Penguins-Bruins Shenanigans

So it’s been nearly a decade since Todd Bertuzzi jumped Steve Moore.  A trial date has been set for next September. And with that, hopefully, the NHL can put one of the ugliest incidents behind itself… and get started on the next one.

There’s a whole bunch of shit that went down in the Penguins-Bruins game last night. It starts with a solid hit by Brooks Orpik onLoui Eriksson on the first shift of the game. Eriksson would leave after that. Orpik was not called for a penalty. It’s a questionable hit, as Orpik has Eriksson lined up, but the puck ends up going behind Eriksson, and when he turns around to reach for it, he gets hit by Orpik. It’s a hit that definitely falls in the grey area, and I can understand arguments both for and against its legality. Orpik was later challenged to a fight by Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton, but declined. A little over five minutes later, Thornton decides he wants a piece of Orpik whether he’s willing or not.

With the play blown dead for a Penguins penalty (I’ll get to that, but don’t wanna break up the narrative), and a gathering of players in the Penguins zone, Thornton comes skating in, grabs Orpik and takes him down to the ice with a slew foot and proceeds to land two punches to Orpik’s face. The trainers and stretcher are immediately called to the ice, and Orpik is stretchered off the ice (not a team you wanna be on, but the all-stretcher team’s got a solid D with Boychuk, Boyle, Kronwall, Robidas, Trouba and now Orpik). Apparently Orpik is okay, and will fly back with the Penguins. So thankfully Orpik isn’t in as bad of shape as it appeared he would be.

Now, the penalty the caused the play to be blown dead. Brad Marchand is trying to skate the puck out of the Bruins zone when he gets tripped up by Sidney Crosby, which goes uncalled. However, while Marchand is on the ice, James Neal skates by, and knees Marchand in the head while he’s down. Thankfully, this one gets called. It’s a dirty play, an attempt to injure, a completely unnecessary and avoidable play, a play for which Neal will, very rightfully, get suspended (he’s got a hearing set for Monday), and a play that would surely be more widely discussed were it not for Thornton’s freak-out.

As dumb and disgusting as Neal’s knee was, Thornton’s takedown and knockout of Orpik goes to another level. A Bertuzzi-Moore, MartyMcSorely-Donald Brasher, Chris Simon-Ryan Hollweg level. It has absolutely nothing to do with the play that’s going on, which isn’t because of Neal’s penalty, and has everything to do with Thornton losing control, and taking violent retribution. Now by all accounts Thornton is an ideal enforcer. He hasn’t been suspended before, and generally plays within the lines. He even has some skill, as his 83 career points are nearly as much as the 7 other enforcers who played tonight combined (Brian McGrattan, Matt Carkner, Zac Rinaldo, Jay Rosehill, Frazer McLaren, Matt Kassian, and Cam Janseen sit at 97 career points. Interestingly, Rinaldo also had a freak-out today, fascinating how that seems to be completely forgotten now). Thornton seems genuine in his post-game comments and deserves kudos for facing the media. None of that, nor anything that might have precipitated his actions (i.e., Orpik’s hit on Eriksson), can remove or alleviate any blame for Thornton.

This was an absolutely disgusting play, there’s not much more that needs to be said. There is no defending what Thornton did (on that note, there’s no defending what Neal did either). It’s the kind of play that makes you cringe and ask, ‘is this really the game I love? How did it come to this?’ It’s obvious that plays like this have no place in the game, and I think that opinion is almost unanimous (expect for all those sadists out there). Thornton should get a long suspension (whatever is considered long), and during that time we should all consider what it is we love about hockey. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m ashamed when plays like these (Thornton’s and Neal’s), along with the others listed above, occur. There’s no way to explain the egregious violence and having to make apologies for the sport’s recklessness and violence just gets more and more difficult. This isn’t what I enjoy about the game, and it is outright sickening that stuff like this keeps happening. Will this be the time we learn? Or will we have to keep having these same conversations?

Teddy Bear Toss!

 So it’s that time of the season again. Time for the Teddy Bear Toss!!! One of the greatest ideas involving stuffed animals, charities, and hockey. Here’s how it works: Fans are encouraged to bring stuffed animals to the game to throw on the ice. When the home team scores their first goal of the game, the stuffed animals rain down on the ice. They’re collected and given to local charities. And it’s quite a sight to see.

 

The Calgary Hitmen of the WHL seem to be the model team at this. They’ve done it for quite a while now, and the videos always end up online and look more impressive every year. I mean, look at that, nearly 26,000 stuffed animals get thrown onto the ice! That’s amazing! They come raining down for almost 3 minutes! Having been to a Teddy Bear Toss game (Niagara Ice Dogs last year), I can state that it is just as much fun being there as it looks. Stuffed animals come flying from all around and you get to throw them on the ice and watch them pile up. It’s a wonderful sight to see, and it’s wonderful that it’s all done for charity. And if you ever get the chance to go to a Teddy Bear Toss game, I highly, highly recommend it.

 

Humongous Big News

So I’ve been losing to grad school just like the Sabres have been losing to … well, everybody. But I’m back for the moment with some humongous big news. Ilya Bryzgalov is back! Bryzgalov has signed a one year deal with the Oilers. The Oilers are in their familiar place at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 4-11-2 record, but this was supposed to be the year they broke out of the cellar. Well, it hasn’t happened. They’ve allowed 3.82 goals a game, and none of Devan Dubnyk, Jason LaBarbera, or Richard Bachman has given them the goaltending expected, or needed, for a playoff team. This was supposed to be the year Dubnyk cemented his status as a number 1, but he’s struggled mightily to a 3-6-1 record in 11 games with an .878 SV% and a 3.80 GAA. While it’s not all Dubnyk’s fault, the Oilers obviously felt he wasn’t getting the job done.

So enter Bryzgalov. After getting bought out by the Flyers, and in the process being paid $23 million to not play in Philadelphia, Bryzgalov couldn’t find a home during the offseason. Will Bryzgalov be the savior to finally get the Oilers out of draft lottery contention? Well, let’s consider that part of the reason he was driven out of Philly is because he wasn’t quite the goalie they expected for the money they were paying. Well, Bryzgalov went from playing for the Coyotes, behind Dave Tippett’s superb defensive system to a Flyers team that wasn’t quite the same. I guess you could say they were in an entirely different universe.  The Flyers are still having problems defensively, so I guess they never realized they had to solve that problem, but compounding that their offense isn’t showing up anymore.

One thing the Oilers share, more with Philadelphia than with Phoenix, is problems with defense. Making that worse, they traded one of their more consistent, stay-at-home type defensemen, you know the ones that actually play defense, in Ladislav Smid to get Bryzgalov to fit into their cap situation. So, that doesn’t help. And despite the fact the Oilers are rumored to be in the market for some more defensive type blueliners, they haven’t made those changes yet. So Bryzgalov comes to a team that just traded away arguably their best defensive defensemen. And this same team has problems with their defensive system. Interesting. Sounds a little bit like Philly last year. But it might not turn out that way. This does have the potential to work out wonderful for the Oilers. Or it might not change a thing. Either way, Bryzgalov appears to be an upgrade over Dubnyk. The signing, along with the trade, is a wakeup call, kinda like switching goalies in a game. Bryzgalov should be motivated to show he can still play in the NHL – think of how easy it would have been for him to just go home and play in the KHL. But no, he attended an ECHL training camp to stay in shape and waited for an NHL offer. Well he’s got it now. Let’s see what he can do.

And even if it doesn’t work wonderfully, I think a lot of people are glad Bryzgalov is back. He’s a character, with some amazing (and unintentionally hilarious) quotes. He’ll automatically make the media out of Edmonton more entertaining. He was a very good goalie before arriving in Philadelphia’s goalie pressure cooker. Much like Rick DiPietro, he comes across as one of those goalies that has hit hard luck recently that you can’t help but root for. Unless you’re bitter about the fact these guys are getting paid millions to not play for a team. So welcome back Ilya Bryzgalov. I look forward to seeing what you can do, just as much as I look forward to hearing your latest theories on the universe.

Thomas Vanek Trade

Well, we all knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Regardless, it still comes as a shock: Thomas Vanek has been traded out of Buffalo. He’s probably quite relieved to get off of that sinking ship. Vanek played nearly 600 games (he leaves at 598) for the Sabres, and had been one of their best offensive players for quite some time now. That said, he’s in the last year of his deal, will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and never sounded too excited about staying in Buffalo for a rebuild.

So, where’s he headed? To the New York Islanders, to play with John Tavares. Going the other way are a 2014 1^st round draft pick, 2015 2^nd round draft pick, and Matt Moulson. Moulson turned into an elite player on the Island, having great chemistry teaming up with Tavares and becoming a 30 goal scorer in the process. Vanek has eclipsed 20 every season, including last year’s lockout-shortened, topping out at 43. It will be interesting to see what he can do with Tavares.

Here’s another thing that’s interesting. In addition to helping turn him into a top player, Tavares and Moulson are good friends. What sort of effect will this have on each player? Moulson is going to a train wreck, and while Cody Hodgson is a good player, he’s no Tavares. Yes, Vanek is an elite scorer and should mesh well with Tavares, but what effect will losing a good friend and linemate have on Tavares? Will he struggle while adapting to a new linemate? Moulson and him were the constants, with a rotating cast joining them on the right side: first P.A. Parenteau, then Brad Boyes, and now Kyle Okposo.

As mentioned earlier, Vanek is unrestricted at the end of the season. It’s been long rumored that he’d head to Minnesota, to play with good friend Jason Pominville, and where Vanek played college hockey. The Islanders are taking a big risk hoping they can resign Vanek. As it is, it’s a lot sent to Buffalo: two high draft picks and a top-line player. Both Vanek and Moulson are 29, and with both players being unrestricted at season’s end, are pretty comparable. Then the Isles throw in two picks, with the possibility that Vanek might not resign, and this trade looks pretty good for the Sabres. It was pretty clear Vanek wasn’t staying in Buffalo, but will Moulson? He could also sign elsewhere. Perhaps the Sabres consider trading him at the deadline for more picks or prospects to further help restocking for their rebuild. It’ll be interesting to watch what happens with each player and speculate their futures until either signs an extension.

Now all the trade watch attention is now on Ryan Miller. We’re waiting Darcy.