It’s the end of an era in Columbus, as Jody Shelley was shipped to San Jose today for some draft picks. With Jared Boll doing a lot of the heavy lifting for Columbus, and San Jose looking to replace tough guys lost like Ryan Clowe, Brad Norton, and Scott Parker it’s a win win for both sides. I enjoyed seeing both Boll and Shelley in Boston this season. I had never seen Jody in person before, and I didn’t think he was all that bad of a player. I think he’s definitely one of the toughest guys in the league, and will certainly add an element to the Sharks they seem to be missing.

I was looking high and low on YouTube for my favorite Shelley fight. Remember a couple of years ago when he fought Hal Gill when he was still with Boston? Oh man. It was hilarious. You could practically hear the little girl scream Gill must have been letting off in his head, and smell the pee in his cup. As you guys all know, I love the West Coast NHL Center Ice games. Shelley in San Jose is another reason to watch.

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.

You think of July 1, and you think. Scott Gomez would be good….I’d take Daniel Briere. Hey, what about Chris Drury? He’d look good in the Black and Gold. Knowing the team wants to get grittier, and knowing who can provide that sort of grit is another thing. Plus knowing the Bruins have a penchant for saying one thing, and doing another, you never expect a signing as good as this! You know you hope and dream for it, but when it happens to you….there really are no words. This is easily my favorite Bruins signing in many moons. In Thornton they get a true heavyweight, and a guy that can play a little hockey to boot. Finally they do something right.

Oh, as an aside. I like the Fernandez move too. I am not all that wild about Manny as a player. I think he’s a bit over rated, but, I love the fact they didn’t give up much to improve a big hole. I am hearing Murray and Toivonen to Edmonton for Raffi Torres. I think giving up on Toivonen now is a huge mistake, but focus on the positives here people, Shawn Thornton is a Bruin! I am as excited as a little girl.

Well, I was thinking Trevor Gillies might get a shot in Anaheim, but it looks like he’s going to have to compete with Kip Brennan now.  I was thinking that with Gillies getting dealt out there earlier in the week, they were going to roll the dice on Trevor being able to stay at the NHL level, and worst case, they would have a very capable young man protecting farm hands in Portland. Now it would seem the Ducks are looking to have a couple of Heavies slug it out in camp for the role in the show. Kip Brennan is no stranger to the AHL either, having racked up 854 PIMS in 152 Games in the American League. I am not sure they will be able to keep both guys, and Kip would appear to be the favorite to stay in the NHL, but it sure will be an interesting Camp.

First off, I am back from Maine, and I have to say, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. There was boating, a few beers, and polite conversation. Plus the Sox game on a 103" screen in HD didn’t exactly suck either. Secondly, I had all weekend to think about Carolina re-signing Gordie Dwyer, Mike Zigomanis, and Colin Forbes to two way deals. Terms of the deal have all three making 450K in the Show, and 75K on the farm. How hard are these guys going to be trying to make the Hurricanes’ roster next month? My guess is:very. I was reminded of a conversation I had with Gordie at the end of last season about why he wasn’t fighting much in the A, see the recap here.

By my math there is a 325 thousand dollar delta between Gordie’s NHL, and AHL salary. That would lead me to believe that when camp opens, he and Jesse Boulerice will be fighting, literally, and figuratively, to be the guy that stays in Carolina. Does the line up have room for both guys? Perhaps. But should Dwyer be sent to Lowell, I would suggest he fight any and all comers to get himself back to the show.

Tampa Bay signed Rob DiMaio today. I have been a fan of his from his Boston days. He is a feisty little guy, that is always willing to stand up for a Mate. I would hazard to say, he has the worst nose in hockey. He’s a hockey player, not a model, but his beak is really messed up. He’s taken a few to the grille, and it’s obvious.

Eric Boulton was signed by Atlanta, as was Shane Hnidy. The Thrashers have been among the busiest teams in this off season. Boulton and Hnidy have been hired to protect Heatley, which will give him space to play his game. I remember Boulton have a couple of tremendous bouts with former Bruin PJ Stock. One was in Boston, on the night the Patriots were celebrating their first Super Bowl Victory, with a massive parade. It was one of those fights where they just unloaded on each other with right, after right. I would say the bout was too close to call, but you really could make an argument for either guy. Not a lot to say today boys. Feeling a little groggy from smashing my head on the kitchen table. Don’t tell coach.

Busy day yesterday. The Preds added Kayria, Chicago added The Bhoulin Wall, and The Caps signed highly touted first overall pick Alexander Oveckin. Along with Toronto signing Tie Domi, and former Bruin, Capital, and LA King Jason Allison, yesterday was busy. The one signing that won’t exactly wind up on the front page of any papers, is Mitch Fritz being inked by Tampa Bay.

Fritz is a hulking mass of humanity. He looks scary as hell, he’s got the wingspan of an Eagle, and judging by his PIMS, he is no stranger to the Penalty Box. There is only one problem. Mitch Fritz can not skate. Back when he was with Lowell, I was worried he was going to break both his ankles from leaning on them so badly. He was one step away from the AHL allowing him to skate his lane while pushing a chair. Over the last couple of years, he has improved, but he is still nowhere near where he needs to be to see any ice at the NHL level.

Now, I know what you are thinking. He doesn’t need to skate, he’s an enforcer. He was signed to play in Springfield anyway. What is that smell in my freezer? I have heard them all before. My point is this, with the NHL cap being what it is, are teams going to be able to afford to have a true enforcer on the roster, or are they going to have to dress guys that can play, and also happen to be tough? Nashville has Hordy, and Yabo signed and ready to protect newly acquired Paul Kayria. Domi, as mentioned, has re inked in Toronto, but are these guys going to be the exception? As mentioned before, I feel the role of enforcer is dying out in the NHL, and I think the new CBA is going to shrink the role even more. I see enforcers being kept on ice, no pun intended, down in the AHL, and only getting the call when a team is expecting a real grudge match type victory. I really hope I am wrong on this. The NHL needs all the excitement it can to win back fans. What they need is some old time hockey!

St. Louis: Signed Aaron Downey. Jesse Boulerice owes him one.

Minnesota Wild: Signed Andrei "Russian Bear" Nazarov. I can’t say I have ever actually seen him throw a punch.

Los Angeles Kings (Saturday) Signed Ryan Flinn. If there is one kid I’d like to see stay healthy, and have a full season in the show, it’s Flinner. Very intimidating, but a super nice kid.

Notables. It looks like Nashville is looking to be tough this year. They Signed Darcy Hordichuk, and Jeremy Yablonski today as well. If they both end up in the Show, Nashville will be a favorite on NHL Center Ice this Winter. Is it opening Day yet?!

Carolina has aquired Mike Commodore from Calgary in exchange for a 3rd Round pick. I partied with Mike last year in Lowell, and personally, I think he is a great kid. He also had two of the best fights anyone in a Lowell uniform had all last season. He and DJ King of Worcester had a real slug fest, with both guys standing toe to toe exchanging rights. The fight was to close to call, but the next night, both combatants were sporting nice shiners. Commodore thinks pretty lowly of King, as when I asked him about the tilt, he seemed to indicate Mr. King was what could be slang for a girl’s anatomy.

The second fight, was when Commodore one punched Brent Thompson of Providence. They were pushing and shoving before a face off. When they decided to go, Commie got his gloves off, and lowered the boom on Thompson. Brent went down like he’d been shot. Commodore went in for more, picking up Thompson by his jersey, noticed he was out cold, and dropped him like 8th grade Spanish. Thompson finally made it to the box, were he asked the penalty box attendant why he was in there, and when he got out so many times, the attendant was compelled to inquire if Brent was OK. Hilarious turn of events. Well, not for Brent Thompson.

Anyway, Commodore will probably be on Carolina’s blueline, and I wish him the best of luck. Hopefully up in the show he plays with a mean streak that sometimes eludes him in the "A". Good luck Pudding Head.

Detroit may want to think about getting into a knockdown drag em out game with Nashville this year. Darcy Hordichuk was traded to the Preds yesterday in exchange for a draft pick. Check out Darcy’s page here. Some pretty good fisticuffs. There are a couple of dandies with Mad Mel when they were both in the "I". I had forgotten about this site, and will now be coming up with excuses for my boss why my productivity is waaaaay down today.