My Thoughts On Hockey In General

I don't really like hockey, but I've been watching it and embraced the bandwagon for the Bruins playoff run. But as BMack, The Captain and I were watching the game last night I thought of a way to get more production from the goalies. Tim Thomas had another sweet game but I feel you could get more games like that if teams used my idea. I don't know if there is a rule in hockey that only allows humans to play, but if teams just got sea turtles it would seem that would solve a lot of the problems teams run into.

They are already come with the padding and it would be damn near impossible to get the puck passed it. Anyways, just throwing it out there.

Rick Rypien Suspended Indefinitely

as he should

Just like how I said LeBron can't handle the negative pressure Rick Rypien did something worse. As he was going to the locker room after a fight, a fan said something to him and he pushed him. I know he didn't punch or do anything that serious, however, going into the stands or having any interactions with fans is a giant no.

He not only makes a joke of the NHL by not controlling his emotions, but embarrasses himself, the Canucks and his team.

I think the penalty is fair for now, I'd imagine it will eventually work out to 25 games.

Another Hockey Bashing Post

For example, the Scripps National Spelling Bee televised by ESPN last week drew 4 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, while Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers had 3.1 million viewers. more

Pretty embarrassing if you ask me, especially since it is a close series. But what is even more disturbing is the fact that ESPN gave the spelling bee an 8 hour block. I mean I watched it for a couple of minutes here and there, but 8 hours is absurd.

But to be honest, this is the first time I have followed hockey as close as I am. And they can't let this happen. It's really not that bad. I mean I probably wouldn't watch it over a Sox game where Wakefield is pitching against Steve Sparks, but if nothing else was on, I would give it a try. I don't know how you would market it better (Maybe not have most season games on the VS Network could be a start), but this really can't happen.

Either way I'm glad all the scumbag Philly fans aren't being as obnoxious.... Homos

I Was Right, The Captain and BMack Have AIDs

I don't write much about hockey, but when I do I have never been wrong, not once in my life. I have been a giant advocate of Sidney Crosby over Alex Ovechkin, and Captain and Bmack always would jump up and say no way. They said Ovechkin's better because he scores more, likes to fight, and drives his cars fast and is a badass, however, the faggots forgot to talk about the most important part of the arguement, and that's winning. Badass Ovechkin got knocked out of the playoffs by an 8 seed, and has watched Sid the kid win the Stanley Cup last year and get the gold in the Olympics this past year, and watch his team who is STILL in the playoffs. Crosby wins, Ovechkin fights, and drives cars and that's that. So before BMack and the Captain pretend to be hockey experts, how bout you ask the real genius when it comes to hockey and that's DP.

Bruins vs Sabers Preview

The Bruins took the 2-1 series lead on the Sabers and Ryan Miller, and tonight is a very important game because if the Bruins win they have the series in hand, however, if they lose they give up home court(Ice). Tuuka Rask has been playing extremely well and the defense has been tenacious and have put an extremely physical effort.

The key question heading into Game 4 is whether Buffalo’s leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek (out since the second period of Game 2 with an ankle injury and spotted wearing a boot around the rink) will return to action. Buffalo has scored only twice in the last 100 minutes, and also could be without forward Matt Ellis, who took a solid check from Johnny Boychuk the other night and reportedly did not practice on Tuesday.

I expect an extremely chippy game and for it to be physical because a lot is on the line.

I believe Miller straightens out and Buffalo retakes home ice.
Buffalo: 4-2
Tommy Award: Ryan Miller

USA BEATS CANADA!!!

More on this game Monday morning.

-The Commodore

Olympic Hockey Roundup: Day 3

We're finally getting some exciting games...

USA 6, NORWAY 1

Don't let the final score fool you. The US didn't dominate this game. At least not as much as they should. You might think Norway is great at hockey, but they're not. One of their players is a carpenter. Yet this was a 3-1 game going into the 3rd.

Phil Kessel had a goal and an assist, as did Ryan Malone. Brian Raflaski had a pair of junktime goals in the last 3 minutes of the 3rd. Ryan Miller only had to stop 10 of the 11 shots he faced, but he did have an assist.

CANADA 3, SWITZERLAND 2 (SO)

Canada should not need a shootout to beat Switzerland. The Swiss have 2 NHL players. Goalie Jonas Hiller and defenseman Mark Streit. That's it. Nevertheless, they stymied an All-Star team from Canada, and stole a point from the tournament favorites.

The Swiss have been the surprise of the tournament, thus far. They only lost 3-1 to the US, and they forced Canada into a shootout in their second game. They should beat Norway to round out their group play. And their sound defensive play could pose a problem to future contenders.

In the round-robin stage, teams are given 3 points for regulation wins, 2 points for OT wins, and 1 point for OT losses. So Canada only having 5 points is a major surprise. And Switzerland could finish the stage with 4 points, which is a significant achievement for a country that didn't even qualify for The Games 12 years ago.

SLOVAKIA 2, RUSSIA 1 (SO)

What a great game. Once again, the best matchup of the night started at 12:30 AM Eastern Time, so many people missed this contest. Zdeno Chara and Alex Ovechkin battled all night long, and it was more physical than when the Caps play the Bruins. Alexei Morozov scored for the Russians in the 2nd, Marian Hossa scored for the Slovakians with about 10 minutes to go in the 3rd. The shootout went 7 rounds before Pavol Demitra beat Bryzgalov.

This was a huge win for the Slovakians, who had lost 3-1 to the Czech Republic the night before. Group B is now totally up for grabs.

Today's games:
3pm on MSNBC: Sweden vs. Belarus
8pm on CNBC: Czech Republic vs. Latvia
12am on MSNBC: Finland vs. Germany

-The Commodore

Olympic Hockey Roundup: Day 3

As much as I wish the NHL switched to European sized ice, thank God we still have North American style officiating. An automatic 10 minute misconduct just for knocking some guy in the head? And how soft did the refs call the Germany/Sweden game? Daniel Alfredsson draws a penalty by losing a shoving contest with a German. Lame.

FINLAND 5, BELARUS 1

The '06 Silver Medalists expectedly dominated Belarus, but compared to the other blowouts, this was one of the least impressive. But what does that matter? Only in goal differential (which is a tie-breaker). Finland went undefeated in the '06 Games until they met Sweden in the final, and their team is equally as "unimpressive" (in quotes, because it's relative compared to the other powerhouses in the tourney) as it was back then. Don't judge this team until they play Germany on Friday.

SWEDEN 2, GERMANY 0

Sweden won Gold in '06. Sweden is the #3 team. Germany was 10th in the '06 Olympics. Germany is ranked 12th in the world. As a German fan, I'm satisfied with a 2-0 loss. Especially since Sweden's first goal should have been waved off for a blatant goaltender's interference.

To be fair to the Swedes, they looked extremely rusty (except for Alfredsson). The number of offsides they had testified to this. They hardly ever put together the lengthy, pretty, passing plays they're capable of. This will probably be their worst performance of the tournament.

But look out for Germany. Finland, I'm talking to you. This team won't score much, but they can play defense. And it's not a boring, backfoot kind of defense like we saw from the Swiss, or from past German teams. It's a slightly more aggressive defense that could frustrate contending teams.

CZECH REPUBLIC 3, SLOVAKIA 1

Jaromir Jagr returned to North American ice with a goal and an assist, and Tomas Vokoun stopped 34 of 35 shots faced, propelling the Czechs to a victory in the first legitimately competetive matchup of the tournament. Marian Gaborik scored the lone Slovakian goal.

David Krejci was -1 for the Czechs, and Zdeno Chara registered 4 penalty minutes.

Today's games:
3pm on USA: USA vs. Norway
8pm on CNBC: Canada vs. Switzerland
12:30am on CNBC: Russia vs. Slovakia

Tough draw for the Slovakians, having to face the Czechs and Russians on back to back nights.

-The Commodore

Olympic Hockey Roundup: Day 1

Some expected results yesterday, as three giants crushed three underdogs. I have to say that I miss the wider European ice surface typically seen in Olympic games. I don't know why, after spending billions to ready their city, Vancouver couldn't temporarily remove two or three rows of seats to make for a wider ice surface in the Canucks' rink.

U.S.A. 3, SWITZERLAND 1

I gave the Swiss a chance in this one, as the US players are either too inexperienced, or too old, with very few falling optimally in between. The Swiss also have Jonas Hiller, who helped propel the Ducks past the Sharks in last year's playoffs.

But the US's depth and talent was apparent in the 2nd period. The Swiss were in a defensive trapping style, which frustrated the Americans' attack (especially on NHL width ice, ironically giving an advantage to a European team). The Swiss had some nice chances, but lacked the skillset to properly aim the puck. They looked like a bunch of Michael Ryders, in other words.

The US will advance to the Elimination Round, but not much farther. They're simply not good enough to score or to prevent talented teams from scoring on them.

CANADA 8, NORWAY 0

The only surprise here is that the game was 0-0 after the 1st period. Jarome Iginla scored a hat-trick, and Dany Heatley scored twice. Crosby had 3 assists, and the Bruins' Patrice Bergeron had an assist.

What I noticed most came after the game. While the Canadian fans celebrated a bit too much (Norway has 0 NHLers and hasn't even qualified for the Olympics since 1994), the Canadian players calmly and cooly congratulated each other. It was as if they were already past this 8-0 win and preparing for their meeting with Switzerland on Thursday. Pretty remarkable considering for 75% of the team, this is their first Olympics.

This is a team deadset on a mission.

RUSSIA 8, LATVIA 2

Ovechkin scored twice, as did KHLer Danis Zaripov. Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist, as did Malkin. This team is loaded with talent, perhaps a bit moreso than the Canadians. They too are on a mission. Canada may be the favorite on home ice, but Russia is the #1 ranked team in the world (IIHF), and hasn't won Gold since they were the "Unified Team" (just after breakup of the USSR) in '92. If Canada is hungry for Gold, Russia is starving for it.

Today's games:
3pm on MSNBC: Finland vs. Belarus
8pm on CNBC: Sweden vs. Germany
12:30am on CNBC: Czech Republic vs. Slovakia

-The Commodore

Olympic Hockey TV Schedule

Here's the men's hockey TV schedule. This is all based on my cable provider, and all the times are Eastern, so some local adjustments might be necessary. The really good games are denoted with a star*

Date - Time - Channel - Game
Tue 2/16 - 3pm - USA - USA vs. Switzerland
Tue 2/16 - 8pm - CNBC - Canada vs. Norway

Wed 2/17 - 12:30am - CNBC - Russia vs. Latvia
Wed 2/17 - 3pm - MSNBC - Finland vs. Belarus
Wed 2/17 - 8pm - CNBC - Sweden vs. Germany

Thu 2/18 - 12:30am - CNBC - Czech Rep. vs. Slovakia*
Thu 2/18 - 3pm - USA - USA vs. Norway
Thu 2/18 - 8pm - CNBC - Canada vs. Norway

Fri 2/19 - 12:30am - CNBC - Russia vs. Slovakia*
Fri 2/19 - 3pm - MSNBC - Sweden vs. Belarus
Fri 2/19 - 8pm - CNBC - Czech Rep. vs. Latvia

Sat 2/20 - 12am - MSNBC - Finland vs. Germany
Sat 2/20 - 3pm - MSNBC - Norway vs. Switzerland
Sat 2/20 - 7:30pm - MSNBC - Slovakia vs. Latvia

Sun 2/21 - 12am - MSNBC - Belarus vs. Germany
Sun 2/21 - 3pm - NBC - Russia vs. Czech Rep.*
Sun 2/21 - 7pm - MSNBC - USA vs. Canada*

Mon 2/22 - 12am - MSNBC - Sweden vs. Finland*

The elimination round commences Thursday February 23rd.

-The Commodore

B's Be Back in Business, Baby

Last Monday I was cautiously optimistic after an 0-1-1 weekend. So as you can imagine, I'm thrilled after a 1-1-0 weekend. With an OT loss Saturday and a shutout win Sunday, the Bruins have collected 4 points in 4 games. The sun isn't high in the sky just yet, but it's starting to peak over the horizon.

I'll focus more on Sunday's 3-0 shutout win over Montreal because it's much more pleasant to write about.

It was a game of firsts. The first Bruins victory since January 14th. Adam McQuaid scored his first NHL goal. And Blake Wheeler got into his first NHL fight.



It wasn't an epic debut for Wheeler into the world of fighter, but just the fact that he felt scrappy enough to drop the gloves, and was actually the only one in the fight who threw a punch, is a good sign.

Tuukka Rask is the hot goalie, and you have to ride him while he's hot. I'm still not completely sold on him, but the results don't lie. Besides, goaltending isn't this team's biggest concern, so why not let Rask play until he starts losing?



David Krejci left the game early with an undisclosed injury. The good news is that the Olympic Break commences soon. And honestly, I'm not going to miss Krejci's ghostlike presence on the ice, or lack of presence. He might be available for Tuesday's game in Buffalo.

To be perfectly frank, I was hoping Krejci would be out for a few weeks. Ryder too. I'd much rather have a forceful line with Sobotka and Bitz out there. Krejci's looked fine his last few games, but he's been lacking in every department all season long.

The Bruins bring their roadtrip to Buffalo Tuesday, then Tampa Bay Thursday and Florida Saturday. Then it's Olympic time. Hopefully a strong series of games will give the B's some positives to reinforce over the break.

-The Commodore

The Plan for Hockey (Continued)

Last week I issued 5 ways the NHL could improve itself and perhaps regain some of its lost popularity. Here are some more things they could (and I think need) to do...

VI: GET THE FUCK ON ESPN!
Versus offered the NHL a guaranteed TV deal, ESPN offered less, and with conditions. The NHL was coming out of the lockout, so I understand the need for cash right now. But in the longrun, ESPN offers so many more benefits compared to Versus.

#1: Every cable system in the country has it
#2: Every man and most women know exactly what channel ESPN is on
#3: ESPN promotes itself, so people know what will be on ESPN and when
#4: ESPN more prominently features the sporting events it broadcasts

The NHL shouldn't be worried about immediate TV revenue. Because that stream will someday (sooner than you'd think) dry up if kids don't get to see hockey on TV because their cable company doesn't play Versus, so the kids never play the game, and/or become fans of the game.

VII: MORE AMERICANS

This is a bit harder to achieve. But the NHL should invest some time, effort, and money into promoting the game in hockey talent regions like New England, the Midwest, and the Rockies. Instead of trying to spread the game to the South, the NHL needs to fully utilize the potential athletes that can come out of these regions.

And the ultimate goal should be to produce an American Superstar. Who are the big names in the NHL right now? They're all Canadians and Russians. We need more Americans and one big American star.

VIII: STAY IN THE OLYMPICS
The deal allowing NHL players to represent their countries in the Olympics ends after the 2010 Games. And the NHL is considering backing out of the Olympics. This is a mistake. The excitement of Olympics helps promote the game itself, both in North America and in the world. Having all-star teams of Finns, Swedes, Germans, and Czechs gets those countries excited about the games. Simple question really: do you think the ratings for an Olympic hockey game would go up or down if there weren't any NHLers participating?

IX: TINKER WITH THE WINTER CLASSIC, DON'T RUIN IT
The one thing the NHL does right these days is the Winter Classic. The NHL wants to implement a bidding process for the game, sort of like what the Olympics and World Cup do. Cities present proposals, and a committee selects the best one. That's a much better idea than a rotation system, or anything arbitrary like that.

The NHL should also considering allowing the fans up North to get in on the fun. Let two Canadian teams play each other in the Classic. But don't have it on New Years Day. Maybe have it in February. And even consider broadcasting it quietly on the NHL Network, instead of NBC or Versus. That way, outdoor games won't lose their unique appeal to the mainstream public.

X: SHORTEN THE REGULAR SEASON
82 games is pointlessly long, especially with a 16 team playoff structure. Cut it down by 10 or 12 games. Make regular season games more meaningful, more intense, and help reduce the laundry list of injuries that keep stars off the ice. I know what you're thinking: less games=less tickets=less money. Maybe. So charge a little more per game. And honestly I think what you sacrifice in upfront ticket sales, you'll regain with more TV ratings per game.

And seriously, only a few rinks are sold out every night. They'd be the only ones to lose significant money by reducing the length of the season.

-The Commodore

Yes, I'm Very Happy With an 0-1-1 Weekend

An 0-1-1 weekend and I'm a satisfied Bruins fan. No, I'm not happy that the Bruins got that one point. Although, that's nice considering the B's are 2 points behind 6th place, and 1 point ahead of 13th.

No, I'm happy with the way the Bruins played. Maybe it's the poker player in me. The attitude that "I didn't get the cards today, but I played well, didn't lose much, didn't make mistakes, just never got going." It's frustrating when you lose this way, but compared to how the Bruins had been losing, it's a fucking joy.

Firstly, the Bruins played two very good teams this weekend. The Northeast leading Sabres, and the Kings, who are the #4 team in the Western Conference.

Secondly, the Bruins ran in to two outstanding goalies this weekend. Both Ryan Miller and Jon Quick (sounds like a gunfighter) are going to the Olympics. Miller is a Vezina candidate, essentially leading the NHL in GAA (2.03), and SV% (.935).

I'm not making excuses. The Sabres beat the Bruins. The Kings beat the Bruins. But just barely. The Bruins played solid defense in both games, and they looked like a whole new team in the offensive zone.

The returns of Marco Sturm and Marc Savard (Claude Julien, please put these two on a line with Mark Recchi, just so we can call that line 'Marked Men') saw the offense evolve out of the primordial ooze of ABC hockey into a creative and entertaining unit.

What Sturm and Savard can do with the puck is simply fun to watch.

What Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder and Dennis Wideman do however, is like watching a midget try to piss at a urinal. It's just unfortunate.

Wheeler has all the skills, he just has no brain. He's still a sophomore player, so perhaps he'll learn. But in Saturday's game he had a truly Blake moment. He got the puck at the red line, streaked into the zone, using his speed and size to keep two Kings off the puck. Then he just drove straight into the corner, like a drunk driver with no idea what to do once he got behind the wheel.

But at least he moves the puck, unlike Ryder and Wideman, who play keep away with their teammates and constantly turn it over to the opposition.

But with Sturm and Savard, the Bruins notched a pair of power play goals. Bergeron's looking better, Lucic and Bitz are healthy, and Chara is playing with an inspirational fire.

Bruins host the Capitals in a huge matchup Tuesday night. Are they going to let a shootout loss crush their spirits? Or are they going to build on the positive?

I'm predicting a 4-2 Bruins win.

-The Commodore

Patrick Kane Being Awesome

Yea.... It's a real real slow day

The Plan for Hockey

Hockey is in trouble. Revenues down, moreso than the other sports. There are few star players despite the abundance of talent, and there's a Cold War on the horizon, with Russia's KHL. These are problems that take more drastic measures than simply introducing a salary cap, and getting rid of the redline. Here's my 5 Point Plan:

I: WIDEN THE ICE BY 10 TO 15 FEET
Players are bigger than they were when the size of a hockey rink was standardized. the 200' by 85' dimensions came from the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, where the first indoor game was played in 1875. Eighteen seventyfuckingfive! Do you know how small people and players were back then? Have you ever sat in a cramped seat at Fenway? Imagine seats built for people 35 years smaller!!! Widening the ice to a European size would open up play, and allow the game to flow better, particularly in the easily choked neutral zone.

II: SEVERE CONTRACTION
Why are there so few star players? Because we rarely get to see the same players more than two or three times a year. There are other benefits to contraction: the talent pool can be more concentrated, so remaining teams get better and deeper. Struggling teams like Phoenix, who bring down the average revenue of the League thus lowering the cap, can be eliminated. Hockey might work in Phoenix someday, but today isn't the day for experimenting. Smallmarket teams can also be eliminated, raising the salary cap ceiling. Candidates for contraction:

Phoenix Coyotes
LA Kings/Amnaheim Ducks (1 team in SoCal is enough)
Ottawa Senators
Buffalo Sabres
Nashville Predators
Florida Panthers
New York Islanders (2 NY area teams are enough)
Atlanta Thrashers

So a 22 or 24 team NHL, split into two conferences, or even split into 6 divisions of 4 teams, or 4 divisions of 6 teams. Weight the schedules heavily within the division so that rivalries are allowed to build. But this way, Bruins fans get to see the Red Wings more than once a season. And if we dump the East/West Conferences, and simply have 12-16 playoff teams from the entire league, there'll be more variety in playoff series. So teams like the Bruins might meet the Red Wings somewhere besides the Stanley Cup Finals.

III: LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION
The KHL will have to be reckoned with. So get ready for it now. For those who don't know, the KHL is Russia's SuperLeague, that also has teams in countries like Ukraine, Latvia, and Belarus. But by 2011 it wants to expand across Europe, absorbing the top teams from Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, and Finland.



The NHL has to prevent the KHL from turning into a competitor instead of a minor league. The NHL should form its own minor league in Europe, and use it as a feeder for the NHL, and also a place for veterans to play. Either that, or someday merge with the KHL, and have the Stanley Cup awarded to the winner of a playoff series between European and North American champions.



Hockey is popular in major European markets, unlike baseball or football. This needs to be taken full advantage of, and not just by having a pair of games in London or Prague.

IV: COMPLICATE THE SALARY CAP
One drawback of a salary cap is that teams struggle to have "regular" players. Sure, the stars like Crosby or Ovechkin might remain with a team for most of their career. But the middleclass players turn into nomads with a cap. There needs to be exemptions and allowances for teams to hold onto homegrown players. Using the Bruins as an example, guys like Patrice Bergeron should be allowed to get paid without hitting the cap too hard. That way fans are much more familiar with their teams, and don't have to constantly learn how to pronounce new French Canadian and Russian names as players come and go through a revolving door.

V: WIDEN THE NET
This is controversial. Because as NHL goalies have become larger, the goalmouth essentially gets smaller. But at the same time, NHL shooters have become more accurate. Any widening of the goal would have to be small, very small. BMack small, 2 to 3 inches. And I don't think it's necessary to the health of the game, but it wouldn't hurt.



-The Commodore

Hockey Fights Are Fun and Educational

Last week, DP incited a ruckus when he railed the NHL for permitting fights. As DC's resident hockey writer, I feel obligated to contribute my rebuttal.

DP wrote:
"Not only is it retarded to have two men, stop a game for a 3 second fight, but it is also pretty dangerous... Someone could die for no fucking reason, and then what happens to hockey? Even in the NHL rules it fosters the removal of a helmet during a fight by giving a player an extra minor penalty for not removing his visor. Doesn't that sound stupid, someone could get seriously injured if they wack their head on the ice."

I think this excerpt thoroughly demonstrates DP's lack of understanding when it comes to hockey. Which is fine. But here's a bit of an education. The rule that forces players to remove their visors helps AVOID injuries. When trying to punch someone's face, it's nice to not have a visor slice open one's knuckles. Fighting with visors is extremely dangerous. Most enforcers don't wear visors explicitly because it's bad etiquette to fight with a visor.

A year ago, Don Sanderson died after banging his head on the ice at the end of a hockey fight for the minor league Whitby Dunlops. Some people might blame the fight for his death, others might blame badluck. Skulls and ice don't mix. But they often only result in concussions when they strike. Rarely in death.

When Nick Adenhart died, did people suggest banning driving at times when drunks are also likely to be driving? It's dangerous to drive on the same road as drunks.

Every moment in life is dangerous. That danger increases when you fight someone. I once worked a Patriots game where a fan was punched once, which sent him hard to the ground. He cracked his skull and nearly died. I guess the safety-conscious DP would ban going to football games because someone might get hurt.

But despite DP's hockey ignorance, I think he makes some good points. Hockey should follow the lead of other sports, particularly baseball and basketball.

Instead of allowing 2 individuals to fight, the NHL should let tempers boil over, let guys like Sean Avery deliver a cheapshot, then both benches can clear, baseball style. Then everyone can stand around and play grabass for a few minutes. If only there were bullpens so 15 more participants could run 200 feet and join the mingling.



Then there's those tough guys in basketball. Basketball doesn't allow fighting. Instead, two 7' men will talk trash and threaten to fight, both knowing punches won't be thrown. Sometimes, they'll do this trashtalking half an inch from each other's face. This catfighting is only milimeters away from full-blown guy-on-guy kissing.



THAT was a fight? No lie, that's the #2 video on YouTube when you search "basketball fight."

And if there were fighting in the NBA, it would certainly be much more brutal than the NHL. Eventually, players would bring their gats to the bench, instead of leaving them in the locker room, where they belong.

In all seriousness, hockey is a physical game, with countless one-on-one battles. It's an emotional and aggressive game, and there are few breaks or stoppages in play, as there are in football. Tempers flare, and fighting serves as an outlet for those tempers.

Outside of Philadelphia, there's very little violent cheapshotting in the NHL. Because not only do players know they'll have to answer for their actions by dropping the gloves. But angry, mean, and potentially dirty players productively exorcise their aggression through fights.



DP's alternative is a game without fighting. In college hockey, there's no fighting. And it's usually fine, but sometimes games slow to a crawl because nobody can fight. Last Friday, BC beat Maine 6-1. As the game got out of hand, so did the penalties. Slashing, roughing, interference, high sticking. This was in a game that'd been decided. Instead of this parade of penalties, a 30 second fight would have calmed Maine's tempers, and helped them reinforce their shattered pride.



In big games, like the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there's almost no fighting. Unless, of course, the game is a blowout. As annoying as these trivial scuffles can be, they do serve a productive purpose. I'd rather a 5-1 playoff game end with fights, as opposed to cheapshots. I'd rather see the losing team's anger worked out in the 5-1 game, as opposed to letting it spill over into the next.

Nobody goes to hockey games just to see the fighting. Fights are inconsistent and unpredictable. They happen less than once per game in the NHL. In minor leagues, fights are more frequent, and too often are planned "statements" by individual players instead of natural enforcement or release of anger. This is a problem that should be addressed.

I've never gone to a Bruins game and enjoyed a loss because I saw a good fight. I've never gone to a game and left disappointed that I didn't see a fight. I don't exit the Garden thinking about the fight I did or didn't see. I'm thinking about the game.

Hockey fans do enjoy the fights as part of a game. They're exhilarating. They're fun to watch. But even fans that abhore fighting in hockey STILL WATCH THE GAMES. Because both groups love the sport.



DP doesn't like hockey. And that's fine. I don't think it's because he's ignorant of the game. He just doesn't like it. I just don't like tennis. I just don't like X-Games. And I just fucking hate lacrosse with all my heart and soul.

DP tries to justify his dislike of hockey. And it's vein, empty, and meaningless. He's afraid to just admit that he doesn't like hockey. He feels the need to try and convince us hockey fans that there's something wrong with us and something wrong with the sport we love. It's a common habit among human beings. We hate what we don't understand. DP hates that people like hockey.

Fighting is something exclusive to hockey. Hockey has it, baseball, basketball, and football don't. Fans of other sports might even be a bit jealous of that. I think DP might be one of these envious fans. When entering an argument like hockey vs. basketball, he knows that fighting will come up, and the pro-basketball side will have no answer for it.



The fans want fighting, the PLAYERS want fighting, the owners want fighting. Nuf Said.

-The Commodore

Senators 5, Bruins 1

The excuses are many, but still insufficient. Were games like this one uncommon, perhaps such excuses could be accepted as valid. But the Bruins have built themselves a new reputation this season. In last year's playoffs, the team's PR motto was: We Want It As Bad As You.



The slogan for the 09-10 season? We Play As Bad As You.

Injuries can forgive losses in close games, like we saw on the 1-1-1 Westcoast trip. And certainly players who have been hurt, like Bergeron and Krejci, can receive occasional hall passes for poor play.

But unhealthiness can't explain Blake Wheeler's inability to maintain posession of the puck. Blake's new nickname: Vonda Mahoney (the name of the "easy girl" in Family Matters that tried to repay Steve's tutoring with sexual favors. Only for Steve to convince her to be a prude) because he gives it up as easily as she did.



I'm convinced more and more that the Bruins acquired Satan to at least partially replace both Wheeler or Ryder.

Hopefully, losses like this one will ignite a fire under the asses. I've been kind of hoping for a bad streak of losses. The Bruins' bipolar, on-and-off efforts need to stop. The team has to hit bottom. And only then, coupled with the return of injured players, will give them a chance to achieve Springtime significance.

Bruins get the BJ's Thursday night.



-The Commodore

Another Reason Hockey Sucks

Well not that picture, if hockey was played with monkeys it would actually be kind of awesome.

Last week we got into an argument about fighting in hockey, and my last line was all hockey fans are racist. I will admit when I'm wrong, hockey fans aren't racist the NHL just is.

While the NBA, NFL, MLB are all donating millions of dollars to the devastation of Haiti, the NHL has ponied up a measly 100,000. That sounds a little ridiculous and just plain awful.

It's understandable with the terrible ticket sales, along with TV revenue that Hockey would give less, however one tenth of what the other sports gave is really cheap. Is the NHL that much less well off than other sports leagues? No. According to Forbes, the NHL made $141 million in profits in 2008 as compared to $318 million for the NBA, $501 million for MLB, and $790 million for the NFL.

So stay classy NHL, and keep being racist, that will surely get more fans!

USA's Overtime Goal

USA Wins Gold

I don't care if you like hockey or not, if you watched last night's game you would have been captivated by game. USA was able to take home gold over Canada for the first time since 2004 (Canada had won gold ever year since).

Canada was obviously the better team. USA was up 2 goals in the 3rd, but it didn't last long as Canada popped in two goals (which could have easily been 5). It seemed as though USA was done until Carlson beat goaltender Martin Jones on a 3-on-1 after U.S. goalie Jack Campbell made a save at the other end. It was the second goal of the game for Carlson, on loan to the U.S. team by his American Hockey League team in Hershey.

It was amazing, easily the best hockey game I had seen in years. Maybe the reason I was so into it was because Ray Bourque's son is on team USA. I was unaware of that fact until I started watching and did some research on the old IPhone. He seemed like a hell of a player to me, and is definitely something I will keep my eye on over the next couple of years.

Anyways, great game, and I hope at least some of you saw it...