Showing posts with label Matt Cooke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Cooke. Show all posts

Friday, June 07, 2013

A Farewell to a Flagship, an interesting factoid, and an Interesting Comment by a Blowhard (RW77)

English: NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman in 2007.
English: NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman in 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Say-Oh Nara Pittsburgh

Sad day for Gary Bettman, the NHL PR office, and the city of Pittsburgh.  Their glorious flagship franchise and their face of the NHL is now hanging up their skates for the offseason.   In truth, with the exception of Matt Cooke, there isn't a lot to NOT like about the Penguins... if you forget about all the media hype and attention lorded upon that franchise for seemingly no other reason other than Sidney Crosby.

The truth is, the same thing that haunted the Pens since Crosby was drafted reared its ugly head again:  Bad Team D and spotty goaltending.  The Penguins defense simply ISN'T GOOD.  In many regards, UND fans can understand this by stating the following:  Pittsburgh plays a similar game to Minnesota Gopher hockey.  The Penguins, like the Gophers, are a slick passing, great puck handling, finesse style team that can be disrupted and handled if you can play solid D and be physical.  The Bruins are solid defensively and played very physically.  They swept the Pens.  It was that simple.

The Bruins weren't flashy.  They weren't especially fun to watch (sorry Goon and B's fans).  They were sturdy, lunch pail type players... and Gregory Campbell wins the word for Oh my Goodness fortitude.  Good grief.  They don't nearly have the hype surrounding them as the Pens do.  And the B's let the Pens keep the hype.  I'm sure the media covered the victors only because they had to while really pining to get to the Pens lockerroom to see what the Golden Child had to say.

As for goaltending I don't know what to say about Tomas Vokoun.  I REALLY like Tomas.  I thought he was one of THE most underrated goaltenders in the entire NHL for about a 5 year stretch (until Halak stole that title from him while with Montreal).  It's sad that he's on the decline of his career and he'll have nothing to show for it.  Vokoun and Iginla (again, sorry B's fans) are two of the only players on the Pens I sympathize with.

As for Fleury, I said it before and I say it again:  Fleury is in the top 3 for most overrated goaltenders in the NHL.  The other two being Carey Price (Montreal) and Roberto Luongo (Vancouver), though Luongo is fading from this list because his career is fading as well.  I think Jonas Hiller of Anaheim may take Luongo's spot before long.  To be nicer to Fleury, though, Price is still #1 in this category.  But there's time left despite Price holding the edge in age.

Where do the Pens go from here?  To the Golf Course.

Good riddance.   Now Mr. Bettman... Now's the time to start marketting a team OTHER than your beloved.  Are you going to have the cahones to do it or are you just going to sit back in your office and sulk?

An Interesting Comment by a Blowhard

Speaking of Gary Bettman, I was listening to ESPN Radio blowhard Colin Cowherd the other day and he actually made a decent point (in between fluffing himself up as some sort of uber objective yackityyacker which only his fans actually believe is true).  He commented on the popularity of sports other than the NFL (he said that the NFL is far and away the most popular and there's no sport out there that will come close... and he's right) the NHL has a marketable product that is interesting and entertaining.  However, they don't market the product at all.  They don't make the media talk about the NHL at all.  They hide it away on a cable TV station (Versus) for a long time and then benefit by the purchase of Versus by NBC, which has the rights because they cannot wrest the rights to the NBA from the other networks.  They marketted themselves by saying "We're back" when that was outwardly foolish.

I agree.  I can't believe it but I agree with Cowherd.  ESPN doesn't care about hockey.  He says its because of this failure to make themselves marketable and in the mainstream.  That's probably most of the issue but not all of it.  ESPN's bread and butter is the NBA.  And whenever it mentions the NFL ratings go through the roof.  So, that's where they focus.  ESPN did put in a bid for the NHL TV rights but the bid was low and the priority was such that the NHL would invariably be buried or preempted if something they felt was more important was on.  I have no confidence that, outside of the NHL playoffs (provided they didn't conflict with the NBA playoffs or finals), would even appear on ESPN itself.  Mostly likely it would have been ESPN 2 or 3.  NHL Tonight, even during the years that ESPN did air NHL games, was aired closer to midnight than to primetime.  Why would Bettman, as questionable as his intelligence is at times, want that for his league?

But in truth, Cowherd is right in that the NHL does a VERY VERY VERY VERY bad job of marketting itself.  They put commercials on NBC and the NHL Network and NHL Center Ice does get some Ad time but that's it.  I bet they could find ways to get Crosby on ABC or Ovechkin on Fox Sports pushing the NHL.  I'm sure they could find storylines to push for just about every NHL team if they wanted.  But they don't.  They focus mostly on the Penguins, Crosby, and the Finals and let the rest twist in the wind.

Let's face it:  The NHL will NEVER EVER be as popular as the NFL.  I'm not suggesting they even try to compete with even COLLEGE Football.  But I'm pretty darn sure they could garner more of the viewership market than they are getting now.  Baseball is a slow, tedious, and downright boring sport to watch.  It takes FOREVER to get through a game... heck, it takes too long just for the pitcher to decide upon a pitch and then start his windup.  The NHL is fast, exciting, physical, challenging to play, and ENTERTAINING to watch.  It's time it was marketted that way.

A Final Interesting Factoid

I'll leave this rant with an interesting factoid.  Unless my research is off, if Chicago finishes off L.A., this finals will mark the first time Boston has faced Chicago in the Stanley Cup Finals.  How mindblowing that you could have two Original Six teams that have NEVER faced off since the Stanley Cup finals began (1927)
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Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Matt Cooke and Brad Marchand gif


(Click your mouse on the picture to get the picture to move)... What's that thing about karma? You can also tell who the actual skilled player is.  I think this is better than revenge. It's also a good example of how effective that the Boston Bruins have been in getting the Pittsburgh Penguins off of their game. I also believe, that the Bruins have also done a very good job not getting wrapped up in the extra stuff after the whistle causing them to have to kill a bunch of senseless penalties.
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Sunday, June 02, 2013

Jordan Kuruc's infamous tweet


Here is the tweet by Jordan Kuruc that went viral on twitter last night after Matt Cooke was kicked out of the game. It's evidence that you should have a breathalyzers or a stupidity meter attached to your twitter account before you send  a tweet out there into cyber space. I actually saw this go through my twitter feed last night during the Bruins and Penguins game and it seem pretty odd at the time.

The bad part is that this will be out there forever and when someone searches his name on the Internet as part of an investigation, whether it be for a a five year background re-investigation for a new job, this will be hanging over his head. I am sure he feels sorry today, but I don't see mention of it on his Facebook page.




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Fitting Penguins Humor; Sidney Crosby crying about the officiating already



Someone put this on twitter last night, I know it's old but it fits with the current Pittsburgh Penguins, especially with Sidney Crosby whining about the officiating after last night's game. Apparently, Sid bad mustache and all didn't watch the game between the Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings.
Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette --- Before Marchand's hit on Neal, Matt Cooke sent Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid into the boards in the second minute of the second period, earning a major penalty for hitting from behind, a game misconduct and a review from the NHL, which could decide to suspend Cooke.

Some of the Penguins' discontent stemmed from Marchand getting a two-minute boarding penalty for the hit on Neal, not something similar to Cooke's penalties. "I don't see the difference, really," Crosby said.

Crosby, rarely one to publicly criticize officiating, said the way referees Chris Rooney and Brad Watson called the game contributed to the overflow of emotion.

"It's tough," Crosby said. "They're letting a lot go out there, and the more it gets like that, the more it's going to escalate. You can only control and channel that stuff so much. You keep letting guys do that stuff, you're just going to push the envelope. That's something we obviously want to stay away from, but it's kind of a natural thing when it gets like that."

Asked if it was also a matter of the Bruins trying to get under the Penguins' skin, Crosby didn't back down.
Look, I don’t think anyone is questioning whether the hit that Brad Marchand put on James Neal was worthy of a five or not – I get that – the call probably should have been a five minute major and I was surprised that it wasn't. Now were going to have to put up with Crosby's excessive whining the rest of the series every time his team doesn't get a call.
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No supplemental discipline expected for the Penguins Matt Cooke for his hit on Adam McQuaid



Meh! Penguins forward Matt Cooke will escape supplemental discipline for his dirty hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid.  I would suppose that the NHL Department of Players Safety put Cooke on double secret probation and any further bad behavior will result in him being suspended a game for two.


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Saturday, June 01, 2013

Penguins Puke Matt Cooke boards Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid



What a joke they nominated this clown Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke for the Masterton Trophy. This guy has been suspended at least 31 games by the NHL for his acts of transgression.

I think this hit deserves a game suspension from the NHL's department of Players safety. Why wouldn't it? It's Matt Cooke, he's an multiple time offender. I actually think that Boston Bruins rookie defenseman Torey Krug did his teammate a favor by slowing down Cooke, or this would have been even uglier. Thoughts, from readers.


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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Raffi Torres suspended the rest of the second round



I said this the other day. --> I don't know... Raffi Torres doesn't leave his feet, he keeps his elbow in and he attempts to hit him in the torso, I think this call is based on reputation. Just for the record, I am not a Sharks fan by any stretch, I think the Chris Kelly elbow on James van Riemsdyk was worse and there wasn't a suspension for that hit. I am not saying that Torres doesn't deserve a suspension, he does, but in this case I think the league is piling on and is going to make an example out of Torres like they did with Matt Cooke.

I am going to stand by these comments. Raffi Torres is a reckless player, but he has cleaned up his act, a bit this year. I don't think that this hit is worthy of a 4-6 game suspension. This hit is worthy of a suspension. But whatever. 

I am going to pose a question; what if this was the Kings Dustin Brown laying this hit on the Sharks Patrick Marleau or Joe Pavelski, how long of a suspension would he get for the same hit? Has he not made some of the same kinds of plays only to escape suspension? Thoughts? 
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Monday, April 22, 2013

Penguins Thug Matt Cooke Returns to Ottawa



Tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Ottawa to play the Senators and this will be the first matchup between the Senators and Penguins since the defenseman Erik Karlsson was injured on a check by Matt Cooke. From reading some of the news articles around the web, it would appear that this is going to be one of those must watch games.

During tonight’s game, one almost has to suspect there will be some extracurricular activities as well, when the two teams meet on the ice. If Matt Cooke was smart – he’s not – he would accept the challenge to a fight. Some are going to ask, why should Cooke accept a challenge to a fight? Because the hockey code demands it and if he doesn’t, this game has the prospects of turning into a blood bath.

Matt Cooke isn’t known for being a pugilist and the last time he fought an actual middle-heavy weight fighter, was against the Bruins Shawn Thornton on March 18, 2010. Since then, Cooke has chosen to fight star players and other players not known for their fighting prowess.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma was asked if thought there was going to be any shenanigans during tonight’s game, the coach replied, “I’m not aware they’re dressing Shenanigans … I don’t know what number he would be or what kind of player he would be.”

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Jack Edwards blasts Matt Cooke and then apologizes for it; also, Cooke hit on Adam McQuaid



So, I ask you. What is wrong with Jack Edward's comments? "Nominating Cooke for the Masterton is about the equivalent of nominating Sirhan Sirhan as the prisoner of the year," Edwards said.

Personally, I don't have a problem with those comments. Cooke is a reckless, dirty and dangerous player, who is responsible for many random, bush league acts on the ice over many years. Matt Cooke has been suspended multiple times, totaling  35 games (if my math is correct), by the NHL and is responsible for ending Marc Savard's hockey career.

Later in the game, Cooke took a run and connected with Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid. True to form, Cooke turtled when he was challenged to a fight by Zdeno Chara. I don't have a problem with the hit, but when your Matt Cooke, you should expect to drop the gloves and fight based on the type of players that you're. Cooke has earned that reputation and I like many, hold him in a very low regard. We keep hearing about how Cooke's changed.

Right! I also don't care what he does off of the ice.

After the game, Boston Bruins head coach Claud Julien wasn't happy with the hit by Cooke. “It’s pretty obvious that it’s a cheap shot from Cooke,” Julien said. “The typical, same guy. He’s gotta go low and getting a guy right around the knee area and turns his back.”




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Friday, March 08, 2013

NHL Hockey; Leave Fighting alone for the sake of the game

They say that those that cover hockey, in most cases never actually played the game of hockey. Before you jump on me, hear me out… I mean seriously, every time I see one of these articles that question fighting’s role in the NHL and or in professional hockey, it sends up a big flag.

I ask you to think about it this way. I am sure you can picture a player from around the NHL from your least favorite team that has no honor, these are the Ulf Samuelssons, Matt Cookes, Raffi Tores and Patrick Kaleta’s or whoever, I am sure that you have one in mind, but you know the type of players that I am talking about, they're the type of players that I would like to see taken out of the game of hockey long before fighting was ever banned.

These are the players that when they get hit with a big check you feel no empathy for them what-so-ever as they lay on the ice writhing in pain. When Evander Kane knocked out Matt Cooke I stood in my living room cheering, actually chugged a beer in celebration, ex-post facto.

Imagine these clowns, skating around the ice unchecked to wreaking havoc on NHL players and star players without the fear of ever having to answer the bell for a dirty hit. They would be able to do their trade without the fear of retribution. That sets a bad precedence.
Chris Johnston, Sportsnet --- The message was clear: Let the debate happen elsewhere.

“I think you really have to understand the game and kind of understand the (dressing) room to know what it’s like to be on a bench when a guy fights,” Bruins forward Brad Marchand said before the 4-2 victory over Toronto. “For fans that think that fighting has no part of the game, they don’t really know what they’re talking about.”

And that was that.

Marchand’s comments were consistent with the general line of thinking that can be found among both of these teams. They also highlight a pretty glaring paradox that exists within the sport.

Even though the fighting debate is always just one incident away from flaring up for fans and members of the media, the majority of players seem reluctant to even chew on the topic for a minute or two. They simply accept it — the good, the bad and (occasionally) the ugly.
I have seen all of the arguments for banning fighting from hockey and you can’t count on the refs and the department of player’s safety catch all of the offenders and in many cases they let the offenders go with little if any punishment.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

(Video): Senators owner Eugene Melnyk goes off on Matt Cooke



Apparently, the owner of the Senators Eugene Melnyk feels the same way I do about Penguins forward Matt Cooke. It looks like the Penguins are putting Cooke on notice. The last game between the Penguins and the Senators is going to be a dandy. It might be a blood bath.

"To have him [Karlsson] taken out by a goon [Cooke] it’s just unconscionable," Melnky said. "Whether it was accidental, or whether it was reckless, or whether it was intentional. To me it doesn't matter, it's something that should've never happen. These players should never be playing in this league, these guys are a dime a dozen. That’s exactly what they’re worth per game.”
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Thursday, February 14, 2013

Final Thoughts on Matt Cooke’s hit on Erik Karlsson



Today, the discussion on twitter and around the hockey blogsphere is the hit that Matt Cooke put on Erik Karlsson.  You can see the hit on the embedded video posted above.
The NHL’s department of Player Safety has reviewed the play and will not suspend Matt Cooke.
First, I hate Matt Cooke, I think he is a disgusting P.O.S. and if this guy was hurt in a fight or by a check and could never play in the NHL again, I wouldn’t be upset. I hold the guy in the lowest regards. Also, if he was standing in front of me I would tell this to his face.  
I understand that Cooke has cleaned up his act on the ice, but you can put chocolate frosting on a turd, it’s still a turd. I also don’t care what Cooke does off the ice; this low life scum has ruined too many good players’ careers on the ice. I also doubt that Marc Savard will donate money to Matt Cooke’s charities, again, it's Matt Cooke.  
To me, Cooke is no different that Todd Bertuzzi.
That being said, I don’t think that Matt Cooke intended to make a dirty check in this instance. The fact that it’s Matt Cooke people will always look at him with skepticism.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

(Video) Matt Cooke hit on Erik Karlsson



I am going to preface this with, I hold Matt Cooke in a very low regard especially after what he did to former Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard and a few other players around the league. Make no mistake about it, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke is known for his dirty hits, this hit, however is not a dirty or a malicious hit. What do you think? Chime in... Hockey is a physical sport and injuries happen from time-to-time. Tough loss for the Senators.





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Friday, September 21, 2012

USHL to concentrate on player safety

It appears, that United State Hockey League which is USA Hockey’s elite Tier I junior hockey, is going to take a proactive approach to address player safety starting this season.

Earlier this week, we learned that the OHL was going to limit the number of fights a player is involved in.
USHL Press Release
The League has specified a number of what it terms “dangerous play” minor penalties (ie: elbowing, head contact, kneeing), which it will monitor and review together with all major penalties – both fighting and non-fighting – throughout the course of the season.  Players accumulating multiple penalties will be notified and addressed by the Commissioner’s office with an eye toward early intervention and education, and multiple penalties in any category will be subject to supplementary discipline.

“We take our position as USA Hockey’s Tier I League very seriously,” said USHL President and Commissioner Skip Prince.  “We’ve been concerned by the increase in injuries and lost games by our players over the past several seasons, and this is a comprehensive effort to see what we can do to address the problem.  We recognize our responsibility to deliver the world’s best young players to the next level – the NCAA and the NHL – faster, stronger, smarter, and more skilled than ever before.  But we also need to make sure they’re in top health and physical condition, and fully aware that as the next generation’s guardians of the game, they have a responsibility to hockey and to each other.   Our mission is to keep every ounce of the aggressive, all-out style of play for which the USHL is so well-known, while tuning down some of the ‘dumb and dangerous’ play that neither benefits the game nor the elite athletes who are playing it
In reading the USHL’s press release it appears to me that the USHL is going to make a serious step in addressing on ice play of its players and is also going to address their player’s on-ice play by assigning supplementary discipline in the cases where it’s warranted.

From the outside looking in – it would appear to me that the USHL is also trying to address the play of certain types of players – in this case – it appears to me that the USHL is trying to do away with the players skate all over the ice trying to line people up for the big hit.

Don’t get me wrong, I like physical hockey and hitting, but the USHL appears to be trying to address a certain type of play and to make corrections to change on ice behavior.
More specifically, it appears to me that the USHL is attempting to do away with the players that I would classify as head hunters – these are the players that will skate across the ice to make a knock out hit and if they make contact usually results in the player on the receiving ending up with a catastrophic injury.  This would probably include the players that will target the head of an opposition player in a vulnerable position.

If your confused why type of player I am talking about, think of NHL players like Raffie Torres or a Matt Cooke.  These two are the poster boys of the type of player that I am thinking of.

I believe that this is going to be a good start to improving player safety – I think this also a good indication that hockey is beginning to move away from the one dimensional players that skate up and down the ice taking liberties with the opposition. Also, it appears that USHL is going to go even further than the OHL, because it appears that the USHL is going to try and educate the players as well as discipline the offenders.

Lastly, I also think that the hockey in most leagues is trying to do away with the one dimensional players that play two-four minutes a game and get into a fight or two. I do believe the player of the future is a player is going to be one that can score 20-30 goals and get in 10-15 fights a year – NHL players like Milan Lucic or Scott Hartnell come to mind.

Originally posted at The Hockey Writers - Combine
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Thursday, September 20, 2012

OHL to limit fighting

Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Ontario Hockey League of the Canadian Hockey League has announced that starting this season the League is going to try and limit fighting in their league. The OHL is also trying to remove the one dimensional goon’s from it league and has enacted the following new rules this season. While the Anti-pugilist are already cheering this new rule change I think that it’s a bad idea - the NHL will be  monitoring the OHL's new rule change.

OHL rule:
1. If a player is assessed a fighting major for the 11th to 15th time during the regular season, such player is assessed an automatic two-game suspension for each additional fighting major in addition to any other penalties assessed.

2. If a player is assessed a fighting major for the 16th time or more during the regular season, such player is assessed an automatic two-game suspension and the hockey club is fined $1,000 for each additional fighting major in addition to any other penalties assessed.

3. If a player is deemed to be the instigator in any of the fights above the 10-game threshold, such player would be assessed an automatic four-game suspension in addition to any other penalties assessed.

Note: If a player is instigated upon, the fighting major is not included in the player's total number of fights
The reason that I think that limiting the amount of fighting in the OHL or even the NHL is a bad rule - fighting in hockey keeps the players on the ice honest and allows the players to police the game themselves in stead of counting on the refs.  Hockey is a very fast paced game and you cant always count on the refs to make the right call either. In many cases they won't.

Limiting fighting in one league is the first step to an all out ban in all other levels of hockey both professionally and in the junior ranks and I don't think that this is a road I would like to see the NHL go down.

Could you imagine if hockey players of the Matt Cooke variety played the game of hockey without the fear of having to fight? Players of Cooke's ilk would have the ability to skate all over the ice taking liberties with other teams top players without the fear of retribution, that would set a very bad precedence and you would probably see an increase in head injures as well as random acts of gratuitous violence.

If the two aforementioned leagues decided to limit and or enact an all out ban on fighting you actually be putting the players in worse danger than if you left the leagues the way it is.
Another reason I think that this rule is bad is - players and coaching staffs utilize the mediums available to them and they're familiar with stats - it's available to them on the internet at the click of a mouse  - also the teams media people have the stats readily available to players and coaches at a moments notice and they can research their opponents before the game/series.

I also have a question, how did the OHL come to the number of 10 in the first place?

Let's take this a little further; if you're a player from another team and you know that a certain's team's tough guy or tough guys have already have crossed the 10 or 11 fights threshold - the opposition better have their head on a swivel - because those players are not going to want to just drop the gloves and fight because they have reached that magic numeric threshold of 10 fights.  I don't know too many players that are going to want to serve a two game suspension for each fight past their 10th fight.

I can see where this is going already, this has to potential to put that teams star players safety in jeopardy later in the season, because the opposition knows that there is probably less chance of facing "any" retribution if they commit a questionable or dirty hit against the other team's players. I could also see how this new rule will probably lead to an increase in stick work as well.

I know that the NHL would like to get rid of the staged fight, but what actually constitutes a staged fight - the lines are blurred a bit and how do we know that the staged fights don't serve a purpose also? I just think in this situation that the status quo is fine the way it is.

Here is a tweet by Nashville Predators tough guy Brian McGrattan that caught my eye this even. I think that there are going to be more NHL players that probably hold this view than not.

Originally posted at the Hockey Writers - Combine
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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Remaking Burrows' image

Last season a major American Newspaper from Pittsburgh wrote a newspaper article that tried to remake Matt Cooke's  tattered image after the Penguins bad boy was suspended by the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety for the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I guess we could say this article some similar to that one. This article by the Vancouver Providence wants us to look at one of the players in a different light.

Enter Alex Burrows, while me might be a "great" hockey player statically; his unsportsmanlike on ice antics makes him one of the most unlikable players/characters in the NHL. Burrows also happens to be a team member on one of the most unlikable teams in the NHL, the Canucks are the poster boys of poor sportsmanship. As we have seen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that last few years, the Vancouver Canucks are a team full of driving frauds and cry babies that are as light on their skates as any team in the NHL.  Everytime someone touches one of the Canucks they throw their heads back like they have been shot.
The Providence --- Burrows has done himself no favours in the past. He is not known as a hockey player but as a finger-biting, hair-pulling, head-snapping diver who gets to play the role of fire-hydrant, standing in front of the net while the Sedins bank shots in off him.

It’s a shame because Burrows is a hell of a hockey player.

Consider that he’s averaged 30 goals a season over the past four campaigns.

But then add to the consideration the fact he gets next to no power-play time.

When it comes to even-strength goals, he had 23 this season – more than Rick Nash, more than Matt Moulson.
Burrows is the poster boy for everything that is wrong with the Vancouver Canucks, first he comes off as clownish character and an unlikable buffoon that I can only imagine that an opposing player would rather pound into the boards or  cross check in the mouth, rather than to have to watch their on ice antics. This past post season the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks Alain Vigneaul had to tell Canucks forwards Alex Burrows and Max LaPierre to shut their mouths.

Burrows biting of Patrice Bergeron during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals was an atrocious and unpunished childish act that should have resulted in Burrows being give a suspension.

If I was a general manager in the NHL I would take a pass on this clown, I don't care how many goals that he scores - while Burrows has a serious upside offensively - he is also a poor sport and a distraction to the rest of the Vancouver Canucks and there are a lot of other unlikable characters on that team. If I was the GM of the Vancouver Canucks I would try to package a deal that includes Alex burrows and  Max Lapierre to any Eastern Conference team that would take these two clowns. Losing those two players would help save the image of that once great franchise.
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Friday, May 04, 2012

Raffi Torres appeals his suspension

I was going to get to this story yesterday but a big bomb shell of a story emerged out of UND and this story kind of got put on the back burner. Big shock, NHL repeat offender Raffi Torres is appealing his 25 game suspensions, apparently unapologetic Torres feels that his 25-game suspension is excessive based on NHL senior vice president Brendan Shanahan's inconsistency in his previous ruling.
Kevin Allen, USA TODAY --- USA TODAY obtained a copy of the memo sent to players, and in it, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr and general counsel Don Zavelo pointed out that Torres is only appealing the length of suspension, and not whether his hit violated the rules or whether he deserved to be suspended. The NHLPA positions spelled out in the memo: • The 25-game suspension is excessive and arbitrary — it is more than double the length of any ever issued by Shanahan and is one of the longest suspensions in the history of the NHL. • Shanahan denied Torres' request to show video evidence at his disciplinary hearing about how similar or worse hits have been treated in the past. He is asking for an in-person appeal hearing so that he can present this evidence to the commissioner.
Personally, I think that Raffi Torres should take his medicine and shut the heck up – he's a repeat offender that doesn’t seem to get it. I've suggested that Torres is an unapologetic sociopath and this suspension was a long time in the making.

The league is not picking on you Raffi – they're trying to send a message to him, telling him that they're sick and tired of your bush-league antics and that they no longer will tolerate them. Torres should have a talk with league bad boy Matt Cooke.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Torres to meet with the Shanahammer

IMG_5555.jpg
IMG_5555.jpg (Photo credit: bridgetds)
Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres has his day in court. The fact that the hearing is in person in the NHL's New York office does not bode well for Mr. Torres because the NHL is about to make an example out of him.
NEW YORK -- Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres has been suspended indefinitely, pending an in-person hearing Friday, April 20, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today. The hearing, which had been planned for today, was deferred at the request of the player and the National Hockey League Players' Association.
You can expect that Brendan Shanahan is going to take Raffi Torres to the woodshed and this one going to hurt and it’s going to be easy for Shanny, Torres did it to himself and he has no one to blame but himself.

Torres is a villain; he is also a poster boy of what is wrong with the NHL in the minds of many fans. Torres is also a Matt Cooke type player, and also a repeat offender that hasn’t changed his game when the game has started to evolve.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

(Video) Matt Cooke is at it again.


It will be interesting to see how long Matt Cooke gets for his latest act of of stupidity. For the most part Cooke had played it straight up this season, only drawing only 16 penalty minutes in 49 games and had for the most part stayed clear of the dirty play until his recent slew foot on Brad Richards on 1/19/2012.

If you need to have your memory refreshed on the type of hockey player that Matt Cooke is, take a look at this blog post Matt Cooke: A History of Violence; you will see that Matt Cooke's has a resume of being a dangerous, despicable hockey player, that has for the most part been one of the dirtiest players in the league during his NHL career.
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Thursday, December 01, 2011

John Carlson head-shot on Pen's Matt Cooke


s/t the Pensblog. I guess one “could” say that Karma has finally caught up with Penguins Matt Cooke. The hit is probably worthy of a two game suspension. The big question is, will the NHL suspend John Carlson for his hit on Matt Cooke. If you read this blog you will know that I am not a fan of Matt Cooke at all. Giving credit where credit is due, Cooke has behaved himself this season and only has eight minutes in penalties this season.
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