More reasons to not like the Pittsburgh Penguins

#450358012 / gettyimages.com

Former Pittsburgh Penguin defenseman Ulf Samuelsson was one of the dirtiest players to play the game of hockey, now he's in the running for the the Penguins head coaching job. More reasons to not like the Penguins.

TSN.CA -- New York Rangers assistant coach and former NHL defenceman Ulf Samuelsson is on the list of candidates who's interviewed for the head coaching job with the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger.

Dreger reported on Tuesday that the Hurricanes sought permission from the Rangers to interview Samuelsson for their coaching vacancy.

Samuelsson played 16 seasons in the NHL with lenghty stints in both Pittsburgh and with the former Hartford Whalers.

(Video) Michel Therrien Confronts Ulf Samuelsson During Practice

Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien is really a cry baby... Therrien did nothing but cry and complain during the second round series between the Boston Bruins and Canadiens as well. He confronts Ulf Samuelsson during the Canadiens team practice. Seriously, what are the Habs going to give away during their practice?

SNYRangers Blog -- Therrien’s quote on the subject was “There is always a gentleman’s agreement between two teams and the general manager that coaches are not allowed to attend practices between games. Game day is different. So when we saw those assistant coaches there, they were not supposed to be there, so we let them know.” (via the NHL)

#canadiens Michel Therrien was upset at Ulf Samuelson who was watching practice. A no-no when it's not a morning skate. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) May 24, 2014

Matt Cooke trying to change the minds of the fans in the State Hockey

Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am sure we're going to see a bunch of these types of articles leading up to the season. Needless to say, I am not all that thrilled about him being a member of the Minnesota Wild.

Jess Myers, 1500ESPN.com -- "He was pretty dirty," Parise said. "He got under your skin, and he's got that ability to take your focus off the game and off scoring goals, and he puts your focus on him. That's a good trait to have, and that's a good player for us to have."

A quick check of Cooke's online bio shows nearly as many NHL suspensions for dirty and dangerous plays as trips to the playoffs. It also shows a Stanley Cup ring that Cooke won with the Penguins (who had an assistant coach named Mike Yeo back then) in 2009. Still, over the summer when the Wild inked Cooke to a free agent pact, the reaction of some fans was akin to announcing that a tried and true goon like Ulf Samuelsson, or Todd Bertuzzi or Chris Simon (again) would be wearing green and red.

"I understand their reaction. I don't blame them for it, and they're entitled to it," said Cooke on Sunday. "But I'm a different player now, and somehow, some way, with this being the State of Hockey, I believe if for some reason I was on this side doing the same things, they'd be loving me. So I ask for patience, and hopefully after three or four shifts their opinions will change."

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.