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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.

Riley Cote

Trevor being Trevor


in Chris, Goons, GoonSquad, Matt Carkner, Pierre-Luc LeBlond, Riley Cote, Trevor Gillies

For those of you that were working yesterday and not scouring the internet for enforcer news (you’re welcome by the way) it seems Goonblog favorite, Trevor Gillies has been rewarded with a one year pact with the Islanders. I have been a big fan of the Gill-Man since his days with the Worcester Icecats, and although I have been critical of his hockey abilities at times, I have always thought highly of Gillies as a very effective enforcer, and great team guy. To his credit, Trevor has really worked on his hockey as well, as evidence that he was the last person cut from Carolina’s camp last year, and he played in 14 NHL contests this year without looking out of place hockey wise.

Every time a teammate of Trevor’s is interviewed, and they are asked about Gillies, the reviews are top notch. Great team guy. Knows his role. Love to have him on my side. I have spoken to a lot of his mates over the years, and it’s always the same thing. Also, it doesn’t get much better than when a guy like Ken Daneyko, a fairly tough hombre in his own right, suggests your team sign you when he’s broadcasting for another organization. High praise there. Trevor knows his role, and is willing to answer the bell when called upon. Here are three or my favorite Trevor scraps from his 14 game debut with the Islanders. Well done Trevor, and congratulations!

Trevor Gillies vs. Matt Carkner: “Big fight Between two tough guys.”

Trevor Gillies vs. Riley Cote: “Right there..and he’s ready.”

Trevor Gillies vs. PL3: “That’s just Trevor, being Trevor.”

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Free Agent Frenzy


in Chris, Colton Orr, David Koci, Goons, GoonSquad, Hal Gill, Jeremy Reich, Mike Komisarek, Mike Rupp, Milan Lucic, Pierre-Luc LeBlond, Riley Cote, Shane Hnidy, Shawn Thornton

I hope everyone is having a very Happy 4th of July, and Happy (belated) Canada Day to all the Goonsqud in the Great White North. So far free agency has been open for a couple of days. What has developed has been a new GM putting his mark on a franchise, another two or three reasons to hate the Canadiens (as if any were needed); Boston fixed some problems on defense by not signing two guys, and a lot of tough guys switching uniforms. Let’s take them in order shall we?

One hour and thirteen minutes into free agency is exactly how long it took Toronto GM Brian Burke to make the Leafs a Brian Burke team. The Leafs are looking to get tougher, and they are doing so by adding Colton Orr for 4 years, at 1 million per season. Having Orr in the blue and white should make the six times Boston plays them next season watchable at least. Shawn Thornton of the Bruins was originally drafted by the Buds, and he’s on record having said he tries to play extra hard against Toronto to prove them wrong. I’m giddy. I’d stand upright now, but I don’t have a math book with me. A few hours after adding Colton Orr, Toronto signed defenseman Mike Komisarek. Komisarek, you will remember, is off Milan Lucic’s Christmas card list, after cross checking the burly winger at the end of game 4. It was a move out of frustration that he will certainly have to answer for when the 2009-10 season emerges from its summer off. The question is, after asking Milan to go in the very same game 4 he was obliged by a one punch to the mind administered by young Lucic after he asked Komisarek if he really wanted to do this, will he answer the bell that most certainly will toll for thee? Where the hell is my math book!?

Hal Gill is a Canadien. I will say it again. Hal Gill is a Canadien. Having Goonblog’s least favorite son don a Habs jersey should be enough to get the blood at a boil, and the hatred to a nice simmer, but those frog pussies go and add Scott Gomez via trade, and sign Brian Gionta. In the hockey pecking order of disliked teams, it goes, Montreal in first, New Jersey a close second. I don’t really need any more reasons to dislike the Habs, but I just gave myself three. Good luck in Montreal, Hal. You suck.

It looks like the organization might be willing to give Eddie Shore Winner Johnny Boychuk a legitimate shot to make the big club this season, as Steve Montador, and Sheriff Shane Hnidy were both allowed to sign elsewhere this past week. Both Boston blue liners played poorly in the playoffs, and essentially are the same exact player anyway, so both were allowed to leave. I like what Hnidy brings to the ice and the room from a leadership standpoint. He’s a cagy veteran that is willing to stand up for a teammate at anytime, and that’s my kind of player. Same with Monty. He dropped em a couple of times for the black and gold, but they need an upgrade on defense, so they are allowed to walk. I certainly wish both guys the best of luck this season in Minnesota, and Buffalo. This leaves Boston in need of at least one more defenseman. Could they still be trying to swing a trade for Kessel to TO for Kaberle? Stay tuned.

Finally, some tough guys are on the move. We spoke of Colton Orr trading in Ranger red, white, and blue, for the blue and white in TO; there have been some other notable goon signings. It looks as if Donald Brashear will be counted on to fill Orr’s spot in New York signing with the Rangers for 2 years at 1.4 million a year. Ian Lapierriere will be looking to stir it up in Philadelphia with Riley Cote for the next three seasons. That is one agitating pair there. Mike Rupp is the new Sheriff in Pittsburgh tasked with protecting Crosby and the like. He was allowed to walk after New Jersey signed PL3 earlier this off season. Speaking of filling roles, David Crazy Eyes Koci will be taking Lapierriere’s role in Colorado after singing on for 575K. He played for about half the league last year, so look for him to wind up elsewhere at the end of the year.

Finally, I’d be remiss if we didn’t say a good Goonblog farewell to The Reicher Jeremy Reich. Jeremy signed with the Islanders, and has a legitimate shot to crack their roster next season. Had it not been for Blake Wheeler coming out of nowhere this season, Reich could very well have been with Boston all season. He took the demotion like a man, and Captained the Baby Bruins to a very fine season indeed. Good luck Reicher, we’re pulling for ya!

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Boston, You’ve Been Warned


in AHL, Anaheim Ducks, Barry Melrose, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Derek Boogaard, Florida Panthers, Hal Gill, Los Angeles Kings, Lowell Devils, Lowell Lockmonsters, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Riley Cote, San Jose Sharks, Sean Avery, Shawn Thornton, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tom Rowe, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals

MOL, George, and I went to Feng Shui for a very serious throw down, two Mai Tai’s and the division of Bruins tickets for the upcoming season. If you are in the Chelmsford area, I highly suggest stopping in. In fact, here is a quick ranking of my top 3 local Chinese restaurants.

1. Feng Shui. Chelmsford, MA. Try the General Gau’s shrimp, salt and pepper shrimp, and the house rice. Very strong Mai Tai. Nice buffet on weekends
2. Bamboo. Westford, MA. Johnny is the heat! Strong Mai Tai. Excellent shrimp tempura, salt and pepper pork, and lo mein. Excellent buffet as well.
3. Makaha Acton, MA. Excellent Pu Pu. Mai Tai strong enough to run your car on. Excellent Juke Box. If you’re looking for a dark place to get a Pu Pu and get loadedthis is it. No real redeeming qualities other than they let me drink in there when I was 16.

In keeping with the Public Service spirit, I thought it appropriate to let you know the games in which I have drawn. Reason being, if you are a faithful Goonblog reader, you might want to stop by and say hi, or if you are a faithful Goonblog reader you know what happens at these games when I go, so you might want to avoid being in the City of Boston all together. Should be a great season, and I am getting more pumped by the day. I can almost hear the roar of the Zamboni, OK, the propane whine, of the Zamboni!

I have 9 games on my own. I’ll probably need a date for 8 of them. MOL will go to opening night, and that’s about it for her. Maybe I’ll run a contest. Go to a Bruins game with a guy that is trying to disprove Dean Wormer’s fat, drunk, and stupid theory..that’ll be cool.

George has 10 solo games. We were very surprised how easily the schedule was divided. It just kind of fell into place easily. No arguments at all. Sort of the opposite of MOL and me.

We will both be in the house for 20 games, and are giving away 2 games that neither one of us can attend. It looks like January is going to be a busy month of hockey for me. Between the Bruins, and the Lowell Devils, I will be at 15 hockey games. That’s a lot of hockey. This is going to be great. Breakdown is below.

My solo games in BOLD in case you want to enter my Fat Drunk and Stupid contest.

Oct. 20th. Opening night. Penguins. Probably MOL’s only appearance of the season. Come see her in all her glory.

Oct. 23rd. Maple Leafs. George wasn’t too happy about this one. He saw every Leafs Bruins tilt last year, and admitted the 10-1 or 10 something loss the Bruins took at the hands of Toronto was the only time he’s ever left a game early. Can’t blame him. I was there too, and I left early.

Nov. 1. Stars. Sean Avery is a shit disturber, and I love it.

Nov. 6th. Leafs. George couldn’t take it (seeing the Leafs again), so I took one for the team here.

Nov. 13th. Canadiens. Now way either one of us was missing the Habs, or Georges Laraque’s debut in the Garden as a Canadien. This one will be electric.

Nov. 28th. Islanders. I love the annual day after Thanksgiving game. Kinger and I had a blast two years ago. MOL might actually want to come to this one.

Dec. 8th. Lightning. I am interested in seeing Steve Stamkos.

Dec. 18th. Maple Leafs. See what I mean? George hates the Leafs.

Dec. 20th. Hurricanes. I am happy Tom Rowe has a job in the NHL. There are still a few faces left on this roster from the old Lockmoster days.

Jan. 1st. Penguins. MOL and I were going to Chicago, but decided a trip to Florida for a couple of Bruins games was probably a better idea. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year than by watching the Bruins and Penguins slug it out. The last time I went to a game on New Year’s Day was against Philadelphia a few years ago. Dave, MOL and I went, and I assure you. It did not end well.

Jan. 3rd. Sabres. Not sure why I agreed to go to this game. I have an unexplained and unnatural hatred of the Buffalo Sabres. Not sure why.

Jan. 6th. Wild. Boogieman. That’s the reason I’m here.

Jan. 8th. Senators. This is going to be an interesting club this season. Eager to see how they react after all that has happened to them over the last season. Jason Spezza, when he wants to be, is a God.

Jan. 10th. Hurricanes. Love the Matinee.

Jan. 13th. Canadiens. Hopefully the bad blood is really boiling by now.

Jan. 27th. Capitals. If you have never seen Alex Ovechkin live, I highly suggest doing so. You can’t take your eyes off of him.

Jan. 31st. Rangers. Original Six matinee. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Feb. 10th. Sharks. Joe’s second trip as a Shark. His first one was short lived, but a great performance. If you remember, he got kicked out very early for boarding Hal Gill. Questionable call at best. I just don’t like Gill, so I was cheering wildly. Pretty sure the people in my section didn’t like it.

Feb. 24th. Panthers. What else is there to do on a Tuesday in February?

Feb. 26th. Ducks. George Parros and his awesome Porn ‘stache in the house. Can’t miss it.

Feb. 28th. Capitals. A matinee and the Caps?! I can’t lose!

Mar. 3rd. Flyers. Shawn Thornton and Riley Cote. I am looking forward to these guys having a go.

Mar. 5th. Coyotes. Probably my most anticipated game of the year. Todd Fedoruk, Brian McGratton, and Daniel Carcillo all on the same club? This could be my Center Ice West Coast team of the season.

Mar. 14th. Islanders. Nothing better to do.

Mar. 19th. Kings. This should be another interesting team. Revolving door in goal. Some decent talent in Dan Boyle, and Teddy Purcell possibly coming in. Very young on defense. Really could go either way.

Mar. 31st. Lightning. Barry Melrose will field a scrappy team. No doubt.

Apr. 2nd. Senators. We’ll know by this point if the Senators have put all their troubles behind them.

Apr. 4th. Rangers. Original Six matinee. Can’t miss it.

Apr. 14th. Canadiens. Great way to end the regular season.

So, there it is. I am really looking forward to this year. It should be awesome. I may need a good divorce lawyer after as that is a lot of hockey. I think MOL understands the psychosis by now though. Let’s get it on.

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Well Played TKO


in 2008 Playoffs, Chris, Derian Hatcher, Goons, GoonSquad, Old Time Hockey, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Riley Cote, Ryan Malone

TKO a longtime Goonblog reader, and member of the Boston Bruins 2008-2009 bandwagon (he was on at the end of this year but every time he watched they lost, so I made him stop) sent me a text last night during the second stanza of the Penguins game. It was simple, but totally summed up the game. It was one word: Scrappy.

Now, I love the word scrappy. Or, scrap. Or scrapping, as in, Why should she care what anyone thinks about her? She’s just scrapping. Scrappy Doo was a cartoon dog I could have done without, and had I been Uncle Scooby, I’d have kicked his little ass all the way around the world. The little fucker was always getting the gang into trouble. You think the rest of them took Scooby aside, and was all,um, yeah. Scooby? About Scrappy. He can’t roll with us anymore. Scooby Dumb was one thing, but this guy is going to get us killed. Scrappy is a great word, and I think it summed up the Flyers and Penguins game last night.

The Cold War of the Keystone State had been luke warm at best. Riley Cote is absent from the lineup, as is Steve Downie. There was a good Middleweight bout Sunday, but for the most part, it’s been pretty typical playoff hockey. I was sure these two teams were going to try to kill each other, as they, well, want to kill each other. To say there is a natural rivalry between these two is a bit like saying I need a brew after a month plus of not drinking. For those analogy impaired, it’s an understatement.

Philadelphia’s back was against a wall last night in a lose and break out the golf clubs kind of way, and they responded by playing a physical clog the neutral zone game. Pittsburgh did not play as well as they had, and despite a near comeback on the back of Jordan Stall, looked a little over matched. The end of the game was particularly nasty and even featured a good fight between grizzled veteran Derian Hatcher, and scrappy Ryan Malone. Mike Richards tried to stir the pot again with Sidney Crosby at the end of the game, but the two couldn’t really get going. If Philadelphia wants to keep playing hockey this spring, I might suggest inserting Riley Cote for Sunday, as someone has to answer for Richards going after Crosby, and playing a physical game from the start. Pittsburgh on the other hand, needs to forget last night ever happened, come in loose, and get ready for some home cooking in a building that has been very kind to them in this playoff year. They are 9-0 right now, and haven’t lost in 11 games on home ice going back to the regular season. Should be a dandy on Sunday. Let’s hope it’s scrappy!

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