Fight night in Boston (Lucic vs. Prust) Chara works Alexei Emelin after his dirty hit

Good fight between the Boston Bruins Milan Lucic and Montreal Canadians Brandon Prust. Prust was the NHL Fight leader with 20 fights last year.

This is what I like about the NHL, I like the fact that players are able to stick up for each other. Alexei Emelin hit Tyler Seguin at center ice with what I would consider a questionable and a dirty hit. Chara comes right over to him and makes him pay for his transgressions. There are some that will not like this, some are going to say that Chara pulled Emelin off of the ice to punch him in the face, I think he tried to dive to not have to fight. You can be the judge.

Joe Finley vs. Brandon Prust

Wow! Big Joe Finley is becoming a much better fighter and not leading with his chin any more as he did in his first professional fight. Actually, I would say that Finley did pretty well in this fight. Brandon Prust was in 20 fights last season and has been in 6 already this season, so I tip my hat to the former fighting Sioux defenseman Joe Finley.

Related articles

• Brandon Prust vs. Steve Ott (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

Brandon Prust vs. Steve Ott

Nothing makes me happier, than watching Hab's tough guy Brandon Prust work the Sabres tough guy wanna be Steve Ott like a clown. I guess if Steve Ott wants to continue getting pounded on a regular basis, more power to him. Last season, Prust had 20 fighting majors playing for the New York Rangers. This season, Prust already has eclipsed the four fight mark in a little over two weeks.

Sabres Pylon Scott was not brought to the Buffalo for his defensive skills

The North East Division teams got tougher this off-season, the much maligned Buffalo Sabres signed former Dallas Star uber punk Steve Ott and former New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks pylon John Scott – not to be out done – the Montreal Canadians signed former New York Rangers tough guy Brandon Prust, who shared the NHL’s league lead in fighting majors with the Boston Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton.

By signing these players – some have said that the North Eastern division teams are playing right into the Boston Bruins hands – last season when the Boston Bruins have at least one fighting major they have a winning record. When the Boston Bruins don't record at least one fighting major last season they had a losing record.

I do predict that these teams are not going to beat the Boston Bruins at their own game. These aforementioned teams were better off to let sleeping bears slumber.

Boston Bruins forward/tough guy Shawn Thornton led the Bruins and tied Brandon Prust for the league lead with 20 fighting majors – thirteen of Thornton’s fellow teams mates dropped the gloves as well. According to Hockeyfights.com, the Boston Bruins were second in the league in fighting majors and held a record of 37-16-8 when they recorded at least one fighting major.

James Cook, Record-Eagle --- A bruising blueliner brought in by the Sabres to contend with fiesty teams such as the Boston Bruins, Scott makes a living as an enforcer. And that role often includes fighting.

"I tell him the only thing uglier than an MMA fight is a hockey fight," Bustance joked. "He's got a good nature. But he's patient like a boxer. He's got a good eye. We can even work with the same foot position so he can do it on skates."

The 270-pound Scott isn't out there for his deft scoring touch. In 146 career NHL games, he's scored just one goal and added four assists. But he's piled up 236 penalty minutes over four seasons with the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers before signing a one-year contract with the Sabres this off-season.

Scott is ranked as one of the top 10 fighters in the NHL as a result of several vicious beatdowns he's handed out in his four seasons in the NHL.

His most infamous fight came when he was with the Blackhawks. It was Nov. 27, 2010, and Scott destroyed Kevin Westgarth, who is no small man himself.

Even at 6-5, 241, Westgarth appeared dwarfed by Scott, who heaped punishment on the Los Angeles Kings forward. Westgarth tapped out to end the fight, which is somewhat unusual because both participants were still on their feet.

The first thing that the Buffalo Sabres should try to do is teach former MTU defenseman John Scott how to skate, so he can take a regular shift on the ice and not just take up a roster spot. I couldn’t resist when I read this article.

The Rangers valued John Scott so much that they made John Scott a healthy scratch during the Rangers “entire” playoff run, because his former head coach John Tortorella felt he was a defensive liability and beating the crap out of people is not a desired trade that you need in the Stanely Cup Playoffs. For whatever reason, the New York Rangers also failed to resign Brandon Prust in the offseason as well.

Just for the record, I am a big fan of fighting in hockey and I relish a good fight between two willing combatants and would never be an advocate for eliminating fighting in the junior or professional ranks. That being said, let’s not kid ourselves – John Scott has one role in the NHL and that’s to beat the tar out of the opposition but let’s call it as we see it – he can’t skate or play hockey very well at all.

Finally, while the Boston Bruins might have been second in the league in fighting majors last season – all of their tough guys can skate and play a regular shift and a vital role on their team. There aren’t any one dimensional goons taking up a roster spot on their team. So while the Sabres employed Scott to dance with a few Bruins in six league games, the Sabres are still wasting a roster spot on a one dimensional player that has a hard time staying in the lineup.

NHL Owners can't claim they're poor - not after the latest free agent signings

I touched on this in the last blog post... The battle lines are being drawn up. The good news is, the two sides are talking to attempt to avoid another lock out. I doubt either the players or the NHL owners want another repeat of the lockout that cost the NHL the entire 2004-05 season.

Scott Burnside, ESPN.com --- Never mind the spreadsheets and the pie graphs breaking down the NHL's revenue streams, all union head Donald Fehr needs to do when the NHL and its players sit down to try to hammer out a new labor deal is to bring the clippings from the first four days of free agency.

Zach Parise and Ryan Suter combining for $196 million over the next 13 seasons.

Forty-year-olds Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr combining to bring in a hair more than $9 million next season.

Matt Carle, 20th among NHL defensemen in point production last season, was lured back to Tampa by a six-year deal that will pay him an average of $5.5 million annually.

Jiri Hudler struck it rich with a four-year, $16 million contract after a career-best 25-goal campaign in Detroit.

Brandon Prust -- seriously -- got $10 million over four years to bring toughness to the Montreal lineup.

Every time a new contract was added to the list of bloated contracts that came before, commissioner Gary Bettman must have given a grim shake of his head.

When the NHL announced that they had a record breaking $3.3 billion in revenue this past season and then they turned around and said that the NHL owners we're hurting is going to fall upon deaf ears. I don’t believe it and I am sure most of the fans don’t as well.

Seriously! The NHL Owners are going to have a hard time convincing most sane people that the NHL owners are suffering financially. Sure, there is no doubt that certain teams are not as well off as financially as others – that’s life.

I also don’t doubt that are probably a half dozen NHL teams that would fold tomorrow if there is another lockout, but the owners made this bed for themselves. I don’t blame the players in this mess, the owners are the ones that signed free agents for astronomically high contracts and then turn around and say we want to reel in player contracts and that we’re broke.

The players and owners get to work and try avoid a work stoppage.

Ranger re-sign slow footed Bickel to contract

Looks like the New York Rangers plan on holding on to the NHL fighting Major total this season again. The New York Rangers have re-signed former Gophers hack defenseman Stu Bickel to a modest contract.

NEW YORK (AP) --- The New York Rangers have added grit and experience to their lineup by reaching a deal with forward Arron Asham on the first day of NHL free agency.

A 13-season NHL veteran, Asham spent the past two years with Pittsburgh. He had five goals and 11 assists in 64 games last season. Overall, he has 92 goals and 206 points in 756 career games split between five teams.

Asham broke into the NHL in 1998 with Montreal, and has also played for the Islanders, New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Earlier on Sunday, the Rangers agreed to re-sign defenseman Stu Bickel, who had nine assists in 51 games in his first NHL season last year. New York had acquired Bickel in a trade with Anaheim in November 2010.

It’s no mystery why Bickel is playing with the New York Rangers - the slow foot defensman Bickel played minuscule minutes during the Rangers playoff push and was seen as a defensive liability at crucial times.

One of Bickel’s redeeming strengths is that he is willing drop the gloves and be a punching bag is probably the main reason Bickel was inserted into the Rangers line up this past season. Bickel was third on the Rangers in fights and dropped the gloves 12 times during 51 games for the New Yorks Rangers. Brandon Prust lead the Rangers with 20 fights but signed a contract with the Montreal Canadians.

Brandon Prust suspended for Game 4

The New York Rangers forward Bandon Prust was suspended for his elbow on New Jersey Devils forward Anton Volchenkov at the 2:31 mark of the second period of yesterday's game.

I predicted that this play would warrant a suspension from the National Hockey League Department of Player Safety yesterday. The NHL has set a precedence if you hit someone where the head is the principle point of contact you will be suspended, it no longer matters if you're a repeat offender or not. In this case, Prust is not a repeat offender - yet he will become the 13th player to be suspended by the NHL during this season's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Rangers forward Brandon Prust has no one to blame but himself on this play and I just don't think you can really defend this hit. A player is responsible for his actions on the ice at all times and I think that going forward all of these hits need to be punished consistently.

Related articles

• Rangers' Prust to have hearing for elbow on Volchenkov

  ---

• Lundqvist Puts Stopper on Devils

  ---

• Rangers' Prust to have hearing Sunday

  ---

Tortorella Responds To “Headhunter” Charge From DeBoer

John Tortorella (Photo credit: Robert Kowal)

It looks like the smug one; New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella can actually say more than 36 words during a press conference, albeit this was a pregame press conference. This is what Torts had to say about the Prust hit as well as what he thought about the New Jersey Devils. There seems to be no love lost between these two teams.

Dave Lozo, NHL.com --- On Sunday, Rangers coach John Tortorella responded to that comment by defending Prust and accusing the Devils of embellishing calls and setting illegal picks during their power plays.

"He's probably one of the most honest players," Tortorella said, before launching into a a big chunk of gamesmanship. "I look at (Dainius Zubrus') elbow to (Anton) Stralman. I look at (Zach) Parise launching himself at (Michael) Del Zotto. Maybe if our players stay down on the ice, we'll get something. We tell our players don't stay down on the ice, get up.

"The picking on the power play. If we want to start discussing officials with the media, I've got a long list here. That's a set play by Jersey -- picking so we can't get to (Ilya) Kovalchuk to block his shot. There's some gamesmanship right there, huh?"

Related articles

• John Tortorella Rips Devils: Rangers Coach Defends Brandon Prust, Takes Shot At New Jersey (VIDEO)

  ---

• Tortorella takes shots at Devils, defends Prust

  ---

• Tortorella takes shots at Devils, defends Prust

  ---

• Tortorella takes shots at Devils, defends Prust

  ---

Rangers' Prust to have hearing Sunday

Rangers forward Brandon Prust has a hearing today with the department of player safety for his hit to the head of Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov. After the game, New Jersey Devils head coach Peter DeBoer was not happy with the hit. "Headhunting," DeBoer said. "Plain and simple."

NHL.COM --- New York Rangers forward Brandon Prust will have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Sunday morning after connecting with the head of Anton Volchenkov during a 3-0 win against the New Jersey Devils in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday.

Volchenkov was carrying the puck along the boards and chipped it out of the zone when Prust landed an elbow to the back of Volchenkov's helmet in the second period. Volchenkov was down on the ice for almost a minute afterward, but was able to continue playing. No penalty was called on the play.

 

Related articles

• (Video) Brandon Prust Elbows Anton Volchenkov

  ---

• Brandon Prust To Face Hearing On Elbow To Anton Volchenkov's Head

  ---

• Lundqvist Puts Stopper on Devils

  ---

(Video) Brandon Prust Elbows Anton Volchenkov

How many games do you think that Rangers forward Brandon Prust be suspended for this dirty elbow on New Jersey Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov? There was no penalty called on the play but from vantage point on the coach, this appears to be a chicken wing elbow by Prust on Volchenkov and a violation of rule 48 - as I interpret this from reading the rule book - to quote Brendan Shanahan, "this is an illegal hit to the head."

48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.

In closing, I expect that Brandon Prust will receive at least a one game suspension for his hit to the head on Volchenkov. I think the NHL has to suspend Prust because the NHL has set a precedence finally, after getting it wrong during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

While it's true Prust doesn't have a history of being a dirty player or does it appear that he has ever been suspended or fined by the NHL, neither had Claude Giroux at the time of his suspension in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Jason Spezza's controversial goal - Rangers nation not happy

This is one of the reason that I love playoff hockey. There is so much going on in the game and the players take it up a notch from the regular season. Unfortunately, the right call isn't always made or is it?

Here is the controversial goal that was scored by Senators' forward Jason Spezza. It would appear from the video that Chris Neil going hard and crashing the net; did help the end result. Obviously the Rangers didn't like the call.

Fortunately for the Rangers, the Senators were unable to get the game tying goal in the closing minutes of  game six and held on to win the game 3-2. The Rangers and the Senators' will play game seven in New York (TBD).

This what the NHL officials had to say on the controversial goal.

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was less than pleased with the Senators' second goal. “I just think it’s an absolute joke," Lundquist said. "I am going to freeze the puck, he pushes me out and kicks the puck. It scares me that they can call that a goal. Someone wanted them back in the game for sure. It upsets me but we played a really good game and deserved this one.”

Those comments could get Lundquist a fine from the NHL.

The Senators' tough guy Christ Neil has been was a big factor in this series and was named the third star of tonight's game, Neil scored a goal for the Senators and fought Brandon Prust at the 15:10 mark of the first period.
In game five Chris Neil nailed Brian Boyle with this monster hit [click to view] causing Boyle to miss tonight's game with an concussion.  The tide would turn for Neil as he would end up on the receiving end of a  hit by the Rangers Michael Del Zotto behind the Rangers net in the third period. Neil laid on the ice for a few second before he got up and skated to the Senators' bench.

Related articles

• Report: Chris Neil Won't Be Disciplined for Big Hit on Brian Boyle Despite John Tortorella's Displeasure (Video)
• Rangers' Boyle concussed after hit from Neil
• NHL Playoffs: Senators shut out Rangers to take 3-2 series lead
• Hagelin Back, Boyle Out For Rangers In Game 6; No Punishment For Neil?
• Senators blank Rangers, lead 3-2

Rangers and Devils spill over.

The Rangers and the Devils started out their game the other night and the war of words has continued. I hope these two teams play each other in the playoffs, they are going to beat the crap out of each other, that what a rivalry is. Nice to see a player like Stu Bickel who has little talent but to fight; can actually win a face off...

Personally, I don't have a problem with visiting coach handing in a line up card like that, it sends a message to the other team that your team is not going to be pushed around and be bullied.

Ranger Rants --- DeBoer handed in a starting lineup with pugilists Eric Boulton, Ryan Carter and Cam Janssen, to which Tortorella said he felt compelled to counter with a starting line of Stu Bickel, Mike Rupp and Brandon Prust. That, of course, turned into a staged, three-on-three line brawl that resulted in 40 penalty minutes with the game just three seconds old. After the game, DeBoer said of Tortorella, “I guess in John’s world you can come into our building and start your tough guys but we can’t do the same in here. He’s either got short-term memory loss or he’s a hypocrite.”

“I read it,” Tortorella said of DeBoer’s comment. “I think Peter needs to jog his memory as far as the starting lineups that I’ve put in over in their building and really, basically, just shut up. And I need to also. I think the situation last night is disrespectful to players and I think we took a backwards step. I get put in a position when he puts a lineup like that out - and I’m not sure what’s going to happen if I put my top players out - so I have to answer the way I need to answer. Really, just look at the two lineups and some of the things he’s done through the games here, again, I don’t want to coach his team, but just shut up.

“Fighting’s part of the game, that’s a big part of the game,” Tortorellla said. “But it doesn’t need to be manufactured. In that type of game, Jersey and the Rangers, there were going to be fights. But it’s really gotten old for me, the staged fights, it doesn’t need to be manufactured. Nowadays in our league, if a guy gets hit hard, clean, everybody’s looking to fight. Where hard checking and hard hitting is part of the game. And that crap at the beginning of the game, to try to manipulate it into it, I just don’t think it’s right for the game. I think there’s enough of it, and there always will be and there should be. I’m certainly not one of the pacifists that think fighting should be out of the game, that’s a big part of our game. But let the players decide. I just don’t think coaches should be putting players in situations that basically dictates fighting.”

Related articles

• Rangers' Tortorella: Devils coach needs to 'shut up' (nypost.com)
• Tortorella's retort to Devils' DeBoer: 'Shut up' (espn.go.com)
• Tortorella-DeBoer Feud Heating Up (newyork.cbslocal.com)

Milan Lucic vs Brandon Prust Fight

The New York Rangers lead the National Hockey League with 53 Fighting Majors, the Boston Bruins are in second in the NHL with 50 fighting majors. That is after adding three more fighting majors in today's game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers.

This is probably a fight that the Rangers Brandon Prust will soon want to forget, I think he bit off more than he could chew by fighting Boston Bruins tough guy Milan Lucic.  Ironically, the New York Rangers punching bag forward Brandon Prust leads the New York Rangers with 17 Fights.

That was only the fifth fight of the year for Milan Lucic. 

As you can see by the video the Bruins forward Lucic got the better of Prust and worked him pretty hard and I doubt that Prust would want to do that again.

Penguins' Jordan Staal not suspended for punch

NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell has spun the infamous "Wheel of Justice" and Campbell has decided that there will be no suspension for the Penguins' Jordan Staal. I guess I really don't have a problem with it, in a scrum you're going to get hit sometimes especially if you elbow someone.

NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League will not take further action on Penguins center Jordan Staal for his punch to Rangers' forward Brandon Prust's face in the second period of Tuesday's game. Staal received a match penalty and by rule he was automatically suspended until the League reviewed the incident and the Commissioner made a ruling.

"We have reviewed the play and have communicated to (Penguins GM) Ray Shero that Jordan Staal is available to play tonight," NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said.

The Penguins host the New York Islanders tonight.

Staal hit Prust with his left fist and sent him spinning to the ice at the end of a scrum in front of the Rangers' bench. The officials first sent Staal to the box and then sent him to the dressing rooms with the five-minute match penalty.

Prust cleared out Tyler Kennedy with a hard hit and then he got his elbow up on Staal, who appeared to be coming into the fray to defend Kennedy. Staal returned the favor on Prust, dropping him to the ice with a quick left hook.