Lowell played two games over the weekend. There were three fights. At home. I feel like I should be typing this from Bizzaro World or something. That never happens! I even saw, with my own eyes, a Lockmonster ask another player to fight… AND WAS TURNED DOWN! Usually it’s like this:
Opposing Player: "You wanna go?"
Lockmonster: "Fuck off, you’re a fucking joke, you’re the worst player in the League, you’re going back to the Coast."
Not so on Saturday afternoon. I watched with my own eyes as Mike Brown turned Lee Jacobson down. It happened right in front of me. I was so surprised;I had to ask the boys if they all saw it. After a round of SlapShot lines, i.e. "We all saw it, sticks down, gloves off." They said that had seen it as well. Simply amazing.
Anyhow, on to the fights! Jeff Finger, who has the worst helmet in the AHL by the way, had a nice dust up with Norfolk’s Colin Fraser on Saturday. I didn’t see what started it, and it took the boys awhile to get going, but once they did it was a very good scrap. Nice upper cuts for Finger, and some good straight rights by Fraser. I would call it a win for Finger.
Sunday brought the always feisty Albany River Rats to town. Lee Jacobson made his fighting debut when he took on Pierre-Luc LeBlond about halfway through the first stanza. Jacobson is one of the worst skaters I think I have ever seen. He makes Mitch Fritz look like Gretz. He has an atrocious stride. Honestly, it’s painful. Imagine my surprise when he showed great balance in a long bout with LeBlond. I thought they were going to go at the beginning of the shift, as Jacobson asked him, but was turned down. Near the end, he changed his mind right at center ice. Jacobson did very well with LeBlond trying to get inside, and get him off balance. There was a flurry of punches by both guys, and Jacobson opened up a little cut under LeBlond’s eye. Win for Jacobson. If you are scoring at home, or even if you are by yourself, Lowell is 2-0 for fights on the weekend.
The last event of the weekend happened with about 5 minutes left in the second. Aaron Voros of Albany cross checked Bad Helmet Finger (Needs a better nickname incorporating his terrible helmet. Maybe I’ll run a contest.) right in the face, and BH was PISSED. They went at it sticks down, gloves off, right at the blue line across from the Lowell bench. I couldn’t really tell if anything landed, but Finger did get the takedown. I don’t have a clear winner or loser in this one. If anyone saw it, please, turn in your scorecard.
As an aside, Lowell won both games of the weekend. 4-3 over Norfolk, and 6-0 over Albany. They were dying to give away the Norfolk game, and almost did. I like the way this Team appears to be coming together right now. They have been UHL, AHL, and ECHL piece parts all year, and as such, they have been inconsistent in their play. If they play with the emotion they had over the weekend and stick up for one another, they could go pretty far. Hershey is in town on Wednesday. Doug Doull is on the roster. If you are in the area, and have never seen him play, I suggest you come on down. I have yet to see anyone wound as tight as Doull is on the ice. Since Jacobson seems to enjoy his role, I would bet there will be a fight. As always, good seats are still available.
That’s like buying $1 scratch ticket and winning a million bucks, in the five pro hockey games I’ve been to this year I have yet to see any glove dropping. The only fighting in a hockey game I was lucky enough to see first hand this winter was at the Revere/Saugus game at the North End Rink.
Yeah. It’s pretty bad. During the Bruins game tonight, Daniel Briere of Buffalo ran Thomas at least three times, and nothing. Back in the day, they’d still be beating him up. Tonight? Nothing. The NHL is turning into soccer, and I do not like it.
God I miss Bob Probert!! Probably my favorite enforcer since I started watching hockey, not just a goon, but an all around bad ass hockey player. Nobody in the NHL fits this mold these days.
Agreed. Probert is in the Goonblog top ten.
Guys, a heads up…
Ray’s son Chris will be playing tonight in Lowell…
Should be a good game to be at.
The kid’s a gamer
Greg, I saw Chris last year in Lowell when he left (some say flunked out of) BU. He signed with Portland when they were still the Caps’ farm team. The kid did not look out of place at all. He has a real nose for the puck, and skates just like the Old Man. I will be at the game tonight, and will have a full report tomorrow.
I think I might go to the game with Ray tonight, depends on how much work I get done in the next couple of hours. Looking forward to seeing my first Lockmonsters game.
Nice! They need your help Greg. I will be there as well.
I went to a NLL game last weekend, Colorado Mammoth vs. Edmonton Rush. Just like old time hockey. Guy comes around the corner gets cross checked right in the throat. You know they are going to go. Looks like the making of a line brawl until after the major for cross checking is over. Then the guy who got checked comes over the boards, finds the Edmonton guy, and sticks down, gloves and helmuts off, and away we go. Bout lasted about 3 minutes, tons of punches landed, both jersey’s come off. After the fight, the other 5, including the goalie, on the floor go to the box to high five the fighters. And all this for and $11 ticket.
Not a bad game last night Chris. My first visit to Tsongas and I was impressed. Kid from Lowell who impressed me was (I believe his name was this, I was a little drunk by the time we left) Estrada. Chris B. played well, talked to him after and he was excited to be playing at home in front of family and friends, even had an assist to boot. Too bad he’s so small, his hands are great and he is one quick mofo.
Great eye Greg! Estrada hustles his ass off every shift. I tell you who I liked, was Louis Robitaille from Hershey. He’s got a ton of PIM’s. A real agitator, but can play too. Tsongas is a beautiful arena, it’s a shame not enough people know about it. SPread the gospel!
Sledge, I love the NLL. They used to have a team here in Boston. I loved those games. Really fast, and really violent.
Something disturbing from last nights experience I had to mention; down outside the locker room after the game last night, a 14 year old kid trying to get autographs says to Ray, ‘what team did you play for, what was your number?’ —- I wanted to smack the kid upside the head. If you’re a hockey fan, living in the Boston area, you should know who the best defensman in the past 25 years is.
What’s happened to the youth of America, they know Bam Margera by sight but don’t know Ray Bourque?
Agreed. You probably walked right by me last night, Greg. I was at the end of the hall where the Monsters’ dressing room is when Ray’s group got off the elevator.
Why was Sean Curry with you guys by the way?
I’m not sure, we had a pretty large group and I’m not sure how everyone is related or knows each other. When we got off the elevator I was actually on the phone with Dave and he was telling me to keep an eye out for you. Are you going to the B’s game Saturday?
Not this Saturday. I’ll be there the next two when Carolina, and the Islanders come. Oh, in case you didn’t see it, Sammy just got dealt for Marty Reasoner, a draft pick, and a minor Leaguer.
Greg came over to my pad last night after the game and told a funny story about units flapping around.
Do tell.