is modern and spacious. The ice is the best in the league according to several players I have talked to about the building in Lowell, and I would have to imagine it would cost much less money to operate the Tsongas than it would the Dunk in Providence.

I think one of the reasons AHL hockey hasn’t worked in Lowell from an attendance standpoint, has been the affiliate. One needs look no further than across the street as an excellent example. Do you think the Lowell Spinners would sell out every game if they were the proud Single A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, as opposed to the Boston Red Sox? Not on your life. The only time the Devils draw more than flies, is when Providence is in town. It might also make sense for the parent Boston Bruins, as the time from when a call up is called, to when he arrives in Boston is cut in half. Also, the Bruins could make a case to practice both the NHL Club, and AHL club out of the Tsongas making game day callus even easier.

When you stop and think of it, there are a myriad of reasons why it might work to have the Bruins in Lowell, and another dozen on why it wouldn’t. I am sure Mr. Renfroe is a very shrewd business man, and has an out clause in Providence. I also know he has several other hockey interests. Perhaps he wants to own an ECHL team and have them play there. Maybe a new Junior team? Then there are all his youth hockey dealings. Maybe he wants to have a huge tournament there or something, or maybe, and this is the one I believe, he was in the building because Providence was in town, and someone told someone, and they told someone, and the next thing you know, there is a giant game of telephone happening. My gut tells me the Devils are going back to Albany, and the end of hockey at the AHL level in Lowell is near. Let it roll, baby, roll. Oh yeah, purple monkey underpants.

As the end of the decade approaches there are a million different "Top…" lists floating around the web. The Ref and I have been heavily debating the Top 50 Comedies of the 00′s and we both agree Stepbrothers is getting royally shafted. Naturally, The Hangover is coming in tops on a lot of lists. It’s also #1 on our list of the Top 50 Overrated Comedies of the decade. If you haven’t seen Stepbrothers, do it. NOW! Wait. Finish reading this, and then sit down with Brennan and Dale.

On a slightly more related note, GoonBlog.com has been around for about half the decade and has seen some great enforcers come in to the league during that time. It got me to thinking about who my choice for favorite tough guy of the last ten years would be. I am having a hard time choosing right now for a few reasons. First, I am not all that creative. The second being, if they had a list of Top 50 Things I did to my brain to cause damage this decade with booze and a general lack of common sense, we wouldn’t really scratch the surface of how un-smart I am. Here are some things I am struggling with in terms of prerequisites.

Dennis Bonvie recently retired as the most penalized player in North American hockey history. He’s been playing hockey for a long time now, and he’s one of my all time favorite tough guys. Would he be considered an enforcer of the decade despite the fact his career spans several? Also, does he have enough NHL experience to be considered? Does NHL experience matter? That puts a guy like Tie Domi in the mix. He has all NHL experience and retired in the decade, but does that make him the best of most popular enforcer of the decade?

I don’t care much for wins and losses in a fight, what I am looking for when thinking of this list is guys I like to watch fight, and when I am flipping through the Center Ice Package I stop and say, “Oh, I’ll watch this game because so and so plays for them.” In the end I decided on a couple of definites.

1. If they played in the years 2000-2009, they were eligible.
2. If I followed the career path, they were eligible.
3. If I had personally met and interacted with them off the ice, eligible. This is where a lot of guys score highly.

Without further ado, Goonblog’s Top 10 Enforcers of the Decade!

10. PJ Stock. Undersized for the role, PJ went into the breach with the determination of a hungry Pit Bull in Michael Vick’s back yard. He had three of the most memorable fights in the “New” Boston Garden, and had a hell of a following in Boston. To this day, PJ Stock Crew shirts can still be seen worn to Bruins games.

9. Shawn Thornton. 22 has been a full time NHLer since the 06-07 season where he won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim. Before that, he made frequent stops in the Tsongas Arena with Norfolk, and Portland. Thornton is a guy that clearly enjoys playing a game for a living and keeps penalty box attendants in stitches with his quick wit. On here as much for his personality as he is his pugilistic ability, Shawn has improved his fighting skills tremendously this season.

8. Ben Eager. On here mostly because I marvel at how equipment mangers around the league are consistently able to make a Gatorade bucket look like a hockey helmet. Have you seen the size of that boy’s heeeed?!

7. Darcy Hordichuk. I have been a big fan of him since the old Springfield Falcon days. He also had a couple of donnybrooks with “Mad” Mel Angelstad when they were both in the IHL that are a must see for any fight fan.

6. Ryan Flinn. If there was a more intimidating looking enforcer in the AHL from 2001-2005, I didn’t see him. But then again, maybe I’ve been blocking them out. Shudder. The resemblance to Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart is also remarkable.

5. Gordie Dwyer. Hands down, one of the nicest most personable guys I have ever met. He was hurt a lot of the time he was a member of the Lowell Lockmonsters so I got to speak with him many, many times during games. Not 100% sure he enjoyed the role of enforcer, definitely not at the AHL level, but for a guy that could fight he was the one of the best skaters, and body checkers around.

4. Officer Brendan Walsh. No doubt, the funniest human being on the ice ever. With quotes like, “Half price goatees boys? And "Hey Kanko, give me extra cheese on my taco,” it’s hard to disagree. The only thing that ever got the best of Walshie was a puck according to him; he was a thorn in the AHL’s side for 4 seasons. His one game swan song as a Lowell Lockmoster was one of my favorite memories of the old team.

3. Trevor Gillies. Speaking of the old Lockmonsters, Trevor has been a Goonblog favorite since his debut with Lowell in the 1999-2000 season. One of the best guys off the ice as well, he’s always willing to stop and say hi when coming back to the Paul. His fight in which he and Richard Scott bloodied each other was one of the better fights I have seen in that building.

2. Dennis Bonvie. Every time “Bones” was in the building, the calendar was circled and watched with the anticipation of getting a Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock. Could rival Walshie as the funniest person on earth, Bonvie was always entertaining and gave an honest effort every night. Some career highlights include the time he was barking like a dog at Craig MacDonald at the redline during warm-ups, and asking the penalty box attendant if Lowell’s Jan Vodrazka had ever fought before after handling he youngster soundly. Classic Bonvie.

1.Colton Orr. Right now, Orrsie is my favorite player in the NHL not wearing #17 for the Boston Bruins. If Boston were smart, they wouldn’t have waived him a couple of years ago, but that is a whole different post. Orr is as tough and honest as they come these days. He truly loves to fight as evidence by the ear to ear grin on his face while being led to his home away from home to feel shame for 5 minutes at a time. Also, the time I introduced myself to him after I had at least 30 beers after a Bruins game he could have been a real jerk to a drunken guy. Instead he humored me for a few minutes as we talked enforcers, and guys he has fought. I am sure I was making no sense, as the look on his face was an indication, but he was a cool guy like most of the pro hockey players out there are.

So, there we have it. My Top 10. I’d love to see what the group thinks, and welcome any suggestions on guys I left out. Merry Christmas all. Go easy on the egg nog, eh?

The Lowell Devils get me every year. Last season they promised they’d be more up tempo, and tough…not your father’s Lowell Devils I believe was the quote. They were up tempo and decent. On Opening Night. This season, it is the press release I saw today where the Devils have signed AHL tough guy Louis Robitaille to a contract.

Louis Robitaille should be no stranger to Lowell hockey fans going back to the Lockmonster days. He was part of the three headed monster that was “Mad” Mel Angelstad, Louis Robitaille, and Darcy Verot of the Portland Pirates going back to Robitaille’s rookie year in 2003-04. Talk about a team of shit disturbers. I remember them running roughshod all over the Monsters back then. Who was going to stop them? Tomas Malec? The only guy that was tough on that 03-04 Lockmonster team was Joey Tetarenko. Verot, Robitaille, and Anglestad had the ice to do whatever they wanted back then, because no one would, or could stop them.

It was Robitaille that I enjoyed the most though. He of the Cheshire cat smile, and constantly running mouth. To say he enjoys his job as enforcer/shit disturber is to say we all like fights. It’s friggin obvious. He’s a heck of a nice guy off the ice to shoot the breeze with as well. I hope the Devils didn’t “get” me again, and I hope Robitaille is free to run around in Lowell. I am betting after his season split between the LNAH, and Italy last season, he’ll be raring to go nuts. Somehow, I think I’ve been had again.

It’s been killing me to have to write something positive about the New Jersey Devils, but here goes. The Devils have resigned one of my favorite tough guys, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-LeBlond. PL3 as he’s known to his friends was one of the only reasons to watch the perennially dreadful Lowell Devils last season. He and Matthew Corrente appeared to be the only ones willing to drop the mitts, with PL3 taking on some serious customers. I’ve seen him get his blocked knocked off by Brad Staubitz, and I’ve seen him hang in real nicely with another up and coming tough guy in Matt Clackson. Overall his play has improved steadily from a guy that could barely skate, to a guy that can skate a regular shift, and contribute along the wall. But, it will be his pugilistic ability that will land him in Jersey, and if it wasn’t for an injury last season, he may have stayed up all year. I would expect him to at least start the season in the NHL (barring any more enforcer signings by the Devils) and possibly stick for the whole year.

Aside from his play on the ice, PL3 is a super nice guy. He dresses like Brantt Mhyers took him shopping and always has a minute to stop and chat. Resigning him has me teetering on the “go back to Lowell” side after being wavering all year on if I wanted to subject myself to anymore self inflicted torture known as Lowell Devils hockey. I haven’t told MOL yet, so if I show up on anyone’s doorstep tonight, please have a heart and let me in!

George and I had very little to do yesterday. Well, actually, that’s kind of a blanket statement. Anyway, we decided to use the Flex Tickets we get as part of our Bruins Season Tickets and take the boys down to the all new look Dunkin Donuts center for the Baby B’s tilt against the Manchester Monarchs.

I hadn’t been there since MOL and I braved a blizzard when she was supposed to be doing homework to see Trevor Gillies in action when he was with the Springfield Falcons. The building has been totally redone, and ironically enough, they put us in the same exact row, almost the same seat MOL and I had that wintery evening.

Gone is the old folk’s home smell of pee, and ammonia. In are the excellent food choices, giant video board, and very wide concourses. I have two complaints, and they are minor. The seats are way too small. Even the kids were cramped. For a place called the Dunkin Donuts center, I thought there would be more than one Dunkin Donuts inside. Since I am not boozing anymore, I like a nice cup of coffee and a dip during the games. There being only one DD, and a line as long as Billy Tibbett’s’ arrest record, I decided to pass. We made up for it by stopping at the Tim Horton’s on the way out of town, but it would have been nice to enjoy a nice cup of coffee after my wicked sausage sandwich.

The game itself was a pretty good tilt. I am really impressed with Bruins prospect Mikko Lehtonen. He had a couple of nice goals yesterday, and should figure in the plan in Boston post haste. I was not impressed with Zach Hamil. He has not shown me anything in the dozen times I have seen him, and yesterday was more of the same. Out of position, and with his head down a lot. One play he came across the top of the slot with his head down. He tries that in the show, and he’s going to have his head taken clean off. There was a fight in the third that was OK as well. All in all, it was a great day. I think a Capital Grille dinner and a trip to the “House that Larue Built” is on the agenda for next season.

The Goons were in attendance Sunday afternoon as the Bruins won the division and sent the Devils home with just a little egg on their face. We’re convinced that Rene Rancourt was single-handedly responsible. Watch him gently rock all 16,000 of us.

What would you believe as a plausible answer for where I have been since my last post?
1. On a whirlwind hockey adventure in which I saw parts of 12 games?
2. Starring as Kenickie in a production of Grease on Ice?
3. Drunk in a bar?
4. Jail?
5. Getting drunk in a bar, after being released from Jail?

Which one was the least believable? Number 2? Yeah I thought so too. If you guessed number 1, you are absolutely correct.

Hockey Week in Acton has become as grand a tradition as Hockey Day in Canada. They usually coincide with each other as luck would have it. My Hockey Week in Acton began last Friday night in Lowell in which I saw kind of a weird fight, and finished up last night at the Hub of Hockey with a real “Old Time Hockey” type game against the Ducks. Truthfully, it’s still going on as MOL is out, Milan is chewing my shoe, and the Habs are losing 2-0 to the Flyers. For the sake of this post, it ended last night.

Friday February 20th: Hartford at Lowell.
You would think with Sean Avery in town there would be a buzz in the building eh? I guess you’d actually need people in the building for that. Avery behaved himself, and only took a 2 minute penalty for something. Hooking maybe? Either way, he seemed pretty content (Habs scored, 2-1 Philly. I hate both these teams) to just play some hockey, and ignore some pretty creative signs. My favorite was the one with Rachel Hunter (FUCK 2-2. Good time for a fight) and Elisha Cuthbert on both side, and the words, “Sorry Sean, these girls only date NHL players.” Pretty darn funny. PL3 did ask him to go once, but he ignored him like he wasn’t even there.

Speaking of fights (DAMMIT 3-2 Habs), there was kind of a weird fight in this game. After drilling Hartford’s Brodie Dupont, Lowell’s Matthew Corrente was engaged with Hartford’s Jared Nightingale. The two dropped mitts and were about to square off when Dupont took decided he was going to do his own dirty work and fight his own battles. He dropped his gloves and went right after Corrente. Nightingale just kind of stood there and picked up his gloves as the other guys had at it. Very weird indeed. Not sure how Dupont didn’t get a third man in call, as Nightingale and Corrente were clearly engaged, but whatever. OK little scrap. I like Corrente a lot. He is afraid of no one, and is a good little hockey player to boot. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in the black and gold some day.

Hockey Day in Canada. Saturday February 21st. Started with Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, ended with Nashville at St. Louis with stops in LA, Dallas, and Florida.

I saw most of the Penguins game, except I missed the fight. The third period of the Dallas game, all of the LA game, all of the Bruins game, and the third period in St. Louis. I missed the fight in Philly due to a lunch break and the fight in the LA game because Milan had to poop. MOL was sick and asleep on the couch, so I parked it and flipped around. It was a superb way to spend a Saturday. I heard a couple of “Edwardsisms” all around the NHL. Obviously they were all over the Bruins game, but I heard two “layers of defense” and a few “half boards.” I am forgetting one. George, help me out here.

Sunday February 21st. First period of Pittsburgh at Washington. Worcester at Lowell. Third period of Boston at Tampa Bay. Lowell lost in a game best described as zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and Boston sucked in Tampa. Mark Stuart got beaten so badly coming out of the corner on Tampa’s 4th goal, I’m not sure his jock strap made the trip back to Boston. I just missed Shawn Thornton’s fight with David Koci in between periods, and I saw the replay of Stuart’s tussle with Gary Roberts. Needless to say, after the Bruins trip, I was concerned about the game against Florida Tuesday night.

Monday February 22nd. San Jose at Dallas. I could only muster the first period of this one, as MOL was kind enough to pass her cold onto me, and Milan and I could barely keep out eyes open. At the first intermission I asked her if she wanted to go to bed. She barked twice for yes. Then we went to bed, and she decided to bark at shadows in the bedroom for 30 minutes. Not good times. She is cute, but like her daddy, not bright.

Tuesday February 24th. Florida at Boston. This one found George and me in the Hub of Hockey and Hungry for Hockey. Like I said, there was great concern heading into this one. Good thing for us, and all the Bruins faithful (by the way, still plenty of room on the bandwagon) at the Garden. We were all hoping for the team we saw in November and dreading seeing the one we saw as of late. Luckily, they gave us the Marty McFly treatment and went back in time to the November club. Just a dominant performance by the boys, featuring a scrappy Nick Kobasew getting into it with Keith Ballard. He is playing like a man that doesn’t want to be dealt. The star of the evening was Byron Bitz. He chipped in 2 goals and had the 17,000 faithful chanting his name for the trick. They tried to give him a chance at it by putting him out on the ice at the end of the game, but it wasn’t to be. Still, Bitzy has played very well, and I expect great things from him in seasons to come. I have been very impressed with him and I hope he kicks the shit out of Huggy Bear tomorrow.

Wednesday February 25th. Lowell at Worcester. Yes, I willingly traveled to Worcester to see the Devils. What can I say? I’m sick. After some heavy apps. At Pizzeria Uno’s we settled into the DCU Center for what turned into a pretty interesting tilt. There were no fights on the night despite some serious chatter between PL3 and Worcester’s Brad Staubitz. Both clubs seemed pretty content to just play some hockey, and referee Terry Koharski seemed eager to get into his trusty green cooler of Bud Light as not a lot was called.

Thursday February 26th. Anaheim at Boston. George and I were back at the Hub of Hockey, and obviously, Hungry for Hockey. 4 dogs, some cookies and 2 sodas. Not a bad haul. Anyway, the Bruins are back baby! Notice to the rest of the NHL: if attempting to intimidate the Boston Bruins, I might suggest a different strategy. I love the Ducks aggressive strategy, but I love it even more when the Bruins respond. It was a rough and tumble affair the featured 2 fights and one Marc Savard taking matters into his own hands in self defense. Oh, plus a 6-0 bloodletting by the hometown team.

It all got started at 8:20 of the second period. After watching Princeton grad, former teammate, and resident tough guy, Yanni, er, George Parros flatten Marc Savard; Shawn Thornton went right over the boards despite it not being his shift to make big George pay for what he’d done. Thorts hopped over, and went right after Parros. They dropped mitts and had at it. Thornton did pretty well trying to get inside on the bigger Parros to take away the drastic reach advantage. It looked like a couple of shots were landed to the license plate on Parros, and Thornton got the takedown. (No points scored, and in MY NHL, would be an extra penalty for Thornton. The crowd loved it however, so I’ll move on.) Kudos to Thornton for doing his job, and reason number 7829 why I enjoy him so much.

The fireworks continued at the 14:49 mark. There was a little battle for the puck in front of Anaheim’s goal, when Mike Brown decided to cross check Milan Lucic (not my dog. That would be crazy) and then sucker punch Gino. Naturally, Milan went right after Brown, and pummeled him down to the ice. Normally, I take issue with a fighter continuing to throw punches when the other combatant is down, but when you jump someone like Brownie did, all bets are off. Sheldon Brookbank got the gate for being the third man in whilst trying to remove Lucic from his teammate by force. Then everyone, except the Captain of the Bruins, came in to get in on the action. I will never understand why Chara feels the need to stay on the periphery of such events…I guess I should stop expecting him to jump in on stuff like that, but in my mind, they should still be trying to separate him and Brookbank. Alas, the dust up was cleared. Gino went to his box in obvious pain, and anger, screaming at Brown the whole way. Brookbank was shown the door, and play resumed.

It resumed, but it wasn’t long until Scott Niedermayer and Marc Savard were involved in a little tussle. While standing at the far blueline, Niedermayer took it upon himself to plant 3-4 cross checks on the small of Savvy’s back. Having just about enough of that behavior, Savard decided to do something about it. He engaged Niedermayer and both dropped the gloves. It doesn’t look like either guy threw any punches, or the old fart took Savvy down, landing on him. Both were given roughing minors, and Savard did not return. If I may, NIEDERMAYER! DEAD! I really can’t explain how cross I will be if Savard is out for an extended period of time. If Niedermayer is traded back to New Jersey as per one of the rumors I’ve heard, someone on the Bruins better go after him when they return to town next month.

So, there it is. Despite learning all of Kinickie’s songs, and dance moves, I have been on a hockey binge that continues with a very good Flyers game right now, and will continue with the Blackhawks when this one is over. Then to Vancouver for the Tampa Bay matchup at 10. Really, does it get any better than spring hockey?

Thank you to everyone for the comments on my last post. It’s good to know people are still reading the blog. As such, I thought this was a good time to introduce one of my favorite new enforcers. If I may borrow Dave’s Don Cherry impersonation for a moment (Happy 75th Grapes) gotta tell ya. I like this Matt Clackson.

Matt was in Lowell last week with the Philadelphia Phantoms, and had a decent scrap with Pierre-Luc LeBlond in the first period. It looks as if both guys threw and landed a couple of nice punches. I don’t think PLLL liked him throwing the couple he did after they went down. The five minutes Clackson spent in the box wasn’t his only time there either. He got four minutes later for getting put in a head lock by Lowell’s Barry Tallackson and defending himself, then the slew foot on Lowell defenseman Anssi Salmela (called a hook) got him another two. After 54 games played, he has203 PIM, and is second in the league to San Antonio’s Francis Lessard.

What I like about him, is he seems to relish being the pest, and tough guy. I was close enough to him when he was in the box that I could see him smiling at PLLL every time he looked over. I also had a chance to speak with him, and was asking about who the toughest guys in the league were. He told me they were all tough, but did single out Brandon Sugden as one of the toughest he’s fought. When I asked him if he ever fought my other new favorite enforcer, Lowell Devil Matthew Corrente, he said he hadn’t because he likes to fight the bigger guys because it’s more fun that way. This is a very sick man, and I for one love it. I enclosed the Lowell fight from the other night, but do yourself a favor and YouTube the name Matt Clackson. Matt, should you read this blog, e-mail me your address and I’ll send you a T shirt. More importantly, keep up the good work, and don’t forget to stay goony.

For whatever reason, whenever there is a holiday on a Monday, my Hockey News gets all messed up. As such, I got two issues on the same day last week. No, wait, three. Anyway, one of them was the debate on fighting, and where it has a place in the game of hockey. I read the issue with an open mind, and a willingness to listen to both sides of the argument, and I have come to a conclusion that fighting most certainly has a place in hockey, and I hope it still does for years to come.

Listen, I am sorry Don Sanderson died. From everything I have read about him, he sounded like a hell of a nice young man. Loyal to his friends and family almost to a fault. He wasn’t the best hockey player on earth, but he knew his role. I have to ask though, why is there a role of enforcer in a senior “A” league? Am I wrong, or is this a glorified title for men’s league? Don was not getting paid to be there, in fact quite the opposite; he paid his own way to games. It is essentially a weekend recreation league, and I have to agree with Wayne Gretzky on this. Why was he fighting in this league in the first place?

In the wake of this tragedy, there is a ground swell to ban fighting in hockey. It gives the media another chance to take shots at our beloved game by showing fights in which people get taken down and land on their head sans helmet. The beating Kevin Westgarth gave Garret Klotz was as ill timed as a fart in church. I’d like to use logic to help solve this issue if I may. Don Sanderson was killed in a fight in a league WHERE IT IS ILLEGAL TO FIGHT. This is not a league where you have a dust up, and go feel shame for 5 minutes. A fight in the OHA results in a game ejection, so really, what will a ban on fighting do? Not a thing. Instead, here are some ideas I have on the matter.

1. Remove visors for anyone with over 100 PIMS the previous season in the AHL. Part of the problem and dangerousness of fighting is the code of honor under which these guys operate. When a fight ensues in the AHL, a lot of the times the boys shed sticks, gloves, and now helmets. Why? They don’t want to shred their knuckles on their opponent’s visor. Plus, one shouldn’t be fighting with a shield on. It’s against the code, and in fact, there is an extra penalty given to any player that instigates a fight with a shield on, on top of the instigator penalty. My solution is to give players that have amassed over 100 PIM the previous season to sign a no visor waiver. With the guys doing the heavy lifting visor less, they are free to fight without having to remove the bucket.

2. Remove the instigator. I have said this so many times, I will now try in another language. El removeo el instigatoro. Part of the argument people are making against fighting is they like fights, but not the “staged” ones. Why are people fighting 2 seconds into a game they ask? Well, because there are scores to settle, and if there is no instigator, those scores can be settled in the heat of battle without having to resort to “staged” fights. Personally, I love a good opening faceoff donnybrook, but maybe that’s because I understand what is happening more than the average bear.

3. Assess an extra penalty for take downs. I score no points for takedown in a hockey fight, and it’s become more and more a part of the strategy as of late. Perhaps it has something to do with a lot of the tough guys doing MMA training in the off season. From what I understand, takedowns are a huge part of the strategy in MMA. Watch a fight from the 80’s or 90’s. More of those fights were 2 guys squared up throwing punches at one another. When they got tired, they grabbed onto each other, and the stripes came in and separated the exhausted combatants. Of course you can find fights to the contrary, but look at the fights today. Two guys drop mitts. They size each other up forever. Then they try and get in tight on one another. Body shots ensue, then the take down. They aren’t as interesting as they once were, and maybe if the “takedown” rule is implemented that might change. It would be kind of hard to enforce, and some “takedowns” would be questioned, but I think it’s worth a shot. Hell, the NHL did a ton to open up the game after the lockout, why not try to make fighting more exciting while we’re at it?

Once again, I am very sorry for the loss of Don Sanderson. It’s tragic and sad, but let’s not has a knee jerk reaction and ban fighting because of it. It’ doesn’t sound like something Don Sanderson would have wanted.

Guys, I think we should start our own Goonblog book club eh? First we have Howard Shapiro’s excellent “Hockey Player for Life”. Of course there is “The Code”, and now from my good buddy Ken Babbitt comes “The Face of Toughness,” a 40 page book told mostly in photos on some of the toughest AHL enforcers from 2001-2006. Kenny was the Lowell Lockmonsters photographer, and had the best seat in the house for the games in the Tsongas Arena perched between the benches on the red line. It gave him an unobstructed view of “The Face of Toughness” up close and personal. Ken sent me the link, and I think I was the first to buy one. I can’t wait to get my hands on this, as I have seen most of the games and players featured in the book. Trevor Gillies, Brendan Walsh, and Dennis Bonvie have already reached out to Ken to say how much they are looking forward to it, as well as to tell them they are honored to be a part of the project. Just another testament to the character of these players.

I sent Ken some questions I had about the book, and he answered them below. I hope you enjoy our “interview” and please click the link to buy your very own copy of “The Face of Toughness.” Ken this is a long time coming. I can’t wait to get mine in the mail!

Why do this book? Why now?
The idea of doing a book, at least in some form, has been in the back of my mind for a few years, but the primary reason for doing it now is that I had a large archive of great photos from my six years in Lowell that had never been seen by anyone other than myself and a few people in the front office, so it was pretty much “there’s no time like the present”!
How much trash talk is there between the benches?
It would really depend on the teams involved. If Providence was in town there was a good chance that there would be some interesting chatter, and even that would depend on who was with the Lock Monsters. They never had any great bench jockeys that I can recall. The best “work” always came from the visiting bench.

What is the funniest thing you ever heard?
Wow….do you have a few hours? Just remember that with the crowd (in Lowell, what crowds?) noise, they had to be pretty close to me to hear anything. I always said that they should have had a microphone on Dennis Bonvie and Brendan Walsh every game. It’d be some of the best comedy ever produced. But, if I have to narrow it down to a few, I’d say that one of the funniest things came from Mr. Bonvie. During a shootout during the lockout season of 04-05, with Dennis about two feet away from me, Eric Staal skated by the visiting bench after having his effort denied, and he tells Staal that that was the reason the he only got a bonus of $895K, instead of a million…because he couldn’t finish. I almost soaked myself in the box. Walshy was a classic, as well. He started from pre game and didn’t stop until the final horn. It must have been a team thing, but the Lock Monsters were all sporting facial hair, at least the guys that had to shave, and he skates by asking if they were havin’ a 2 for 1 sale on goatees. During his one game as a Lock Monster, he gave Peter Kanko a line about wanting extra lettuce on his taco.

What kind of relationship did you form with these guys over the years?
There were several guys that I got to know a little bit over the years. Trevor Gillies, Brendan Walsh and Jan Vodrazka were the guys that I spent the most time talking with. Either on the ice during pre game or in the hallways there were many of them that I spoke with over the years. I would always joke with the tough guys at center ice during pre game, like joking with Ryan Flinn when he came to the red line to see who he may have to fight that night…I’d tell him not to bother, that there was nobody on that side for him to play with. These guys were all very pleasant to deal with in the short time that I had to talk with them. I’d make it a point to tell Bonvie to “stir things up” for me, and he’d give me a wink, or he’d come back to the bench telling me that he’d tried!

Who were your all time favorites?
The three guys that I’ve already mentioned were always my favorite players to shoot. Gillies, Walshy and Bonvie. Colton Orr was another guy that you couldn’t take your eyes off of, as well. He seemed to really like to get things going in Lowell. During the later years, towards the end of the Lock Monster run, I really liked shooting, and talking to Mitch Love and Gordie Dwyer.

Were there any you didn’t like?
Of the fighters?? Not one of them. They were all great guys, and the reason that I made sure to get them into the book. There was only one player over the years that I took an instant dislike to, and he was from a town near where I grew up south of Boston.

Were there any guys that didn’t like you?
That…you’d have to ask the players, but not to my knowledge. For the most part I was pretty invisible to them once the puck was dropped.

What was the best fight you saw?
The thing about shooting the fights is that one eye is closed so I miss a lot of the action, and only really see it when I’m editing the images following the game. The five on five with Springfield, I want to say that was 03-04, was one of them. There were five fights going on at once. Brennan Evans going with Niko Tselios and Patrick DesRochers pounding on David Leneveu in a great goalie fight. Photos of both are in the book.

Who was the “toughest” in your opinion?
There were a lot of guys that you could put in that category. Steve McLaren, Jeremy Yablonski, Ryan Flinn, along with Trevor and Bonvie. I could list a number of other guys, but because I shot in Lowell, I never saw some of them fight. These guys are all tough and anyone could beat anyone on a given night. My hometown kid, Mike Hoffman, has also come a long way as a fighter.

Were there a lot of reluctant enforcers?
That’s a good question. I think that there were guys that were forced into the role for one reason or another. I know that Mike Hoffman told me as he was just starting up as a pro, that he knew that he’d have to fight because of his size, but he is a pretty good player. Another thing, especially in Lowell, it seemed like there were guys who may have been a little reluctant because they were the only tough guy on the roster, so they had to carry the whole load themselves. That’d make it tough to show up and fight night after night.

Were there any guys that made you nervous?
There was only one, but his name won’t be mentioned here. He was very polite, a good guy, but just a bit “off”. When he skated up his wing I made sure that I was up against the glass on the side of the box. It was weird, too, as I had never given it a thought prior to that game, or after.

Were the coaches ever involved with the trash talk between the benches?
I can’t recall anything specific. I know that Tom Rowe got into it on the ice when they were in Norfolk.

Was there any talk that went over the line? (Sisters, mothers…that sort of thing.)
Never, within earshot of me. But I know that it did happen.

I saw Dennis Bonvie bark like a dog during warm ups once. Is that pretty standard behavior?
Standard? I’d say no. I missed that one, but heard plenty about it. It was that “incident” that made my pre game routine change over the years. There were certain guys that if they were in the building, I was in the box for pre game skate.

How much intimidation happens during those stretches, or is it more cordial, “how’s the family” stuff?
I’m sure that some guys make it a point to be on the red line to let the boys on the other side know that they’re in the barn, but I also heard plenty of the latter. There wasn’t much that ever happened during pre game, but there was one time that Provi was in town and Tomas Malec made it a point to skate over the red line, and Walshy took a shot at him, saying that he wasn’t mad at him, but to stay on his side. More comedy from # 36.

Who do you think will like this book?
First, I hope that the players and their families like it. The guys that I know that have seen the preview of the first 15 pages have said that it looked good. I tried to show “them”, not just the fights. Fight photos are great, but I also want to be able to see into the players’ eyes. And there are enough of both to keep everyone happy. I think that people forget that these guys are human beings, and see them just as tough guys.
Naturally, I want the fans of these guys to like the final product, as well, as it’s geared to them, too. I set all of the photos with a black background, so it should look pretty good to the autograph collectors.

What is your position on fighting in hockey?
I’m old school with my views on the subject. I believe that there is, and always will be, a place for fighting in the game. It serves a purpose both on the ice and off. The enforcers make it easier for the first and second line guys know that someone has their backs, mess with them and there’ll be a price to pay. Off the ice…it puts butts into the seats!! The NHL could do worse than to have some of these guys marketing the sport. They’re always one of the most popular players on any given team, with the fans.