I hope everyone is having a very Happy 4th of July, and Happy (belated) Canada Day to all the Goonsqud in the Great White North. So far free agency has been open for a couple of days. What has developed has been a new GM putting his mark on a franchise, another two or three reasons to hate the Canadiens (as if any were needed); Boston fixed some problems on defense by not signing two guys, and a lot of tough guys switching uniforms. Let’s take them in order shall we?

One hour and thirteen minutes into free agency is exactly how long it took Toronto GM Brian Burke to make the Leafs a “Brian Burke” team. The Leafs are looking to get tougher, and they are doing so by adding Colton Orr for 4 years, at 1 million per season. Having Orr in the blue and white should make the six times Boston plays them next season watchable at least. Shawn Thornton of the Bruins was originally drafted by the Buds, and he’s on record having said he tries to play extra hard against Toronto to prove them wrong. I’m giddy. I’d stand upright now, but I don’t have a math book with me. A few hours after adding Colton Orr, Toronto signed defenseman Mike Komisarek. Komisarek, you will remember, is off Milan Lucic’s Christmas card list, after cross checking the burly winger at the end of game 4. It was a move out of frustration that he will certainly have to answer for when the 2009-10 season emerges from its summer off. The question is, after asking Milan to go in the very same game 4 he was obliged by a one punch to the mind administered by young Lucic after he asked Komisarek if he really wanted to do this, will he answer the bell that most certainly will toll for thee? Where the hell is my math book!?

Hal Gill is a Canadien. I will say it again. Hal Gill is a Canadien. Having Goonblog’s least favorite son don a Habs jersey should be enough to get the blood at a boil, and the hatred to a nice simmer, but those frog pussies go and add Scott Gomez via trade, and sign Brian Gionta. In the hockey pecking order of disliked teams, it goes, Montreal in first, New Jersey a close second. I don’t really need any more reasons to dislike the Habs, but I just gave myself three. Good luck in Montreal, Hal. You suck.

It looks like the organization might be willing to give Eddie Shore Winner Johnny Boychuk a legitimate shot to make the big club this season, as Steve Montador, and “Sheriff” Shane Hnidy were both allowed to sign elsewhere this past week. Both Boston blue liners played poorly in the playoffs, and essentially are the same exact player anyway, so both were allowed to leave. I like what Hnidy brings to the ice and the room from a leadership standpoint. He’s a cagy veteran that is willing to stand up for a teammate at anytime, and that’s my kind of player. Same with Monty. He dropped em a couple of times for the black and gold, but they need an upgrade on defense, so they are allowed to walk. I certainly wish both guys the best of luck this season in Minnesota, and Buffalo. This leaves Boston in need of at least one more defenseman. Could they still be trying to swing a trade for Kessel to TO for Kaberle? Stay tuned.

Finally, some tough guys are on the move. We spoke of Colton Orr trading in Ranger red, white, and blue, for the blue and white in TO; there have been some other notable goon signings. It looks as if Donald Brashear will be counted on to fill Orr’s spot in New York signing with the Rangers for 2 years at 1.4 million a year. Ian Lapierriere will be looking to stir it up in Philadelphia with Riley Cote for the next three seasons. That is one agitating pair there. Mike Rupp is the new Sheriff in Pittsburgh tasked with protecting Crosby and the like. He was allowed to walk after New Jersey signed PL3 earlier this off season. Speaking of filling roles, David “Crazy Eyes” Koci will be taking Lapierriere’s role in Colorado after singing on for 575K. He played for about half the league last year, so look for him to wind up elsewhere at the end of the year.

Finally, I’d be remiss if we didn’t say a good Goonblog farewell to “The Reicher” Jeremy Reich. Jeremy signed with the Islanders, and has a legitimate shot to crack their roster next season. Had it not been for Blake Wheeler coming out of nowhere this season, Reich could very well have been with Boston all season. He took the demotion like a man, and Captained the Baby Bruins to a very fine season indeed. Good luck Reicher, we’re pulling for ya!

For me, the hockey season ended a month or so ago when the Bruins were defeated. For the rest of the hockey world, it ended Friday night when Pittsburgh beat Detroit in a very exciting game 7. Much like the rest of the hockey world, I had counted the Penguins out after they went down 2-0 to Detroit, but they showed the heart of a champion, rallied around a cause, and got it done Friday night. I guess I am happy for them, I mean it’s better than Detroit winning, but my mood can best be described as apathetic.

I had made a decision not to watch the finals after games 1 and 2 because every time I tuned in, Detroit started beating Pittsburgh like a rented goalie. That coupled with the fact that there was a possibility Hal Gill could be raising the holiest of Holy Grails, and I would rather mow the lawn, or play with Milan and Killer than watch hockey anymore. The match up didn’t interest me, as I couldn’t shake the feeling that Boston should have been there.

So, I didn’t watch much of the finals, but I did watch a very exciting game 7. Max Talbot’s second tally was a beauty. Sure the only way Osgood could have been more out of position was if he fell down, but Talbot still picked the top corner. Oh, and did anyone notice the holding penalty Gill took? Vintage Gill. I think it’s from page 2 of the Play Like Gill handbook. You know it well Boston fans. Go to corner after opponent. Realize you are flat footed and about to get burned. Pin guy against boards, and pray referee isn’t looking. Skate to box with stupid look on face when referee is in fact looking right at you, and knows the penalty is coming because he’s seen you play before. I can save NHL refs a lot of time. If there is a man in the corner with a puck, and Gill is on the ice, just blow the whistle. Even if he doesn’t actually hold anyone. It’s only a matter of time. Call it, intent to hold. MA Fleury made up for game 5 in a huge way there with about a tick and a half as well robbing Nicky Lidstrom from depositing what would have been the tying goal into a yawning net. What a save.

Congratulations to the Penguins. They battled adversity all year, and it paid off. Now we have to sit through a long stupid summer in which I might actually have to watch baseball. Shudder the thought. Is it September yet?

MOL, George, and I went to Feng Shui for a very serious throw down, two Mai Tai’s and the division of Bruins tickets for the upcoming season. If you are in the Chelmsford area, I highly suggest stopping in. In fact, here is a quick ranking of my top 3 local Chinese restaurants.

1. Feng Shui. Chelmsford, MA. Try the General Gau’s shrimp, salt and pepper shrimp, and the house rice. Very strong Mai Tai. Nice buffet on weekends
2. Bamboo. Westford, MA. Johnny is the heat! Strong Mai Tai. Excellent shrimp tempura, salt and pepper pork, and lo mein. Excellent buffet as well.
3. Makaha Acton, MA. Excellent Pu Pu. Mai Tai strong enough to run your car on. Excellent Juke Box. If you’re looking for a dark place to get a Pu Pu and get loaded…this is it. No real redeeming qualities other than they let me drink in there when I was 16.

In keeping with the Public Service spirit, I thought it appropriate to let you know the games in which I have drawn. Reason being, if you are a faithful Goonblog reader, you might want to stop by and say hi, or if you are a faithful Goonblog reader you know what happens at these games when I go, so you might want to avoid being in the City of Boston all together. Should be a great season, and I am getting more pumped by the day. I can almost hear the roar of the Zamboni, OK, the propane whine, of the Zamboni!

I have 9 games on my own. I’ll probably need a date for 8 of them. MOL will go to opening night, and that’s about it for her. Maybe I’ll run a contest. Go to a Bruins game with a guy that is trying to disprove Dean Wormer’s fat, drunk, and stupid theory…..that’ll be cool.

George has 10 solo games. We were very surprised how easily the schedule was divided. It just kind of fell into place easily. No arguments at all. Sort of the opposite of MOL and me.

We will both be in the house for 20 games, and are giving away 2 games that neither one of us can attend. It looks like January is going to be a busy month of hockey for me. Between the Bruins, and the Lowell Devils, I will be at 15 hockey games. That’s a lot of hockey. This is going to be great. Breakdown is below.

My solo games in BOLD in case you want to enter my Fat Drunk and Stupid contest.

Oct. 20th. Opening night. Penguins. Probably MOL’s only appearance of the season. Come see her in all her glory.

Oct. 23rd. Maple Leafs. George wasn’t too happy about this one. He saw every Leafs Bruins tilt last year, and admitted the 10-1 or 10 something loss the Bruins took at the hands of Toronto was the only time he’s ever left a game early. Can’t blame him. I was there too, and I left early.

Nov. 1. Stars. Sean Avery is a shit disturber, and I love it.

Nov. 6th. Leafs. George couldn’t take it (seeing the Leafs again), so I took one for the team here.

Nov. 13th. Canadiens. Now way either one of us was missing the Habs, or Georges Laraque’s debut in the Garden as a Canadien. This one will be electric.

Nov. 28th. Islanders. I love the annual day after Thanksgiving game. Kinger and I had a blast two years ago. MOL might actually want to come to this one.

Dec. 8th. Lightning. I am interested in seeing Steve Stamkos.

Dec. 18th. Maple Leafs. See what I mean? George hates the Leafs.

Dec. 20th. Hurricanes. I am happy Tom Rowe has a job in the NHL. There are still a few faces left on this roster from the old Lockmoster days.

Jan. 1st. Penguins. MOL and I were going to Chicago, but decided a trip to Florida for a couple of Bruins games was probably a better idea. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year than by watching the Bruins and Penguins slug it out. The last time I went to a game on New Year’s Day was against Philadelphia a few years ago. Dave, MOL and I went, and I assure you. It did not end well.

Jan. 3rd. Sabres. Not sure why I agreed to go to this game. I have an unexplained and unnatural hatred of the Buffalo Sabres. Not sure why.

Jan. 6th. Wild. Boogieman. That’s the reason I’m here.

Jan. 8th. Senators. This is going to be an interesting club this season. Eager to see how they react after all that has happened to them over the last season. Jason Spezza, when he wants to be, is a God.

Jan. 10th. Hurricanes. Love the Matinee.

Jan. 13th. Canadiens. Hopefully the bad blood is really boiling by now.

Jan. 27th. Capitals. If you have never seen Alex Ovechkin live, I highly suggest doing so. You can’t take your eyes off of him.

Jan. 31st. Rangers. Original Six matinee. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Feb. 10th. Sharks. Joe’s second trip as a Shark. His first one was short lived, but a great performance. If you remember, he got kicked out very early for “boarding” Hal Gill. Questionable call at best. I just don’t like Gill, so I was cheering wildly. Pretty sure the people in my section didn’t like it.

Feb. 24th. Panthers. What else is there to do on a Tuesday in February?

Feb. 26th. Ducks. George Parros and his awesome Porn ‘stache in the house. Can’t miss it.

Feb. 28th. Capitals. A matinee and the Caps?! I can’t lose!

Mar. 3rd. Flyers. Shawn Thornton and Riley Cote. I am looking forward to these guys having a go.

Mar. 5th. Coyotes. Probably my most anticipated game of the year. Todd Fedoruk, Brian McGratton, and Daniel Carcillo all on the same club? This could be my Center Ice West Coast team of the season.

Mar. 14th. Islanders. Nothing better to do.

Mar. 19th. Kings. This should be another interesting team. Revolving door in goal. Some decent talent in Dan Boyle, and Teddy Purcell possibly coming in. Very young on defense. Really could go either way.

Mar. 31st. Lightning. Barry Melrose will field a scrappy team. No doubt.

Apr. 2nd. Senators. We’ll know by this point if the Senators have put all their troubles behind them.

Apr. 4th. Rangers. Original Six matinee. Can’t miss it.

Apr. 14th. Canadiens. Great way to end the regular season.

So, there it is. I am really looking forward to this year. It should be awesome. I may need a good divorce lawyer after as that is a lot of hockey. I think MOL understands the psychosis by now though. Let’s get it on.

I am back in one piece from Indiana, and the 92nd running of the greatest spectacle in racing. Good times were had by all. I actually took pictures this year. If I could figure out how to post them I would, but I really have no clue, so here’s a mental picture. Picture a shit load of people, 33 really fast cars, and some woman in a short pink skirt next to a sign advertising 50 cent beer, and no cover. That’s Indy ‘08 yo.

Some quick notes:
I saw Jim Nabors in the airport on Thursday. He looked embalmed.
Mike and Mike from ESPN radio were leaving St. Elmo’s as we were waiting to be seated. 3 Celebrities in one Indy weekend. Wow.
There are a shitload of Red Wings fans in Indiana.
Boston needs a Bub’s Burger, and a Buffalo Wild Wings STAT.

The weekend was really superb. It was kind of nice to wake up race morning knowing exactly where I was, and not having to worry about if the smell in the room was my booze breath or a transient I had to off because the voices and the booze told me to. I did have 4 beers at the race, but normally I have 4 beers on the way to the race, and another 4 on the 200 yard walk in. Very good times indeed. Plus, I won the pool this year!

Well, on to hockey. The Penguins looked soundly out played in Detroit, but Wednesday looked more like the team we’ve seen all spring. I think it’s headed back to Detroit 2-2, and I like the Penguins in 7. If and when Malkin catches fire, they will be deadly for sure. Wednesday was how you need to play the Wings. Aggressive, and like you have the lead. All night long. I loved the rough stuff the other night, and Hal Gill proved once again why he’s the worst player in the NHL. It’s really going to piss me right off when he gets a ring. Oh, and Goonblog would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Luc Bourdon’s family, friends, and teammates. What a tragedy. He could have been great. Off to Connecticut tomorrow, then back for the game Saturday. The Nomads face off against some team Sunday at 5:45. If I manage to not expire on the ice, catch the full recap here. Go Pens!

Hal Gill looks AWESOME in a Leaf uniform. Why? Because it’s not a Bruins uniform.

I feel like Stinger in Top Gun right now. I have to give Maverick, and Goose their dream shot to go to Top Gun. I gotta send those two clowns to Miramar.

I have to give Hal Gill props on his scrap Saturday night against Eric Godard. Gill started the fight, and I feel he beat Godard fair and square. I saw Hal Gill get in a fight, and he actually threw a punch. Fucking incredible if you ask me. It looked like near the middle of the bout Gill was going to resort to his old habits, as he tried to get his head as far away from Godard as he could. Nope. Gill battled back from being off balance and landed a bomb to Godard’s head. Really good scrap.

I was very impressed by the fight. NESN had LaCoutre miked for their Ice Shavings feature, and he agreed. Lac could be heard saying, "Good fight. Good fight by Hal." a couple of times. I love that behind the scenes stuff. I have said many times in this space hockey players are some of the funniest people on Earth, and Ice Shavings does a great job capturing their personalities. Make no mistake, Gill is still the worst player in the NHL, but he took on one of the toughest customers in the game, and beat him.

I just got back from row 15 Loge at the Garden (many thanks to Lynch for sharing his awesome Christmas present with me) where the Canadiens smited the Bruins 2-0. It was a decent game with the Boston actually spending more time on the offensive than Montreal, but to no avail. Perhaps the Samsonov trade was hanging heavy on the hearts of the players. Regardless – I won’t rehash details you can read elsewhere, as the real point of interest tonight was the uncharacteristic thuggery of a Mr. Hal Gill.

Was he lamenting the loss of his old friend and acting out? Perhaps: ”We came in the league together and we grew up a lot together, but it’s the nature of the business. For whatever reason, whether it’s money, or whatever the direction the team is going, he wasn’t in the plan. That’s the way it goes…" Whatever the reasons, Hal had a crosshecking and holding penalty before the game was half over, and with 3:47 left in the second period Boston and Montreal engaged in a 10-player kerfuffle which resulted in multiple game misconducts. The action took place a good distance from my great seats, but I was able to get a few choice fracas snaps.

After a few scuffles cleared in the Canadiens’ zone, Hal Gill and Craig Rivet each received fighting majors, while Nick Boynton picked up a double-minor for spearing and a game misconduct. "We weren’t playing very well," said Boynton. "I was trying to spark the team a little bit and get something going. There’s no place for that in this league anymore. It is what it is." Tell us about it. Well meant, the mess resulted in little more than a fifteen minute pause in the play.

Gill was in the dog house most of the night, and although we give him a lot of crap here on GB, the "giraffe-on-skates" is not afraid to get physical when need be. Frequent commentor Greg ran into him in the North End Wednesday night. He was carrying his daughter to Ray Borque’s restaurant, and is apparently a very pleasant guy. I am going to have to rethink all the negativity. Chris? Hammer? You with me?

I love this picture. It’s like watching the pistol smoke clear at the OK Corral while Wyatt Earp argues with an official in the background. Or something like that. Chris and I have 2 more Bruins games to hit over the next two weeks, as we’re trying to get our fill before season’s end. Hopefully we’ll have a good content spike before the crickets start chirping. I am not looking forward to fucking baseball.

Article [I.]

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

For example: Hockey is a religion and no one will tell us different! I am free to tell Hal Gill "You Suck".  When you bring the boys on the ice, it starts as a peaceable.

Article [II.]

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The coach regulates the militia and it is often necessary for those on the ice to bear arms and drop gloves, and no one will infringe on the right of a goon to pull a 5 minute major.

Critics of these amendments are free to cross the border to the great white north. Where hockey is also relatively popular.

Happy Veterans Day everyone. If you are a Veteran, I would like to say thank you. If you know a Veteran, please be sure to call them and say thanks today. They do so much for us, and don’t get the kind of coverage in a positive light as they should. They are the world’s enforcers, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude.

The two fights in the Bruins game got me thinking about the rivalries the NHL is trying to start up again with the new schedule format. I like it, and it’s one of the only changes I do like.

The first tilt was the main event. Colton Orr (BOS) and Brian McGratton (OTT) got into it early in the first. Amazingly, these guys had never fought in Pro Hockey before. It was the right time to do it, as the Bruins were down one early. The fight was too close to call. Orr landed some really hard right hands to the huge mellon of McGratton, and Brian countered with some heavy rights of his own. McGratton showed some great technique giving Orr some quick lefts to the teeth while holding the Boston enforcers jersey. He showed some real savvy with that move, and it was distracting Orr from getting the scrap started again. This was a very long fight, and both guys were winded after the tilt. Orrsie playfully had his tongue out, and a smile on the way to the Sin Bin. No one can say he doesn’t like his job!

The second fight featured the worst player in the NHL, Hal Gill (BOS) and Chris Neil (OTT). This one happened near the end of the second period. Gill should have smoked the much smaller Neil, but instead got fed his lunch. As the bigger combatant the play should be to stand in there and throw as many hard punches to the other guy’s grille as possible. The smaller guy is trying to punch his way in. As the bigger guy, it is your job to not let him in. Instead Gill does the Sean Curry hang on to the other guy’s jersey and get my head as far away as possible from the punches being thrown at me routine. It’s a great way to get knocked the fuck out Hal. Next time, throw a punch. Pussy.

What I liked about the two fights is, first off, they were fights. Secondly, the first one was a guy trying to get his club going after a flat start. Plus, it was the two toughest kids on the block, and they just had to go. The second fight was a rematch from when Havlat kicked Gill in Ottawa during the first meeting. If you remember the game, after Gill got kicked, he pushed Havlat. Neil came to Havlat’s defense and went after Gill. Hal Gill, being the worst player in the NHL and all, fell down before they could really get going.

This is what the NHL wants in the new era of rivalry based scheduling. Games in October that have emotion. The next time these teams play, I will remember the two fights, and the Boston loss, and I am only a fan. The boys in the room are going to have it on their minds even more, and that will cause emotion, and hopefully some more fights. At the very least Orr and McGratton are tied, and need a rubber match for supremacy, eh?