Not a Montreal Canadiens Blog – We Swear

Hey, guess what? Arber “WiFi” Xhekaj had another scrap over the weekend! Shocking, right?

In all honesty people made a big deal out of the fight. I think it’s mainly because he fought the “Big Rig” Patrick Maroon. It’s not much of a scrap in the grand scheme of things. Lots of punches to the license plate from WiFi. Users on Hockey Fights are scoring it a lopsided win for Xhekaj, and I agree. I was reluctant to even mention it – as this is fast becoming a Montreal Canadiens blog (sort of). With the amount of “coverage” (see what I did there?) we’re giving the WiFi it feels like this is turning into a fan page for the bleu, blanc, et rouge. Why bring it up now, almost a week later? Glad you asked.

I’m sure everyone is aware of a hockey conglomerate known as Spittin’ Chiclets. We can’t even call them a podcast these days, as they have become so much more. Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette is a face seen on National broadcasts of the NHL seated right next to Wayne Gretzky on some nights. They’ve launched beer and vodka brands, and have even been taking their act on the road. I mean, they’re huge.

And they interview a lot of huge names. My favorite podcasts they’ve done were Trevor Gillies, and Brendan Walsh. Walshie slayed per usual, and Trevor was great. Now that I’m done pumping their tires I will mention the point. They were having a discussion the other day, and it turned to Arber Xhekaj. They were saying how he has become a top 5 enforcer in the league, and we don’t disagree.

This kind of media coverage is a gift you can’t pay for. Not only for WiFi, but I think it also brings attention to scrappers who often go overlooked. Listen, you’re not going to have NHL highlight packages of guys like Ryan Reaves, and Patrick Maroon every night. Today the game is deliberately marketed as fast, high scoring, and action packed. Think Sidney Crosby, or Alex Ovechkin chasing down The Great One’s goal record. The irony is that going into 2023 – the guys that tend to drop the mitts are often the team’s most popular players.

For me, I love the Bruins. My favorite Bruin right now is Trent Frederic. Over the last 10 years, my other favorite was Adam McQuaid. Why? Because they are willing to fight if they have to. Don’t get me started on McQuaid. I must write something in the future on him. The fear in other players eyes when they realized they tangled with the wrong guy is legendary.

Spittin’ Chiclets calling out hard-scrabble players, that are willing to do what WiFi now does on the regular, is the type of media coverage those guys need. We’ve been lamenting the death rattle of the enforcer for a while now, and again, maybe it’s premature. If we keep talking about them and having some fun while doing it, they might just stick around.