I have been looking for Gordie all year, and I fucking found him.
Looks like his career lives on with that waste of a first rounder, Nikos Tselios. I don’t speak Swedish or whatever, so I have no idea what this says. I can gather that Wendel Clark is Gordie’s favorite player. Good to know. Good luck Gordie. Bring me back some meatballs eh?
GoonSquad
Trevor Gillies lived Under Power Lines
Trevor. Did you eat a lot of paint chips as a kid? I was at the Devils game in Lowell this past snowy Friday night. Since the game was boring as hell, I was watching Trevor Gillies for most of the third period. My friend Bekah says I am obsessed. Well, no more than she is obsessed with Mr. Kitty. At any rate, I noticed a few things.
The first thing I noticed is Mr. Gillies has fallen a long way from the guy that was wearing an A on his chest last season. Every shift he took, which wasn’t many, Coach Dineen was all over him upon his return to the bench. Coach is all over this guy.
Secondly, he is like a Pee Wee on the bench. No kidding. For most of the Third Period, which was tied by the way, Trevor was fooling around with his helmet, elbowing the guy next to him, punching the same guy in the gut, and pushing his helmet forward. I couldn’t believe I was watching a Professional do that sort of thing on the bench. Maybe he’s just really bored, but it was strange to see a pro do it. Trevor also seemed to be pretty chummy with Mike Hoffman, a guy he has fought a zillion times this season. Anyway, you really had to see what Gillies was doing on the bench t believe it. I really was amazed. If he can’t figure out why he’s in Dineen’s dog house, this may be a big reason why.
Busy Week
I can not fucking believe the Bruins took another too many men on the ice penalty today. Again, while on the Power Play. If this isn’t the most poorly coached team in the NHL, then I don’t know what is.
At any rate. Here is a snap shot of my week last week.
Monday: Work. Outback Steakhouse. Reno 911 Movie. Home.
Tuesday: Work. Quick one at 99 that turned into 5. Home.
Wednesday: Work. Lowell Devils vs. Albany River Rats. Home.
Thursday: Work. Bruins vs. Wild, left at the end of the second because I was so fucking bored. Went to the Fours watched Simon’s tomahawk chop on Hollweg. Home. Poured MOL into bed.
Friday: Work. Quick three at the 99, then the Woo Sharks vs. Hartford, Papa Razzi, Home.
Big whoop. We are all busy. Point I am making is it was a very busy week for me, but it was equally busy for controversy in the NHL. That, ladies and gentlemen, is called a segue.
It actually started last Friday night. For those of you under a rock or without Youtube, New Jersey forward Cam Janssen was suspended three games for hitting Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle in what the NHL deemed an illegal way. I have seen the hit a zillion times, and I think it was three things.
1. It was very late. Kaberle was admiring his pass and Janssen in on the forecheck had plenty of time to turn back up ice. Instead he drilled Kaberle, who wasn’t even looking at him.
2. It was totally unnecessary. I understand Janssen’s role, and what he was trying to do, but he could have really hurt Kaberle, and it didn’t need to be done.
3. It was dirty. Again, I understand what he’s trying to do, but to drill a guy that is prone like that isn’t the way to do it. You want to stir it up, go hit a guy fair and square. Doing what he did perpetuations the notion of hockey and enforcers being barbaric.
What I found most shocking at the time of Janssen’s hit was the half hearted response by the Leafs. Only Travis Green did anything on the ice, and it didn’t look like his heart was really in it. I was reading in the book I have about Bobby Orr, Searching for Bobby Orr, about an incident in Boston many moons ago. Basically Bobby was clipped in the face accidentally by a Maple Leaf, and it started a brawl on the ice, and a near riot in the Boston Garden. After I thought about it for a couple of days, the shock really wore off. This is the new NHL people. There is no emotion in an 82 game exhibition season. I do have March 30th circled on my calendar though, as the Devils and Leafs play each other and there should be some fireworks. Having said that, see the above sentence about the new NHL and most likely nothing will happen.
The second incident was far more fiendish, and sinister carried out by Islander forward Chris Simon. For those of you emerging from a coma, first off welcome back and secondly I will recap. Chris Simon, after being drilled from behind by Ranger forward and super pest Ryan Hollweg, picked himself up off the ice. As Hollweg was coming back at him because the puck was in Simon’s area instead of Simon dropping the mitts and taking Hollweg on one on one, he went crazy for a second, and chopped Hollweg in the jaw with his stick. You no do that. Never never. MOL and I watched it at the Fours after leaving the most boring Bruins game ever. The Simon slash was one of those incidents where the whole bar saw it, and yelled out loud.
I understand what happened here. Simon lost control of his emotions for a second, and instead of doing what he should have done, i.e. drop the buckets and whale on Hollweg, he did something really stupid. I am in no way condoning what Simon did, in fact, quite the opposite. Hockey is an emotional game, and you need to try your best to harness that emotion in the right way. I am sure there isn’t a single guy that has played against Hollweg that hasn’t wanted to chop him in the face with their stick. His job is to be a pest, and he does it well. Having said that, Simon should never, ever have done what he did. I am sure he is very sorry about it, and wishes he could take it back, but that is no excuse. You have to respect the other players out there, even if you want to smash them to death with your stick. You just don’t do what Simon did, and I think the NHL did exactly what they needed to do in suspending him for 25 games.
There is a place for fighting in the NHL, and the stick work shown by Simon is a big reason why. He should have challenged Hollweg to a fight if he felt wronged. People that are against fighting should get used to seeing a guy getting chopped in the face like Hollweg was, because if and when it is regulated out of the game, it is going to be happening all the time.
What do you want for nothing? Rubber Biscuit?
As you guys all know, I think Rob Simpson is a goof. He must have nude pictures of someone somewhere, because he comes off like a total numnut on his in game reports on NESN. As such, I have never really paid much attention to his Rubber Biscuit show, also on NESN. I figure the 15 minutes a week I get of him on Bruins games is enough. However, when I heard that last weeks show was going to be about fighting, obviously I was firing up the DVR, and watching the show. I am glad I did.
For those not in the know, Rubber Biscuit is a half hour program on NESN. Basically what I can gather is it is a wacky behind the scenes look at the Bruins, both on the ice and off. Sounds like Simpson being Simpson, so I have basically avoided the whole thing. The fighting episode was perhaps the finest half hour in television history.
Basically, Rubber Biscuit takes the same stance Goonblog does on fighting, and fighting’s place is the game today. They also mixed in some awesome fight clips, and some quick interviews with Bruins legends, Ray Bourque, Jay Miller, Derek Turk Sanderson, Terry O’Reilly, and number 8, Cam Neely.
There was a common thread with all the interviews. Miller said he fought because he was a local kid and he felt like he was defending the honor of Boston, also, it was the only way he could stay in the show. O’Reilly said that back in his day, fighting was so common, and luckily for him it was, because it was, like Miller, the only way he could stay. Turk said the same thing. Even Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque fought. Said Sanderson. Bourque and Neely both said they did it when they had to. Neely as a product of his rough and tumble style, Bourque, to defend a teammate or retribution on a person that had taken some liberties with the interpretation of the rules.
What Rubber Biscuit said about fighting itself is there is a place in the game for it, in fact, a very big place. They looked at why the NHL in legislating fighting out, and the repercussion to the fans. Stating that people that aren’t watching the NHL now are never going to watch the NHL, no matter what kind of marketing they do. It made me think of basketball. No matter what the NBA does, I am never watching. I understand it is Sales, and Marketing 101, you need to grow the business through advertising, but if you change the product enough, you’ll drive away the existing customer base. See the drop in attendance as an example.
The show also examined the instigator rule. Paul Mara had said he wanted to do something about the cheap shot laid on a mate in Buffalo, but didn’t because he was afraid of getting his third instigator, and thus suspended for two games. It has always been my stance that without the instigator rule, the Todd Bertuzzi incident never happens.
All in all it was a fine program. This league is in deep trouble folks. The regular season has turned into a very long exhibition schedule, with no emotion or meaning to most of the games. Attendance is way down because North American hockey fans prefer North American hockey, not the Swedish Elite League. Rubber Biscuit really nailed the role of fighting in the NHL, and I suggest you catch it if you can
Sabres – Senators game 2/22/07
Anyone catch this game last night? Wholly hell broke loose after Chris Drury from Buffalo got nailed near the Senators net by Chris Neil after trying to unload a twisted wrister in the second period. Head coach of the Sabres, Lindy Ruff, thought it was a cheap shot so he sent out the tuff guys on the very next shift.
What ensued was a good old fashion throw down with guys pairing off. The best part was Ray Boom Boom Emery skated towards center ice and met up with his counter part Martin Bye Bye Biron for a classic goalie tussle. Emery spent the majority of the time laughing and seemingly enjoying being in a fight. He even got off of Biron after they tumbled to the ice and allowed him to get back on his skates to continue the battle. Here is where things deteriorated. Andrew Peters from Buffalo, who was trying to fight anyone in a Senators uniform, stepped in front of Biron and started going at it with Emery. Give Emery credit as he held his own and still kept smiling. What bothers me is that no one from Ottawa came to Emery’s defense!!! Fuckin pretty boy speed demon Dany Heatley never even took his fucking gloves off. Those pansies from Ottawa just sat there and watched there goalie tussle with a legit meathead. How can this happen? How do you as a hockey player sit back and watch your goalie go at it and not step in? Who cares if he beats your brains in at least you gave it a go. As long as the earth is round and hockey is played on ice, nobody and I mean nobody should be able to fight a goalie like that and get away with it.
If I was a Senators fan, I would jump ship ASAP. This team has NO heart. You wonder why year after year they get whacked in the early rounds of the playoffs? They don’t have the balls to compete. If I was Bryan Murray, the head coach of Ottawa, I would bench the guys who were on this ice during that brawl and didn’t stick up for there goalie. If I was the GM, John Mukler, I would trade those gutless jellyfishes. It makes me sick to think how these woosies can wake up this morning and look in the mirror. How can they show up in the locker room today and expect to be respected by teammates? The whole thing just makes me sick. Bottom line is we saw a good brawl last night but we also saw the lowest point in the history of Hockey when teammates didn’t come to the aid of there goalie. You think this shit would have happened 10, 15, 20 + years ago? No fucking way.
Reviewing Reviews
I caught myself watching the Bruins game last night and they looked decent. 52 seconds left in the 2nd and what seemed like a great save by Thomas, game continues and period ends, right……wrong. After further review (when the boys are already in the locker room) GOAL, bring them back out and play the remaining 52 seconds like it never happened.
If they are going to review they need to adapt some NFL views and stop the damn game. What if either Boston or Buffalo had scored in that 52 seconds – is that goal removed or if someone got hurt during that would they magically heal because it never happened? I was very happy to see the gloves drop in the game and to see our beloved B’s take the shootout. They need to do something about review. Time to fire up the grill and cooler and watch the Great American Race
WTF?
A little over a year ago I wrote this little piece. For those of you not inclined to re read it, I will re hash. Last season Keith Aucoin almost started a brawl, and got his fucking head kicked in for being a smart mouth. I don’t like Aucoin, never have. He is mouthy and can’t back it up. I have never liked players like that. Well today, I got this comment from new reader AJ.
WAHHHHHH!!!!! Are u pissed that Aucoin is a better hockey player than you.Talk about Sour grapes.Pansy
While I appreciate the comments from any one, I gotta call AJ out on this one. First off, I don’t think I am crying here. I call them as I see them AJ. I was psyched to see the violence, and was hoping a brawl started. I don’t care who started it. I was simply making a point. Ask anyone who has seen Aucoin play, and they will tell you the same thing. He is mouthy.
Secondly. I am not pissed Aucoin is a better hockey player than me. I think he is outstanding as a player. He has a great scoring touch and a knack for scoring big goals. Tom Rowe definitely loves the guy as he has had him on his roster a couple of times. I also have a lot bigger things to worry about than if Keith Aucoin is a better hockey player than me. He sure fucking is. Know what? A lot of people are. I think I am over it. I sell IT equipment. I don’t play pro hockey. I am cool with it. As far as the sour grapes and me being a pansy? I don’t see it. I love the rough stuff, obviously as this blog isn’t called PrettyGoalblog. It’s fucking Goonblog. So AJ thanks for stopping by. Feel free to read all the posts, and as always, comments are welcome. Even if they are way off base.
What Role Does Fighting Have in the New NHL?
How many times do we have to listen to that question? Look at the NBA, MLB, NFL and hell even NASCAR for all you gear heads out there, you fight you are suspended and or fined large amounts of $$$. Some examples include Carmelo Anthony hitting some punk from the Knicks with his purse and got suspended for 15 games while former Sox hurler Bronson Arroyo got suspended for 6 games after a fight against the Tampa Bay DevilDogs. Were either of those fights necessary? I’m sure if you asked Melo and Bronson they would respond with a resounding YES but in all honesty, those fisticuffs had no real impact on the outcome of the game.
Take last night’s B’s tilt vs. Edmonton. The pre-game started with a nice tribute to The Chief Johnny Bucyk for his 50 yeas of service to the organization. He even got a Rolex and a brand new Volvo SUV for his troubles. I’m not sure that’s enough for the torture of dealing with Jeremy and his smarty pants son Charley Jacobs all these years but hey to each their own. The arena had a nice buzz to it and I’m sure so did Chris wherever he was! The game opened with a few sloppy plays by both sides with all in all not much spirited action. Then all hell breaks loose when Jeremy Reich busts his ass down to prevent an icing and bangs into Matt Greene. Wammo kablamo the gloves are off and away they go. Solid scrap with Reich getting the nod in this tilt.
By the way, other than a guy getting one punched – hockey fights, for the most part, end up pretty even. Now the place is rockin, fans are pounding beers along with their chests, Chris I am sure is doing the same and you can sense the B’s have some life. Just over 2 minutes after the fight, the B’s strike on a PP followed by another goal and take a 2-0 lead in to the first intermission. Eventually leaving the ice with a 3-0 W and two much needed points.
Without that fight, who knows what would have happened in this game. With it, one can clearly understand what role fighting has in the NHL. This fight changed momentum, got the home crowd into the game, sparked life into a near lifeless team, got me to put the remote down and not change it to, god help me as I type thisAmerican Idol. That hurt, sorry about that, its’ part of my recovery process I am going through by being honest about things. Fighting is listed as a 5 minute penalty in the NHL (other additional minutes can be incurred due to the Instigator rule). It’s as clear as Wet Lite lubricant. Fighting has always and will continue to play a significant impact in the NHL. The day fighting in the NHL incurs a similar punishment as other professional sports is the day hockey will truly die. I hope for my sake that never occurs. Long Live the pugilist!
Super Sunday
This season marks year three of Goonblog HQ being wired for the NHL Center Ice Package. I had it the year before the lockout, and the two seasons since. In each of the three I have had it; I have sort of adopted a team I watch if the beloved Bruins aren’t playing. I don’t really do it consciously, it just kind of happens. The first season, it was Dallas. I like Billy Guerin, and they were a fun team to watch. Plus MOL liked them too. I think she had a crush on Mike Modano. Can you blame her? Last season, was a bit more on purpose. My team was the Harford Whalers. I had been watching a lot of those guys for a couple of years in Lowell, and when the lockout ended, it was natural to follow them to the NHL. This season, I have been a rabid Pittsburgh Penguins fan. They are fun to watch, and the color schemes are just similar enough to the Bruins, that it throws MOL off her game. As in, Hey wait. This isn’t the Bruins.
Why Pittsburgh? Well, like I said. It really isn’t on purpose. I saw the first couple games of the season, and I like the way they play. Say what you will about Sidney Crosby, but the kid is legit. No question he is the future of the NHL. Throw in Jordan Staal, and Evgeni Malkin, and you have three of the best young forwards in the game. Then, throw in the guys that have to stick up for the big three. Colby Armstrong, who can play some hockey, Ryan Malone, who I’d love to see in the Black and Gold, and Eric Big Daddy Cairns are all on the roster and can be counted on to drop the mitts if required. Plus, Brooks Orpik hits like a train, and can be a bit dirty. So, if you have the Center Ice Package, I suggest any Penguins game. I guarantee a good time.
Bonjour Raymond.Ca Va? Bonjour, Ca Va Bien!
I was on my way home last week after a few days on the road for the gig that pays the bills. To set the stage let’s back up a few hours. After a wild night on 6th street in Austin, TX compliments of the old expense account, I arrive at the airport extremely hung-over to check in. Wouldn’t ya know it, my fine friends at Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive have upgraded me to First Class all the way home. Before I was able to get my IPOD fired up, I had already tossed back a screwdriver. I guess my overtly gay flight attendant had some ulterior motives as he kept em coming. You know you are doing pretty well when the flight attendant says Sir, you drank all the vodka on this flight. By the time this bad news was shared with me, I had had my share of OJ at that point so I was happy to move onto the King of Beers.
I step off the plane and begin my journey home to MBH and the Million Dollar babies. Who do I see coming the other way? None other than Mr. Raymond Bourque. Now I have met / seen him up close about 20 times in my life at various events. Without skipping a beat or slurring my speech, I reach back to Miss. Fairbrothers 9th and 10th grade French class (oh how I wanted her in every evil way) and bust out Bonjour Raymond.Ca Va? His response – Bonjour, Ca Va Bien! and that was it. My brush with greatness was quick and yet gave me the chills like you would not believe.
It got me thinking, when a superior athlete retires why does the next generation have to live up to them? I loved watching Bourque, Neely, Lafluer, 99, Mario, etcbut that doesn’t mean I want the next guy stepping into those skates to duplicate what his predecessor did. Of course I would love to have them possess similar characteristics but give the kids a break. Take Sid the Kid for instance. He’s got all the yackers making comments about comparing him to 99. Are you fuckin kidding me? 99? The greatest hockey player evah? That’s like my boss comparing me to Zig Ziglar. Each generation provides us with a handful of highly skilled and exceptionally talented players. Why don’t we just sit back and enjoy it vs. (no not the fuckin channel that nobody can find to watch hockey) yakking about how so and so was great and this kid ain’t no so and so!