Suing Cherry? Why I Never...
Well now, Cherry's gone done tick off the wrong people. Chris Nilan, Stu Grimson, and Jim Thomson are upset and are considering a lawsuit against Cherry for his comments.
Now, I don't know the stances Stu Grimson and Jim Thomson had made in the past. Nilan, on the other hand, floored me with his recent comments:
Nilan also clarified his stance on fighting and cleared up a misunderstanding that might have led to Cherry’s comments in the first place.
“I never said I wanted to see an end to fighting,” Nilan said. “What I don’t like is a guy calling up another guy for a fight.The defense presents Exhibit A, an interview last month with QMI Agency after the death of Wade Belak:
Chris Nilan, one of the league's top enforcers a generation ago for the Montreal Canadiens, says it's time for commissioner Gary Bettman to snuff out fighting for good.
"The NHL should ban fighting because it's no longer a factor in the games," Nilan told QMI Agency.I rest my case your honour.
Arron Asham is Going to Knock You the F*** Out
If your name is Jay Beagle that is.
During Thursday's Caps/Pens game, Beagle took a shot at Kris Letang. Now, Letang isn't exactly a big guy by NHL standards (6'0" 201lbs) and is a two-way defenseman, so he's not exactly expected to fight back. Arron Asham on the other hand is expected to protect his teammates (despite being around Letang's size - 5'11" 205lbs). So he did the right thing and stood up for Letang (although there are other sources saying Beagle was the challenger). So Asham and Beagle fight. Two punches later, Beagle is down and Asham is skating away victorious.
Now here is the "problem". After the fight, Asham begins taunting, first with an arm waving gesture (like an umpire calling a player safe in baseball) then by putting his hands together and pretending to sleep. Obviously, taunting now-a-days is frowned upon, so he gets heat for it. Here is the problem though, he doesn't realize the severity of the situation until AFTER his escort to the penalty box.
Of course, after the game apologizes are exchanged and every should (spoiler alert: that's the key word) be fine. Was it wrong? To the majority yes, but anyone who has ever played a sport in there life (or any sort of competitive competition) knows that emotions can run high and get the better of you. This is such an incident where this applies. So anyone calling for Asham's head should lighten up, he's not the only one whose has ever taunted after a fight.
Best. Player/Goalie Exchange. Ever.
If you ever want to see a player and goalie fight, seach YouTube.
If you want to see them exchange words, then read how Justin Bourne treats goalies and Bobby Goepfert's response.
As a guy who plays on both sides of the puck (ya, that does look/sound bad, but I'm rolling with it) I don't mind the verbal abuse and actually enjoy the shoving matches that occur in the front of the net. Anything else is annoying.
Lineup NOTables
Figures, all six (er...seven) Canadian teams are in action:
Calgary Flames vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Calgary: Mikael Backlund (finger), Raitis Ivanans (concussion), Brendan Morrison (knee) are out. MMiiiikkkkaa KKiipprruussooffff gets the start.
Toronto: Tim Connolly (Tim Connolly syndrome) is out while Nazem Kadri (knee) is doubtful. James Reimer Reimer is in nets.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Montreal Canadiens
Colorado: Mark Olver (head) and Brandon Yip (arm) are out. Semyon Varlamov is expected to start.
Montreal: Micheal Cammarelli (leg laceration), Ryan White (hernia), Jaroslav Spacek (upper body), Chris Campoli (leg), and (as always) Andrei "Right Knee" Markov are out. Carey Price, starter, 'nuff said.
Ottawa Senators vs. Washington Capitals
Ottawa: Matt Carkner (knee), Jesse Winchester (shoulder), and Bobby Butler (groin) are out. Alex Auld is expected to start.
Washington: Tom Poti (groin) and John Erskine (shoulder) are out while Jay Beagle (for obvious reasons) and Michel Neuvirth are listed as probable. Tomas Vokoun may start.
Winnipeg (New): Ben Maxwell, Kenndal McArdle, Eric Fehr (shoulder), and Aaron Gagnon are out. Chris Mason is going to start.
Winnipeg (Old): Michal Rozsival (upper body, supposity head) and Kurt Sauer (post-concussion syndrome) are out. Mike Smith gets start.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver: Ryan Kesler (hip), Mason Raymond (back), Byron Bitz (groin), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Nolan Baumgartner (foot), Aaron Rome (hand) are all out. Robero Luongo may start.
Edmonton: Ben Eager (concussion), Ales Hemsky (shoulder), Sam Gagner (ankle), and Ryan Whitney (ankle) are out. Devan Dubnyk might start.
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