Good week here at Goonblog HQ. I got to games Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Obviously there were no fights Wednesday and Saturday, duh, it was Lowell, but Thursday’s Bruins game was quite a different story. Bridget took me for my birthday and we had a great seat for the fight Bruins fans had been waiting for for a year now. That’s right. Big Z finally dropped them.

It started right in front of us with a disagreement between Zdeno Chara and Blackhawk tough guy, David Koci. The two had a very spirited bout, and I score it a win for Chara. A lot has been made about Koci’s nose already being broken, and that’s why he was bleeding. My point? Who cares? If Chara doesn’t raise his fists to him, then he doesn’t hit him. He doesn’t hit him, we never find out he already had a broken nose. I am just glad Chara finally got in a fight. Bummer he didn’t break his hand like Jack Edwards speculated.

Yesterday’s Bruins game was a spirited affair as well. After two disappointing bouts as a Bruin, Shawn Thornton really impressed me yesterday in his to to toe battle with Riley Cote. The 2 stood in and traded a bunch of bunches. Thornton was fired up after the fight too, as he was trying to get the crowd into it after being separated from Cote. I call it a draw.

Not to be outdone, new Bruin favorite Milan Lucic got into it with Ben Eager about 10 seconds later. I was once again very impressed with the rookie from Vancouver. He traded shots with Eager, and once again showed great balance. I think Eager landed more, but Lucic kept coming. I score the fight a win for Eager, but Lucic gets very high marks once again.

I’m sure Bruins fans everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief for Patrice Bergeron. That was a scary hit, and I take issue with Chara who was on the ice at the time, not being the one to go after Randy Jones. When Chuck Kobasew is doing that kind of thing over the Captain of an Original Six team, I think it shows the make up of both guys. Anyway, it was a scary and dirty hit, and I’m glad Bergie is OK. I would expect Jones to get some discipline after this one. Colin Campbell should just set up an office in Philly eh? I am off to the Patriots game, then the Sox later. Monday should be an interesting day!

Not sure how big of a scoop this is, but I was up in Lowell this evening for a big Devils win. I agree, them winning a game may seem like the scoop, alas, it isn’t. In the stands was none other than Goonblog favorite, Joe Rullier. I have said it several times here that I have always like Rullier. He has a nasty streak, and when he fights, he has very quick hands. Plus, he’s a nice kid. I think he may still owe Taz a brew though. Taz? He ever pay up? I talked with him briefly and he told me he was over in Europe playing when he got the call from the Islanders to come back to North America. He just got in today, and he said he’s got to skate himself back into shape. Adding Joe to that lineup with Kip Brennan should make them a pretty tough team to play.

Sox are cruising right now. Good thing too, because Jimbo and I went for 1 last night, and I arrived back home at midnight. Paying attention right now is not easy. MOL? Not pleased. Jimbo is a buddy I work with, and I’m pretty sure we aren’t allowed to play together for a while. I guess I won’t tell her he’ll be at the Bruins game Bridget is taking me to tomorrow eh? Go Sox.

I only got one thing to say in this week’s Weekly Wrap Up. GO SOX!!

Usually Wednesday night is Hockey Night in Acton, but last night it was Hockey Night in Lowell. I got in my first Lowell Devils game of the year, and here is a quick recap of what me and the other 400 fans saw, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, Providence goal, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, Providence goal, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……I think you get the idea. I have taken English tests in High School that were more exciting. I do not like the brand of hockey New Jersey plays, and I do not like the trickle down effect to their Minor League systems. They’ve had a decent tough guy on their roster in the form of Pierre Luc Leblond, and he has yet to dress. It’s pretty frustrating to see your team go down 4-0 to a division rival in the first meeting of the year, and have no one do anything. Hell, they didn’t even have anyone dressed that could do anything.

On the other side of the ice, the Bruins fan in me was very impressed with Tuuka Rask. That kid is lightning quick, stays square to the shooter, and has excellent rebound control. I really like him, and was totally impressed. Keep in mind; I also said that about Hannu Toivonen the first time I saw him as well. I hope they are more patient with Rask, than they were with Hannu.

It’s also always fun to see the league’s biggest pussy, Sean Curry, in action. I love his menacing stare and the fear in his eyes because he knows it can’t be backed up. Listen girls have been sending me mixed messages my whole life. I.e. I am not a lesbian, but after being hit on by you, I can learn, so I know one when I see it, and Sean is sending a mixed message. He can’t hide the fear is his eyes, with a fake glare, the Peter Reynolds starter set for a hair cut, and the fake enforcer goatee.

Tonight, MOL and I are off to the Garden for opening night. Our special guest will be newly minted American Citizen, Dave. I am very proud of Dave for becoming a Citizen of this great Nation. In a time when everyone seems to take pleasure in bashing America and our policies at every turn, and Americans are saying they are ashamed to call themselves an American, Dave has decided to become an American Citizen. I think it’s an outstanding move, and I am proud of him for doing it. Cue Lee Greenwood…

This will be my third straight opening night with MOL. The first was the end of the lockout year when they lost to Montreal, and I sat in front of people that thought Colton Orr was Bobby Orr’s son (no relation) and was debating on if Bobby would be mad because Colton wasn’t getting any ice. The verdict? Yes he would be. Last year was the Calgary Flames. I think I may have been “that guy” in the stands that night. Boston won. We got plowed. Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning is in town. To say I am excited is putting it mildly. I am pumped to see Lucic in action live for the first time, and I hope number 22 mixes it up with former teammate, and baby faced tough guy Shane O’Brien. We’ll be leaving in about 30 minutes to get to the Fours, and Halftime Pizza. If you see anyone in a Goonblog T shirt, with a girl that won’t stop muttering, “what have I done” stop and say Hi to MOL and I! Go Bruins, and Go Sox!

Well, I told you guys it wasn’t going to end well, as in, the wedding I went to wasn’t conducive to me not being completely hungover today. Turns out, Hammer and I weren’t the ones to worry about. It was MOL. Poor thing. She is in rough shape. Very rough shape. I would like to apologize to whoever had to clean room 30 at the Lake Motel today too. You earned the 40 bucks I left for you.

I think I forgot to mention, I sold my POS Sony, and am back with the Lenovo T60. If anyone is thinking of getting a new notebook, I suggest Lenovo. Do not get a Sony. If you can avoid it, don’t get Vista either. What a piece of shit.

OK, on to the task at hand, the weekly wrap up. I was thinking to myself the other night about the new uniforms. I can’t really tell the difference. I actually like them. I know a lot of fighters are talking about how it’s harder to grab on. I don’t see a problem with that. I think it’ll open the fights up a little more, and we’ll see guys slug it out toe to toe more. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but the theory made sense in my head. Of course I did have 7 Miller Lite’s and 3 of MOL’s peanut butter chocolate chip cookies in me, so I may have been delirious.

I am totally on the Milan Lucic band wagon. How about the Gordie Howe hat trick the other night? We may have another Cam Neely in the making here boys. This kid is a good hockey player, and Julien is rewarding him with more ice. They can’t send him back to Junior. I also must say, I think Phil Kessel is beginning to show the skill that had him as the consensus first overall pick. He’s playing very well, and so are the Bruins. I realize it’s early on, but I may have been wrong about the Bruins. They may not suck this year.

That’s it for the WWU. I am off to watch the games. MOL is sleeping and will not be up for Desperate Housewives, and the other crap fest she loves….Brothers and Sisters. That show ought to be called Brothers and Crap. Have a good week all.

Big weekend for the Goonblog boys. I just filled two flasks with Eagle Rare Bourbon. One I am giving to Hammer, and one is mine. I will make the delivery to him tomorrow at Bob and Tawnya’s wedding up at the lake. To say no good can come from this is the understatement of the year. Tonight I am watching the Sox, then the Bruins. Tomorrow, I will figure out a way to watch the Sox and Bruins at the wedding, and Sunday is the Pats. To top it off, MOL has a slinky black dress lined up for the wedding. RAAR. Easy boys. She’s spoken for, and despite her constant crying and mumbling “what did I do”, she’s happy.

I saw Jesse Boulerice got suspended for 25 games today for his cross check on Ryan Kesler. I can’t say I am surprised at the length of the sentence. I thought there was no need for what he did, and the sentence fit the crime here. I was really glad to see Jesse back in the show too. He didn’t seem the same player after Aaron Downey scrambled his eggs a couple of years ago. He only played a handful of games in Lowell, and Albany, and couldn’t seem to catch a break. Now, with a fresh start in the place where it all started for him, he seemed to finally be back. I think Jesse is a quality player and decent enforcer. The one time I talked to him, he seemed like a nice young man to boot. I am not sure if he gets too wound up in the heat of battle, but he needs to learn to stop using his stick as a weapon. Maybe a 25 game seat in the press box after working his way back to the NHL will be the ticket.

Go Sox, Bruins, and Patriots. Congratulations to Bob and Tawnya, as well as Dorothea and Todd. Have a great weekend everyone. Look for the weekly wrap up Sunday.

Last night was hockey night at Goonblog HQ. MOL was doing something in the other room, so I was in the living room drinking Miller Lite while watching several hockey games. It started with the first period of the Penguins and Montreal, and ended with the 8-2 drubbing by Philadelphia on the Canucks. Oh, by the way, guess who’s getting suspended? I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with Messy Moulerice. In between I saw the Isles and Rangers, and the Bruins and Ducks. All told, I watched about 8 full periods of hockey, drank about 10 beers, and went to bed at 1:15. The hockey was decent, but sadly there were no fights.

The Penguins and Canadiens featured the first NHL star, and win, by Montreal’s latest star goaltender in the making Carey Price. Price looked very solid. He is the third Montreal goaltender to get their first win in the NHL against the Penguins. The other two, Ken Dryden, and Pat Roy. Anyhow, the more I watch Sid the Kid, the more I am impressed with him. He is a god, and I think he may very well go down as the greatest ever. If I ever played in the NHL, I would like to think I would do it like Gary Roberts. I think I saw him try to kill at least two Montreal forwards. The man obviously does not like anyone in the other sweater, and I like that about him. Rounding out the highlight was Georges Laraque. He had no fights, but he’s still a force on the ice. I can’t wait until December 20th when the Pens are in town.

Here’s a recap of the Islanders and Rangers game. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….oh look, is that Hillary Duff? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. That’s not all true. There were a few goods hits, and Bryan Berard’s slapper goal was a laser. I was keeping an eye out for Gomez and Drury. Gomez is scoreless in his time as a Ranger. Shanny remains one of my favorites of all time. He’s awesome to watch on the PP. Again, this game featured no fights.

Next, we have the Ducks and Bruins. The Bruins started out like a house on fire with Chuck Kobasew scoring a beauty early in the first. My new favorite Bruin? By far, Milan Lucic. The kid is 19, but like Marc Savard said in the booth, he’s a man. He makes the most of his limited ice time, and the Bruins are going to have a tough choice in 5 more games. I am a little surprised Thornton and Parros didn’t fight…there were a couple of night body checks too…I thought Thornton would have wanted to go in front of the old fans.

Finally, the Canucks and Flyers in the night cap. Philly was up on side and down the other of the Canucks. Philadelphia was getting every bounce and every loose puck. The goal I saw Danny Briere score was pretty nice. Luongo looked really shaky too. Near the end, the game got very ugly. Jesse Boulerice (who I am glad is back in the show by the way) cross checked Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler in the head behind the Canucks goal. I am really not sure why either. Boulerice is no stranger to stick violence, as he was charged with assault following a stick swinging incident in 1998 during a Junior game. I suspect he’ll be suspended for this incident. I guess the Flyers are trying to bring back the Broad Street Bullies era in the City of Brotherly Love. For my night of hockey last night, I get to quietly type this while MOL watches Grey’s Anatomy. Hopefully, it will earn me the TV for the Sox and Bruins tomorrow.

I was all set to update you on stuff I missed this week, which was a lot by the way, when I opened my email and found this pile of shit. I really don’t even know what to say. Maybe if we stopped shielding kids from everything bad in the world they might actually have coping skills like the rest of us. Instead we tell kids that when a man stands up for another man because they believe in the same cause, he’s going to kill someone and must be stopped. The scary thing is, this guy’s kid could be running this country some day and he’ll have no idea what it’s like to fight to defend himself. Dennis Bonvie, we here at Goonblog love what you do, and we know why you do it. Thanks for the memories!

OK, listen I got married, went on my honeymoon, and when I got back started my new job. See, I got promoted, and I couldn’t tell anyone. I’ve been busy as hell trying to figure out exactly what it is I am supposed to be doing. I apologize for the delay. I think I got shit under control….or at least as under control as it’s getting.

The Bruins kick off their season tonight, and I will be the only person in New England watching, as the Sox are also playing. I’ve been drinking, so I’ll do semi live updates. Here is my preview of the B’s this year. They are going to suck. I say 15th in the conference, and if they were smart, they’d try to deal Chara to San Jose (15 million below the cap) and start all over. I am excited hey have Shawn Thornton, Jeremy Reich, and the new kid, Milan Lucic in the show. Hopefully they will be able to fight this season, as Disney Dave Lewis apparently had the cuffs on them last year. That’s typical of this organization though, look like a fool, then blame the old regime for failing, all while hiring some “old school” person to be the new face. Cam Neely, welcome. 35 minutes till puck drops. I’m going to get stinkin shitfaced on the bus.

1ST PERIOD

I love the Bruins new jerseys.

MOL and I are POUNDING Miller Lite…and cookies.

I may get a Thornton jersey. I wore 22 for a while. Does that make me a meat slapper?

Did you know Chara lead the Bruins last season in PIM with 100? As an aside, he had 0 fighting majors. He’s the captain. Unacceptable.

Brick just said “box”.

I might be drunk.

Holy Shit! Chara hit someone!

Who knew Milan Lucic spoke English? Not MOL. Or me.

Sorry. I got distracted by wedding pics sent by Dave. Hilarious doesn’t even cover it.

Man on Man porking. That’s all I will say about Dave’s captions.

Back to hockey. Is this a preseason game? This is as exciting as paint drying.

1-0 Dallas. What the fuck Ward? Any chance you want to pick him up? No? OK fair enough.

Can we get a ruling on the puck over the glass penalty? Serious. Is it too hard to asses 2 minutes for on purpose, and no penalty for not on purpose?

OK, so the first period of the year is in the books. Per usual, the Bruins look terrible, and I am slightly drunk. Sox are up 2-0. I need to pee, and get some brew.

2nd Period

I like NESN’s clock until puck drop. This way I can watch the Indians and Yankees for 3 more minutes. It’s 2007 and we can’t figure out regional coverage?

Indians win. Go to the Sox.

Angels scored at the same time the Indians did. Weird.

Fuck it. Back to hockey.

Suddenly, it’s 3-2 Angels.

Back to hockey. For real this time.

5 count them 5 Bruins just watched Dallas score.

FIGHT!! Good time for it too. Bruins just go down by 2, and the Fridge and Shawn Thornton have a go off the face off.

Thornton’s first fight as a Bruin….pretty uneventful.

Another! Milan Lucic makes his debut against Brad Winchester!! Not bad by the rookie. Some hard punches thrown, and landed by Lucic. Nice balance. Good work. I am impressed.

Quick recap of the game after the fights. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Just texted Killer. He’s at the Sox.

You know, the Bruins lead the game in Shots on Goal, but I really do not think they’ve had any real scoring chances.

Killer’s reply: I’m drunk.

Me too.

FUUUUUUCK. 3-0 Dallas. Did you know the Bruins were 8-24 in 3 plus goal games? That means of the 41 games they lost last year, half of them were by more than 3 goals.

Mike Modano has never had a 100 point season? That is hard to believe.

I missed Andy Brickley.

Hey! It’s the Bruins first too many men on the ice penalty!! It’s finally hockey season!

OOOPS. That’s Dallas too many men. I forgot the Bruins got a new coach.

NICE!!!!!! Bergie!!! Excellent PP by Boston. Right spot there by Bergeron to put the rebound home. Nice goal.

Glen Metropolit sucks by the way.

Nice wrister by Kessel. You know he uses a Kid’s stick? Me neither. I guess he likes the whip, and its hairless ass.

End of 2. The Bruins played very well for 5 minutes. In the new NHL 2 goals is nothing. If you are good. We’ll see what the Bruins do here.

3rd Period

Nice piece on Mike Modano between periods. He went first overall in ’88. The Stars took Link Gaetz after him, to protect Mike Modano. They should have taken a lawyer after Gaetz to protect him.

Marc Savard has a rifle of a shot. He almost killed Marty Turco.

Manny Fernandez sucks. 4-1 Dallas. Trade him. Play Thomas, bring up Rask.

I’m so bored, I might switch to baseball.

If you dig whiskey, or bourbon, try Woodford Reserve.

10:00 minutes left. This is horrible.

I just got invited to Canada to help Dave bury prostitutes. Weird right?

Beloved Penguins got hammered 4-1 tonight.

7 minutes left in this snooze fest.

This seems like a good time to tell everyone, I am now a Manager. Scary right? Like, I have to motivate people now. I’m scared too.

I think I’d like to party with Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley.

Um. Milk in a bag? How are you supposed to look for missing kids eh?

That was awful, and boring with the exception of the 2 fights. Bruins picked up where they left off. Just terrible. See you in Phoenix tomorrow.

Here’s the idea I had. I think it’d be cool if Sunday evening before the late games start, I can do a Goonblog weekly wrap up. I’m thinking it can be some odds and ends stuff we on staff may have missed, or just some things on my mind. This week will be a little different because there aren’t any late games, but MOL is watching Desperate Housewives, so I pretty much have nothing better to do anyway.

The NHL regular season got underway with all the fanfare of a new Dunkin Donuts opening in Massachusetts. One day there was no Dunkin Donuts, the next, there was. They pop up so often around here no one notices anymore. My point being, the new season started and I bet if you asked 100 people, I’d say maybe 5 would know the season is underway. I have Center Ice once again, so I got Saturday’s game, and I found it to be a sloppy, Special Teams affair. I love the new NHL! Not. This just in NHL, in order to grow your product, you need to advertise, and make sure what you are selling doesn’t suck. Negative on both.

Saturday night I got my first live game of the season. MOL and I had a prior engagement. When our plans changed, I went to the Devils and Soundtigers pre season tilt in Lowell. It was a fairly decent game actually. We had decided we were not going to the Bruins on Sunday due to Thank You cards, and a visit with my mother, so I was especially happy to be in the building. There was even a fight which was a pretty good tilt. Does anyone know what is up with Gordie Dwyer and the Islanders? I saw he didn’t play today, or yesterday for them. I don’t think he played Friday night either. Was he released? Sent to Bridgeport? I didn’t see him in Lowell with the scratches, or on the ice. Any info would be appreciated.

Sunday I watched the “nationally televised” (if you can call VS. national) debut of NHL ’08. This game was equally sloppy, but at least we saw some even strength goals, and hey, there was even a fight. George Parros and Scott Thornton got into it in the second with the Ducks up big and Thornton trying to spark his Kings. Thornton I think won the battle, landing some very good punches. Parros landed a few of his own, and got the takedown, but I scored it for Thornton for more thrown and landed. Alas, the Ducks won the war winning 4-1. They are back on VS. Wednesday against the Red Wings, while the Kings are off until Saturday. I like the Kings. They have some young talent worth watching. They will be a West Coast favorite I feel. I also love the Ducks in your face style. I will keep tabs on them as well.

Finally we have the Steve “Don’t Call Me Gord” Downie issue. Frequent reader, poster, and Goonblog friend, Todd St. Louis sees it as a guy in the show trying to finish a check. I agree with him to a certain degree. Downie is a young guy trying to make a team, and to do so, he needs to finish checks. On the other hand, I feel he did a little more than finish a check there. He left his feet to do it, and hit a guy in the head hard enough to bounce him off the boards. I am 1000% sure he didn’t mean to hurt McAmmond, and has called to apologize, but it doesn’t change the fact he could have very seriously hurt Dean McAmmond.

Steve Downie has had a very rocky road to the NHL. The kid has a shit load of talent, and I see him as a Sean Avery type player. The type of guy that gets under your skin in a big way. Right now, he’s just trying to make the club and is doing whatever he thinks he needs to do to get on the NHL roster. When looking at it over and over, I think what he did was cheap, and is the wrong way to go about making the Team. There is finishing a check, and there is a cheap shot, and I think Downie laid a big cheap shot on Dean McAmmond. If and when he gets up to the NHL, I suggest he have his head on a swivel when facing the Senators. They will most assuredly be after this youngster.

So that’s the week that was. Off to the office tomorrow for my first day back in a week. I’m pumped. I hope you are picking up my sarcasm. Lots of games this week. Killer, bring the wings Friday for the Bruins, I got plenty of beer. We’ll need it for this edition of the Bruins.