Brendan Walsh

Not a Montreal Canadiens Blog – We Swear

by Chris on December 28, 2022
in Patrick Maroon, Arber "Wifi" Xhekaj, Brendan Walsh, Trevor Gillies

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.

Yet another “Arber Day”.

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.

Major Dutch Schaefer to all hockey enforcers: “Stick around”.

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.

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The Future of the Hockey Enforcer

by Chris on November 7, 2022
in Uncategorized, Brendan Walsh, Goons, Shawn Thornton, Trevor Gillies

I get this question a lot these days, as friends and relatives are well aware of my proclivity for a good ol’ professional on-ice donnybrook. While I have strong opinions as to the best answer – the true future of the NHL hockey enforcer and the fights they once graced fans with – I don’t have to like it. And, frankly, I don’t.

Where Have All the Good Goons Gone?
On the ice, are there even any classic goons left? Gone are Shawn Thornton, Trevor Gillies, Brendan Walsh and most of the other Goonblog favorites from the site’s heyday. Replacing them are guys like Trent Frederic, Connor Clifton, and Zack Kassian.

The first three were the last of a dying breed of guys that were there to intimidate and keep the other team in line. The latter are all guys that are required to be able to take a regular shift, especially in Clifton and Freddy’s case. Times have changed dramatically over the last 10 years, and there’s not a lot any of us punters can do about it.

The last true enforcer out there, in my opinion, is Ryan Reaves. He’s been plying his trade since 2010 with the Blues – and is a man that truly embraces his role as an enforcer. Intimidating, scrapping, filling out checking lines and doing it all with apparent glee.

The Era of… Grappling? You’re Fuckin’ Kidding Me
Not only has fighting largely disappeared from hockey, but the way in which bouts are conducted is totally different. The days of Bob Probert standing in, going toe to toe trading rights and uppercuts in a Rock ‘em Sock ‘em homage have been over for a long time. It’s a rare thing to see a fight where guys are flat out trading punches. With rare exceptions (see the aforementioned Zack Kassian getting KO’d by the “WiFi” the other night) most of the fighting is in close and involves lots of grappling.

In fact, many of the guys that make a living dropping gloves these days are trained in common MMA techniques. It’s a totally different style, and I’m not sure how anyone that fights now would have fared in the wild west days when guys swung wildly and frequently just to stay in the league and were recruited only for that purpose. Tom Wilson, I’m looking at you.

Exit Staged Left
The staged fights are also largely gone. Does anyone remember the last time two guys came over the boards and the gloves were off before the puck even hit the ice? A lot of people don’t like those fights, especially in the league office, but we loved them. Admit it.

How I long for the days when two fourth liners would get something going because the team needed a lift. Or a Rob Ray gave young rookies like Todd Fedoruk a chance to make a name for himself by taking on established hockey enforcers. It’s just not done that way anymore. The game is played at such a high skill level there’s just not a lot of room for a one-dimensional player anymore.

I’m glad to be back behind my keyboard talking about hockey enforcers and fighting, regardless of how the latter has evolved. We always aim to entertain here at Goonblog, and I missed having a vehicle for my mostly nonsensical stream of “consciousness”.

Once we get our momentum back, keep your eyes peeled for some Goonblog merch, and we were way ahead of our time with the hockey podcast angle which may rear its head once again. Perhaps we can embrace some new media as well. Good to be back. Let’s drop the mitts and get at er!

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Top 10 Hockey Enforcers of the Decade

by Chris on December 20, 2009
in "Mad" Mel Angelstad, Ben Eager, Brendan Walsh, Colton Orr, Darcy Hordichuk, Dennis Bonvie, Featured, Gordie Dwyer, Jan Vodrazka, Lowell Lockmonsters, PJ Stock, Ryan Flinn, Shawn Thornton, Trevor Gillies

As the end of the decade approaches there are a million different "Top…" lists floating around the web. The Ref and I have been heavily debating the Top 50 Comedies of the 00’s and we both agree Stepbrothers is getting royally shafted. Naturally, The Hangover is coming in tops on a lot of lists. It’s also #1 on our list of the Top 50 Overrated Comedies of the decade. If you haven’t seen Stepbrothers, do it. NOW! Wait. Finish reading this, and then sit down with Brennan and Dale.

On a slightly more related note, GoonBlog.com has been around for about half the decade and has seen some great enforcers come in to the league during that time. It got me to thinking about who my choice for favorite tough guy of the last ten years would be. I am having a hard time choosing right now for a few reasons. First, I am not all that creative. The second being, if they had a list of Top 50 Things I did to my brain to cause damage this decade with booze and a general lack of common sense, we wouldn’t really scratch the surface of how un-smart I am. Here are some things I am struggling with in terms of prerequisites.

Dennis Bonvie recently retired as the most penalized player in North American hockey history. He’s been playing hockey for a long time now, and he’s one of my all time favorite tough guys. Would he be considered an enforcer of the decade despite the fact his career spans several? Also, does he have enough NHL experience to be considered? Does NHL experience matter? That puts a guy like Tie Domi in the mix. He has all NHL experience and retired in the decade, but does that make him the best of most popular enforcer of the decade?

I don’t care much for wins and losses in a fight, what I am looking for when thinking of this list is guys I like to watch fight, and when I am flipping through the Center Ice Package I stop and say, Oh, I’ll watch this game because so and so plays for them. In the end I decided on a couple of definites.

1. If they played in the years 2000-2009, they were eligible.
2. If I followed the career path, they were eligible.
3. If I had personally met and interacted with them off the ice, eligible. This is where a lot of guys score highly.

Without further ado, Goonblog’s Top 10 Enforcers of the Decade!

10. PJ Stock. Undersized for the role, PJ went into the breach with the determination of a hungry Pit Bull in Michael Vick’s back yard. He had three of the most memorable fights in the New Boston Garden, and had a hell of a following in Boston. To this day, PJ Stock Crew shirts can still be seen worn to Bruins games.

9. Shawn Thornton. 22 has been a full time NHLer since the 06-07 season where he won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim. Before that, he made frequent stops in the Tsongas Arena with Norfolk, and Portland. Thornton is a guy that clearly enjoys playing a game for a living and keeps penalty box attendants in stitches with his quick wit. On here as much for his personality as he is his pugilistic ability, Shawn has improved his fighting skills tremendously this season.

8. Ben Eager. On here mostly because I marvel at how equipment mangers around the league are consistently able to make a Gatorade bucket look like a hockey helmet. Have you seen the size of that boy’s heeeed?!

7. Darcy Hordichuk. I have been a big fan of him since the old Springfield Falcon days. He also had a couple of donnybrooks with Mad Mel Angelstad when they were both in the IHL that are a must see for any fight fan.

6. Ryan Flinn. If there was a more intimidating looking enforcer in the AHL from 2001-2005, I didn’t see him. But then again, maybe I’ve been blocking them out. Shudder. The resemblance to Jim The Anvil Neidhart is also remarkable.

5. Gordie Dwyer. Hands down, one of the nicest most personable guys I have ever met. He was hurt a lot of the time he was a member of the Lowell Lockmonsters so I got to speak with him many, many times during games. Not 100% sure he enjoyed the role of enforcer, definitely not at the AHL level, but for a guy that could fight he was the one of the best skaters, and body checkers around.

4. Officer Brendan Walsh. No doubt, the funniest human being on the ice ever. With quotes like, Half price goatees boys? And "Hey Kanko, give me extra cheese on my taco, it’s hard to disagree. The only thing that ever got the best of Walshie was a puck according to him; he was a thorn in the AHL’s side for 4 seasons. His one game swan song as a Lowell Lockmoster was one of my favorite memories of the old team.

3. Trevor Gillies. Speaking of the old Lockmonsters, Trevor has been a Goonblog favorite since his debut with Lowell in the 1999-2000 season. One of the best guys off the ice as well, he’s always willing to stop and say hi when coming back to the Paul. His fight in which he and Richard Scott bloodied each other was one of the better fights I have seen in that building.

2. Dennis Bonvie. Every time Bones was in the building, the calendar was circled and watched with the anticipation of getting a Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock. Could rival Walshie as the funniest person on earth, Bonvie was always entertaining and gave an honest effort every night. Some career highlights include the time he was barking like a dog at Craig MacDonald at the redline during warm-ups, and asking the penalty box attendant if Lowell’s Jan Vodrazka had ever fought before after handling he youngster soundly. Classic Bonvie.

1.Colton Orr. Right now, Orrsie is my favorite player in the NHL not wearing #17 for the Boston Bruins. If Boston were smart, they wouldn’t have waived him a couple of years ago, but that is a whole different post. Orr is as tough and honest as they come these days. He truly loves to fight as evidence by the ear to ear grin on his face while being led to his home away from home to feel shame for 5 minutes at a time. Also, the time I introduced myself to him after I had at least 30 beers after a Bruins game he could have been a real jerk to a drunken guy. Instead he humored me for a few minutes as we talked enforcers, and guys he has fought. I am sure I was making no sense, as the look on his face was an indication, but he was a cool guy like most of the pro hockey players out there are.

So, there we have it. My Top 10. I’d love to see what the group thinks, and welcome any suggestions on guys I left out. Merry Christmas all. Go easy on the egg nog, eh?

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Goonblog Book Club

by Chris on January 13, 2009
in AHL, Brendan Walsh, Brennan Evans, Chris, Colton Orr, Dennis Bonvie, Dennis Bonvie, Goons, GoonSquad, Gordie Dwyer, Jan Vodrazka, Jeremy Yablonski, Lowell Lockmonsters, Mike Hoffman, Mitch Love, Ryan Flinn, Steve McLaren, The Face of Toughness, Tom Rowe, Trevor Gillies

Guys, I think we should start our own Goonblog book club eh? First we have Howard Shapiro’s excellent Hockey Player for Life. Of course there is The Code, and now from my good buddy Ken Babbitt comes The Face of Toughness, a 40 page book told mostly in photos on some of the toughest AHL enforcers from 2001-2006. Kenny was the Lowell Lockmonsters photographer, and had the best seat in the house for the games in the Tsongas Arena perched between the benches on the red line. It gave him an unobstructed view of The Face of Toughness up close and personal. Ken sent me the link, and I think I was the first to buy one. I can’t wait to get my hands on this, as I have seen most of the games and players featured in the book. Trevor Gillies, Brendan Walsh, and Dennis Bonvie have already reached out to Ken to say how much they are looking forward to it, as well as to tell them they are honored to be a part of the project. Just another testament to the character of these players.

I sent Ken some questions I had about the book, and he answered them below. I hope you enjoy our interview and please click the link to buy your very own copy of The Face of Toughness. Ken this is a long time coming. I can’t wait to get mine in the mail!

Why do this book? Why now?
The idea of doing a book, at least in some form, has been in the back of my mind for a few years, but the primary reason for doing it now is that I had a large archive of great photos from my six years in Lowell that had never been seen by anyone other than myself and a few people in the front office, so it was pretty much there’s no time like the present!
How much trash talk is there between the benches?
It would really depend on the teams involved. If Providence was in town there was a good chance that there would be some interesting chatter, and even that would depend on who was with the Lock Monsters. They never had any great bench jockeys that I can recall. The best work always came from the visiting bench.

What is the funniest thing you ever heard?
Wow.do you have a few hours? Just remember that with the crowd (in Lowell, what crowds?) noise, they had to be pretty close to me to hear anything. I always said that they should have had a microphone on Dennis Bonvie and Brendan Walsh every game. It’d be some of the best comedy ever produced. But, if I have to narrow it down to a few, I’d say that one of the funniest things came from Mr. Bonvie. During a shootout during the lockout season of 04-05, with Dennis about two feet away from me, Eric Staal skated by the visiting bench after having his effort denied, and he tells Staal that that was the reason the he only got a bonus of $895K, instead of a millionbecause he couldn’t finish. I almost soaked myself in the box. Walshy was a classic, as well. He started from pre game and didn’t stop until the final horn. It must have been a team thing, but the Lock Monsters were all sporting facial hair, at least the guys that had to shave, and he skates by asking if they were havin’ a 2 for 1 sale on goatees. During his one game as a Lock Monster, he gave Peter Kanko a line about wanting extra lettuce on his taco.

What kind of relationship did you form with these guys over the years?
There were several guys that I got to know a little bit over the years. Trevor Gillies, Brendan Walsh and Jan Vodrazka were the guys that I spent the most time talking with. Either on the ice during pre game or in the hallways there were many of them that I spoke with over the years. I would always joke with the tough guys at center ice during pre game, like joking with Ryan Flinn when he came to the red line to see who he may have to fight that nightI’d tell him not to bother, that there was nobody on that side for him to play with. These guys were all very pleasant to deal with in the short time that I had to talk with them. I’d make it a point to tell Bonvie to stir things up for me, and he’d give me a wink, or he’d come back to the bench telling me that he’d tried!

Who were your all time favorites?
The three guys that I’ve already mentioned were always my favorite players to shoot. Gillies, Walshy and Bonvie. Colton Orr was another guy that you couldn’t take your eyes off of, as well. He seemed to really like to get things going in Lowell. During the later years, towards the end of the Lock Monster run, I really liked shooting, and talking to Mitch Love and Gordie Dwyer.

Were there any you didn’t like?
Of the fighters?? Not one of them. They were all great guys, and the reason that I made sure to get them into the book. There was only one player over the years that I took an instant dislike to, and he was from a town near where I grew up south of Boston.

Were there any guys that didn’t like you?
Thatyou’d have to ask the players, but not to my knowledge. For the most part I was pretty invisible to them once the puck was dropped.

What was the best fight you saw?
The thing about shooting the fights is that one eye is closed so I miss a lot of the action, and only really see it when I’m editing the images following the game. The five on five with Springfield, I want to say that was 03-04, was one of them. There were five fights going on at once. Brennan Evans going with Niko Tselios and Patrick DesRochers pounding on David Leneveu in a great goalie fight. Photos of both are in the book.

Who was the toughest in your opinion?
There were a lot of guys that you could put in that category. Steve McLaren, Jeremy Yablonski, Ryan Flinn, along with Trevor and Bonvie. I could list a number of other guys, but because I shot in Lowell, I never saw some of them fight. These guys are all tough and anyone could beat anyone on a given night. My hometown kid, Mike Hoffman, has also come a long way as a fighter.

Were there a lot of reluctant enforcers?
That’s a good question. I think that there were guys that were forced into the role for one reason or another. I know that Mike Hoffman told me as he was just starting up as a pro, that he knew that he’d have to fight because of his size, but he is a pretty good player. Another thing, especially in Lowell, it seemed like there were guys who may have been a little reluctant because they were the only tough guy on the roster, so they had to carry the whole load themselves. That’d make it tough to show up and fight night after night.

Were there any guys that made you nervous?
There was only one, but his name won’t be mentioned here. He was very polite, a good guy, but just a bit off. When he skated up his wing I made sure that I was up against the glass on the side of the box. It was weird, too, as I had never given it a thought prior to that game, or after.

Were the coaches ever involved with the trash talk between the benches?
I can’t recall anything specific. I know that Tom Rowe got into it on the ice when they were in Norfolk.

Was there any talk that went over the line? (Sisters, mothersthat sort of thing.)
Never, within earshot of me. But I know that it did happen.

I saw Dennis Bonvie bark like a dog during warm ups once. Is that pretty standard behavior?
Standard? I’d say no. I missed that one, but heard plenty about it. It was that incident that made my pre game routine change over the years. There were certain guys that if they were in the building, I was in the box for pre game skate.

How much intimidation happens during those stretches, or is it more cordial, how’s the family stuff?
I’m sure that some guys make it a point to be on the red line to let the boys on the other side know that they’re in the barn, but I also heard plenty of the latter. There wasn’t much that ever happened during pre game, but there was one time that Provi was in town and Tomas Malec made it a point to skate over the red line, and Walshy took a shot at him, saying that he wasn’t mad at him, but to stay on his side. More comedy from # 36.

Who do you think will like this book?
First, I hope that the players and their families like it. The guys that I know that have seen the preview of the first 15 pages have said that it looked good. I tried to show them, not just the fights. Fight photos are great, but I also want to be able to see into the players’ eyes. And there are enough of both to keep everyone happy. I think that people forget that these guys are human beings, and see them just as tough guys.
Naturally, I want the fans of these guys to like the final product, as well, as it’s geared to them, too. I set all of the photos with a black background, so it should look pretty good to the autograph collectors.

What is your position on fighting in hockey?
I’m old school with my views on the subject. I believe that there is, and always will be, a place for fighting in the game. It serves a purpose both on the ice and off. The enforcers make it easier for the first and second line guys know that someone has their backs, mess with them and there’ll be a price to pay. Off the iceit puts butts into the seats!! The NHL could do worse than to have some of these guys marketing the sport. They’re always one of the most popular players on any given team, with the fans.

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Boston PD Hockey Just got Better

by Chris on December 5, 2006
in Brendan Walsh, Goons

MOL and I are back from getting our Christmas tree. Goonblog HQ has never smelled so good. I DVR’d the Bruins, and am drinking a Heineken Light. I must say, I like Doc Emrick. I think he does the best job in the NHL for play by play. I also think VS. has gotten a lot better on the broadcast side. Too bad the Bruins still suck.

I heard about this little tid bit from my buddy Bob Wednesday and Tweener dug up the article yesterday for me. It appears Goonblog Hall of Famer, and legendary shit disturber, Brendan Walsh is retiring from coaching to go to Boston’s Police Academy. God save us, Walshie has a gun! In all seriousness, good luck to Brendan. I have respect for anyone serving in any uniform. I definitely won’t be breaking the law in Boston anytime soon

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Long, Cold Summer – Part II

by Chris on April 21, 2006
in AHL, Brendan Walsh, Lowell Devils

Easter Sunday found me, and MOL at mothers for a lovely ham dinner. I am pretty sure I ate about 2 pounds of that thing. It was quite tasty. I told the dinner table about Brendan Walsh being a Lockmonster, and no one really seemed to care. MOL even backed out of coming to the game. Oh well. Solo again.

I headed up to the Paul, and took my usual position for the warm ups. The first thing I noticed was #15 was absent from the Lockmonsters side of the ice. I was thinking, maybe he isn’t taking warm ups? Nope. Manchester’s call to the league the previous night did him in. Apparently he wasn’t eligible to play because he was retired. I guess in order to play after clear day rosters come out, you have to have played at least 8 games during the year? Some shit like that. One day, I really need someone to explain the AHL clear day process to me. I’m serious. There is no sense to it.

What the hell does Manchester care if Brendan Walsh is in the line up anyway? Especially against Providence. Provi needed the points to go in front of Manchester for playoff standings, I would think Manchester would have welcomed the distraction of Brendan Walsh with open arms. Not so. Oh, and another thing. Do you think the call would have been made if it wasn’t Walshie involved? Or, if the AHL would have even cared? No way. Anyway, thanks for letting the air out of the tires Manchester. Again.

After I got the news Walshie wasn’t playing, I headed to my usual spot where I bumped into Tweener. He must not have seen the depression on my face, as we had the following discussion.

Tweener: This must be a tactic.

Me: What? Walshie not taking warm ups?

Tweener: Yeah, they must be trying to fuck with em.

Me: He’s not playing. Manchester called the AHL.

Tweener: Stunned silence.

I have seen grown men cry before, and I have seen grown men enraged before. It has been a long time since I saw the look of rage in Tweener’s eyes. There was cursing of Manchester, and swears about a ruined Christmas. I know Tweener. I feel your pain. So the anticipated Brendan Walsh/Matt Goody fight wasn’t going to happen. Or the anticipated Brendan Walsh stirring the pot against his old team all game wasn’t going to happen. Who cares? There was still a game to play. I’m depressed all over again.

The Lockmonsters won their final game as a Carolina/Colorado farm Team 7-3. It was a pretty boring affair, although it was nice to finally see Matt Goody. This kid is going to be a stand out in the AHL next season. Big guy, can skate, and from what I hear can fight. I would say the highlight of the day was the playing of Brass Bonanza as homage to long time Hartford Whaler, and departing head coach Tom Rowe. Every time the Monsters scored it was played, and Tom really got a kick out of it.

Every season the Lockmonsters have a party for season ticket holders after the final game. Last year saw me drinking about 912 beers with Mike Commodore, and he and I ruining a picture for a Booster Club member because Mike insisted I be in the shot. This season was a little more tame in the amount of beers, but fun none the less. I am not an autograph hound. I do not wear game worn jerseys. I don’t understand the fun in it, but if you dig it, more power to you. It is amazing to me how these guys deal with all the people coming up to them. Some of them are very strange as well. I have always said, there is not a more approachable pro athlete than a pro hockey player. These guys proved it time and time again.

At the party, I hung with Mitch Love mostly. Brendan Walsh came in for a beer as well. What a great guy. He is just as funny off the ice as he is on. He was telling a great story about being in the building last year with Providence when he got into it with Gordie Dwyer, and Brantt Myhres. I guess they were getting very hurtful in the verbal abuse department, and there was some bad blood between Walshie and Myhres. Well, Walshie is an Assistant Coach with Northeastern, and was out in Western Canada doing some recruiting. He got picked up by his buddy Steve Parsons, and guess who was in the back seat of the car? Brantt Myhres. I guess Parsons had picked him up from the hospital after Georges Laraque knocked him out in pre season. Walshie said it was pretty uncomfortable, but they are pals now. Mitch Love is a good kid too. We talked for a long time, and had a few beers. Love, Dan DaSilva and myself were the last to go. I was invited to the after party, but alas, has to work on Monday so I took a pass.

So, there it is. The final weekend. I want to wish all the Carolina and Colorado boys’ good luck. I am excited to see them come in to the Paul next year with Albany. This off season can not go quick enough for me. New Jersey has always had a tough team, and I hope they bring the same attitude with them to Lowell. I know the Albany/Lowell rivalry will be one of the best in the "A" next year. Plenty of good American League Hockey to be had in the next couple of months. I was thinking of shooting down to Providence for some of the Portland series. I hope Manchester doesn’t get past the first round. They just made the list.

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Long, Cold Summer – Part I

by Chris on April 19, 2006
in AHL, Brendan Walsh, Lowell Devils, Mitch Love

The Lowell Lockmonsters wrapped up their Season this weekend ending Carolina, and Colorado’s tenure in Lowell, as well as putting a nail in the coffin on what was a dreadful year. Actually, that isn’t fair. Considering what they had all year, and the fact they were a glorified ECHL Team for the majority of the campaign, they didn’t do half bad. All in all the weekend wasn’t too bad. It was actually pretty interesting.

It all started Thursday afternoon. I was driving back from work when my cell phone rang. It was Tweener calling, and from the time I said hello, I knew he was fired up. Tweener knows former Providence Bruin, and the funniest man alive, Brendan Walsh. Walshie had sent Tweener an IM, and alluded to the fact he might be in a Lockmonster uniform for the final weekend of the season. Lowell was looking to possibly exact revenge on Manchester’s Joe Rullier for an elbow that knocked out David Gove earlier in the season. The thought process being, Lowell is out of the playoffs, and in their final weekend. Why not goon it up a bit eh? So Tweener and I chatted a bit, and he told me he’d call if he heard anything. I threatened his life if he didn’t call, and we said goodbye.

At this point, I got home and MOL and I went to Papa Razzi in Concord for dinner, and a few drinks. I was very excited, and MOL even seemed a bit into it. She said if Walshie were in the lineup for the final weekend, her shadow may be cast in the Tsongas once again. Tweener called during dinner to tell me he had no update. Thanks for getting my hopes up eh? Dinner turned into us getting shitfaced on the bus, and we went home with no news of Brendan Walsh being a Lockmonster.

Friday was spent VERY hungover at the Office. I was not well. Let’s just say, I saw my breakfast twice. I talked to Tweener, and we seemed pretty sure the Walshie thing was not to be. Oh, well, it would have been cool. Friday I went for drinks with my old pal Jill, MOL, and Rich. A good time was had by all, but I was kind of bummed Brendan wasn’t coming.

After spending the afternoon raking the yard at mothers, it was off to the barn for the final weekend of the year. I always get there about an hour before the game so I can catch the pre game skate. I love warm ups. I always have. As the Monsters came out, I was looking at the names go by. Aucoin. Gove. Finger. Kellman. Walsh. Bennefield. Hey, wait a second? Did I just say "Walsh?" Holy shit, it was him! I hadn’t been that excited at a Lockmonster game since Trevor Gillies came out wearing the same number 15 Brendan Walsh was now wearing. It was Christmas morning, and I had just been given a new bike.

The warm ups were a riot. Rullier and Walshie were jawing at each other. About ten other Monarch’s did a double take when they saw it was in fact Brendan Walsh taking warm ups. I must say, he looked good in red. The boys were ready for a show! Say what you will about Walshie’s playing ability, or pugilistic ability. The kid is fun as hell to watch. His mouth is always going, and this tilt was no exception. Not only was Brendan Walsh one of the best players on the ice, he ws certainly the most talkative. He was always talking. Be it directing traffic, or telling Petr Kanko he’d have extra cheese, and lettuce on his taco, he was talking. But Manchester almost ruined the whole thing.

I was standing near where the off ice officials deliver the line ups, and I asked if Brendan was starting. "No." I was told. "He’s not even playing." WHAT!? Apparently Lowell had left him off the Official line up, and therefore, wouldn’t be allowed to play. Oh, here’s your new bike for Christmas, Nope, can’t ride it. This sucked! I can’t believe we were going to get the screw job from Manchester like this. I guess after some hemming and hawing about when and at what time you could be added to the roster, #15 Walsh, was added, but not with out Manchester making a call to the AHL about it. Put the air back in the tires and take her for a spin.

The game itself was pretty good. Tim Jackman (MCH) and Blue Bennefield (LOW) had a great tilt right in front of me. Lots of good punches were thrown and landed by both guys, but I am going to give the win to Blue. Later, Scott Kellman (LOW) and Jackman had another fight. I guess Kellman got killed in Manchester the night before. This time out, he fared a lot better. Not a lot was thrown by either guy. It was a lot of wrestling, but a pretty good tilt. I call it a draw. The real star of the show was Walshie. He was honestly one of the best player’s on the ice. He looked like he wasn’t in "hockey shape" but played very well position wise, and made smart decisions with the puck. Near the end of the game it looked like he and Rullier were going to get into it, squaring off one time, and another getting face to face off a face off. If I can read lips correctly, Walshie said to Rullier, "Oh, you know what Rullier? Why don’t you just shut the fuck up?! I’m here for one game; I will fight you right now." It seems #7 wanted no part. Lowell ended up losing 2-1, but who cares? They were out of the Playoffs, and Brendan Walsh was in town with his former employer coming in the next day. This was going to be the best closing weekend ever!

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