Tweet of the Week

My favorite tweet of the week is by Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. Russo makes a great point. Can you imagine spending money on this game? The last NHL game that I attended cost me $77.00. And was more exciting than this gem.

For the most part, this season, the NHL, except for a handful of teams and games has been boring to watch. Almost unwatchable. This game is almost as bad at the 1-0 game that UND lost to BSU on November 20, 2011.

One of the worst hockey games in the history of the sport is scoreless after two...One period to go...

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 11, 2016

Alex Ovechkin Nets 500

Washington Capitals All-World forward Alex Ovechkin scored his 500th goal of his career against the Ottawa Senators. IMHO, Ovechkin is one of the greatest hockey players of my lifetime. Ovie joins some pretty good players in the 500 goal club.

Ovechkin 5th fastest #NHL player to 500 goals: 1. Gretzky (575 GP) 2. Lemieux (605) 3. Bossy (647) 4. Brett Hull (693) 5. Ovechkin (801)

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 11, 2016

Marchand to Have Hearing for Dirty Hit on Borowiecki

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is a great offensive talent, but he's also a flawed player. Marchand plays with an edge and shows no respect for the opposition. Last night, Marchand crossed that line again and he's going to pay for it. I predict that Marchand will miss the Winter Classic on Friday.

Marchand is a repeat offender and is about to receive yet another long suspension. Looking at the play in question, I don't see any way that Marchand escapes justice from the NHL's department of Plyers safety. The puck is nowhere near Marchand and he low bridges Mark Borowiecki.

I think the league has to make a stand this time. This is also the same type of play that landed him a five-game suspension in 2011. In last night's game, Marchand also speared Senators forward Kyle Turris. 

Again, did I mention that Marchand is a dirty player and a repeat offender. I am also a Boston Bruins fan, but I have seen enough shenanigans from this guy. Marchand needs to feel the burn.

Brad Marchand / Brad Marchand to have discipline hearing with NHL over low hit https://t.co/sB8yF7Y4U8 #NHL #BOS

— Boston Bruins (@BostonBruinsNHL) December 30, 2015

Was Jarret Stoll's hit on Kris Letang worthy of a Suspension?

real dirty hit from stoll on letang pic.twitter.com/mcWttguGal

— Rich Miller (@atrichmiller) December 27, 2015

Last night, at the 03:19 mark of he third period, Minnesota Wild forward Jarret Stoll hit Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kris Letang in the head his shoulder. For his efforts, Stoll was given a two-minute minor penalty for illegal check To head.

First, Stoll got lucky, he could've been assessed a five-minute major, but for whatever reason, he wasn't. Checking social media  Pens fans weren't very happy with the call. Do they have a point for their unhappiness?

Further complicating things, today, the league decided that Stoll wouldn't be having a hearing for his illegal check to Letang's head. Finally, Letang didn't play in the Pens game tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. This made Pens fans, even more, unhappy.

My question is: was this hit worthy of supplemental discipline? Did the NHL's Department of Player Safety blow it? Personally, I don't think that every illegal check to head deserves a suspension. In this case, it looks like Stoll went for a shoulder-to-should hit and missed. It's not a malicious hit, dirty, sure.

Kris Letang is out tonight vs WPG, per #Pens Coach Sullivan. Wasn't feeling great this morning. Precautionary hold out.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 27, 2015

#mnwild's Jarret Stoll isn't expected to face hearing for hit on #penguins D Kris Letang. Looks like hit thru the shoulder, no extension

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) December 27, 2015

Derek Forbort vs Kyle Chipchura

First, I am shocked, I didn't expect this. Former North Dakota defenseman Derek Forbort is not known for his fighting prowess, nor should he quit his day job. That being said, Forbort did alright in his fight against the Coyotes knuckle dragging Nethaderal Kyle Chipchura.

Second, Forbort picked a fight with an NHL goon that has almost 50 NHL fights under his belt. In review, this was Forbort's first NHL fight and he held his own.

Boston Bruins: Max Talbot Suspended Two Games for Interference

After watchin this video again, I don't have a problem with this suspension. I would like to see more plays like this called. I do, however, want to see the league enforce dangerous hits and head shots more consistenly. I want to see star players get the same penalty/suspensions that a third or fourth line player gets. 

NEW YORK – Boston Bruins forward Max Talbot has been suspended for two games, without pay, for interference against New Jersey Devils forward Jiri Tlusty during NHL Game No. 494 in Boston on Sunday, Dec. 20, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today. The incident occurred at 14:30 of the second period.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Talbot will forfeit $19,354.84. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Brad Malone vs Wayne Simmonds

According to Hockey fights, former Fighting Sioux forward Brad Malone has been in four NHL fights this season. The last two, he's fared poorly, and he was beaten badly in both fights. You have to give him credit, he doesn't shy away from a scrap.

In this fight, Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds comes to the aid of a Flyers player that Malone has checked.

Updated: Brandon Dubinsky Will have a Hearing for Dirty Cross Check on Sidney Crosby

There's no defending this bush league cross check by Columbus Bluejackets forward Brandon Dubinsky. I mean seriously, Dubinsky tries to remove Sidney Crosby's head from his body. This dirty hit is worthy of a suspension. If you're a fan of the NHL, there's a chance you're embarrassed that  Dubinsky was only given a two-minute minor for this egregious act of violence. Now will the league step up?

Just for the record, I am not a fan of the Penguins, but I don't want to see the league's superstars knocked out of the game by a senseless, dirty, boneheaded hit.

Wow. Cross Check to the back of Crosby's neck from Brandon Dubinsky gets just a 2 minute penalty. Playoff atmosphere in Columbus tonight.

— John Buccigross (@Buccigross) November 28, 2015

Dubinsky will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Players safety.

Brandon Dubinsky: Will have a hearing with the league regarding his actions in the most rece... https://t.co/VMyqNEGuZ8 #nhl #CBJ

— Left Wing Lock (@Left_Wing_Lock) November 28, 2015

Apparently, former NHL goon Matthew Barnaby didn't think that Dubinsky's cross check warrants a suspension. Wait, what?

The only suspension questionable is one to neck. And not bad at all. 2nd cross check is not suspension. No way no how. We'll discuss Monday

— Matthew Barnaby (@MattBarnaby3636) November 28, 2015

NHL might suspend Dubinsky. I don't think he deserves it all. There was Zero force. Just my opinion. Comes down to their opinion

— Matthew Barnaby (@MattBarnaby3636) November 28, 2015

(Video) Jonathan Toews vs David Backes

Former Fighting Sioux All-American forward Jonathan Toews has been in a grand total of five NHL fights. Two of them have been against the same player, former Minnesota State Maverick David Backes. While fighting isn't Toews' role, he's fought twice already this season.

Gabriel Landeskog Suspended Two Games For Hit On Brad Marchand

Apparently, you can get a two-game suspension for a hit like this in the NHL. So far, kneeing infractions have been okay.

Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog has been suspended by the NHL for this hit on Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Anyone what to defend this hit? Marchand was also fined $5,000 for popping Landeskog.

Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog has been suspended 2 games for an illegal check to the head of Boston's Brad Marchand. https://t.co/e0PHYMclPM

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 13, 2015

Gabriel Landeskog suspended two games for hit, Brad Marchand fined for punch (Video) https://t.co/9ihOmD0KnG #Bruins #NHL #Avalanche

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) November 13, 2015

Oilers Connor McDavid Suffers Upper-Body Injury

The Edmonton Oilers received some very bad news today. Their star rookie forward Connor McDavid will be out long term after sustaining a upper-body injury. Can we say fractured collar bone? The video is painful to watch. This is bad news for the NHL and the Oilers. So far this season, McDavid is leading rookie scorers with (5g-7a--12pts) in 13 games.

Coach McLellan says @cmcdavid97 has an upper-body injury that will keep him out long term.

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 4, 2015

Connor McDavid expected to have surgery to repair fractured clavicle.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) November 4, 2015

Zac Rinaldo Hit on Sean Couturier

Boston Bruins forward Zac Rinaldo was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for this hit on Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier. Needless to say, Rinaldo's first game against his old team only lasted on period and he played only 2:53 minutes.

I don't think that this hit is suspension worthy, but the league will definitely take a look at it. Couturier was not on the bench to start the second period.

T.J. Oshie Kisses His Stick

Oshie kisses his stick after scoring the 4th Caps goal, and his 3rd of the season pic.twitter.com/ew9wb8gjSO

— Stephanie (@myregularface) October 21, 2015

Classic T.J. Oshie... After scoring his third goal of the year and the fourth goal for the Capitals, Oshie kisses his stick.

Alexander Burmistrov’s Dirty Elbow on Patrice Bergeron

While we're suspending people for dirty hits. I believe that Alexander Burmistrov’s dirty elbow on Patrice Bergeron should warrant a suspension. This is definitely a violation of the NHL's Rule 48.

There's no defending this hit.

NHL Alumni by NCHC School

Lot of players in the NHL that come from NCHC schools.

North Dakota (14)
Taylor Chorney, D (Washington)
Derek Forbort, D (Los Angeles)
Matt Greene, D (Los Angeles)
Rocco Grimaldi, F (Florida)
Brad Malone, F (Carolina)
Brock Nelson, F (New York Islanders)
T.J. Oshie, F (Washington)
Zach Parise, F (Minnesota)
Chris Porter, F (Minnesota)
Dillon Simpson, D (Edmonton)
Drew Stafford, F (Winnipeg)
Jonathan Toews, F (Chicago)
Chris VandeVelde, F (Philadelphia)
Travis Zajac, F (New Jersey)

Denver (9)
Beau Bennett, F (Pittsburgh)
Tyler Bozak, F (Toronto)
Matt Carle, D (Tampa Bay)
Joe Colborne, F (Calgary)
Matt Donovan, D (Buffalo)
Nick Shore, F (Los Angeles)
Paul Stastny, F (St. Louis)
Patrick Wiercioch, D (Ottawa)
Jason Zucker, F (Minnesota)

Minnesota Duluth (8)
J.T. Brown, F (Tampa Bay)
Justin Faulk, D (Carolina)
Justin Fontaine, F (Minnesota)
Jason Garrison, D (Tampa Bay)
Matt Niskanen, D (Washington)
Dylan Olsen, D (Florida)
Mason Raymond, F (Calgary)
Alex Stalock, G (San Jose)

Miami (7)
Dan Boyle, D (New York Rangers)
Andy Greene, D (New Jersey)
Alec Martinez, D (Los Angeles)
Reilly Smith, F (Florida)
Chris Wideman, D (Ottawa)
Tommy Wingels, F (San Jose)
Jeff Zatkoff, G (Pittsburgh)

Colorado College (4)
Curtis McElhinney, G (Columbus)
Nate Prosser, D (Minnesota)
Jaden Schwartz, F (St. Louis)
Mark Stuart, D (Winnipeg)

Western Michigan (4)
Kevin Connauton, D (Columbus)
Danny DeKeyser, D (Detroit)
Mark Letestu, F (Edmonton)
Matt Tennyson, D (San Jose)

St. Cloud State (2)
Matt Cullen, F (Pittsburgh)
Matt Hendricks, F (Edmonton)

Omaha (1) Andrej Sustr, D (Tampa Bay)

(s/t NCHC Hockey)

Raffi Torres Has not Learned his Lesson, Ejected for Brutal Head Shot

While he's not considered a repeat offender per the CBA, this hit could land Sharks forward Raffi Torres a long suspension.

Torres, BTW, is technically NOT a repeat offender (no fines/suspensions in last 18 months) for purposes of how lost wages are calculated.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 4, 2015

But Torres' history of fines/suspensions CAN be factored into length of future suspension, once @NHLPlayerSafety determines hearing req'd.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 4, 2015

Brandon Dubinsky not a Fan of Mike Reilly

One has to wonder if this wasn't a drunk tweet or something along those lines. That being said, Columbus Blue Jackets isn't a fan of former Gopher Mike Reilly. 

Obviously, Reilly isn't the first college hockey player to go this route to the NHL, but I can see how Dubinsky and his Blue Jackets teammates might not be that impressed with the ex-Gopher's decision. Dubinsky has since deleted his tweet. 

Mike Commodore goes off on Pierre McGuire

Former NHLer and University of North Dakota defenseman Mike Commodore took to twitter to express his displeasure with Pierre McGuire. He's not alone, there are many fans that can't stand McGuire. I see a lot of NHL fans expressing their thoughts about McGuire on social media often, many of them aren't very flattering. So, what do you think of big Mike's thoughts?

Good morning folks! Can I turn the tv back on yet or is #ShitStain still stinking it up?

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 28, 2015

What's up folks! Today's news..charleston rocks, ocean course is legit, and #Shitstain still stinks.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

Hey #ShitStain, the blue jackets didn't draft Jack Johnson. Wake up.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

I can't watch this. Off button. #ShitStain ruins it. Again.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

Pierre? Oh you mean #ShitStain ? RT @railfan514: @commie22 Please tell me you are talking about Pierre.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

Hey #ShitStain, the blue jackets didn't draft Jack Johnson. Wake up.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

Matt Cooke is Waived, Twitter Responds

Today is a very good day. Since my least favorite player in the NHL was finally waived from the Minnesota Wild, I thought I would celebrate by posting some of the Tweets that I found on Twitter.

@sexyreximacrexy I hate Matt Cooke so much and it basically broke my heart when he signed with Minnesota

— CorneliusHardenbergh (@HBAdventure) June 18, 2015

@mnwild I hate Matt Cooke he's a cheap shot artist...he's a disgrace to hockey....

— Richy (@ricnels12) June 18, 2015

Matt Cooke is a fucking joke im glad he on waivers he shouldn't be in the league for what he has done

— Mat Wilson (@matttyboy5150) June 18, 2015

See you never, hopefully! RT @goon48: Breaking News: Matt Cooke put on Waivers in Minnesota http://t.co/IgXEnrPsXR

— JS Landry (@JSLandry20) June 18, 2015

Bye Matt Cooke👋🏽👋🏽 pic.twitter.com/1vk7s2QFQa

— abby☀️ (@ybba2026) June 18, 2015

Wild put Matt Cooke on waivers, will buy him out #nhl http://t.co/NnluPDPJ6o pic.twitter.com/noCHLhWFFm

— WordLink #NHL (@NHLbyWordLink) June 18, 2015

Matt Cooke placed on waivers to be bought out http://t.co/hufP8vUxBf pic.twitter.com/X5eSSJlCC5

— Pominville News (@PominvilleNews) June 18, 2015

Matt Cooke is a LW who is about to be bought out. Matt Cooke plays #classless and #flyera hockey Flyera sign Matt Cooke to a 1 yr 2 way

— #ThankYouKimmo (@FauxGudas) June 18, 2015

See, it's not just me. Many other fans feel the same way. And yes, I agree Cooke is one of the dirtiest players ever to play the game of hockey. He makes Ulf Samuelsson look semi-clean.

Happy to see Matt Cooke being bought out by the Wild. One of the dirtiest players of all time. Doesn't deserve to be in the league. #NHL

— Tom Siino (@rangers_tom72) June 18, 2015

If Cooke being on waivers means he is going to be bought out, I could not be more pleased. I hope no one signs the pile of filth.

— Bryan Reynolds (@BReynoldsMN) June 18, 2015

Video: Kris Versteeg Goalie Interference

Check this out. Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg was assessed a two-minute minor for goalie interference. It's almost humorous.

In my opinion, this is a blown call. If you watch the video you will see that Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman actually helps Versteeg into the goal post.

Versteeg was trying to stop there. Gets one-armed tossed into the goalie/face plants on the post. Gets called for a penalty. Ouch.

— Cörey Masisak (@cmasisak22) June 4, 2015

GIF: Face vs. post. pic.twitter.com/EVsdg7RDHd

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 4, 2015