Hockey Hits

With the recent suspension of Matt Cooke for the dirty hit on Ryan McDonagh it's the perfect time to make an entry on hits in hockey. Youtube video of the hit on McDonagh

Years ago there was a huge rivalry between Detroit and Colorado and I'm sure everyone has heard of at least one of the infamous hockey fights between the goalies. March 26, 1997 Mike Vernon and Patrick Roy fought on center ice that game. That same game Darren McCarty fought Claude Lemieux for the dirty hit he did to McCarty's teammate Kris Draper. Draper got a concussion, broken jaw, broken nose, and broken cheekbone. He had to have reconstructive surgery and Lemieux only was suspended for two games. I felt it was justified for McCarty to send a message for seriously injuring Draper, the rest of the team will not put up with that and fight back! Lemieux was coined "the turtle" for covering his head from McCarty hitting him. McCarty & Lemieux will actually be meeting again this weekend

There is a huge difference between a clean hit and an intent to injure. When a player has the puck opponents are allowed to try to get the puck or push them out of the way. Blindside hits, hits after the play, elbowing in the face are just some examples of illegal hits. Unnecessary hits that can end a player's career or for a season is uncalled for and makes the sport look bad compared to baseball, basketball, soccer, and football.

Before Todd Bertuzzi was a Red Wing he was playing for the Vancouver Canucks. In 2004, he did a dirty hit on Steve Moore of the Colortado Avalanche. The NHL and IIHF suspended him. Steve Moore actually sued in both the U.S. and Canada. Sadly, it was a career ending injury for Moore. Recently, Bertuzzi did a hit on a Chicago Blackhawks player but did not receive a suspension.

Earlier this season Red Wing, Brad Stuart got a blindside hit by Calgary Flames forward Tom Kostopoulos. Stuart suffered a broken jaw and was out for weeks. The NHL did suspend him for 6 NHL games so there was some justice.

I know during a hockey game emotions are high and there is bad blood between teams, but players need to remember it is just a game and trying to hurt a player intentionally is not sportsmanship in any way and bad message to children watching their idols. Hockey players dream of playing in the NHL and its sad to see a player end a career from an illegal hit. When a player gets seriously injured the player that did the hit deserves a suspension because the other team is without that player that was hit for games. The NHL does has affiliate teams but that doesn't always make up for a star player being out because of a hit.

They have added a new rule to the NHL Rulebook
Rules
Rule 48 - Illegal Check to the Head

48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted.

48.2 Minor Penalty - There is no provision for a minor penalty for this rule.

48.3 Major Penalty - For a violation of this rule, a major penalty shall be assessed (see 48.4).

48.4 Game Misconduct – An automatic game misconduct penalty shall be assessed whenever a major penalty is assessed under this rule.

48.5 Match Penalty - The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent with an illegal check to the head.

48.6 Fines and Suspensions – Any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts under this rule, in either regular League or playoff games, shall be suspended automatically for the next game his team plays. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.

If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion (refer to Rule 28).
**FROM NHL.COM**

In the NFL they are working on changing some of the rules so hopefully concussions can be lessened. Former NHL star, Eric Lindros was known for suffering concussions for his style of play. He retired in 2007.

People make jokes that hockey is murder on ice and the dirty hits help refute their point of view. These are only a few examples of the dirty hits in the NHL. Hopefully contact to the head goes down. Pucks can fly 100mph or more so players have been hit or a stick flies and hits a player and that is accidental in contrast to the intentional hits I talked about.

Hockey quotes

Hockey is life the rest is just details

To whom much is given, much is expected

If your dating a hockey player, raise your glass.......if not, raise your standards!

We get nose jobs all the time in the NHL, and we don't even have to go to the hospital.
(Brad Park)

Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental." (Jim McKenny)

How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo? (Jacques Plante)

Beware the fury of a patient man (Scotty Bowman)

Miracle
Herb Brooks: You guys don't want to work during the game?
No problem. We'll work now.
Goal line.
That one!
Hustle!
Think you can win on talent alone?
Gentlemen, you don't have enough talent to win on talent alone.
Again.
If you think you can come here and play the Norwegian National team and tie them and then go to the Olympics and win...
You got another thing coming.
You better think about something else, each and every one of you.
When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates.
And the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back!
Get that through your head!
Again!
Win, lose, or tie, you're
gonna play like champions!

Herb Brooks: What the hell is wrong with you? Put your gear on!
[pause]
Herb Brooks: I said put your gear on!
Rob McClanahan: Doc told me I can't play.
Herb Brooks: Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. You got a bad bruise. You know what put youre street clothes on because I got no time for quitters!
Mike Eruzione: Come on Herb! No body is quitting here!
Herb Brooks: You worry about your own game. Plenty there to keep you busy.
Herb Brooks: A bruise on the leg is a hell of a long way from the heart, candy ass.
Rob McClanahan: What'd you call me?
Herb Brooks: You heard me!
Rob McClanahan: You want me to play huh? Is that what you want?
Herb Brooks: I want you to be a hockey player!
Rob McClanahan: I AM A HOCKEY PLAYER! YOU WANT ME TO PLAY ON ONE LEG? HUH? I'LL PLAY ON ONE LEG!
Herb Brooks: [walking out of the locker room with McClanahan still screaming] That'll get him going.
Craig Patrick: O yeah. I'll clean up!

Herb Brooks: Don't be common.

Herb Brooks: Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. Screw 'em. This is your time. Now go out there and take it.

Al Michaels: Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? YES!

(Penguins vs Islanders, minus Pittsburgh I love they went to a hockey game)
She's Out of My League
Kirk: Come on, Averill, play the man, not the puck! I'm sorry, the player that I was screaming at is a forward, but for some reason he keeps hanging back at the blue line with all the defensemen. Molly: But you realize that they're hanging back 'cause they're trying to kill a power play.
Kirk: Ahh that is exactly what's happening
Molly: Damn it, Fox keep your stick down! That felt good.
Kirk: Yeah.
Stainer: She knows a strange amount about hockey.
Kirk: Yeah, man.
Stainer: Yeah.

NHL Trade Deadline

This is late post, the NHL trade deadline for this season ended February 28th, at 3pm. Since the NHL lockout the NHLPA and NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman agreed on a salary cap. The salary cap restricts teams such as the Red Wings to pick up players right before the playoff push. Compared to the MLB, there is no "luxury tax" where they can go past the salary cap like the New York Yankees always do. This season the Red Wings didn't pick up any players during the trade deadline because they had no cap room. The Red Wings did re-sign Jimmy Howard for two years(he was going to be a free agent at the end of the season). There were only 16 trades on the NHL deadline. The big deal of the day was Dustin Penner was traded to the LA Kings. Jason Arnott was traded to the Washington Capitals from the Devils for David Steckel. A few key players were re-signed by their teams.

In the past there have been bigger moves with no cap restriction. The Red Wings have picked up some key players during the trade deadline in years past. In 1994-1995 season the Wings got Slava Fetisov from New Jersey. He was part of the Russian 5 for the Wings. Currently, the Wings have a group of Swedes on the team. In 1995-1996 season the Wings picked up Kirk Maltby in exchanged for Dan McGillis. In 1997-1997 season the Wings got Larry Murphy from Toronto for future considerations. In 2002-2003 season the Wings acquired Matthieu Schneider. In 2003-2004 season the Wings traded Tomas Fleischmann for Robert Lang who was playing for the Washington Capitals. In 2006-2007 the Wings got Todd Bertuzzi on the deadline. However, he only played a few games and didn't even suit up for the playoffs. He plays for the Red Wings now (re-signed) and he is a valuable part of this team this season. In 2007-2008 (The Wings won the Stanley Cup) picked up Brad Stuart. Now I'm not a huge fan of him, he has been an okay defensemen for the team. One of the most infamous trades was in 1993 where the Detroit Red Wings got Kris Draper for $1. He helped win Stanley Cups and won the Selke award in 2004 so the Wings got the better end of the deal.

An Ode to Malts!

My favorite hockey player of all time is Kirk Maltby #18. I know most people may be surprised because he is not a hall of famer or top scorer. He is famous for being a part of "The Grind Line." The Grind Line consisted of Joey Kocur, Kris Draper, Darren McCarty, and Kirk Maltby. The Grind Line did not have the most time on the ice, but they played as if every game was their last when they played a shift. I admire Maltby because of his hard work ethic. He played 17 seasons in the NHL and was on the Detroit Red Wings for 14 years. He was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Red Wings in 1995 for Dan McGillis. He helped the team win the Stanley Cup four times: 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008. In 2005 he played for Team Canada in the World Championships with fellow teammate Kris Draper.

My first job I was a cashier at a 99 cent store. My last paycheck I bought my first hockey jersey and had Maltby’s name and number stitched on it. My junior year of high school I met Kirk Maltby at Hockeytown Authentics and it was the first time I ever met a Detroit Red Wing in person. I had him sign my jersey! He asked me how I was and I went speechless, it was so embarrassing, I’m sure my face was beat red. I was able to finally blurt out “good” so at least he knew I could talk. A few years later he had another autograph signing and I got more than one word out. In 2007 I made a trek up to Traverse City for training camp with my friend Jamie and got a photo with Maltby!

Maltby was known for scoring short-handed goals. I convinced my parents, my Aunt Gayle and Greg to go to Chicago for a Wings/ Blackhawks game, it was a great trip. I wore my Maltby jersey and that game he happened to score two goals in that game. My dad was worried for my safety so he came with me when I walked around the United Center during intermission. I was heckled by so many Chicago fans for wearing my Maltby jersey and being a Wings fan. The Wings won in OT and Shanahan got the game winning goal. Another season my parents got tickets for a Wings game on December 22nd which is his birthday, I made a sign for that game. A few years ago later my dad and I went to a Wings game against the Dallas Stars and Maltby scored his 1000th career NHL goal! I actually thought he would score the goal before the game I attended. I made a poster for him if he happened to score the goal. More recently, in February of 2009 Kirk Maltby played in his 1000th NHL career game; of course I had to go. I had just received my tax refund in the mail so the money went to good use. My friends Kate and Meaghan came with me and we bought tickets the day of the game. We got to the game early so we could go down and watch warm-ups. I made a sign “Congrats Kirk on your 1000th NHL game” he noticed and hit a puck at the glass by me.

Last summer Meijer did a special event, “Cooking with Kirk Maltby” at the Rochester store. My friend Kate lived nearby so I went with her. He showed us how to cook a healthy meal and then signed autographs. He did a Q & A and this little girl next to me asked if he liked to play hockey, it was so adorable! On the Detroit Red Wings website they had a short video clip and at one point it shows me with my camera, I look like a dork. I had him sign a “Sports Illustrated” magazine where he appeared on the cover in 1996. The team gave him the nickname “SI.”

In October of 2010 he announced his retirement because he was not offered a contract. The Red Wings offered him a contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins (farm team for Detroit) but his family and home is in Metro Detroit. It was a sad day for me. I was hoping they would have let him play one last season and then he could retire. The good news was the Red Wings offered him a pro scout position with the team.

In February, Owen Sound Platers retired Kirk Maltby’s number to the rafters. He played for them from 1989-1992. In the 1992 season with the team he scored 50 goals. Captain Kirk

Many people don’t like him as a player because he was known to draw penalties on the opposing team. They like to call him an instigator. Also, he got flack for wearing a face shield, however, most people don’t know he almost lost his sight from a hockey stick. He will always be one of my favorites! Thank you Mr. Maltby for staying with the Detroit Red Wings and all the great memories!

Outdoor Hockey Games

In honor of the 2011 Heritage Classic on February 20th on Versus channel I decided to have this be my first topic in my hockey blog :)

On October 6, 2001 the Cold War featured Michigan State University and the University of Michigan where they played at Spartan Stadium. It broke the record at 74,544 in attendance. I graduated with a bachelor degree of science at Michigan State so I bleed green and I will always root for them. The final score was a 3-3 tie. I wish I could have gone to the game, it was a memorable one that people will always remember. Many players on both teams now play for the National Hockey League. Ryan Miller (MSU) was the goalie and currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres. Another former Spartan was Jim Slater who plays for the Atlanta Thrashers. I will stop bringing up facts most hockey fans know. This game led to a trend of many outdoor hockey games for NHL, IIHL, and college teams.

In November of 2003, the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens faced off in Alberta, Canada to play an NHL outdoor game. The final score was 4-3 Montreal.

Five years later the NHL decided to make a Winter Classic game every year on New Years Day. In 2008 in New York the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins where the attendance was 71,217 and the final score was from a shootout 2-1 Pittsburgh.

The 2009 Winter Classic I attended because my favorite team was going to play. It was at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. The Detroit Red Wings played the Chicago Blackhawks and won 6-4 with 40,818 fans in the stadium. I put my name in a raffle to be able to purchase tickets and I recall everyone saying I won't even have a chance to go. A few days before the game I did get an email with the option to purchase tickets at face value; however I refused to miss the game so my friend Brandon found tickets on a website and we paid over face value. In the long run it was worth it. Since it was outside, it was obviously cold out with the winter weather. I made two signs: Happy New Year! (with a GO WINGS of course). My second sign I had NBC because it was going to be on that channel and from experience I learned its one way to get your sign on TV. With the letters I put Red Wings players (kroNwall,leBda, Chelios). At the game a fan behind me knew the camera man so he did actually put my NBC sign on the jumbotron so that was sweet! I had enough layers with my Lebda jersey as my final layer and kept warm. Brett Lebda is originally from Buffalo Grove, IL so I thought it was fitting to wear his jersey for the Winter Classic. I considered buying a Winter Classic jersey but I thought I'd use the money I saved up for the trip instead. The atmosphere of the whole thing was surreal. I took pictures of the whole stadium as well as the players. Where our seats were located was actually the Chicago Blackhawks entrance to their locker room, I was just happy to be there. The other reason why this game was so special was the NHL started out with six teams, (known as the Original 6: Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, New York, and Boston Bruins) so it was a historical game in additon to being outside. Both teams has custom jerseys for the game and after the game was over the jerseys were auctioned off for charity. Even the goalies had specialized helmets for the game. Yes seeing the Wings win did make the experience better, I wouldn't trade it for anything. A few months later I got a surprise. I knew some photographers took photos of Brandon and I with my signs. One day of facebook the NHL.com website made an online magazine called Impact. Well they did an article on the Winter Classic and a photo of me popped up in there. The Detroit Red Wings have an "Inside Hockeytown" magazine and a much larger photo appeared.

I was completely shocked and excited at the same time. Probably my only claim to fame. I called my dad while at work and he looked at it. We called to order more issues of the magazine and bought one for my friend Brandon. He was excited too! So besides my photos, ticket I framed, program guide, etc I had more proof I was there. What a great way to start the New Year with my Red Wings!

For 2010 another Original six team hosted the Winter Classic: Boston Bruins. They played against the Philadelphia Flyers (whom my one friend Leanne was living there at the time so I was actually rooting for Philly). Boston won in OT 2-1 with 38,112 fans.

Each Winter Classic the games are played in football or baseball stadiums so the attendance can vary with the number of seats available.

When I was a senior at Michigan State I heard rumors about another outdoor college hockey game with Michigan State and the University of Michigan. After a lot of planning they did make a second outdoor hockey game for the rival teams this time in Ann Arbor. I knew I was going to go to the game no matter what being one of the teams my alma mater. On December 11, 2009 the University of Michigan hosted The Big Chill at the Big House. I had never been inside that stadium so I was excited. The final score: U of M beat MSU 5-0. The actual attendance record was 104,173 fans which broke the Guinness Book of World Records so I can always remember I was a part of history. That game was so much colder than the Winter Classic I had attended. Our seats were in the lower level and good view of the whole game. It was a good experience despite my team losing.

This year the Winter Classic had the Pittsburgh Penguins play the Washington Capitals. Many people boycotted the game because the Penguins were playing in a second outdoor game before other teams got the chance. The Capitals have Alex Ovechkin which the NHL is marketing him too. Most recently they are coining the term Ovechtrick (9 goals) in a commercial. Every year NBC broadcasts at least one game with Pittsburgh vs. Washington because they know fans want to see those two faceoff. I understand why they picked those two teams in the Winter Classic, but they need to have other teams play to market all the NHL teams and get fans across the country interested. I almost missed the game, but decided to watch it. The game was originally scheduled to play in the afternoon, but with the rain (melt the ice) they had to push the game to 8pm. I was amused by that. A few years ago in 2004-2005 the NHL had a lockout because the commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive Bob Goodenow could not reach an agreement because of the salary cap. The NHL has suffered from the smaller fan base. Sidney Crosby because the poster boy for the NHL and being a Detroit fan I refuse to root for him. Even if I wasn't a Wings fan, they marketed him too soon. This year he finally had a good year being on top for many stats. It was a mistake to make him out as the best player in the NHL when he was only a rookie. All things aside it was a good hockey game. The Capitals beat the Penguins 3-1 with 68,111 fans at the game.

Hockey players love playing outside. The pond was a place where most of the players first started playing the game so it means so much to them. I'll be watching the 2011 Heritage Classic in February and hope they continue having outdoor games because the fans have a great time too! Minnesota and Colorado would be my next choices for 2012 and beyond. I would go just for the atmosphere and being out with other hockey fans!

H-E double hockey sticks!

So yesterday I went to a blogger meetup and it inspired me to create a hockey blog. Now anyone who knows me, knows I'm a little obsessed with the sport.

Die hard Red Wings fan
Grand Rapids Griffins
Michigan State Hockey
Saginaw Spirit
Port Huron Icehawks
Flint Generals
USA hockey just to name a few teams I would watch.

I try to be fairly unbiased when talking about teams. My next blog I'm going to dedicate to outdoor hockey games from previous years I attended.

Have to mention Wings beat the Bruins last night 6-1!!!

MI Blogger Meetup 2-11-11
Suze