GoonBlog.com

Hockey fight blog with humorous, blow-by-blow commentary on goons, enforcers and donnybrooks

Hockey fight blog with humorous, blow-by-blow commentary on goons, enforcers and donnybrooks.

Georges Laraque

Hockey Night in Acton


in Chris, Georges Laraque, Goons, GoonSquad, Jesse Boulerice, Milan Lucic, Old Time Hockey, Philadelphia Flyers, Shawn Thornton

Last night was hockey night at Goonblog HQ. MOL was doing something in the other room, so I was in the living room drinking Miller Lite while watching several hockey games. It started with the first period of the Penguins and Montreal, and ended with the 8-2 drubbing by Philadelphia on the Canucks. Oh, by the way, guess who’s getting suspended? I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with Messy Moulerice. In between I saw the Isles and Rangers, and the Bruins and Ducks. All told, I watched about 8 full periods of hockey, drank about 10 beers, and went to bed at 1:15. The hockey was decent, but sadly there were no fights.

The Penguins and Canadiens featured the first NHL star, and win, by Montreal’s latest star goaltender in the making Carey Price. Price looked very solid. He is the third Montreal goaltender to get their first win in the NHL against the Penguins. The other two, Ken Dryden, and Pat Roy. Anyhow, the more I watch Sid the Kid, the more I am impressed with him. He is a god, and I think he may very well go down as the greatest ever. If I ever played in the NHL, I would like to think I would do it like Gary Roberts. I think I saw him try to kill at least two Montreal forwards. The man obviously does not like anyone in the other sweater, and I like that about him. Rounding out the highlight was Georges Laraque. He had no fights, but he’s still a force on the ice. I can’t wait until December 20th when the Pens are in town.

Here’s a recap of the Islanders and Rangers game. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.oh look, is that Hillary Duff? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. That’s not all true. There were a few goods hits, and Bryan Berard’s slapper goal was a laser. I was keeping an eye out for Gomez and Drury. Gomez is scoreless in his time as a Ranger. Shanny remains one of my favorites of all time. He’s awesome to watch on the PP. Again, this game featured no fights.

Next, we have the Ducks and Bruins. The Bruins started out like a house on fire with Chuck Kobasew scoring a beauty early in the first. My new favorite Bruin? By far, Milan Lucic. The kid is 19, but like Marc Savard said in the booth, he’s a man. He makes the most of his limited ice time, and the Bruins are going to have a tough choice in 5 more games. I am a little surprised Thornton and Parros didn’t fightthere were a couple of night body checks tooI thought Thornton would have wanted to go in front of the old fans.

Finally, the Canucks and Flyers in the night cap. Philly was up on side and down the other of the Canucks. Philadelphia was getting every bounce and every loose puck. The goal I saw Danny Briere score was pretty nice. Luongo looked really shaky too. Near the end, the game got very ugly. Jesse Boulerice (who I am glad is back in the show by the way) cross checked Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler in the head behind the Canucks goal. I am really not sure why either. Boulerice is no stranger to stick violence, as he was charged with assault following a stick swinging incident in 1998 during a Junior game. I suspect he’ll be suspended for this incident. I guess the Flyers are trying to bring back the Broad Street Bullies era in the City of Brotherly Love. For my night of hockey last night, I get to quietly type this while MOL watches Grey’s Anatomy. Hopefully, it will earn me the TV for the Sox and Bruins tomorrow.

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Dice Who?


in Chris, Colton Orr, Georges Laraque, Goons, GoonSquad, Old Time Hockey

I would be willing to bet a large amount of money, that I am one of about 10, no, maybe 5, people in the Boston area watching Detroit and Calgary right now as opposed to Dice K and the Red Sox face the dreaded Yankme’s. I think it’s indicative of being a hockey fan in general. It’s like I’m in my own little club that no one gets. Besides, I’d rather watch April hockey over April baseball any day of the week. Actually, make that hockey anytime over baseball anytime. OK, I’ll get to the point.

Due to the fact I am getting increasingly chubby (no, no, it’s true) I’ve been reading The Hockey News on the bike a lot more. I used to just read it whilst having a poo, which is good because a lot of times I find The Hockey News to be full of shit, hence the YGTBSMT (You’ve Got to be Shitting me Times) nickname I gave it in a previous post. Now that I read it while exercising as well, I may have to start calling it The Please Stop it Because my heart rate is Already up and I might have a Heart Attack Times. A bit long I realize, but some of the stuff that gets printed really chaps my large ass.

Case in point. I am about two weeks behind because they come like everyday. So I am finishing up the April 10th Playoff Preview Issue. It is a good issue, as most of them are. I like the Team Reports a lot and they have cool features on different players around the league. I also like the Junior, and College Hockey ink that gets written. All in all, I really do enjoy The Hockey News. What I often take issue with, is the Editorial articles that get printed every week. I guess they are written for water cooler fodder as much as relaying an opinion of the writer, but the April 10th Overtime piece written by Mike Brophy is utter crap.

Mr. Brophy, who I usually actually usually enjoy, has a solution for people like me that think fighting has a part in the game of hockey. He says that it’s cool to have fighting in the game, and anyone can engage in a fight without being kicked out provided they have played at least 10 minutes. Brophy even proposes a 3 game grace period in which someone has a chance to goon it up all he wants, but if they fight in the 4th game and haven’t played 10 minutes, they are ejected. It’s an interesting theory and it’s backed up by him saying David Koci has been up with Chicago for 6 games. He has fought 6 times, while playing 3:36 a game. Brophy goes on to say that the evolution of hockey fights has gone from guys like Bobby Orr, and Gordie Howe who could fight as well as play, to guys like Colton Orr, and Georges Laraque who can’t play at all and are only there to fight. He says no one has a problem with Jerome Iginla and Vincent Lecavalier fighting in the playoffs a few years ago because it was spontaneous, and not staged. His issue is with big tough goons that only fight. Brophy further contends there is room for big men that can play and occasionally fight citing Zdeno Chara as a big man that is a great player, and a great fighter. Wait what? Did I just read that?

Not only is Zdeno Chara the most over rated player in the whole of the NHL, he’s a shitty fighter as well. Not only that, he’s a shitty Captain. I have seen Big Z since his days as a Lowell Lockmonster, and he is not a good fighter. He doesn’t do it enough, and when he does, he doesn’t put guys away like he should. Also, there were so many instances this Bruins season when he as the biggest guy on the ice, and the Captain to boot should have dropped his gloves and dealt with someone but opted not to because.well, I don’t know why. It is utterly amazing that he as the Captain of the Boston Bruins did not have a single fighting major all season. We in Boston expect our Captains to be tough, and you Big Z, are more of a Big P.

You see Mr. Brophy; I have no issue with guys that can play fighting. In fact I love it. I saw the Iginla and Lecavalier tilt a few years ago, and it was a dandy. The problem is, I want to look at the bench and know when someone gets wronged, there is a Colton Orr, or a Derek Boogard in the Break Glass In Case Of Emergency section of the bench. I don’t care if they play 1 second, or 60 minutes. I want to know there is someone on the bench that will go after an opposing player’s tough guy when a call up gets a cheap shot to the head in the crease (see Buffalo and Boston this season when this very thing happened, and no one did anything). Or a guy that will ask someone to go, and then wish him Good Luck to try and spark his team. That is the type of hockey I prefer. As an aside to the photo staff of The Hockey News. When trying to make a point about fighting. Don’t show pictures of two tough guys going at it and the DELIGHTED crowd looking on in the background. It kind of kills the point you are trying to make. Just saying is all.

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It’s got its Own Weather System


in Brian McGrattan, Georges Laraque, Goons

Brian Block Head McGratton. I like it. Nice ring eh? Good tilt between Block Head and Erksine. I am planning on sticking with this one until the Whale take on the Oil at 9:30. Anyway, back to the fight. It started with Erksie hitting Block Head along the half boards, and the go. The two heavies traded some and they went down. After they got back up, Block Head took control of the tilt. He gives Erksie a few good rights, and then lowered the boom with a very hard right hand that definitely stunned Erksine and sent him to the ice. Win Block Head.

I’m not kidding, that boy’s head is like Sputnik. Do you think it hurts to hit him? I bet it hurts like a bastard. He’s a big boy, and can chuck em. Having a giant melon is another advantage over the other guys. This game could get ugly. Both teams have guys ready, willing and able to get down and dirty.

Domi is on TSN right now talking about Laraque wishing Ivanans good luck last week. He liked it, but said he never would have said anything like that. Especially to Probert. Probably a good idea. MOL is out. I will be here all night. I am going for the Jameson!

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Good Luck, Man


in Georges Laraque, Goons

I love the Center Ice Package. I’m just sitting here watching the late game between LA, and Phoenix. I missed the first two periods, as I watched My Name is Earl and 30 Rock on DVR after the Bruins win. Anyhow, Phoenix has Georges Laraque miked up. I guess in the first he fought Raitis Ivanans. So he’s miked, and they captured what he said.

Off the face off.

Laraque: You wanna? Square off?

Ivanans: Head Nod.

Laraque: OK. Good luck man.

And then they fight. I love it. I didn’t see it, so I don’t know how it went. I just love it Big Georges wishes the guy good luck. Classic. By the way, Laraque just picked up his second assist of the night. Needs a goal for the Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

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Happy Halloween


in Georges Laraque, Goons, Uncategorized

Hey boys and ghouls! HI OH!!! I just flew in from Cleveland, and boy are my arms tired! Try the veal. Today is Halloween. I am not that big of a fan. Aside from the girls dressing like total sluts on the one day a year it is totally permitted, I am not really into it. Having said that, I do enjoy this time of year.

For one thing, my birthday was two days ago. MOL and some friends took me out and got me wasted after a crappy Lowell Devils game. Apparently I remembered I saw the Brooker/Neil fight in the Bruins game, but couldn’t remember seeing the final score. I think they final tally on the conversation below is around 986.

Me: Who won the Bruins game?
Group: The Bruins, 2-1.
Me: Did you see the fight? Brooker did OK eh?
Group: Yes, he did well.

Repeat.

It’s also a nice time for hockey. The guys have knocked off the early season rust, and are starting to hit the beginning of mid season form. There are a few payback games, and guys frustrated by early poor starts take it out on other guys.

Georges Laraque took his team’s poor start out on Calgary’s Darren McCarty the other night. Maybe it was because they were losing again, or he didn’t like the price Darren offered him for one of his Cup Rings, but Laraque went looking for McCarty and beat the stuffing out of him. It was a one sided beating, and I am glad to have seen it.

Speaking of one sided; Todd Fedoruk might want to go to France for a face transplant soon. The Boogie man lowered the boom on him big time. Hopefully Fedoruk’s career isn’t over. That really looked like it hurt.

Keep those e-mails coming eh? I have received a few good ones, and soon I will be posting the best of the best. Trick or Treat all!

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Laraque Around the Clock.


in Georges Laraque, Trevor Gillies

MOL and I spent the past weekend up at her mother’s place on Little Sebago Lake in Maine. Not a shabby way to spend a weekend when it’s a frickin thousand out. As an added bonus, I have gone from her mom and I sizing each other up at center ice, to the Golden Boy. Seriously. I can do no wrong. It’s a new twist for me, and I dig it. We went on a couple of booze cruises, ate some steak, and enjoyed the water. A very nice weekend indeed.

After the cruise Friday night, we all sat down to watch the end of the shelling the Red Sox were taking at the hands of the Oakland A’s. They got killed, but the TV there is 103″ so it wasn’t all that bad. So during the 7th inning I think, up comes the Big Hurt himself. Mr. Frank Thomas. I always liked Frank Thomas. I am not sure why. He used to kill the ball, and seems like a decent enough guy. Back in his day, I can remember being terrified everytime he came up to the plate. This at bat was totally different though. There he was in his classic Frank Thomas stance, but it looked totally weird because of his uniform. For me, Frank Thomas was the White Sox. It was like living in bizarro world to see him in any other colors than black and white. It got me thinking about Georges Laraque.

This upcoming year it will be strange for me to see Laraque in a Coyotes uniform. I totally identify him as an Edmonton Oiler. It’s where he made his name, where he cut his teeth, and where he gained his reputation as the Heavyweight Champion of the NHL. From what I understand Laraque was willing to take less cash to stay in Edmonton but wanted a no trade clause in his contract. The Oil weren’t willing to give it to him, so he went to Phoenix. Let me say here, he would have looked awesome in the black and gold. Yet I digress. So let me ask you this. Is hockey going to become like baseball and football with players jumping all over the place due to the salary cap? I think it is inevitable. But with hockey players, it a bit different.

How does a guy like Laraque go from protecting the Oilers for years, to now protecting the Desert Dogs? I realize it’s his job and like any other job change you make adjustments. I am always curious about this kind of stuff. Is there a guy on the Oilers he always hated that he is going to absolutely run next year? Does he take it easy on friends? Does he fight friends just for fun? That is the part of the job these guys do that I find fascinating. I remember when Trevor Gillies fought Jeremy Yablonski in Worcester a couple of years ago. I missed it because I was at the bar, but I have heard several people say it was one of the best fights they have ever seen. I asked Trevor about it, and apparently he and Yabo are best friends. In fact, Trevor told me he called Yabo and told him they were fighting that night. Can you imagine that? It is one reason I love fights, and the enforcers of the world. They do what they can to help the team, and in this case, showcase what they can do to get to the next level. So I guess this October Georges Laraque will do what he always does. It’s just going to look strange to me him doing it in maroon and white. Did I mention he would have looked AWESOME in black and gold?

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WHA Finals


in Georges Laraque

I am predicting an all WHA final. The New England Whalers will face off against the Edmonton Oilers for Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Canes had a rough go of it tonight in Buffalo, but the Oil is cruising out West. Did you see last night’s tilt? Three fights!? Are you kidding me! Laraque had two with "The Fridge". They weren’t anything special, but it was cool to see that kind of old time hockey seeping out in Edmonton. I like The Oil to win the whole thing. I just don’t think anyone can hang with them physically, and the Rexall fans are good for at least one win.

Speaking of seeping. Two parts of Goonblog (Me, and the Hammer) are heading to Indianapolis this weekend for the Indianapolis 500. For me, this will be year 10. I think Hammer is around 14 or 15. Every year we drink way too much, eat too much, and annoy the hell out of the locals with our all Pats all the time talk. As such, I won’t have any means to post for a few days. I mean, they have a computer there, but seriously, I wouldn’t be able to turn it on if you gave me Georges Laraque’s contract in exchange for the entire Boston roster. It’s just not going to happen. Having said that, I promise a boozy recap upon my return. Everyone have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend. Don’t forget to take a second and remember what we are celebrating too!

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