To quote John Winger: “And then, depression set in.” After Screwy and I are done drying our eyes, and the last team member has retired to the dressing room to drink from Lord Stanley that’s when it’s real. I am stuck with stupid baseball until September. Oh and the Celtics are in the finals, which is cool I guess, but I really can’t stand basketball. My Celtics fan friends all want me to pick the Lakers in six, because I had the Penguins in six, so they like the reverse jinx angle. So, there you go. I’m predicting the Lakers in six. They are playing the Lakers right? This really sucks. I am glad I have the NHL Network because the AHL finals are still going. It looks like Chicago is going to handle Wilkes/Barre easily though, and then it’ll all really be over. MOL is happy. I am not.

Overall, I think this hockey season was a good one. I didn’t’ write enough here, and that will change next season. I took a new job at work in October, and that on top of buying the house, figuring out how to be a husband, and my love of being in a gin mill, killed my productivity here. For next season I promise more running diaries of the games, and I recently bought a microphone, so I am going to try a Podcast. I think I am turning into a nerd. So, like I said, the season wasn’t bad. The beloved Bruins surprised me. Milan Lucic is my favorite player EVAH, and Shawn Thornton really had some great bouts in the second half of the season. YouTube continues to be a favorite spot. I love the Gillies/Mirasty tilts out there. It was nice to see Gordie Dwyer on American soil for a little bit. I am telling you, there aren’t many guys as engaging and friendly as him. I’d like the AHL to pay more because Lowell could sure use a guy that can skate and hit like him. Oh, and the Devils? They suck. Bad. Plus they are boring. They could use a guy like Dwyer to add some personality. So that’s it for 07-08. I’m really into birding these days (no kidding) so I’ve got my feeder to keep me occupied. I need some more, and a good bird book to help me identify what I am looking at. So far at my feeder I have seen a squirrel, and a chipmunk. Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, and a bunch of brown birds. Oh, and the fattest Blue Jay since Frank Thomas! HI OH! Congratulations to the Red Wings have a great summer all. I wish it was September.

I happened to be searching Google the other day for some enforcer news. What can I say, I have little life. Anyway, I put in Gordie Dwyer, and up popped this article. I thought it a giant stroke of luck that the very day I go looking for enforcer news is the day this article got posted. It’s like Gordie and I are on some weird wave length. I swear, I’m not mental.

I think the part about him opting to play in Europe over the AHL is interesting. I know in speaking to him a few years ago while with the Lockmonsters, he seemed very apathetic about fighting in the “A”, and it seems now he’s content to make more money and play a less physical style in Europe. Honestly, I can’t say I blame him. He’s got two kids and a wife to think about, plus it’s not like he’s some 19 year old kid trying to prove himself. I got a chance to speak to him in Lowell when he came in with Portland this season, and he was commenting on how much he and the family enjoyed it over in Sweden the previous year. His skating ability and willingness to crash the net helps him out overseas as well. Anyway, I thought the article was a good read, and wanted to wish Gordie Continued success in the future. I’d love to see him back in North America, preferably in a Lowell Devils sweater?

Here is a cool brawl from Gordie’s days with Lowell. He can be seen tryingto keep the peace….to no avail….

Happy New Year everyone. I trust everyone behaved themselves last night? Well, barring that no one got caught with the farm animals? Good good. I spent the first day of ’08 horizontal watching the outdoor game in Buffalo. I have my annual New Year’s cold, and it was a great way to spend the first waking hours of’08.

The game itself was really interesting. Trust me to everyone out there in the Midwest where the game was inexplicably blacked out. It brought back a lot of memories for me of playing on the pond for hours on end, I’m sure I was even more nostalgic for the guys out there that made it all the way to the top. It was cool to see them battling snow in the first, sleet in the second, bad ice throughout, and more snow in the third. I do have one issue though.

I am a reasonably smart man. I think I am more “street smart” than classic “book smart”. As such, I realize when I am being manipulated. Did it seem a little too convenient that Crosby wins it on the last shot of the shootout in front of a crowd that size? A little too “neat” don’t you think? Maybe I’m giving the NHL brass a bit too much credit though. I mean, here is a league that can’t realize expansion back in Canada would be good for the game by taking a team out of a market that doesn’t really care (Nashville. I’m looking at you) are they really smart enough to rig a game that way? I didn’t think so.

A couple of Goonblog favorites are looking for jobs. Joe Rullier was released from his PTO in Bridgeport, and it is with a heavy heart I have to report Gordie Dwyer was cut in Portland as well. I always liked Rullier. While he does play dirty sometimes, he will also fight honestly, and has very quick hands. Dwyer is one of the nicest guys I have ever met, and a decent player to boot. I would not mind seeing either signed by the beloved Lowell Devils. First beer is on me boys.

I am coming to you live from the new Goonblog HQ on the other side of Acton! MOL and I moved last weekend, and we finally got cable installed Friday morning. Manny and the boys hooked me up for my plasma with a brand new HDMI cable, so I am now actually getting real HD. It’s awesome. I gave him and his buddy 5o bucks for a great install. I hope they spent it on beer.

With Internet and cable installed, I am typing this on my new HP desktop I scored through our employee purchase plan at work. To say this is a bad ass machine is an understatement. Quick highlights. PD 3.4 gig processor. 2X300 gig hard drives. 4 Gig memory. DVD everything. Here the capper: 21” HDTV LCD monitor. I have it hooked up to the cable box, so I can come in here and watch the games in HD while MOL enjoys Brothers and Crap, or Desperate Housewives or whatever the hell else is on. I am psyched. This machine is bad ass.

Moving on to the business at hand. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. This ’07 edition was a bit of a departure from my normative behavior around this time of year. I look forward to the night before Thanksgiving all year. It is by far my favorite holiday. Usually I drink my face off with people I hadn’t seen since the Thanksgiving prior and old friends I hang with all year. There is always someone totally random that shows up (Susan in ’06.) that makes the evening a lot more interesting. This year however, was a bit different. For starters, the only person that may enjoy Thanksgiving more than me, and newly minted US Citizen, Dave, was up in the motherland. To say I missed him around this year was an understatement. He has been the best at keeping in touch with everyone, so he always plans the best events. It was not the same without him around. Secondly, the red house is no more. Jim and James packed it in and moved to Sommerville, so that was out. Thirdly, I went to the Lowell Devils game the night before, and drove to my brother’s in Connecticut Wednesday night. It was an odd Thanksgiving, but at the same time, I liked it. It was nice to be able to actually EAT turkey, and have a normal conversation with people. As well as I got to hang with my Niece and Nephew, which is always a blast. Still though, some traditions must live on, so I am announcing it early. Mark your calendars now. The night before Thanksgiving next year will be right here at Goonblog HQ! Dave, I better see you at 4:30 brew in hand.

Although the Holiday was a bit different, it did afford me a lot of hockey action featuring two Goonblog favorites over the years. Wednesday I was in Lowell for the Pirates tilt. Gordie Dwyer was in the house, but not dressed for the game. I spoke with him for about 20 minutes, and it was great to see him. I would have to say he is the nicest kid I have ever met in hockey. He talked of his chance in Portland, and Sweden last year. He spoke of the family, and they are well. I’m not mental or anything, but it was good to see him and have a few minutes to talk to him. I hope they sign him up there because he deserves the shot.

Friday marked the return of Trevor Gillies, and Tom Rowe to the Paul. Tom has always been very high on Gillies, and signed him this off season. Gillies played about 10 shifts and took a bullshit charging call. I was close enough to hear him screaming at the clock operator, penalty box attendant, and hell anyone that would listen. He was yelling, “How can you guys watch these guys?! What a bunch of pussies! You haven’t had anyone tough here for 6 years since I left!” Everyone got a good chuckle out of it, but sadly, he is right. Later after getting in a fight with Lowell’s Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre with 3 minutes left in the third he chose to stay in the box as opposed to retiring to the dressing room. Gillies was heated because he felt JLGP had jumped him late in a shift as opposed to waiting for a draw. The fight was a good one in which Gillies landed some good hard shots, but JLGP landed some of his own too. I think he may have even cut Gillies on the chin. I would say it was a win for Gillies, but JLGP handled himself nicely. Being back in the box afforded Gillies more time to scream and yell, and when Lowell’s Mark Fraser took two near the end of the game, Trevor took the opportunity to yell over to Fraser. This I could also hear. He said, “He Fraser. Tell your boy to get me off a draw next time, not when I’ve been out there for 2 minutes. He’s a fucking coward!” It was pretty hilarious, and Fraser even managed a dry smile. While I agree it goes against the code to get a guy late like that, I think Trevor would have had more beef if it was one of the leagues real tough guys. Not some wanna be tough guy with two hyphenated names.

Yesterday was game three for me in Lowell, and it featured Gordie Dwyer again. This time he played, and he didn’t look too bad. Gordie is a surprisingly good skater for a rough and tumble winger, and gives an honest effort every shift. He took a crappy minor for elbowing, but other than that, there was no rough stuff from him. Lowell also actually played another hyphenated player, Pierre-Luc LeBlond. It was the first time I’d seen him play for Lowell, and he didn’t look out of place at all. Decent skater, and plays crash and bang. They should take note of the lineup they had yesterday and play it more often, as they finally won a fucking game, and looked interested in playing. Tonight is the Flyers and Bruins in the first tilt since Bergeron was sent into the press box for the rest of the year. I’d like to see an old Broad Street Bullies vs. The Big Bad Bruins type game, but in the new NHL, I am not sure that’s possible. Either way, I’ll be tuned in at the All New Goonblog HQ!

Tweener is a constant source of information for Goonblog. He’s always sending me stuff from different fight related sites he peruses, and I appreciate it. Knowing I am a huge Gordie Dwyer fan, he passed on the information about him signing with the Portland Pirates last week. I was very happy to hear the good news, as Gordie is easily one of the nicest guys I have ever met. The Devils game the night before Thanksgiving is now must see, as the Pirates come rolling into town. Here’s hoping someone wants a piece of Mr. Dwyer.

Last I had heard of Gordie he was coaching in the Maritimes after being cut by the Islanders. I thought he was having a good camp, and I was kind of surprised he didn’t at least get sent to Bridgeport. He brings a ton of energy, and is a surprisingly good skater for a guy that plays the tough guy role. Often injured because of his reckless abandon style of play, but when he’s in the line up, he is a pest that will give you an honest effort every shift. I bet he’s a great guy in the room too. I am not sure of his pugilistic ability, as I have seen him lose more than win, he doesn’t seem to shy away from standing up for a teammate. I would like to see him stir the pot more, as he seems unwilling to drop the gloves in the AHL for the sake of dropping the gloves, but all in all, Portland is getting a fine minor leaguer in number 32. Good luck Gordie. See you on the 21st.

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.

I would like to personally thank everyone for the well wishes, and words of support and encouragement you have given MOL and I. Saturday was a very emotional day for the both of us, and it means so much to us that everyone could be there and share the day with us. To the Goonsquad in attendance. Thanks for being there. We really could not have asked for a better day eh? I hope you boys got enough to eat and drink. Judging from the two posts while I was away, I’m guessing you did.

MOL and I had a fantastic time on our Honeymoon. We did the same thing every day. Wake up. Go to the beach. Eat lunch. Take a nap. Eat dinner. Go to Sharky’s. Go home. It was a great time just sitting on the beach reading the Hockey News, and doing nothing. I had never been to the Vineyard, but I will most assuredly be going back. The people are super friendly, and they all seem genuinely interested in making sure you are enjoying yourself. Excellent times to say the least.

So, now I am back with many wedding thank you cards to write. I am refreshed, and am looking forward to the puck dropping on Saturday at noon for the Ducks and Kings. I love the Ducks in your face game, and I think the Kings have some very entertaining youngsters on their roster. Plus, it’ll be awesome to see two West Coast teams play in East Coast time. I am also trying to get MOL to go to the Bruins game on Sunday against the Isles. My boy Gordie Dwyer has been scoring goals, and dropping the mitts so I’d love to see him in action….provided he doesn’t get sent down…or released……Anyway, good to be back boys! Killer and I have some stuff coming up for the season that will be fun and entertaining, and The Ref is always lurking, ready to chip in his two cents. Hell, we may even get Hammer to write something again?

I have been looking for Gordie all year, and I fucking found him.
Looks like his career lives on with that waste of a first rounder, Nikos Tselios. I don’t speak Swedish or whatever, so I have no idea what this says. I can gather that Wendel Clark is Gordie’s favorite player. Good to know. Good luck Gordie. Bring me back some meatballs eh?

I had given up. I’m not kidding. I wasn’t watching my Center Ice Package. I was barely paying attention to the Bruins, and I had most assuredly given up on my beloved Lowell Devils. Look at the posts I have made over the last couple months. Aside from me announcing my engagement, trying to sell T-shirts (buy some fucking shirts by the way), and giving detailed recaps of how sick I’ve been and my slight drinking problem, there has been little posts about hockey fights, or fighters.

It wasn’t a conscious decision. I really wish I had more to say. In fact, a lot has happened enforcer wise. George Parros was waived and picked up. Todd Fedoruk got his faced caved in. Brashear has been active. Those are just a few things that have happened. You see, I just didn’t have the heart. The two teams I follow the most, The Boston Bruins, and Lowell Devils, seemed to be very happy playing within the confines of the new rules. Boston has virtually no one that can do any fighting, and the Devils seemed to be the same old same old Lowell hockey club. They were once again a team that had capable guys on their roster, but no one seemed willing to drop em.

The Lowell theory goes back to the Ron “Thou shall not fight, you’re a fucking joke” Smith days. For years they loved to get pushed around even though they had guys capable of sticking up for themselves and teammates sitting on the bench. Even when Tom Rowe took over behind the bench and vowed they wouldn’t get pushed around, they did. Look at guys they had on their roster in Rowe’s tenure as head coach.

Brantt Myhres: 687 PIMS in 154 NHL Games. Only 77 in 29 injury plagued games in Lowell. He told me flat out he wanted to fight.

Sean Curry: Possibly the biggest pussy in the whole league.

Stephen Peat: Played 3 games. Has a mysterious leg injury.

Cody McLeod: Undersized for the role he was asked to play.

Mitch Love: Showed tons of promise before he was hurt last year.

Gordie Dwyer: One of the greatest guys I have ever met. Seemed totally unwilling to be that guy in the A.

The point I am trying to make, is I was done. I could not care less what the Devils of Lowell did. As such, I didn’t even notice when Cam Janssen was reassigned to Lowell from New Jersey. Two years ago, I would have been foaming at the mouth. Oh, I noticed when he was assigned for conditioning of his shoulder and he didn’t fight. I hoped his lack of physical play was not Gordie Dwyer Syndrome. I.e. I don’t want to fight because it’s just the “A”. When Janssen was sent back down after the holiday, I didn’t even notice. So when he had 3 fights in two games over the weekend, I was excited.

I really don’t think Cam is going to suffer from Gordie Dwyer Syndrome, or GDS. He had a spirited fight with Riley Cote Friday that featured the longest square off in history. I think he was the winner. He got jumped by Lowell PD’s favorite player, Martin Grenier, in what could be called a draw, and lost to Worcester’s Jonathan Tremblay yesterday. The point is, Janssen seems to really relish his role and has no signs of GDS. Cam has renewed my interest in gooning, and thuggery, and I thank him for it. So, Mr. Janssen, if you keep it up, I will keep the faith. You have the chance to become the most beloved Lowell player since Trevor Gillies. If there is a pill or a lotion you need to apply to avoid GDS, I will supply it. Hopefully all you need is the cheers of the fans, and a few cold ones after the game. Hey, I can supply that as well!

I went to get a coffee at 3 today with 3 ladies from my office. They were talking about girl stuff as I was trying to listen to Home Ice on XM. I caught the tail end of where Gordie Dwyer had been invited to Camp. I cranked up the radio to hear what I knew. Gordie spent the last two years in Lowell. His best season in the NHL was with Montreal where he scored six goals. Big whoop. Where was he going?

It was 3, and I had nothing to do. I called Tweener. Where was Gordie going? No idea. I looked everywhere, and I finally found the info. Gordie has been invited to attend Canucks Camp next month. I found it on a forum that was pretty critical of Dwyer, and of the whole Canucks’ organization for the signing. Apparently Gordie played Junior for new Canuck Bench Boss Alain Vigneault, and from what it looks like Vigneault wants to give him a shot. Plus with Wade Broobank gone, they need someone in Vancouver to do some heavy lifting.

I have said several times on this forum, there isn’t a more approachable person on Earth than a Pro Hockey player. Among the nicest, and most approachable, is Mr. Gordie Dwyer. Anytime you see Gordie he always stops and talks hockey, snowmobiling, or anything. He is a class act, and a guy I would love to see stick at the NHL level. I am not going to say if I think he will or won’t, or bash the Canucks for signing him or anything of that nature. I will say again, I hope Gordie makes it, and at the very least, I hope he can be successful if he is signed and sent down to Manitoba. From what I have seen of him in Lowell the past couple of years, he is a guy that still has a great passion for the game, and when healthy, plays full tilt.

I think the situation in Lowell was one where he didn’t want to be the only guy doing the heavy lifting. Hopefully for Canuck, and Moose fans, they get to see a rejuvenated Gordie Dwyer. Good luck Gordie. If you are still with the Canucks December 21, the Goonsquad will be at the Garden to cheer you on.