MOL is in Connecticut visiting our new nephew, leaving me at home by myself to watch the Bruins. Not a bad deal really. I saw the little guy yesterday, and he’s super cute. He does a lot of baby things like sleep, and look around like he’s lost. It’s pretty cool. MOL gets to hang with him tonight, so I have done all my laundry, ate left over Chinese and yelled at Shawn Thornton for having a crappy fight with Toronto’s Jamal Mayers. Like I said, not a bad deal. I’ve been super busy over the last few weeks. I’ll spare you the gory details, but I have made three observations in this young NHL season. They are, in no particular order.

1. I grossly under estimated how good the Bruins are. I mean, when I wrote the piece about the sneaking suspicion I had about their suckatude, I couldn’t have been more off base. Milan Lucic has turned his game around so drastically it’s hard to explain. He’s gone from zero to hero in no time, and I am pretty sure if he ran for Governor of the Commonwealth he’d win in a land slide. Not only is he responsible for a hit that will be played on every jumbotron in every arena in the NHL (well, maybe except for Toronto) for the next 20 years, he’s started scoring and piling up assists at a furious pace. Oh, and don’t forget his first fight of the year last Thursday. In a battle that had Jack Edwards near a stroke, he beat Mike Komisarek like he stole something in a 6-1 thrashing at Boston last Thursday.

On top of Lucic’s improved play, they have the ability to roll four very solid lines. In fact, one could argue the line of Shawn Thornton, Stephan Yelle, and Chuck Kobasew (now that he’s back. The real loser in all of this is Petteri Nokelainen who finds himself the odd man out since Koba’s return) has been the Bruins best and most consistent line. They have been super fun to watch all year, and I have been having the time of my life as a season ticket holder so far.

2. Someone is going to get killed if something isn’t done about the hitting from behind problem. Forget the headshots, I think the biggest disciplinary issue facing the NHL, is guys hitting each other from behind. Tom Kostopoulos’s hit on poor Mike Van Ryan, best known this year as the guy that Milan Lucic almost put into the second row in Boston with his glass shattering hit, and the guy that almost got paralyzed by some asshole with no respect for the other guys on the ice, should have been suspended for at least 5 games. The first thing you are taught when learning how to body check, is don’t hit someone when you can see their numbers. I have heard all the rational that Van Ryan turned at the last minute and the like, but it’s bull shit. Van Ryan fully had his back to Kostopoulos, and the only thing he turns is his head from looking right at the glass, to looking left over his shoulder to see if TK is going to slow up. Guess what? He’s not. Ding Dong. I’ll get it. Oh, and to the announcers out there. All of them. Can we stop defending people that are doing these heinous things on the ice please? Why is there any blame being laid on Mike Van Ryan? Tom Kostopoulos could have pulled up, and shouldn’t have hit him. Sorry or not about it, he had a choice on the ice, and he made the wrong one.

3. This game needs policing. This is NOT your father’s NHL. If it were, they’d still be trying to break up the fight that would have erupted after Tom Kostopoulos hit Mike Van Ryan. There seems to be a lot more punks in the league than ever before. Jarkko Ruutu was running around like a punk earlier tonight against New York, and wouldn’t fight when Aaron Voros tried to fight him. Steve Ott was ringing the bell all over the ice in Boston a few weeks ago, and never would answer the bell. When he slew footed Nokelainen at the end of the first, he should have been held accountable as soon as the second period started, but he never was made to answer the bell. If something isn’t done soon, i.e. removal of the instigator penalty, and guys having more respect for one another on the ice someone is going to get really hurt out there.

So, that’s what I’ve been seeing. Right now I’m watching the third period of the Sharks and Nashville. Jody Shelley just had a nice go with Greg De Vries. Shelley landed a wicked upper cut to win the fight. It was the last of three fights in a row. Nice to see Brad Staubitz get in a dust up with Jordin Tootoo as well. Big Joe Thornton was in the first one. Not much of a fight really. I love the Center Ice Package for this very reason. Anyway, I’d love to hear your opinions on the first quarter of the season so far. Don’t leave me out to dry here goons and goonettes. You know what to do, and as Dave says “Stay Gooney!”

Sean Avery, and Steve Ott are punks. This is not breaking news. I wanted to get it out on the table. Last night was a bit of “Old Time Hockey” at the Boston Garden, and Steve Ott and Sean Avery were the chief punks on the Dallas Stars. As an aside, when did Ott turn into such a punk? I don’t remember him being the type of player I saw last night. Is it Avery’s influence that has turned him into a total punk?

Anyway, here is a great video recap of what happened in Boston last night. It was a bit of “Old Time Hockey”, but I can’t help but wonder. If this were “Old Time Hockey”, would it have taken as long as it did for the line brawl to erupt? Also, why is Krys Barch doing Steve Ott’s heavy lifting? I am thinking back in the old days after the slew foot by Ott at the end of the first on Petteri Nokelainen (not seen on this video) Ott would have had to answer the bell at the start of the second. He wouldn’t have been able to run and hide like a punk, instead, he’d have to fight like a man. Kudos to both Shawn Thornton and “Sheriff” Shane Hnidy for trying to get Ott to be accountable for his actions. It isn’t their fault he is a pussy.

I am very glad Andrew Ferrence laid Steve Ott out, and I am not surprised Sean Avery came to his defense. He’s a big man finally picking his spot to fight against Ferrence. Pussy. Go read some more Vogue. I am very proud of the way the Bruins all stood up for one another last night, and I am man enough to admit, I might have been wrong about this bunch.

After publicly calling out Milan Lucic, and the rest of the team, they responded by scorning a Hat Trick (Lucic) to win an uneven affair at home, and playing 8 superb periods (the 2nd in Calgary being the blemish) on the road. Last night’s game really can be the type that cements a dressing room. The boys all stood up for one another, and gave the home crowd something to cheer, and talk about. MOL and I were completely entertained, and agreed it was the best game we’d been to in years. So, I apologize to the black and gold. Keep up the good work boys.