The NHL free agency period has been open for 11 days now, and there has been some movement by teams looking to get tougher or stay tough that I have found interesting. Sure there are some serious players left unsigned, but I’d rather know where Derek Boogaard is playing over some guy named Kovulchuk any day. This was a big season for UFA tough guys, and so far, I have not been surprised or disappointed by the movement of these tough guys to date. I have been particularly excited by the moves in the Eastern Conference. Let’s take a look at how the rosters are shaping up.

In a nod to recently passed Bob Probert, I think it fitting the Atlantic Division be renamed the Bob Probert Division. Here is the breakdown by team. New additions are bold.

NJ-PL3, David Clarkson
PITT-Eric Godard, Mike Rupp
PHI- Jody Shelley
NYR- Derek Boogaard, Brandon Prust
NYI- Trevor Gillies, Zenon Konopka

Gee whiz – that is a lot of goonery. The Rangers and Islanders already don’t like each other, and those four names up there are not going to help the civility at all. Gillies probably wants a giant piece of the Boogeyman after Boogaard scrambled Trevor’s eggs in his first NHL game way back when Gillies was Anaheim property. I am sure those guys will tangle at least once. I am excited Jody Shelley is staying east too. I enjoyed his work with Columbus back in the day, but couldn’t follow him as much when he was dealt to the Sharks. Same with Derek Boogaard. It’s going to be awesome having him on the East Coast, and with Brandon Prust in New York as well, I will follow them closely. Prust is an exciting, scrappy middleweight that will fight up a division. He and Boston’s Shawn Thornton should match up well should Thornton not want a piece of the Boogeyman. The Islanders were one of my favorite clubs to watch last season on Center Ice, and looking at this division now, I will have them slated night in and night out as my Center Ice team.

One of Bob Probert’s biggest rivals, or at least a guy he fought a lot, was Craig Berube. I have renamed the Northeast Division the Craig Berube Division. Some good tough guys here and a message to Buffalo, and Montreal. Add some toughness. Quick.

OTT- Matt Carkner, Chris Neil
BOS- Shawn Thornton, Jeremy Reich
TOR- Colton Orr, Jay Rosehill

Boston welcomes back Jeremy Reich! The REEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIICHEEEEERRRR! Love it. He brings nice energy and a veteran presence to the dressing room in Providence if he goes down. Colton Orr and Matt Carkner had a well documented rivalry last season that shows no signs of slowing this season. Jay Rosehill had a great tilt with PL3 last season, and is a very big guy. Chris Neil might feel he owes Boston’s Milan Lucic one as well, but after the beating Lucic gave him last year, he may not want to go there. Speaking of Lucic and not wanting to go somewhere, I think he owes Colton Orr one after the fight he had last year. You remember the scarp? It was the one where Don Cherry was in the house and accused Lucic of “quitting.” I think Boston wins the division on team toughness on paper right now, but Toronto has it based on enforcer tough. Colton Orr, in my opinion is the reigning heavyweight champ in the NHL right now. I’m interested to see if anyone can take the belt this season.

The Southeast Division will be renamed the Andre Nazarov Division. They need to get tougher if they want to hang with the true heavies, but have enough experience to win some every now and then.

ATL- Eric Boulton, Ben Eager
CAR- Tim Gleason
TBL- Mitch Fritz

Atlanta should dominate the division physically, as they have been reaping the rewards of the Chicago Blackhawks fire sale and have gotten better, and tougher. Carolina never really has a tough guy on the roster, but Tim Gleason can do the heavy lifting if needed. Mitch Fritz may be the worst skating NHLer ever.

So there’s the Eastern Conference right now. On paper it looks to be a very exciting, and fight filled season. I called Comcast, and not only are they not taking Center Ice deposits right now, they suggested I might want to calm the fuck down. Looking forward to a great season of goonery galore!

For those of you that were working yesterday and not scouring the internet for enforcer news (you’re welcome by the way) it seems Goonblog favorite, Trevor Gillies has been rewarded with a one year pact with the Islanders. I have been a big fan of the Gill-Man since his days with the Worcester Icecats, and although I have been critical of his hockey abilities at times, I have always thought highly of Gillies as a very effective enforcer, and great “team” guy. To his credit, Trevor has really worked on his hockey as well, as evidence that he was the last person cut from Carolina’s camp last year, and he played in 14 NHL contests this year without looking out of place hockey wise.

Every time a teammate of Trevor’s is interviewed, and they are asked about Gillies, the reviews are top notch. Great team guy. Knows his role. Love to have him on my side. I have spoken to a lot of his mates over the years, and it’s always the same thing. Also, it doesn’t get much better than when a guy like Ken Daneyko, a fairly tough hombre in his own right, suggests your team sign you when he’s broadcasting for another organization. High praise there. Trevor knows his role, and is willing to answer the bell when called upon. Here are three or my favorite Trevor scraps from his 14 game debut with the Islanders. Well done Trevor, and congratulations!

Trevor Gillies vs. Matt Carkner: “Big fight Between two tough guys.”

Trevor Gillies vs. Riley Cote: “Right there..and he’s ready.”

Trevor Gillies vs. PL3: “That’s just Trevor, being Trevor.”

Congratulations Canada, you barely beat America at the game you invented. No, I kid. I saw that on the site, Texts from Last Night. Go there for hilarity. For hockey hilarity, you stay here. Now then, Canada won gold last Sunday in a game I saw maybe 20 seconds of due to a prior engagement. I will say I enjoyed the tournament, as the hockey was up and down in every game, and who will forget Pavol Demitra hitting the cross bar with about 22 seconds left against Canada Friday night? That goes in, and it easily could have been USA and Slovakia for gold in Vancouver.

Naturally, after a game like the gold medal game, the talk turns to will this help the NHL, or not? From my seat in the stands, I prefer NHL hockey over International play because a lot of the cheap shit that went on in the Olympics has to be answered for. I don’t care how inspirational Saku Koivu’s story is, he’s a dirty little fucker and the stick work he deployed during the Olympics would have been dealt with in the NHL. Same with Alexander Semin’s late hit on Dan Boyle. Shifty Euros get smaller and less brave with their sticks in the NHL, and that’s the game I like. Will the tournament help the NHL? Maybe short term. Long term reality of the situation is this. You are either a hockey fan or you aren’t. One exciting game, gold medal or otherwise, will not turn the tide of a niche sport.

Tonight should feature why I love the NHL so much, as the Battle of Ontario rivalry between Toronto, and Ottawa is on again. When we last left our heroes, Goonblog favorite, Matt Carkner, had been beaten soundly by another Goonblog favorite, Colton Orr. Look for these two to get after it again early in tonight’s contest.

I had the privilege of watching Orr soundly beat Boston’s Milan Lucic in person this week. Everyone in the building, including Don Cherry, was on Milan for “giving up” on the fight. Well, what we didn’t know was Orr had broken the big Serbians nose early in the fight, and when they got separated Lucic wanted no more part of sticking the already formidable beak back in there. I can’t say I blame him, as it is my opinion Colton Orr is the best in the business right now. Damn I wish he was still in the black and gold! Glad the NHL is back boys!

A GoonBlog.com Exclusive!

1. After turning Pro in 2001-02 with Cleveland, and having played in 2 NHL contests prior to this season, how do you keep yourself motivated to make the NHL? Hockey is my life and I have always been driven to compete at the highest level that I could. Playing in the NHL has always been my #1 goal and just being so close for so long gave me a little hope that it could happen. As I got further into my career, I felt that my shot may not come, but I wanted to be ready if it did. 

2. Who in your opinion is the toughest guy in the NHL right now? You can say yourself. George Laraque is probably one of the toughest, I haven’t fought him yet, but I’m sure I will get the chance.  I’d probably say that Colton Orr is up there as well, I did fight him and he comes at you hard. 

3. Is Jeremy Yablonski a former teammate you were glad to have on your side? Definitely, he is a tough player. He always brings energy to the games and I don’t think there are too many guys who really like to fight him.

4. Which did you enjoy more, your first NHL scrap, or first NHL goal? I think the goal was more enjoyable mainly because it was in my home town and it was the first time I ever played in the NHL at the Scotiabank Place. All of my family was there and I also got the first star. So, it was a pretty big night. I also had an assist that night, but I couldn’t get Jackman to fight me for the Gordie Howe. Ha ha, I guess I’ll have to do that some other time.

5. What are the biggest differences between the AHL and NHL? The structure of the game is a lot better. Sometimes in the minors players will totally get out of position and for a defenseman trying to break the puck out, it’s sometimes hard to do when you don’t know where your forwards are going to be. Also everyone is more skilled, faster, bigger, and smarter. It’s definitely a big step up.

6. How many times have you seen SlapShot? Too many.

7. Which tough guys in the NHL chirp the most? I don’t know if it’s necessarily the tough guys that  do most of the chirping.

8. Do you keep track of your fight card? No, but I usually remember who I fight.

9. When you look ahead on the schedule, are there certain games you just know you’ll have to drop the gloves? Does it make your game day preparation any different? Some times you know for sure, but then other times you think you are going to have to, but it never happens. Everyone is on different pages and sometimes guys are banged up and don’t really want to go. So, I just prepare to play the game and am always ready to drop the gloves.

10. If you have time to think about fighting (IE, after a goal off a faceoff when you’ve talked about it with the other guy) what are you thinking as the puck drops? Is it the same if you drop them during  heat of the game type scrap? I just see what kind of stance he’s in and try to find a way to get an advantage. Every fight is different and it’s a lot of read and react. 

11. Can you hear the crowd during the game, or is it just the game action?Not really. I do hear when they get real loud, but I’m focused mostly on the game and communicating with my teammates.

12. Do you ever decline a fight (not the right time, hand a little tender) but inside you just want to pound the crap out of someone? Ya, it happens.  You either get told by the coaches not too, or your banged up. Sometimes I’ll be at the end of a shift and you don’t want to give your opponent a big advantage. 

13. If you are on the way to the rink and someone cuts you off in traffic, is it nice to know you have a job where you can slam someone into the glass to channel some frustrations? It’s always good to let the frustrations out.

14. What would Goonblog readers be surprised to know about Matt Carkner? That I prefer the Cove Country Inn as opposed to Morton’s Steakhouse.

15. Do you think The Ref has the biggest head you’ve ever seen, or is it just me? Huge head.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Carkinator. Here’s to a continued great first year in the show! Matt Carkner Stats at HockeyFights.com.

To say Saturday was an emotional day for the Toronto Maple Leafs could be the understatement of the century. Already reeling from blowing a lead in New Jersey on Friday night, they learned of the tragic death of GM Brian Burke’s son, Brendan on an icy road in Indiana. Goonblog would like to extend our condolences to the Burke family. I can’t imagine what they must be going through, and wish to never find out. With the business of hockey having to go on, the Leafs squared off against an Ottawa team that was flying high after winning 11 games in a row.

After returning from another Bruin loss, this one to Vancouver, I was given the opportunity to watch either Real Housewives of the Jersey Girls Survivor Bachelor or whatever the crap reality show MOL had lined up. No wait. It was Out of Sight, with J. Lo, and George Clooney, my mistake. Anyway, I chose to retire to the office for a game.

I had picked the Leafs and Sens for one reason, and one reason only as my game of the night. Number 28 in white, Colton Orr, and number 39 in red, Mr. Matt Carkner would be renewing some old acquaintances. Kudos to the ACC Centre crowd for staying silent during the entire moment of silence for Brendan Burke. I find nothing more disrespectful than the idiot who takes the opportunity to scream “Let’s go Insert Team name here!” during the honoring of someone, or something’s memory.

These two have tangled twice before with the record being 1-1, and it didn’t’ take long for the rubber match to get under way. The two tough guys got together along the glass just inside the blue line, and it was on. Both guys got the gloves off, and Orr started in with 4 very hard right hands. Colton isn’t considered one of the toughest in the league for no reason (I say THE toughest) as the 3rd punch stunned Carkner, and the 4th sent him to the ice. I am not 100% sure if he was knocked all the way out, but Matt sure seemed a little uneasy when rising to his feet. I give Carkner all the credit in the world for wanting to skate across to the penalty box, but the training staff and officials had a different idea, and he was lead off to get looked at. It was a clear win for Colton Orr, and the season series is now 2-1 for Orr.

That’s the thing about this game of hockey, and enforcing….hell, even life. You win some, you lose some. Carkner was shown when he came back to his bench. One of his mates tapped his glove as if to say, “Hey, good go” and Carkner just kind of shrugged. What are you gonna do? Win some lose some Matt, now you owe Orrsie one.

I am not going to turn this blog into on the ledge off the ledge dot com. The Bruins are frustrating right now, almost as frustrating as the fact I taped the Senators and Leafs game last night, and inexplicably when I went to watch it this morning, the recording was black. So, I missed the battle of Ontario, and from what I understand, it was a doozy. Figures. Anyway, I want to focus on a Bruins positive.

Shawn Thornton came to the Bruins fresh off winning the Stanley Cup with Anaheim 2 years ago. He was instantly my favorite Bruin, and after this season, he’s gaining more and more fans every day. So far this season he’s had 7 fights, tying him with 2 others for the 3rd most fights in the league. What I think has been so impressive about Thornton this season is not only is he fighting at the right times in games, he is smoking people to boot. Of the 7 fights he’s had, I would say only the fight he had in Ottawa with Goonblog favorite Matt Carkner (fighting leader in the NHL) was the only one in which he didn’t win. Steve Montador will think twice about going with him again. So will Andrew Alberts. Looking at the week upcoming, the Bruins have Atlanta (Eric Boulton) and Buffalo (Steve Montador, and Paul Gaustad. Two guys he’s already fought, and beat.) Next Week brings St. Louis (Cam Janssen, BJ Crombeen) and Minnesota (“Sheriff” Shane Hnidy) so it doesn’t get much easier.

Thornton’s balance looks good, and his anger is visible when he fights this season. He’s been devastating with his shake off the elbow pad, and then lower the boom move all year. I am not sure if he’s into the MMA stuff, or who he trained with this off season, but whatever he did, it’s working. Keep up the good work Shawn; you are the only one keeping a lot of fans on the bandwagon right now.