The Penalty Minutes Playoff Challenge - Prizes Galore!

The Don Cherry news has got me buzzing. So let’s keep the momentum rolling. It seems that most every hockey blog out there is running some sort of playoff contest. And while some are generously offering up donations made on your behalf as a reward, I prefer self-gratification. YOU will actually get something from me! So my contest is as follows:

Pick the player that you think will accumulate the most PIMs in the playoffs. As a tie break, pick the number of PIMs he will amass.

The winner receives their pick of THREE hockey fight DVDs of their choice from my collection. I’ll send you a link when the competition is over. I will also toss in a “Fire Gary” hat as well. And UPDATE - Drew is VERY GENEROUSLY tossing in autographed cards of Terry O'Reilly, Andre Roy, Andrew Peters, Colton Orr, Chris Dingman, and Turner Stevenson for the winner.

Please choose a player and PIM totals and send your guess to twominutesforblogging at gmail dot com.

And feel free to leave your guess here as a comment so others don't pick your player. No need to leave your email address. Don't let the picture entice you!!!

Update - A couple of people have asked... you can submit entries up until Friday 7 pm ET. That should give you a chance to see each team in action once.

Momentum Turner or Misconception? A Closer Look Shultz versus Rolfe

It's become some type of urban legend that after Schultz/Rolfe the Rangers just rolled over against the Flyers in that 73/74 series. That whole 73-74 playoff series is completely blown out of proportion. Everyone seems to subscribe to this myth that the Flyers just pummeled the Rangers and they had no response. Truth is, the Rangers gave as good as they got in that series.

In Game 2 of that series, Kelly jumped Jerry Butler and put him out of the game. Ron Harris paid Kelly back in spades with an open ice hit that put Kelly out of the series. Harris was also put on the ice in place of Gilbert during a face-off when Schultz was looking to rough up Gilbert. Harris confronted Schultz and Schultz made some half-hearted attempts to get at him, but he somehow couldn't break free from the linesman. Additionally, both Ron Harris and Steve Vickers beat up Dornhoefer during that series.

That series was anything but a cakewalk for the Flyers. They won that series because of one guy, Bernie Parent. The most common misconception is that the Schultz/Rolfe fight took the heart out of the Rangers players. This seems to be one of those great myths that has multiplied over time. The Rangers ended up losing that game by 1 goal. Additionally, outside of a little blood and maybe some embarrassment, Rolfe was never the worse for wear after that fight; he never missed a shift and played just as effective after that fight as before. He wasn't hurt; he didn't need any help skating to the box.

Many have incorrectly brought up the notion that someone should have jumped in to save Rolfe from the Schultz mugging. However, you have to remember that this is Game 7 of the 73/74 playoffs and the Schultz/Rolfe fight takes place midway through the first period, with the scored tied at 1-1.



At the time of this fight, the Rangers had their number one line out there in Hadfield, Gilbert and Ratelle, with Park and Rolfe on defense. So the only toughness on the ice at the time was Park and Hadfield, two very skilled players that the Rangers could not afford to lose during a crucial Game 7 in exchange for a player of Schultz' caliber. As a fight fan, I wish someone would have jumped in too; but you have to look at this realistically. Who was going to jump in? Gilbert, Hadfield, Ratelle or Park, in game 7 of a tied series? That's exactly what Schultz was hoping for - take a skilled player off the ice with him. As for the fight taking the heart out of the Rangers and providing the spark for the Flyers, remember that this fight happened at around the 11:00 minute mark of the first period and neither team scored during the remaining 9:00 minutes in period one. So much for the Rangers folding their tent and the Flyers using this fight as any sort of momentum builder.

The Flyers did jump out to an early lead by scoring 2 goals in the second period and taking a 3-1 lead entering the third period. The Rangers come back and make it 3-2 on a goal by Vickers. Dornhoefer eventually scores to make it a 4-2 Flyers lead, but Pete Stemkowski scores with about 5 minutes to play in the third period to make it a one-goal game. The Rangers completely dominate the final 5 minutes as the Flyers are thoroughly disorganized and are just trying to hold on to this slim lead. But the Rangers are stonewalled by the outstanding goaltending of Bernie Parent and the Flyers barely hang-on and advance to the final round against the Bruins.

The Rangers also made one of the most bone-headed mistakes in their dreadful playoff history. With a minute to go in the third period of a one-goal game, the Rangers pull goalie Eddie Giacomin for an extra attacker. Immediately thereafter, they are whistled for a too many men on the ice penalty and Vic Hadfield serves the two-minute minor killing almost any chance the Rangers had at tying that game. This was also the end of the line for Hadfield as a Ranger as he was seen joking with fans while serving his minor penalty. He was traded to Pittsburgh in the off-season.

What the record books won’t show is that this was one of the most physical and well-played series in the history of the Stanley Cup. The series itself is often overshadowed by the Schultz/Rolfe altercation and the misconception that the Rangers failed to meet the physical challenge of the Flyers.

The difference in that series was Bernie Parent, not Schultz vs Rolfe. The Rangers didn't get run out of the building against the Flyers nor were they physically outplayed. Dornhoefer may have taken some runs at Giacomin, but both Ron Harris and Steve Vickers held him accountable. Ron Harris hit everything that moved that series and put Hound Kelly out of the series in Game 2 with a bone-jarring open ice hit. The Rangers lost to a better team that got outstanding goaltending from one of the game’s greatest, Bernie Parent.

Certainly the Rangers history is that of a soft team, especially those early 70s teams. But they matched the Flyers in 73/74 hit for hit and fight for fight. Now if you want to say that their lack of toughness cost them the Cup in 72 against the Bruins; I'd agree completely. Sanderson ran Giacomin with no accountability, Sanderson beat up Bobby Rousseau and Rod Gilbert and no one held him accountable. Ace Bailey ran everyone and everything and no one did a thing about it. Hodge and Cashman also had their way with the Rangers with no policeman to hold them accountable.

73/74 Rangers vs Flyers was a different story and the Rangers actually acquitted themselves quite well in the physical play. Much better than expected and much better than they've been given credit for.

Sig's 2006-2007 Hockey Fight Awards

Before we jump into my awards for the 2006-2007, let's first take a peak at the overall picture. The unnofficial number of fights for this year is at 495. That is up from 466 in 2005-2206 and down from 789 in 2003-2004. So beware when Uncle Gary tells you that fighting is actually up in the NHL... there is always a convenient comparison. Fighting is actually down some 37% from before the lockout... or pre-new NHL. And to put things into perspective, the chances that you'll see a fight in a game are 1 in 3 as a fight occurs, on average, in 40% of games. And now for the innaugural NHL Fight Awards for 2006-2007.

Disappointment of the Year:

Zdeno Chara - After commenting that he would be there to protect his teammates at the beginning of the season, Bruins fans were treated to NO Zdeno Chara fights this year. Some protection. After taking on the likes of Eric Cairns and Ratis Ivanans last year, Chara was non-existent in 06-07. Now I'm not a Bruins fan, but I am sure there are many Beantowners that are embarrassed with the giant's lack of toughness this year. A huge presence on the ice at 6'9"; an abolsute ghost in the fight department.

Close Second - Eric Boulton - While Boulton's fight totals have dropped every year while playing for Bob "my players are too pretty to fight" Hartley, five doesn't cut it. I personally watched Boulton turn down invitations from Donald Brashear on a few occasions. But not only did he turn him down, he hacked and whacked Brashear and then skated away on a few occasions. It was disgraceful to watch. And with the exception of Colton Orr twice (one a clear loss and one an edge for Orr) and Eric Godard (a clear loss), Jeremy Reich (another loss for Boulton) and Nick Tarnasky aren't exactly tough guys... which shows you exactly what opponents think of Boulton's toughness.

Newcomer of the Year:

Ben "Pycho Shifts" Eager - Yeah he really did Riley Cote "Let's have a psycho shift." Just listen to the clip. And that is exactly what Ben Eager did this year to all of his opponents. For a team that lacked a physical presence for most of the year, Eager was more than a pleasent surprise. The sophomore forward racked up 18 fights for the orange and black this year and led in the league in PIMs by a wide margin (233 for Eager; next closest was Sean Avery at 174). Some of the more well known guys on Eager's fight card include Brendan Witt, Garth Murray, Adam Mair, Ryan Hollweg, David Hale, Mike Commodore, and Colton Orr. And if you don't recall, Eager took on Orr after Orr KO'd his linemate Todd Fedorek. But not only did he step up to avenge the KO and take on a bigger tough guy, he actually edged him out.

Team of the Year:

Is there any doubt? The Anaheim Ducks. With 71 fighting majors this year, there was no messing with the Ducks. The next closest team was Phoenix with a mere 47. The Ducks were packed this year starting with George "Porn Stache" Parros (18 fights), Sean O'Donnell (12 fights), Shawn Thornton (12 fights), and Travis Moen (9 fights). Overall, the Ducks had 15 of their players accumulate at least one fighting major this year. And while the Ducks were tough on the ice, their GM was even tougher in the media. Let's get straight to it... Brian Burke SHOULD be the next NHL Commissioner. The guy is a straight shooter, both with his team and with fighting in the NHL. And while NHL lamoes hide behind their desks as a few fight nim wits ruffle some feathers, Burke hit the media with classic line after classic line. Take a peak:

"It's always the same pattern," Burke said. "You have a fight where someone gets knocked out. . . . Now, the media outlets that pay no attention to us lead with that story. We were on CNN. CNN, who doesn't give us any coverage. It's a flash point for non-hockey fans and non-traditional media venues. Now everyone weighs in on it. People who haven't been to a game in 10 years, don't support the game, aren't involved in the game, but they can go on [television] and say it's time to get rid of fighting."

"Within the game, there is no debate. The vast majority of the people in hockey, the vast majority of the players, the vast majority of the managers and coaches, want to keep fighting in."

Which leads to the Quote of the Year:

Brian Burke: "That's the way our team is built. If you're going to come into our barn you better be ready for a square dance."

Fight of the Year:

Eric Godard -vs- Derek Boogard

Derek "Boogeyman" Boogaard is a monster. And after watching Boogaard run Flame after Flame in the last game, Jim Playfair had seen enough. The next game, this time in Calgary, the Flames called up tough guy Eric Godard. And while Boogaard could probably beat Godard 8 out of 10 times, this time it was all Godard. The tough enforcer proceeded to drop the Boogeyman twice in front of the Calgary crowd. It was a major boost for the Calgary players and a clear message that the Flames were not going to be run anymore without some sort of response.


Fighter of the Year:

Jordin Tootoo. Probably not the most popular of choices. But I can't help be impressed with Tootoo. A fan favorites in Nashville where fans blow Tootoo whistles when he hits the ice, Tootoo certainly won me over this year. The 5'9", 182 lb wears his heart on his sleeve. He hits everthing in sight and routinley backs up his physical play by dropping the gloves. And while I can certainly understand questioning giving the Fighter of the Year trophy (well there is no trophy) to a guy that wears a visor, I will say that Tootoo does not hide behind his visor... he removes it when there is time. What was most impressive about Tootoo this year is that he routinely took on guys bigger than him and did well. Tootoo hung in with Reed Low (6'4", 220 lbs) and slapped around Shane O'Brien (6'2", 237 lbs) to name of a few of his biggest opponents. Tootoo racked up 12 fighting majors (6 wins, 2 losses, 6 draws) this year, good for sixth in the NHL. His only losses (Low, Boynton) both came in his first two fights as well. Tootoo proceeded racked up victories against Goertzen, Brewer, Seabrook, Mayers, O'Brien, and Regher. Toss in a KO of Robidas and you have 7 victories. Congrats to Jordan for becoming TMFB's first Fighter of Year Award winner!



Close second - Donald Brashear - With 14 fights, Brashear was fourth in the league in fights. And with the exception of some a tough matchup with Andre Roy and Andrew Peters (ate a good one and kept going), Brashear was a dominant heavyweight this year. Brashear scored victories over Colton Orr (three times), Vishnevski (bloodying him for Sutton's knee on Green), Danny Bois, George Parros, Andrew Peters (in the rematch), Shanahan (what a warrior Shanny is for even going), Downey (bloodied Downey badly) and Roy (in another rematch after a loss). Overall Brashear went 10-3-1 against opponents this year. Love him or hate him, Brashear is one of the most effective fighters in the NHL. He was also the best enforcer in the NHL this year as well.

2006-2007 NHL's Top Ten - I hate top tens because you can't help but think about the previous year as well. But I'll give it a go:

1) Donald Brashear - 10-3-1 this year; stepped up to the plate against many haters.
2) Georges Laraque - results aside, he doesn't fight enough; his fight with Brashear should have been two for slapping.
3) Derek Boogaard - has yet to beat Laraque; Brashear "slipped" before they could get going.
4) Andrew Peters - scored a great win against Brashear this year.
5) Brian McGratton - right below his rival.
6) George Parros - led the league in fights this year.
7) Colton Orr - take away his losses to Brashear and he gets ranked higher; KO'd the Fridge; beat Jannssen soundly.
8) D.J. King - beat Shelley badly, Barch, Parros, Hordichuk, and Parker. Look out NHL!
9) Jody Shelley - beat Parros, McGratton, and Ivanans.
10) Jordan Tootoo - for the reasons explained above; 6-2-6 this year. Reminds me off a raw Domi.

Feel free to leave a comment to disagree with any/all of this. I welcome the debate. Look out for Huard's 2006-2007 fight awards... coming soon!!!

Inside The Heart: Home of the Tough Guy: CHAPTER 3 - Lake Placid Here I Come!

CHAPTER 3 - Lake Placid Here I Come!

What does it take to be a tough guy in hockey? When do you decide that you have reached the point in your playing career where you must make a choice? Or are you still unsure? Its not an easy decision. Growing up and as a kid, scoring goals was always what hockey was about. But there comes a time when you realize, you may still score goals, but other guys are scoring more than you, other guys are starting to get more ice time than you, you need a challenge, and you need to find out if its in you.

15 years old and going on 16, high school glory days right there, and what better than to try out as a rookie for your high school hockey team? 81 players attended training camp, most of them 16, 17 and 18 year olds. As a 15 year old, you really got to prove yourself, or you will be sent packing quick. I decided I would carry over my power forward style I had utilized last season. But I was playing with kids my age then, now its different. The guys are older, bigger, and stronger. I busted my ass in training camp, and I think it was my hard work and aggressiveness with the older kids that did me well. I realized I wasn't scoring goals in scrimmages, but I was throwing hits and making a name for myself. I remember in a pre-season game against the one high school who had a big tough dude gooning it up, so of course, I decided it would be best for me to line him up when he had his head down, and smoke him in open ice. So sure enough, I got my chance, and BOOM, I hit him with everything I had. The crowd was going crazy and my teammates were too! He gets up and chases me down, I remember how angry he was, and then one of our older "team leader" bigger tough guy stepped in and took up the cause. I wasn't sure if he liked me, but sticking up for me, brought a smile to my face. So they battled in a pretty epic fight. It was so good someone taped it in the crowd and they played it at our school dance that week. So I had a hand in how that fight started, and I think I earned my keep that night.

What you have to understand is, their is no greater feeling in the world than having a teammate stick up for you and take up your cause, no matter what. Its goosebumps all the way. I loved that feeling so much, I wanted to stick up for as many teammates as I could, because I knew how they would feel. No matter what, you always thank them, and make sure they know you are grateful, that's important. Its a valuable lesson in life too. In a way, its like war, and you are soldiers in a war fighting for a cause, but obviously to a lesser extent. But the same characteristics and feelings are there.

The high school hockey team was one year of extreme fun and bonding with teammates. Not only did you play hockey with these guys, you went to school with them all day as well. You got team uniforms, jersey's with your own number you picked out, and your name on the back. You were like a hero at school. I of course chose #32 (in honor of Rob Ray!). I was one of three rookies on the team of 25 players. Fighting was frowned upon in the high school ranks, and anyone engaging would get an automatic 3 game suspension. If you instigated a fight, you would get 6 games! So safe to say, I wasn't really fighting this year, atleast not yet!

Our big tournament was the annual 64 team Lake Placid classic in Lake Placid, NY. Imagine being in a tournament of this size, playing on the Olympic size ice rink! It was a true hockey experience. Well our team finished around 50th place, but we had a great time. I remember playing against one team from the Boston area, and they had this husky kid, short but built huge, and he had #28 DOMI on his helmet, and wore #28. So I of course lined up beside him and he looked at me and I said, "Hey Tie Domi, meet Rob Ray, nice to meet you, I am sure we will be seeing a lot of each other" He looked at me and had to laugh. (This was in around 1991, a year or so before the epic Domi-Ray fight rivalry in the NHL even started). I always remember that.

The biggest moments of that season would come in the playoffs. We had won our local championship, so we went on to the regional round. We played a team about 30 min away from us, in a best of 3 series. Boy was it rough! We won Game #1 at home, and then it was time for the epic Game #2 in their barn. A lot of our buddies and schoolmates made the ride up in a fan bus, and they had their fans out in full force. The tension was high, and the emotion was even higher. I remember getting hit the hardest I ever had been hit in open ice with a forearm, and I flipped right over onto my head. I heard a ringing sound for about 2 minutes as I got to the bench and had to rip my helmet off right away. It was a weird feeling. Anyway, our team was losing by a few goals late in the game now, we were frustrated and all of a sudden, one of their guys speared our best player and hurt him. The ref didn't see it. But we did. The final horn sounded, a melee broke out on the ice, but finally the officials and coaches were able to break it up without anything major happening since we had the 3rd and deciding game left to play. The teams got off the ice, and then that's when all hell broke loose. That's right, OFF THE ICE, in between the dressing rooms in the tunnel area. It started when our guy who got speared was in tears from pain, and their captain had made fun of him from down the hall near their room, well our guy FLIPPED, picked up his hockey stick and threw it like a spear about 40 feet and hit their guy in the neck. Then they started to come out of their room to see what happened, and we all charged out of our room and everyone met in the middle throwing punches, elbows and whatever! I remember diving in with a big right haymaker, hitting their biggest guy right in the head as he tried to fight a bunch of us. A lot of their guys were hesitant to fight, and we only had a few of our guys who stayed in the doorway area, I remember our one guy was deep into their dressing room, and I remember going in there after him looking around ready to punch anyone on their team, then I get pushed back into the pile, and more punches flying. I only got hit once or twice amazingly, and dished out some big shots. I wasn't a major player in the brawl, but definitely was involved. I remember going from pile to pile at one point, it was chaos! We beat up about 8 of their players, and only one of our guys was damaged pretty good. Finally security, coaches, and arena staff broke up the brawl. We all had to get out of our gear, showered, and out of the arena in like 10 minutes. We got on our bus and were hurried back to our school. By this time it was around 8:00pm or so at night (the game was at 4:00pm). I remember us all charged up on the bus, some with battle scars, and such, but we showed we were a team, a close knit group of guys who really weren't that close early in the season. We were thanking each other, and asking, "hey who had my back when I was in the room and had those two guys pulling on me", then someone would say "oh I grabbed that guy and gave him a shot", and someone else would say, "did you see what so and so did when he had me pinned!". Even our head coach had to smile and throw in his two cents, but said we were going to be in deep shit with out Principal (a woman), and the School board.

Got off the bus that night, and walked home just to calm down. I was charged up still, the adrenalin flow is something else I tell you. It was a cool rainy night, I made it home in about 30 minutes, and was still huffing and puffing adrenalin. Finally got to sleep, with a smile on my face and eagerly awaiting the next day at school.

What a nightmare!! We were all pulled out of our first class first thing in the morning and put into an empty room. We sat there for a while, then the Principal and Vice Principals came into the room with a school board trustee. Oh fuck were they PISSED! What was even worse, was them looking at some of our battles scars. They lashed us out for several minutes, saying how embarassed they were of us, and how we gave the school a bad image etc. How they don't condone fighting, and will not tolerate it. Called us animals, you get it. They left the room, and we started laughing!! Our coach got in shit too, and he told us they were contemplating forfeiting the game and we would lose the series. We were pissed. So our coach managed to pursuade the School board trustee who pursuaded our Principal and Vice's that let them play this final game with stipulations. Our Principal had talked to the other school's Principal, and they were saying they have 8 beaten up students, and a rally at the school of schoolmates looking for revenge. Of course, we already had 4 buses of schoolmates ready to come out in case any rumbles started between the two schools.

So they decided the game would be played, but at a NEUTRAL site rink that wouldn't be announced until both teams were on their buses. Of course it leaked out a bit before and we were able to get some of our fans to the location, but everything was calm in Game #3. We lost the game and the series, and our coach just pulled us away from anything that night. Kind of uneventful, but the hype and buildup of a blood bath on the ice and with the fans off the ice, was worth it!! Nothing like hockey fighting and brawling to get school spirit going!

A few weeks later, it was announced that our high school suspended the operations of its Boys Hockey Team indefinitely. A couple years later, I graduated, and the team was still suspended. Now about 14 years later, still my former high school never reinstated the Boys Hockey team. I remember each year asking around, then I had a couple friends end up being teachers at the school, and they said they inquired but it was still a touchy subject. Even some 2 principal's later. We had a nice team picture taken in Lake Placid that year back then. I remember it, right at center ice on the Olympic Rink where Team U.S.A. won Olympic gold in the early 80's in the Miracle game. I look at that picture every now and then, when it needs to have the dust blown off it, or when it needs to be pulled out of a storage box it sat in. I remembered what we fought for. We didn't fight for our school pride or for show. We fought for each other, and that's how we would want anyone to remember us. I played on the last team that would ever serve that school, and to me, and my teammates....we went out in style, we went out as brothers, we went down with a fight, and we went out with dignity....and that's what few people can understand. People who don't understand the game of hockey and what it means to us as a person. People who think they can write articles on why fighting in hockey is bad, when they don't have a clue what they are talking about. Its like the same people who write about how war is bad, and why is it necessary. Well, their is a reason, I am not about to tell you, but their is always a reason. We have our pride, we will always have that, if nothing else...

Inside The Heart: Home of the Tough Guy: CHAPTER 2 - My first ever hockey fights and I'm lovin it!

Chapter 2 - My first ever hockey fights and I'm lovin it!

Fighting is not something you are forced to do at a young age in hockey; it's something you choose to do; either to add an extra element to your overall game or because its in you and you wouldn't know any other way. I was 15, and for the first time in my life I added some SIZE, going from 140 lbs to 155 lbs. What it did was help me around the net, fight off defenders and score more goals. It also helped me hit harder, gain confidence in hitting, and gain confidence in starting to fight in hockey. You see, this was Mike Hartman, Rob Ray, and very soon Gord Donnelly, and a rookie named Brad May time in my life. As a Sabres fan watching these guys play hard, fight, and generate excitement and good team comradery, I decided that I could add this element to my game. I wasn't sure if it was in me or not; I guess I wouldn't know until I had my first. Kind of like your first time with a girl; you're all nervous and are not sure if you can perform and if you will be good at it; and if she will like you after... And then you do it and your realize, it wasn't that bad after all, easier than you thought!

That's what it was like in my first hockey fight. It was no slug fest of course. It never is. It just finds you and before you know it, you are in it. I remember it was a home game, and I had the added bonus of one of my teammates fighting at the same time in a seperate fight away from the scrum. I was still in the scrum after a couple of the opposing team's players took a shot at our goalie, so the two of us came rushing in. My teammate was paired off and fighting, and I wound up on the bottom of a scrum and this little twirp was on top of me trying to get my helmet off so he could punch at my face. I could feel this guy trying to force my helmet off but I kept my head tucked and flat to the ice to prevent it. I had 2 or 3 other guys on top of me at the time and was pinned. I then mustered up all the energy and strength I had and managed to flip him over and get on top of him. This time he was at the disadvantge. My gloves were already off and so were his, and as I got him over I started pummeling him with quick Gord Donnelly type lefts; and he went down and stayed down until the linesmen pried me off him. I got up as the linesmen led me away to center ice away from the pack and I adjusted my elbow pads and looked for more, but none was coming. My teammate had beat the other guy who sticked our goalie and he skated by me with a smile on his face; I smiled back. And I remember the parents of the opposing team cursing and shouting at me, calling me a goon, calling me a dirty name, and I was just laughing at them. It was great! The adrenalin you feel after is amazing... just pumped right up. I said to myself right there "man this looks like the job for me!". We were both ejected and it took a few hours afterwards for me to finally calm down. I think my dad was more proud than I was. It was a funny thing. It was talked about for at least a week.... or that is until my next fight!

I quickly learned that year that fighting in hockey was much more than combat to see who can beat who. It was about protecting and sticking up for your teammates who aren't as big, who aren't as strong, and who aren't as tough, and making sure they can play their game. It's about loyalty, it's about respect, it's about honor, and it's about emotion. You could spend years watching the game and you may never get to know or understand this. It discourages me when people can't understand it. And it's usually these anti-fighting, anti-violence in sports people who think they know how the game should be played.

I would go on to score and fight; but my fights tended to be short and uneventful that year. I was still young and learning the ropes. I realized balance was a key aspect in a hockey fight, as was endurance. I learned some technique.. And I watched many NHL fight tapes to learn new things. It helped a great deal.

Did I ever get butterflies before a game knowing the opposing team had some big tough guys? Surely. All tough guys in hockey do. It's a given. The pre-game warm up you are always looking to see if their tough guys are playing that night, and you try to prepare. It's much the same in the NHL. Doesn't matter if you are 15 or 35, its the same feelings. Once you get into the game, it changes, you are focused, and whatever happens, happens. I remember one game that year, there was this one team with about 4 or 5 big tough guys thaht were all bigger than me. I thought they were pretty tough. Well one guy was mouthing off to our bench and then at our coach right in front of our bench. I was standing up, with my coach holding onto my shoulder. He kept yapping and then tried the John Wensink challenge the bench thing. As soon as I saw that, I smoked him with a glove on punch to the mug and dropped him in front of our bench. I got 2 and a game misconduct for that. But boy was it worth it! He finally got up and I thought I was going to hop the boards and fight; but he didn't want to fight at that point. Then the ref came over to grab him and he pretended like he was trying to break free from the ref. What a joke! And here I thought this guy was a tough guy. I was escorted off the ice; but my teammates all came in during the intermission and patted me on the back.

Later that season, against that same team, another one of their tough guys speared our goalie at the end of the 2nd period as we were going off the ice for the intermission. I of, course saw this, was the only one who did, and immediately went after him, jumped him, and fed him some punches. He tried to get off a few but they missed and I fell on top of him. I remember how happy our goalie was that I stuck up for him. That's what it was for me... just seeing how my teammates appreciated what I did to help him. If they didn't appreciate it, I wouldn't have done it. It wouldn't have meant anything. It was a good feeling. And slowly but surely I was developing into a pretty tough player.

Its funny, how things get around the league... news travels. I found myself later in the year getting more room on the ice. I wasn't getting run at like before. I was getting the puck and having time to do more things with it. Less guys were willing to run at me because they knew I would answer. I wasn't the toughest guy in the league by any means, but I was willing and could handle myself. I took pride in what I was doing.

That's what it is... pride. The enforcers in pro hockey today, take a good look at them and what they do. Why are they doing it? Well yes, the money is good. But its not about the money... money is further down the list for them. Its pride, taking pride in the job they are doing, taking pride in sticking up and protecting their teammates. Its an honorable job, and its a great feeling to get the accolades for doing it. But we are so humble; it just goes with the territory. After all, its part of the game. It has always has been part of the game. Someone will always be the tough guy. It will never die. As much as it seems like it might, it never will...

Chapter 3 - "Lake Placid Here I Come" will be posted next week...stay tuned!!

Hits to the Head or Respect? Get it Right.

Enough of all of this “we need to eliminate hits to the head” talk. Unless you are adding something new, why even bring it up? Saying we need to eliminate hits to the head is like saying we need to implement touch up icing; both couldn’t be any more obvious.

So let’s cut to the chase and get to the two incidents that have caused all of this convenient and unoriginal talk. The hits to Tomas Kaberle and Chris Drury were very similar. And there are two elements that stand out in each hit; the part of the body used to deliver the blow and timing.

When it comes to the hits themselves, both were 100% clean. That is why I am confused as to why the hits to the head talk has been running so rampant. Both Chris Neil and Cam Janssen used their shoulders to hit their opponents. Neither jumped at the players they were about to hit. They simply used their speed and shoulder to level an opponent that had their head pointed in the wrong direction… down. On top of that, Chris Drury had his head down while skating across the neutral zone and he did not have his helmet buckled up properly. Simply put, he paid the price. Chris Neil’s hit was borderline late. But it was not dirty. And as unpolitcally correct as it is to say it, Chris Drury should be “shouldering” some of the blame here.

The Cam Janssen hit was similar to Neil’s. Janssen leveled Kaberle with an open ice hit, one that Kaberle saw coming and tried to duck, thus putting his head in line with Janssen’s shoulder. The similarities stop there. Janssen’s hit was late. Janssen went out of his way to run a player. That should not be condoned and Janssen was suspended accordingly by the league.

So if you want to add something original to these two hits, please stop talking about hits to the head. The hits to the head were a result of two players that had their heads down; both were caught with clean hits that were delivered at the shoulder. The real issue here is respect. Both hits were late and were delivered to opponents that were in a vulnerable position. If Cam Janssen had any respect for Tomas Kaberle, he would have held up from knocking his block off. The Terry O’Reilly story has been brought up occasionally as O’Reilly once said he had the chance to hit a vulnerable opponent, but let up out of respect. He then told the player at the next face off what he had did and that he wouldn’t hesitate to put him into the Boston stands on the next go-around if he wanted to skate around with his head down.

So where do you draw the line on respect? The game of hockey is physical and is played at break neck speeds. How simple is to hold up on a hit when it might be a millisecond too late? I’m not sure about that. The Neil hit is a perfect illustration and is a good reason why I didn’t include him with Janssen in the statement about respect. Is Neil a disrespectful punk because he didn’t let up on Drury? My thought is, he is not. And I can’t help but think that I am in the majority here because the Colin Campbell didn’t break out his suspension wand on this one.

But no matter which side you want to argue about the two hits that have given the NHL more attention that they have seen in two years (just ask Brett Hull), at least focus on the right topic. Hits to the head are bad for hockey (see Colton Orr crosschecking Alexander Ovechkin in the face). And no matter how you slice it, neither Cam Janssen nor Chris Neil are guilty of delivering improper hits to the head.

Update - It appears the NHL GMs will take another look at hits to the head at their next meeting. The last time the GMs met, they reviewed hits that were all declared legal by the league. Their unanimous conclusion was to leave the rules as is. I can't help but think this will be the case this time as well. Thanks to Kukla's Korner for the pointer.

Inside The Heart: Home of the Tough Guy: CHAPTER 1

This is the first part of a little mini-series I will be writing on my recollections of the life of being an enforcer in hockey. These will mainly be my own accounts, of my life playing that role in my hockey career, as well as other advice and points I have learned and been told by enforcers/tough guys I have played with and against, and even some that have and still play in the NHL. These players include Matt Johnson, Andrew Peters, Dennis Maxwell, Jason Clarke etc.

So here we go, with Chapter 1 of the Mini-series: Inside The Heart: Home of the Tough Guy Chapter 1 - The Beginning and Defiance of the role at a young age

"So what do you think mom? I think I am going to start fighting when I play hockey!" WHAT?!?!? Mom says. "Are you out of your mind?" "You are going to get your teeth punched out; do you want to have no teeth when you are older?" "Dad's a dentist, he can fix em" "Don't be stupid, you are going to embarrass us and get yourself into a lot of trouble, one of these big guys is going to pound you, then we will see how tough you are!" "Dad loves it. He said I should hit and fight more because the scouts look for that!" (Mom is walking away and refuses to carry on the conversation. Like any good mother, she wants her son to play, have fun, and score goals, and does not want to see any other boy throwing punches at her boy and trying to hurt him!)

I'm 14 years old, just started high school, playing hockey and loving it. I have a coach that I love, and he believes in tough hockey. But I am timid… I am learning. I am learning all the parts of the game. This hitting and fighting thing, I think its something I could do in a year, I just got to get bigger, and gutsier and learn from the older guys on the team. Ok, that's pretty simple, sounds like a plan. I got 0 PIM in 21 games and am not getting much ice time. I know I can score some goals, but I want more; I want to contribute more. I finish out the season. I thank my coach for the belief he has instilled in me.

I work hard in the off-season; I work out; I get bigger; I get stronger; I skate harder; I train harder. This is a big year for me. I will be 15 now, and this is my chance to make the AAA squad and get noticed by the OHL. I attend camp, fit and ready to compete. I hit, I play tough...I am the last cut. I was beat out of a job by an up and coming 14 year old rookie, Ryan Pepperall, a 3rd rd, 54th overall pick Toronto Maple Leafs. I go down to the AA team, still a pretty good league, and I turn into the scoring power forward with first line ice time. I score 25 goals in 40 games, and register 125 PIMs, leading the team in both categories. So I went from 0 PIM to 125 PIM in a matter of one year! I would also get into my first ever hockey fight… and many more after that. I will get back to that later.

I was recalled three times by the AAA team during the season. The first time was uneventful, the second time I was put right onto their first line with their two best players who happened to be two of my good friends. The game was in Welland, Ontario against their tough/physical squad. I decided I would create more room for them. There was this one guy on their team, a big huge guy who was always on the ice versus our best players to intimidate them. So I decided I would wait until he wasn't looking and run him in open ice to try to knock him down. So here we go...he gets the puck in open ice; he was very slow, so I charged hard with all my might and took a huge run at him, a big impact…. and I bounced off him and hit the ice. That's right, bounced off him, and he wasn't even looking! He turned around and got so mad that someone actually had the balls to take a big run at him. He came after me; I got up and went at him and he swatted me in the face with his big mitt as I got a huge jolt. But I took it and tried to get at him but I noticed all three officials were trying to restrain him, while no one had me. I looked at the three grown men struggling to hold this big kid back and I said, ‘hmmm.. I think I better go to the box now.’

The ref said, you don't get a penalty, but he gets 2+10. So I go back to my team bench and the coach chuckles and says to me, "You do know that's Matthew Johnson, don't you?" I said "Who?" Then the captain of the team says "Matt Johnson.” I said "I don't know him.” Then a scout leans over the glass hearing it all and says, "that's the big pyscho that almost ripped your head off and we scouts have him slated to be the next Bob Probert in the NHL." The scout was from Peterborough. Johnson, went up to Jr. B to play out the year with the Welland Cougars and was drafted by the Petes that summer. A couple years later, he slugged it out twice with Stu Grimson in Los Angeles for the Kings in a pre-season game. I remember after that game in Welland that night, my dad said to me, "That big kid was a tough one. The other parents were saying he has hurt five kids already, and two at the same time, and he is going up to Jr. B pretty soon." I said, "Yeah I guess he's supposed to be the next Probie or something in the NHL someday." My dad chuckled.

What did I know? Young, stupid, and willing to go with anyone, I guess I proved a lot of things that night. It inevitably would set the stage for the rest of my hockey career! Chapter 2 - My first ever hockey fights and I'm lovin it - will be written on March 12th...

The Bruins Weren't the Only Team to Scale the Glass

Hockey went through quite a period during the 1970's thanks in large part to the success of the Flyers and their approach to the game. Although much of the credit can be given to the Flyers, they only picked up where The Big Bad Bruins left off. What was really fascinating about the game back then was that there were these spectacular brawls which usually involved almost every player on both teams, was that for the most part, the teams would return to some semblance of hockey immediately after such a major explosion.

Most of these brawls started because back in those days you simply did not under any circumstances run a star player or take a cheap shot or liberties with another man without paying for it, usually immediately. Unlike the gutless, cowardly approach in today's game where hitting from behind and cheap shots are incorporated into part of the game and many of the regular perpetrators escape their due punishment because of the instigator rule and the inability of some coaches to properly assess what standing up for each other is all about and how important it is to get that message across to each and every player on your roster.

One of the more fascinating brawls I can remember happened in January of 1972 and occurred during a St. Louis Blues/Philadelphia Flyers game. What was different about this one was that it didn’t involve the Flyer players at all, but their fans and the Philadelphia Police Department.

This one started innocently enough when, at the conclusion of the second period, Blues coach Al Arbour walked across the ice to question a penalty call made by referee John Ashley. Arbour and Ashley engaged in a heated argument when Ashley slapped Arbour with an additional two-minute bench minor.Incensed, Arbour followed referee Ashley the length of the ice and up the runway leading to the dressing room. As they argued on the runway leading away from the ice, Philadelphia fans began throwing trash and beer on Coach Arbour.The Blues players, led by Bob Plager, came to the aid of their coach and over the Spectrum glass they went. The Blues players stood between two sections of seats and began swinging their sticks at the fans. In the ensuing melee, more than 200 Philadelphia police were called in to quell the riot.When the dust had settled, four fans were injured, and Blue coach Al Arbour required 10 stitches to close a wound in his head. Defenseman John Arbour also required 15 stitches to close a head wound. 4 members of the Blues, Coach Arbour, Phil Roberto, John Arbour and Floyd Thompson were all arrested. Both Arbours and Roberto were charged with assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and conspiracy. Thompson was charged with aggravated assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and conspiracy. Two police officers also received minor injuries. During the one-hour delay, Flyers vice-president Joe Scott and Blues vice-president Lynn Patrick almost came to blows, going nose-to-nose and Blues owner Sidney Salomon, who was in attendance, sued the city of Philadelphia calling it the worst case of police brutality that he had ever seen. Coach Arbour was able to return to the game and coached the third period minus his shirt and tie.

As stated earlier, after this wild melee, the teams returned and played the third period without any further incidence. And for those that think that fighting and sticking up for each other doesn’t influence or impact the game itself, it is no coincidence that after 2 periods the Flyers were leading the game 2-0. After the brawl, and minus 3 players who were under arrest and being detained at the Philadelphia police headquarters, the Blues came back and scored 3 unanswered goals in the third period to win the game 3-2.