Is it just me, or do the best fights of the week happen on Sundays? Maybe it's something about the weekend, or maybe it's the weekend kool-aid -- all I know is that I can't complain about it. This week I'll highlight a fight that happened last Sunday. I know, I know... it was last Sunday, but I'm not going to pass this opportunity up to showcase one of the league's up-and-comers in the hockey fighting realm.
So let's rewind real quick to March 25, 2012. Nashville Predators vs Chicago Blackhawks. To set the stage: both teams had already secured playoff berths but are battling each other for seeding. With the playoffs right around the corner, not only do you not back off and rest your players, but you better set the tone and instill some fear into your prospective playoff opponents. Insert one, Brandon Bollig -- a fresh face to the NHL this season. As of today, he's played 15 games and racked up 53 penalty minutes. For extreme comparison's sake, let's look at say... a polar opposite. It took Wayne Gretzky his first two full seasons (159 games) to even rack up 49 penalty minutes. But Brandon Bollig is no Gretzky, and, well, from the following video, Gretzky is no Bollig.
I love the fact that Bollig takes on Jordin Tootoo, one of the most irrating, pesky, rough-and-tough bruisers in the league. I'll admit that I'm no Tootoo fan. I'm sure I'd love him if he played for my hometown Dallas Stars, but... he doesn't. He's always willing to scrap though, so I'll always give him props for challenging someone. And BOY OH BOY what a challenge! Bollig fed him more uppercuts than his face could handle, and the knees just had to buckle. I wish the camera angle could have shown us a quick view of Tootoo's face because I'm sure it was glorious. You know you've sent a message to the other team when you're skating over to the penalty box while your counterpart heads to the locker room. So win one for the young guys.
As long as you have the likes of a Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Kane, you'll always need a Brandon Bollig. So here's to a healthy, long-lasting fighting career to Brandon Bollig. Cheers, baby!
Bonus footage for the sake of all mini-brawls. Enjoy!
It is definitely time for playoff hockey!
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, YouTube, and ESPN
1 comments:
"bring on the playoffs"
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