PEOPLE! After a long 119 days, the National Hockey League is back in business! Unlike the 2004-2005 lockout which cancelled the entire season, the new season is slated to start this Saturday with a 48-game season. Unfortunately, the game has lots of rebuilding to do. The already-shaky fanbase is at its all-time low. Many people don't even consider hockey as one of the major sports played in America anymore. No knock to the MLS (well sort of), but the NHL is headed to the bottom cellar unless there's a revival of sorts.
40-year old Jaromir Jagr is still going strong!
But, I will still stay loyal to a game I fell in love with while I was in elementary (thank you, antenna television). I'm excited to see the game return to many cities that desperately need some of sports action. I'm excited for the old veterans in the league that still have a passion to play the game. I'm excited for all the young up-and-comers who are aching to showcase something that people will be shelling out money for. In the end, I'm most excited for one thing....
So let's get it on, baby! May this season bring a sense of joy and excitement that once gripped me as a kid.
In the meantime, please enjoy the closest thing to hockey I had.
Photo and videos courtesy of dallasstars.com and youtube.com
The 2011-2012 Conference Semifinals are finally in the books. This past week, we welcomed the final three teams into the Conference Finals. The Phoenix Coyotes took out the Nashville Predators in 5 games, the New Jersey Devils coasted through the Philadelphia Flyers in 5 games, and the New York Rangers went the distance with the Washington Capitals in a great seven-game series. Conference Final play starts tonight with the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Even with three series wrapping up this week, there failed to be a single fight in any of the games so thus, Sunday Night Fights will be idle this week. But life moves on! And so does the world of sports.
Hendrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers are moving to the Eastern Conference Finals
But since I'm already writing this post, I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day. It is such a joy and blessing to experience and witness just the great love mothers around the world give to their children each and everyday. So here's a shoutout to all the mothers who sacrificed so much to raise their sons and daughters into the men and women they are today. Mothers are truly gifts and blessings from God so here's to you, mothers!
I'll leave with a short excerpt of Oklahoma City Thunder Forward Kevin Durant's mother, Wanda Pratt. I know this is a hockey column, but I still got great love for KD and his upbringing!
"I want Kevin to become the man he would want to look up to." We have you, Wanda, for setting that example! Long live athletes and their mothers who guide them through life!
Kevin Durant with his biggest fan!
Photos and video courtesy of youtube.com, metro.us & kd35ball.com
Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first conference finalist of this beautiful NHL playoff season! Congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings for their sweep of the St. Louis Blues this afternoon. First, the Kings took out the Presidents' Trophy recipient and defending Western Conference Champions, the Vancouver Canucks, in 5 games. Now, they have swept the league's best regular season defensive team (165 goals allowed) by outscoring them 15 to 6. With superb goaltending and timely scoring, the Kings are looking like the hottest team in the playoffs right now. What's more impressive is that they're doing all of this as the 8th seed in the West, yet don't let that 8th seed fool you. If it wasn't for losing their final two games, the Kings could have easily been the 3rd seed. Nonetheless, let's give credit where credit is due -- four more wins and the Kings will be the second ever 8th seed team to reach the Stanley cup Finals, with the other being the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 (only to lose in 7 games to the Carolina Hurricanes). But I won't get ahead of myself.
Fighting in the dark is never a good idea.
Rather, I'll get down to real business. I'm not here to give you a recap of the NHL playoffs. I'm here to showcase some wild haymakers and bloody faces! So it's my pleasure to reintroduce James Stewart of the St. Louis Blues. Stewart made his first Sunday Night Fights appearance earlier this playoff season (SNF: Round 2) and didn't want to go home without a bang. Midway through the first period in Game 4 between the LA Kings today, Stewart takes a big hit from Center Jordan Nolan while trying to start an odd-man rush. Well, let's just say Stewart wasn't too happy about it...
Nolan comes out strong firing some great lefts on Stewart. Stewart takes on the task and starts throwing rights at Nolan, who at this point has already lost his helmet. After trading some blows, Stewart manages to drape Nolan's jersey over his head and lets him have it. The officials try and step in (standard safety procedure when a player has his jersey over his head), but Stewart has already done enough damage. Nolan comes out with a shiner under his left eye. Stewart gives a friendly finger to the mouth to quiet the crowd, but the LA Kings and Jordan Nolan got the last laugh. In the end, Nolan scores the first and eventual game-winning goal as the Kings send the Blues packing for summer vacation. So I'll tip my hats to both men for their relentless pursuit of the Lord Stanley's Cup.
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, youtube.com, & yahoo.com
Sorry for the late Sunday night post. It's been a busy week and weekend, but this week's best NHL playoff fight is pretty easy to pick. Well, it's because it was the only fight of the week. Lucky me! This week's showcase belongs to Brandon Purst of the New York Rangers and Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators. This bout featured two middleweights who aren't shy about dropping the mitts. According to hockeyfights.com, Brandon Purst led the entire league this year throwing it down 20 times. Chris Neil isn't much of a fighting slouch either, engaging in 10 fights this year. When you only have one fight to choose from, there's a huge chance that it'll be a total hugfest and wrestling match. All signs were pointing to this not-so-exciting ending, but with the help of the Ottawa faithful, things turn a pleasant turn for the average spectator. So let's get right to it!
Real men fight with their eyes close!
This tilt epitomizes the entirety of the New York Rangers' and Ottawa Senators' first round match-up as it all seven games to decide a winner. Midway during the 1st period of Game 6 in Ottawa with Ottawa leading the series 3-2, Purst and Neil find each other at center ice and decide to put on a show for the fans. Neil gets in a great uppercut to discharge Purst's helmet and then both start exchanging a barrage of rights as they do-si-do. Repeat barrage of rights and do-si-do some more. Commence hugfest and a seasoned hockey fight specialist would start guessing that this fight will be broken up soon as both men look pretty gassed. OH but wait on a second! The fans start chanting "NEIL! NEIL! NEIL!" and well ladies and gents, we have ourselves an adrenaline pick-me-up. Neil even plays along with the fans as he acknowledges Ottawa faithfuls. Both men then start letting it all go, throwing rights and more rights, and more rights. In all, the fight lasted about a minute and it was a beauty. I tip my imaginary cap to Purst and Neil as both stood in there relentlessly throwing haymakers and never calling it keeps. A job well done, fellas!
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, youtube.com, & nydailynews.com
I knew last week was too good to be true! After a week of multi-fight games and a handful of brawls, this week was a quiet one in the NHL fighting realm. This week's action saw a lot of grind-it-out games, including many one-goal and overtime games. I anticipate the rest of the playoffs to play out like this with the notion that players need to play phyiscal, while being smart and disciplined. And given the recent 25-game suspension to Raffi Torres for his hit on Marian Hossa, I can't imagine players playing too recklessly for that "big hit". But you never really know.
The suspension was the third longest penalty to be handed out by the NHL and the longest since Chris Simon's 30-game suspension in 2007. Now, it might be Torres' track record or even the extent of Hossa's injury (carried off on a stretcher and still out) that led to the lengthy suspension, but it took the NHL long enough to hand out stiffer penalties for unnecessary and careless play. Starting with the pathetic $2,500 fine on Shea Weber's headsmash of Henrik Zetterberg, the NHL (aka Brendan Shanahan) has been inconsistent with its disciplinary actions. It was only one week ago when James Neal of the Pittsburgh Penguins took a similar run at Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers.
James Neal received a 1-game suspension for that hit. Yeah...that's not going to fly. So I hope from now on, the NHL gets these hits right. They need to or someone's career will be over in a matter of seconds. Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Time to congratulate the St. Louis Blues for their 1st playoff series victory in 10 years over the San Jose Sharks this past Saturday, winning four straight to take the series in 5 games. The Blues are a young and talented team as well as the league's statistically best defensive team, only allowing 165 goals this past year. They've also shown some great grit and tenacity in which we'll now witness.
Tommy Wingels (Sharks) was no match for Chris Stewart (Blues). Steward was in control the whole fight, even able to remove Wingel's helmet like he was opening a jar of jam. But I'll give it to Wingels who gave up 2 inches and almost 30 pounds. He stuck his nose in there and wasn't afraid of throw a punch. I respect that. But for now, he'll have time to bulk up as the Sharks are sent packing for home. Don't look now, but the St. Louis Blues are ready to make a deep run for the Stanley Cup. They are young and energetic, have great goaltending, and are willing to knock some heads. That sounds like a good recipe to me!
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, youtube.com, torontosun.com, & theprovine.com
OH BABY! If you have not been watching the NHL playoffs, then I hope you were out saving the world because you're missing a dandy! The first round has been far from disappointing, and bad blood is brewing faster than any fan could desire. The playoff season is a powerful thing -- no team is a safe bet, and certainly no team is out of it. If you're lucky enough to have your favorite team still vying for a championship, you know how powerful each game is on your emotions; emotions that will run deep, and emotions that will last a lifetime. Rivalries are birthed, games become instant classics, and players are immortalized. The landscape of the sport is forever changed each and every year.
The action started last Wednesday, and to be honest with you, I wasn't even sure if there would be much of an article this week given the nature of playoff hockey. Fights tend to decrease come playoff season -- not because the intensity of games decreases (far from that actually), but because your typical "checking line" bruisers see less ice time. That's just how it usually is. Well, this playoff season says, " screw that!" This year already has dark shades of high-intensity, high-scoring, high-hating, high-drama, high-everything-a-fan-could-hope-for.
Case in point #1: Nashville Predators v. Detroit Red Wings; division counterparts to say the least. Detroit has been a perennial powerhouse throughout this decade, winning eight division titles and two Stanley cup Championships. On the other hand, Nashville has only been in existence for thirteen years, making the playoffs seven times in the last decade. They've faced each other once in the playoffs, with the Red Wings taking the series in six enroute to a Stanley Cup. However, I got a feeling they'll be seeing each other more with each game brewing more hate and more hate. The main reason? Mr. Shea Weber.
There's just something about slamming someones head into plexiglass that is unsettling to me. Weber was fined a measly $2,500 for his actions. Personally, the league got this one wrong. I get that hockey is a physical game and the playoffs are intense, but you have to show some respect for the game. That was an intentional act to harm, and quite frankly, a classless act. If I were 6'3" and 235 lbs, I would totally drop the mitts and let you know that. Well, I'm not... but Todd Bertuzzi is.
You might recall that Bertuzzi isn't the classiest player ever to skate (sucker-punching Steve Moore from behind and consequently breaking his neck and ending his career). So no, I'm not a Bertuzzi fan by any means. But he was given a second chance to play the game, and he's playing it the right way. So props. But let's throw more punches next time.
Case #2. New York Rangers v. Ottawa Senators. Ah, the classic #1 seed vs. #8 seed. David vs. Goliath. Roe vs. Wade (just kidding). I haven't followed either of these teams growing up. Sorry, I'm not from the East, nor am I Canadian. So I might have to defer to my fellow colleagues, who have already called some party fouls in this series (Party Foul: Game 2 Refs Rangers vs Senators). However, I do love hockey, so it's been great seeing drama, drama, and more drama between these two teams this past week. The announcers actually explain this better than me so let's just roll the clip!
Ottawa went on to win in overtime to tie the series, so I'm excited to see how this unfolds. I will go ahead and predict that this won't be the last time Brian Boyle and Matt Carkner mix it up. But I will say this, though: I'm digging Boyle's playoff stache.
Case #3. Pittsburgh Penguins v. Philadelphia Flyers. Everyone and their moms knew this would be a great series. They absolutely hate each other. There is no love. No hugs and kisses. Just hate. And more hate. Given how the regular season ended, this is what I expected. They have a lot of history that I won't get into mainly because this post is getting super long. So if you have some more time, let's just roll some more film!
Shame on Craig Adams for punching the back of Scott Hartnell's head. Shame on Scott Hartnell for whining about his hair getting pulled. Prediction: Game 4 ends up in a brawl.
I love hockey. I love the playoffs. I cannot wait for next week. Stay tuned. I'll bid farewell with my fighter of the week. Roman fricking Polak of the St. Louis Blues. Don't ever fight this man when he's angry.
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, youtube.com, & ca.yahoo.com
I'll start by wishing everyone a happy Easter. Hope it was a time of great reflection and celebration! But onto our weekly series, Sunday Night Fights. So long, regular season! Hello, playoff hockey! Another great regular season under the belt and hopefully an even greater playoff season to come. The season ended last week, and it's always nice to end things with a BANG! If you have been keeping up with this series, I have left the last couple of posts with some nice bonus footage. What a joy it is to get some continuation action from some of the bonus footage, especially heading into the playoffs. So let's rewind, shall we...
April 1st. Philadelphia Flyers visited the Pittsburgh Penguins. Flyers just scored in the 3rd period, pushing their lead to 6-3 with a little less than two minutes left in an already highly-contested game. Penguins coach, Dan Bylsma, sent out his 4th line (aka the "Checking Line" aka the "Goonies" aka the "we're down by 3 goals so let's make this game even more interesting" line). And more interesting it certainly was. First-year Penguins Center Joe Vitale made sure he got to meet 13-year veteran Flyers Center Daniel Briere.
I don't think Vitale will be getting Briere's autograph anytime soon. Actually, I don't think anyone will be -- Briere was sidelined for the remainder of the season with an upper back contusion. Ouch. Let's also note Vitale took out Defenseman Nicklas Grossmann earlier in the game.
Fast forward to yesterday when the two teams met again, and let's just say the Philadelphia Flyers didn't quite forget about the hit. But Mr. Vitale just don't care. He don't give a... roll the tape!
I'm not sure why the Flyers sent out Harry Zolnierczyk, but only throwing one punch to someone who took out two of your players doesn't seem quite fulfilling. Well, lesson learned. Don't mess with Joe Vitale. He just don't care.
So with that, cheers to the regular season! Let the playoffs begin!
Can't leave bonus footage the last two weeks and leave y'all hanging this week, so enjoy some classic Jody Shelley.
You ready for some playoff hockey?
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, youtube.com, timesonline.com, & examiner.com
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
This week we'll venture into a game between the Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams are poised to miss the playoffs, but hockey is still hockey -- there's still too much pride on the line to tank (unlike say... the NBA).
Now as enticing as it was to pick the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers opening period 3-fight extravaganza, I've got to show some love for some young up-and-comers. This week's combatants are Patrick Dwyer (Carolina) and Spencer Machacek (Winnipeg). I'll be honest -- I've never heard of them in my life, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to skate, stick handle, or throw a punch. And well, let's just say Mr. Machacek knows the latter.
Dwyer is in 4th semi-full season, all with the Hurricanes. Machacek is a young guy who has barely played in 15 NHL games, so you know he's got to make a name for himself. Nothing gets your name out there like taking it to someone.
He might not be a household name anytime soon, but now I know who Spencer Machacek is. No more high sticks when he's on the ice.
And as a bonus, just in case you wanted to see the 3-fight extravaganza at MSG:
Chase for the Cup in a few weeks!
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, youtube.com & greenwichtimes.com
The fight of the week comes from a game this past Tuesday between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. Early in the game, Jay Rosehill lays a clean check on John Madden. Now I wouldn't say John Madden is a superstar or anything, but Krys Barch took some exception to it. I remember a young Barch when he was with the Dallas Stars a few years ago. He went through the Stars' system as the tough guy enforcer so it's nice to see him still doing his job.
A few love taps from Barch and an oblige from Rosehill and off we gooooooo!
Rosehill starts off firing rights, but once Barch gets comfortable and a nice grip of the jersey, the bout isn't much of a match. It's an easy win for Barch as he effectively manages Rosehill using punches landing with both hands. He utilizes his strength well as Rosehill is constantly off-balance. So lesson of the night... if you want to land a big hit, be ready to fight.
Lesson learned.
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, youtube.com, thestar.com, & espn.com
I'll begin this Sunday Night Fights column with a brief informative lesson on the art of fighting in the NHL.
Fighting in the NHL has been a long-established tradition since the first pucks were dropped in the 19th century. No other team sport really allows this type of sheer manliness to have such an effect on the game. Shoot, I'm sure half the people who write off fighting in the NHL as pointless, stupid, lame, not "real," etc., couldn't even take a punch from their grandmothers (let alone throw one on skates). There is a purpose to fighting in the NHL. There is an art to fighting in the NHL. There is a meaning to fighting in the NHL.
Let me educate you.
1. It sets the tone. A lot of people (especially in the South) don't appreciate hockey as a sport because they just don't get it. They don't understand why a puck is a puck. They don't get why there needs to be ice. They don't see any "skill" to the game. They don't see fighting as an integral part of the game. Fighting sets the tone. If you come out throwing your body around, scrapping for loose pucks, jawing at an opponent, or getting into some fisticuffs, people know you mean business. You wanna prance around on your skates and do all these little fancy moves... I'm sure someone would oblige to knocking your ass down.
2. You don't touch our best players -- teams pay the big bucks, and players become the face of a franchise (and even a city) for a reason. There is a very fine line in how you treat these franchise players. You don't touch them. When you have the Gretzkys, Lemieuxs, and Crosbys of the world, you better think twice before you lay even a breath on them (useless if you're in pursuit of #1 seen above).
Here's a simple example: 1999. Hall of Famer Jeremy Roenick (then with the Phoenix Coyotes) took out Dallas Stars' top center Mike Modano with a hit many of his teammates called "cheap." Well let's just say Stars' captain Derian Hatcher didn't forget three weeks later when they played again. (Warning: there will be blood).
Not a fight per se..but the message was pretty clear.
3. You don't touch our goalies. Same as #2, but with one difference: your goalie doesn't even have to be good. Just don't touch him. He is the sacred defender of the net.
I could probably list out ten more reasons, but I'll save it for another day. With that, I'll leave with the fight of the week. It's always good to see the young players establishing themselves.
Let the fighting commence!
Wayne Simmonds vs Joey Crabb
Simmonds by decision.
Photos and video courtesy of hockeyfights.com, youtube.com, thestar.com, espn.com
Back in college, I used to have some pretty set routines. You have your typical habits: wake up, bathroom, go to class, come back, sleep, eat, homework, TV, eat, sleep, repeat -- or something to that effect. But one of my most favorite times of the day during my sophmore/junior years was watching hockey fights right before I went to bed. It was like saving your stomach for dessert... and well, there's always room for dessert. Somehow over the years, I've gotten away from this great routine. What a travesty.
But when GCAS Founder extraordinaire, Caleb Li, approached me to do a weekly hockey fight article, I quickly relived my heydays back in my college dormitory with a visit to hockeyfights.com -- the only site I use to quench the hockey testosterone in me. It's a tremendous source that logs hockey's daily action, posts videos, and creates a great forum for avid hockey fans to put in their two cents about the game. Much of my love for hockey has been spurred by the efforts of websites and forums such as this one.
So stay tuned, as every Sunday night I will give a recap of the week's best fights, in hopes that sports fans from all walks of life will start to appreciate the beautiful game of hockey.
But for now, I'll leave you with this little teaser..
Photo and video courtesy of thehockeynews.com & youtube.com
Lesson learned.
