Old Time Hockey

February 9, 1992 - A Classic

2012-02-09T17:59:00.000+02:00

Rangers and Red Wings In a Tie on Brawl Way
By JOE LAPOINTE
Published: Monday, February 10, 1992

This wasn't free-flowing, fight-free, Olympic-style hockey last night at Madison Square Garden. Despite the match of two good first-place teams, it wasn't even the honestly rugged style of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

At times, it seemed as if the Rangers and the Red Wings should have taken off the skates, left through the back door and continued in the alley using broken broom handles for sticks, crushed tin cans for pucks and clenched fists as instruments of debate. The ice on the pavement couldn't have been any worse than that inside the building, and the behavior of the street people on Eighth Avenue couldn't have been more ornery than that of the players.

When it was over, more than three hours after it began, both teams had to settle for a 5-5 tie, no more and no less than either deserved, before a roaring, sellout crowd of 18,200.

In addition, there were these developments: One Detroit player and his coach faced suspension; Mike Gartner of the Rangers tied a prestigious record; 10 players scored, three of them while their team was shorthanded; four players were ejected, and Tie Domi had opened the Garden's annual dog show a day early by playing pit bull to big Bob Probert's Doberman in one of those classic hockey fights that everyone both loves to hate and hates to love.

Bryan Murray, coach and general manager of the Red Wings, said, "It was a dirty hockey game."

The Red Wings' Probert said about Domi: "He's a goon. I'll get that little dummy back in Detroit."

Domi said about Probert: "Funny that he keeps calling me 'dummy, dummy, dummy.' He's not known to be a rocket scientist."

The Rangers led, 3-2, after one period and the score was tied, 5-5, after two. Adam Graves and Mark Messier scored while New York was short-handed. Darren Turcotte scored on the power play. Brian Leetch and Gartner scored at even strength. It was Gartner's 13th consecutive season with at least 30 goals, tying him with Bobby Hull and Phil Esposito for that record.

For Detroit, Steve Yzerman, Keith Primeau and Sheldon Kennedy scored while Detroit was at even strength. Ray Sheppard scored a power-play goal and Bobby Dollas scored a short-handed one.

Both teams complained about the chippy ice and many had much to say about the chippy play in the first two periods, a style that dominated the mood of the game. Meanwhile, Yves Racine of Detroit faces a 10-game suspension for leaving the penalty box to join a multiplayer brawl.

"I just lost it," he said.

N.H.L. rules say the coach of a player who does that is suspended for five games and fined $1,000.

The main event featured Domi, who is generously listed at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, and Probert, who is 6-3 and 215. Domi said he took it upon himself to fight Probert midway through the first period after Probert had checked several Rangers with body and stick.

Despite not using an injured right arm, Domi opened a four-stitch cut over Probert's right eye. Probert punched Domi's helmet from his head and landed several blows that seemed to stagger Domi. At one point during the fight, Domi seemed headed for the ice, a situation that always results in officials breaking up the battle. Probert seemed to hold him up so that the bout could continue.

Several other players paired off in two different incidents. Ejected were Steve Chiasson, Gerard Gallant and Racine of Detroit and Joe Cirella of the Rangers.

"I don't know if I won, but I showed up," Domi said. "Probert has been heavyweight champ a long time. I like long fights. The longer I go, the better I get. I wasn't stunned, not one bit. When I saw the blood on his face, I was kind of happy. I heard the fans going crazy when I was fighting and that kept me going."

Murray wasn't happy with the way Ranger coach Roger Neilson used Domi. Later, Domi baited Probert again so that both went off together with 10-minute misconducts.

"I understand why Al Arbour has a hard time with Roger," Murray said.

Both teams have many players who have played for both sides. Long after the game, they lingered in the corridor, socializing with the enemy. They meet only once more, on March 20, unless both reach the Stanley Cup finals.

With Head Shaved And Fists Cocked, Domi Finds Trouble
By FILIP BONDY
Published: March 9, 1992Goon.

There it was, that word. Coming from Bob Probert, of all people, wayward enforcer for the Detroit Red Wings.

"He's a goon," Probert had said, after the big fight at Madison Square Garden last month. "He's out there for one reason. He's a dummy."

The words wounded Tahir Domi, son of an Albanian restaurateur, proponent of the hard-knuckles, soft-rules school of ice hockey. The Ranger forward, nicknamed Tie long ago in elementary school, could not believe that Probert, one of his heroes, a heavyweight much like himself, would say such a thing.

"That bothered me," Domi said. "He's been heavyweight champ for a long time. I still respect him. I'd been wanting him for three years. I just hope he remembered what got him where he is."

Domi will never forget what got him from Belle River, Ontario, all the way to a Ranger team that is ready -- labor relations and springtime hexes aside -- to challenge for the Stanley Cup. Domi's edge, the asset that transformed him from lightweight pug to National Hockey League heavyweight, is his head.

Not the inside, where Domi's nimble brain works overtime figuring out which of his elaborate superstitions needs updating.

The outside.

The big skull. Shaved by his brother, Dash, "down to the wood." Adorned with as little hair as possible, to give Domi what he calls "kind of a unique look."

"I'm fortunate my parents put me on this earth with a hard head," Domi said. "I've got short arms, so I've got to take a lot of punches before I sort of work my way in there."

Domi pokes this skull of his where it is not welcome. He is in the face of Probert, in the face and fists of Mick Vukota of the Islanders. He is jabbing and jabbering. That is his job. In itself, that would not offend those in the National Hockey League who long ago accepted, even embraced, the morality of violent intimidation.

What bothers Probert, and the others, is something else entirely. For Domi, this rumbling is not only a way to eke out a living. He has gone beyond that, beyond the 229 penalty minutes, beyond professionalism. Tie Domi, uppercuts flying, helmet spinning, manic grin on his unshaven mug, revels in the warfare. At times, he appears to be a madman in a mad sport, which makes a lot of people squeamish.

There is the way he goes hunting for trouble, even where there is none to be found. Domi chased after the United States Olympic team during a gentlemanly exhibition match at the Garden. At one point, he challenged David Quinn, who is a hemophiliac, to a fight with a slight smack to the cheek. He could not stop treating this game, any game, as if it were the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final.

There is the way Domi has celebrated after his fights and his two goals this season. He has spun his fingers, like Hulk Hogan, toward one side of the rink and then toward another. He has donned an imaginary heavyweight title belt. He has banged away at a speedbag, suspended somewhere above center ice where only Domi could see it. And after his two goals this season, Tie Domi has ridden his stick over the ice like a witch on midnight prowl.

The stick shtick, he says, will go. Maybe.

"Nobody told me to stop, I just decided, I think," said Domi, who borrowed that routine from his hero, the legendary bruiser Tiger Williams of Toronto. "If it's a big goal in the playoffs, who knows? The speedbag, that's my trademark. That's got to stay."

People have stood up and noticed. At the Garden, fans groan audibly when Domi is scratched from the lineup, which still happens about every other game when Joe Kocur is healthy. Domi, with his big black shoulder pads and cartoon mannerisms, is a folk hero in the blue-turned- teal seats.

Part of the allure, no doubt, is his size. At 5 feet 10 inches, tops, Domi can never be typecast as a bully.

"It's an advantage I have," Domi said. "If I beat the other guy, he looks bad. I'm expected to lose."

According to Domi, he has not lost yet. Other judges have awarded Probert and Vukota their fights on points. Do not suggest this to Domi.

"I read where I was supposed to have lost to Vukota," Domi said. "He didn't hit me once. My shirt went up. I don't even consider him a featherweight. He's just a wrestler."

"Probert?" Domi said. "I'm not scared of anyone, no matter how big. I can't be intimidated."

Since every team in the N.H.L. has an enforcer, every team needs one. That is the logic of the league. Kocur and Domi are the Rangers' two runaway libidos. They will continue to alternate for the rest of the season, unless the Rangers are playing a team with two bad guys. Then, the Rangers will need both their blue meanies.

Kocur, a close friend of Probert, is also an adviser to Domi. The two Rangers often hold sparring sessions at the team's practices, but they are clearly at different stages of their careers. Domi is trying to gain respect, to promote dread in opponents who sneer at him. Kocur, still feared for his jawbreaking punch, would prefer to avoid confrontation these days. His wounded right fist has smashed into too many helmets.

Domi, the pit bull on ice, is a poodle mascot in the locker room. He is everybody's little brother. Mark Hardy, James Patrick, Mark Messier take care of him.

"Thanks, big brother," Domi will say, at the tiniest bit of advice.

"If I'm his big brother, I did a great job, huh?" Hardy will say.

To his teammates, Domi is an endless source of amusement. They watch him, shake their heads at his practice rituals, at his pranks and boasts. The team is part of his extended family now, like the relatives from Albania and in-laws from Yugoslavia that his father, Islam, and mother, Meryem, helped to settle in Canada.

Domi's father died last year. This past summer, Domi broke off an engagement with a woman back in Toronto, in part because his teammates advised him he was too young to settle down. "They were right," he said. "I mean, I'm in New York. What was I thinking?"

Now the 22-year-old eligible bachelor's most important dates are with the front teeth of opponents.

"Tie is Tie," said Adam Graves, who rooms with Domi in Port Chester, N.Y. "I knew him when we were both in the Ontario Hockey League, when he already had a reputation. He was just always more aggressive than everybody else. You've got to respect him for what he is."

There was a time, in Junior A hockey, when Domi was considered a scorer, not a fighter. Later on, he could still skate, but his stickhandling and shooting skills were purely minor league. He had to transform himself into something else, something scrappier and scarier.

Rangers General Manager Neil Smith saw Domi playing for Peterborough, Ontario, and remembered to remember him. In June 1990, Smith acquired Domi in a trade from Toronto along with Mark Laforest in exchange for Greg Johnston.

"Nobody at that point took him seriously," Smith said. "But I always try to make a list of tough guys with skills good enough to play in the league. The toughest guy in junior hockey can be as effective sometimes as a skill player."

He battles to stay under control, to contribute with some clean forechecking and an occasional streak down the right wing. He does not use his stick to carry out vendettas, as some players do.

There is a thin line between intimidation and stupid penalties, and Domi has been trying to cross it fewer times lately. He did so against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Feb. 20, when he went into the penalty box twice while the Islanders' lead grew from 2-1 to 5-1.

He did it again on Saturday at Philadelphia, when he was whistled for interference against Rod Brind'Amour, and Philadelphia scored a go-ahead goal on the power play. But he baited Flyer bully Dave Brown into a roughing penalty in the third period, and skated away from trouble.

"They're going to blow a much tighter whistle with Tie than with the other players," Smith said. "It's human nature to keep an eye on the young, wild players. But Tie can't change. His game is to make the other team watch out."

When he is at his most effective, Domi will shove a more valuable opponent off his game, then take him to the penalty box for coincidental majors. The man that Domi really wants to take with him is Probert, when the two meet again on March 20. The last time they warred, it was a battle to remember.

It started with Probert calling Domi "dummy," three times, outside the face-off circle. Domi was afraid Probert would skate away when he dropped his gloves, making him look stupid. He lurched at his antagonist. Probert landed some punches and pulled Domi up, away from the ice. Domi struck back, despite an injured right arm, cutting Probert for four stitches above the eye.

Last week, Domi wanted to know whether he would get a second shot at Probert, on March 20. Neilson told him he would.

"I'll be there in Detroit," Domi said.

For the heavyweight championship of something.

February 8, 1996

2012-02-09T16:57:00.000+02:00

An old rivalry, Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues.

TWIST, PROBERT LACE 'EM UP FOR ROUND 2 TONIGHT; BLUES, HAWKS PLAY DOWN RETRIBUTION ANGLE

BY Dave Luecking. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Feb 22, 1996.

The hook was baited and dangled in front of Tony Twist.

He refused to bite.

Try as the media might, they failed to get the Blues' enforcer to talk about renewing hostilities with Bob Probert in a grudge match against the Blackhawks tonight in Chicago.

"Let me tell you something," Twist said. "I would never, ever set a hook in my mouth for that. (Brian) Burke would be down on me so fast, then I'd have to come down and kick your butt."

The affable Twist was smiling when he said the latter, but he was serious when he spoke of the former. Burke, the National Hockey League's director of hockey operations and chief disciplinarian, has promised to deal harshly with acts of retribution between the Blues and Blackhawks.

Geoff Courtnall, now injured, upset the Hawks with a late hit on Jeremy Roenick in Chicago's 6-1 victory on Feb. 8 at Kiel Center. Roenick was knocked out on the play and suffered a fractured jaw.
Twist, meanwhile, has a score to settle as a result of a run-in with Probert early in the second period.
Twist prepared to check Probert along the boards, but Probert raised his right arm and hit Twist on the face. Referee Bill McCreary gave Probert a double-minor for high-sticking, and Burke tacked on a game suspension after the Blues protested.
The two had fought earlier in the game, with Twist pulling up after Probert suffered a skate cut on his right hand. Later, Probert declined a half-dozen offers from Twist "to go," as they say in hockey parlance.
After the game, Twist said that Probert hadn't seen the last of him. Will they go tonight?

"The fans might be talking about it, and the media might be talking about it, but that's up to those two players," Blues coach Mike Keenan said. "They have a lot of respect for each other."

On second thought, Keenan suggested the respect might be a one-way street.

"Tony showed a lot of respect by not going after Probert after Probert hurt his hand," Keenan said. "Probert showed no respect hitting Tony on the face with his stick after they came to a gentleman's agreement."

Probert, 30, had been the NHL's foremost heavyweight enforcer before drug and alcohol problems derailed his career. He sat out last season.
Twist, 27, aspires to be the NHL's top enforcer. He is unbeaten in fight s this season, and many NHL tough guys avoid him.
Probert and Twist downplayed the possibility of a fight.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Probert said.

Said Twist: "I will stay far away from that. The only quotes you'll get from me is, 'We're going to Chicago to win a hockey game.' Anything else in-between time is directed towards winning a hockey game."

But aren't fisticuffs a part of the game?

"Team first," Twist said. "Really, I couldn't be concerned with the other stuff. I don't think Chicago will be concerned with the other stuff, either.

"First of all, we have a hockey game to win. Second of all, it's not something that has to be dealt with now. It can be dealt down the line."

February 7, 1996

2012-02-09T16:39:00.000+02:00

A line brawl between Hartford Whalers and Vancouver Canucks, featuring a very entertaining fight, between Scott "The Chief" Daniels and Scott Walker.

Janssens became involved in a scrap with the legendary Tim Hunter and got the best of the fight after getting a fast start... Hunter was extremely pissed off and from all reports attempted to go after Janssens in the dressing room after the fight. Here's how Janssens described the incident:

"I think I got the better of him and I think I may have surprised him and I think he took exception to that. I don't recall if I started the fight, maybe I did? For some reason, something went off in him. I remember someone saying that Hunter tried to get into our dressing room and I was shocked since I thought it was over. We fought and got sent to our dressing rooms and that's that. I think I may have started the fight and got the first couple in which were point blank shots. I think I got him good and he may have felt that I took advantage of him, which I may have. Things happen. I'm sure he's done the same thing in his career."

When asked if anyone ever agitated him, the way he agitated Hunter that night, Janssens replied:

"Theo Fleury made me lose my mind. Darcy Tucker made me lose my mind. That is a compliment to them. They played their role in fantastic fashion. When we played Montreal, Denis Savard really got under my skin. Tyson Nash was another one. They all do a great job. It's easy to get me off my game, but when you get the really good players off their games, that's a true talent."

February 6

2012-02-05T21:59:00.001+02:00

1997 - Paul Laus fought Rob Ray, a good fight between two rivals.

Hockey hitmen not all bad.
Jack Gatecliff. Standard. St. Catharines, Ont.: Feb 8, 1997.

Paul Laus has a split personality. But in his case, it's a definite asset.

In Buffalo Thursday, the Beamsville-born Florida Panthers defenceman and Rob Ray of the Sabres staged the main event in a brawl which involved every player except the two goaltenders.

They were well-matched. Ray has 186 penalty minutes, Laus 171 minutes. NHL convention has it that when a fight is brewing, the toughest player on each team doesn't go toe-to-toe with a passive opponent.

The enforcers seek out each other.

Every team has one -- Tie Domi in Toronto, Bob Probert in Chicago, Dave Karpa in Anaheim, Craig Berube in Washington, as well as Ray and Laus.

At one time, the enforcer's one job was saving the more skilled players from punishment.

But this is no longer the case.

Mind you, none of those mentioned would be confused with Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux or Jaromir Jagr. But the current musclemen can play sound hockey and are often among the most intelligent on the team. The change of deportment once they're in the locker room is remarkable.

Laus speaks better English than many university grads, looks and acts like a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, and even called me Mr. Gatecliff which I always thought referred to my late father.

The only indication of his pugilistic tendencies was a cut over his right eye, which was quickly building up to a bruise twice the size of a toonie and, coincidentally, matched the damage around Ray's left eye.

If you're interested in winners and losers, I'd give Laus a split decision.

The 6-foot-1, 216-pounder recalled playing one "forgettable season with St. Catharines junior B Falcons when I was 16, then I was stunned by being drafted and spending three years of junior A (one with Hamilton, two with the Falls).

"Pittsburgh picked me 37th overall in the 1989 entry draft, but the next three years were spent in the International.

"The International is much better than people think, maybe even half a step above the American League, and I got a lot of needed experience in Albany and Muskegon.

"But the NHL is where everyone wants to be and my big break was being picked in the expansion draft by Florida.

"Getting to the playoffs last year in only our third NHL season, then beating Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before being swept (beaten four straight) by Colorado in the final were very special moments for everyone.

"We were all outcasts from other teams and underdogs in all three rounds we won. Now that we're up there again (second in the Atlantic Division) proves it was no fluke.

"It was unfortunate we lost in the championship round, but to get within one point of the playoffs our first two seasons, then almost go the distance the next brought everyone together."

How does life in the NHL compare to the International?

"It's great. No one wants to go back to the minors. We fly first class or charter, stay in the top hotels, eat the best meals and of course the money's much better."

Paul earns $600,000 (Cdn.) a year, has a home in Boca Raton, Fla., with his wife Jeannie and six-month-old daughter, and will have his parents John and Rhea with him next month.

February 5

2012-02-05T00:00:00.000+02:00

1934 - Former NHL defenseman Don Cherry born in Kingston, Ont. Cherry played just one game in the NHL in 1954-55 with Boston, then coached the Bruins 1974-1979.

1978 - Steve Durbano going nuts in a WHA game.

"If blood bothers you, stay home"
Allen Abel. The Globe and Mail. March 30, 1978.

Item: Philadelphia Flyers - the most penalized team in the National
Hockey League - attract an average of 1,000 more customers to out-of-town
games than do Montreal Canadiens, the league's best team.

Item: Pittsburgh Penguins - fourth in the sin-bin sweepstakes thanks
to Dave Schultz - will not make the Stanley Cup playoffs. But the
Penguins have drawn more fans on the road than the Sabres, Maple Leafs,
Kings, Red Wings, Rangers, Islanders or Flames, all of whom will be in
the playoffs.

Item: Birmingham Bulls - by far the most penalized team in the World
Hockey Association - pull in more fans on the road than at home. As the
WHA season entered its final two weeks, the Bulls and their Gang of Four
(Dave Hanson, Steve Durbano, Frank Beaton and Gilles Bilodeau) had
climbed from eighth in road attendance a year ago to fourth this season,
only 600 patrons per game behind the league's best road draw, Gordie
Howe's New England Whalers. Approximately 30,000 more people have paid to
attend Birmingham's visits to their cities this year than last.

Who are these misguided souls who rather would watch Moose Dupont and
the bellicose Schultz rough up the home team than see Guy Lafleur and
Bryan Trottier demonstrate their superb skills? Who are the 30,000 WHA
customers who stayed home last year, only to be lured to the arena this
winter by the smell of blood on the gloves of Birmingham's brawlers?
Perhaps they have been attracted by the game's own anti-violence
sermons. When Durbano went on a typical rampage recently and tried to
assassinate Bobby Hull even before he could be elected to Parliament, WHA
executive director Larry Gordon took to the soapbox and proclaimed that
Durbano would be suspended for life, if not longer, should he ever behave
so naughtily again.

To the naive family sitting at home in Houston or Indianapolis,
wondering where to deposit their so-called discretionary income, Gordon's
words rang a bell. He sounded just like one of those wildly dressed
wrestling managers who appear on television between matches.

"My guy is so strong, he'll rip Sammartino's head off and stuff his
body with popcorn! No ladies or children will be admitted! Stay at home
if you can't stand the sight of blood! Don't dare come to the Civic
Auditorium, Broadway and Fifth, just off the expressway, plenty of free
parking, doors open at 6:30!"

Durbano will return to action April 5 in Cincinnati. When the battling
Bulls played there in mid-February, the game drew 13,608. When a less
raucous side from the Soviet Union visited Cincinnati this season, the
crowd numbered 2,571. In contrast, the relatively peaceable Edmonton
Oilers lead the WHA in home attendance, attracting 10,092 patrons per
game. On the road, the Oilers are the worst draw in the league.

If the obvious conclusion - that brawling remains the game's No. 1
selling point among novice fans in the United States - sickens the
purist, it does not seem to nauseate those who stand to profit. Open the
Atlanta Flames' game program and you are hit with a full page of fight
photos. Read the article in the Phoenix Roadrunners' magazine entitled
Watch And Enjoy. This breezy paragraph catches the eye:

"Each player carries a potential weapon in his stick . . . often the
stick will hit another player, tempers will rise and a fight will result
. . . even if the players drop their gloves and fight, there is rarely an
injury . ."

So just sit back, watch and enjoy.

1987 - A bench-clearing brawl at the end of the game, Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

February 4

2012-02-03T23:13:00.000+02:00

1994, Bob Probert vs. Marty McSorley, in one of the best fights ever, a classic marathon!

Damien Cox TORONTO STAR. Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont.: Feb 6, 1994.

Marty McSorley had cuts on his lip and near his left eye and an ugly purple welt across his forehead, and he couldn't have been happier.
The Pittsburgh defenceman had incurred the battle scars in a titanic fight with Detroit enforcer Bob Probert Friday night in Motown. It may have been the punch-up of the season.
The fight lasted 93 seconds, included a knockdown of McSorley by Probert, and ended with McSorley finishing off the fight with several straight rights that appeared to stun Probert.
"That's the closest I've come this year to playing how I want to play . . . letting guys on my team know I'm going to put my butt on the line for them," said McSorley.

McSorley joined the Penguins in the summer after being signed to a five-year, $10 million free agent sheet by St. Louis. Los Angeles matched the Blues' offer, dealt McSorley to Pittsburgh for forward Shawn McEachern and have been paying the price ever since.
McSorley admitted to being frustrated with the criticism he received earlier in the year for his play in Pittsburgh.
"What did they expect of me? It took me five years in L.A. to build things up to the point where I could stand up in the dressing room and ask any player on that team if he was putting out," said McSorley.
"I've always said I'm not going to score 100 points. But when it gets to the more physical play, and you need that extra grit, someone to take a punch in the head or get his head drilled into the glass, I'm willing to do those things."

Rumors suggest the Kings officials had been miffed by McSorley's militant union activities and role as team spokesman on grievances with management, and therefore didn't try to keep McSorley.
"I don't think Barry Melrose undervalued me, and I don't think the players did, and that's all that matters to me," said McSorley. "(The Kings) never sat down to negotiate with me, and that was disheartening because I tried to do so much for the team.
"But there's more wrong with that team that just me not being there."
It was Kings general manager Nick Beverley and team president Roy Mlakar who made the decision to dump McSorley over the objections of Melrose, and both could end up losing their jobs if the Kings don't make the playoffs.

February 3

2012-02-02T21:50:00.001+02:00

1987, a Bench-Clearing Brawl between Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames.

1995, awsome toe-to-toe fight, Cam Russell vs Paul Kruse.

February 2

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000+02:00

1988, Joe Paterson vs. Gerald Diduck, in a bloody fight.

1998, Darren Langdon vs. Marty McSorley, in a marathon bout.

Rangers Nearly Waste 3-0 Lead, but End Slump
By JOE LAPOINTE. The New York Times. February 3, 1998.

Despite entering tonight's game with a five-game streak without a victory and a ninth-place standing in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers still held reasonable hope for a respectable pre-Olympic road trip and a fair chance for one of the eight playoff berths in the conference.
A victory over the Sharks would mean 3 points in the first three games of their six-game tour. And it would keep the Rangers 3 points behind eighth-place Buffalo, which beat Tampa Bay earlier in the evening.

The night started well, with the Rangers taking a 3-0 lead on goals by the three players who started on the fourth line. Mike Eastwood scored in the first period, Kevin Stevens in the second and P. J. Stock in the third, the first goal of his National Hockey League career. But San Jose cut the lead to 3-1 at 5 minutes 29 seconds of the third period on a goal by Bernie Nicholls, and then to 3-2 at 9:59 on a goal by Owen Nolan.
With the help of their penalty killers and some terrific saves by Mike Richter, the Rangers held on for a 3-2 victory. The Sharks had two power plays in the final 10 minutes, but they were even more dangerous at even strength. Sprawling and lunging, Richter managed to keep anything else from crossing the goal line.

Ulf Samuelsson, the Rangers defenseman who will play for Sweden in the Olympics, left the game in the second period with a hyperextended right knee. No prognosis for his return was immediately known.
The Rangers scored the only goal of the first period and the only goal of the second. Getting the first was Eastwood, who had been a healthy scratch in all but one game in January. He scored on a rebound at 15:20 after Bill Berg's shot was stopped by goalie Kelly Hrudey during a three-on-one break. The Rangers made it 2-0 on a power-play goal by Stevens at 10:09 of the second period. Wayne Gretzky set it up, and Mike Keane got the other assist after clearing space with a perfect moving pick block.
Late in the second period, the Rangers played two men short for two full minutes. Although the Sharks threatened, they could not beat Richter.

Injured and prone on the ice briefly in the first period was the Rangers' Darren Langdon, who crashed into the corner boards while racing for a loose puck with Marcus Ragnarsson, who may have tripped him. Langdon got up, flexed his left knee and returned for his next shift.

Early in the second period, when the two skated in the same area, Langdon jostled Ragnarsson and rubbed a glove in his face. On Langdon's next shift, he dropped the gloves with Marty McSorley, San Jose's best fistfighter. The officials allowed them to engage in a long, brutal fight that left McSorley bleeding from the nose.
Langdon is known mostly for fisticuffs, but he had scored his first two goals of the season in the previous two games, a tie in Ottawa and a defeat in Boston. He discussed his scoring before tonight's game.

"I'm playing the way I usually play," Langdon said. "I'm getting a few more shifts and getting into the game a little more. You get a few more hits. As for the goals, I don't know what to say. Maybe I've got a little more confidence. I'm not a goal scorer. But whether I score or not, I'd like for our team to get a couple wins."
Langdon leads the Rangers in one statistic: penalty minutes, with 143 after his fight. In accordance with the code of hockey culture, it is common for him to fight the best brawler on every opposing team. On Saturday, Langdon took on Ken Baumgartner of the Bruins in a long bout. Earlier this season, he fought Tie Domi of Toronto.
When the fight with Baumgartner ended, the television camera clearly showed Baumgartner saying to Langdon, "Good one." After his fight with Domi was broken up by the linesman, Domi reached over and gave Langdon a friendly tap on the helmet to acknowledge Langdon's performance.
"Most fighters are nice guys, and I respect them," Langdon said. "I usually say 'good job' almost every time, no matter what happens, unless someone gives a cheap shot. And that doesn't usually happen with tough guys. They are all pretty honest fighters. When the fight is over, the two of us have done our jobs. There's no bad feelings after that. You just go and play your game. Even after the game, you might go out for a beer. It's an honor for me to be fighting these guys. I like doing it."
Langdon, a 27-year-old from Deer Lake, Newfoundland, was signed by the Rangers as a free agent in 1993. In his last season as a junior, with Summerside, he had 441 penalty minutes. With Dayton in the minor East Coast league, he had 429. Last season with the Rangers, he had 195, a total that he will probably break this season.

February 1

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000+02:00

1986, Behn Wilson vs. Wendel Clark. One of the best ever against one of the best pound for pound all-time. 1987, Nevin Markwart vs. George McPhee, two middleweights goin' toe to toe.1995, Cam Russell vs Bryan Marchment, two rugged defensemen in a great fight!

Best hits of 2011, Youtube Playlist

2011-12-31T15:23:00.000+02:00

15 December

2011-12-15T13:36:00.001+02:00

Bryan Marchment vs Mike Gartner cheapshots, from 1993.
The slash!

The payback!

One of the best fights from 1988-89 season, Kevin Maguire vs Basil McRae.

December 14

2011-12-14T10:49:00.000+02:00

A Bench-Clearing Brawl, that set the record for the most PIMs in one game, at that time.

Great long fight between Rob Ray and Darren Langdon.

All this happened on the 19 November

2011-11-19T20:37:00.001+02:00

1987 - Bob Probert vs Craig Coxe, one of the best fights ever!

1991 - Tie Domi drops Gino Odjick

1995 - Dennis Vial vs Rob Ray, what a fight!

1997 - Jim Cummins vs Mark Janssens, toe to toe mayhem!

1999 - Ryan VandenBussche vs Stu Grimson, a bloody affair!

November 19, 1986 - Two warriors going toe to toe

2011-11-19T20:14:00.001+02:00

Leafs, Flyers were fit to be tied; Pair of 3rd-period goals gives Toronto a 2-2 draw
Rick Matsumoto Toronto Star. Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont.: Nov 20, 1986.

John Brophy looked up and growled at his interrogator.

"We're not the same hockey club. Will you please write that down."

The Toronto Maple Leafs' coach was replying to a question about whether the team that wore the same blue-and-white jerseys last year would have come back from a 2-0 third-period deficit to tie the powerful Philadelphia Flyers.

Leafs 2, Flyers 2

That's just what the Leafs did last night, much to the delight of a capacity crowd of 16,382 at Maple Leaf Gardens.

And Brophy seemed to be getting a trifle annoyed with questions about the legitimacy of his first-place club.

Actually, despite gaining a well-earned point with the tie, Leafs lost ground in the Norris Division standings to the second-place St. Louis Blues, who beat Minnesota North Stars, 7-5. Leafs' lead over the Blues has been cut to two points.

For two periods it appeared as if the test against the Flyers, the over-all leaders of the National Hockey League race, had proven too tough for the Leafs. Despite their obvious improvement this season, they still seemed to be some distance from seriously threatening one of the league's top clubs.

They trailed 2-0 after managing just five shots on the Flyer goalie Ron Hextall in the second period and appeared ready for the slaughter.

Since Mike Keenan took over as coach two years ago, Flyers had won 94 of 101 games in which they had led going into the final 20 minutes of play. They seemed ready to make it 95 out of 102.

But, a Brophy tongue lashing between periods had the desired effect. Leafs came out skating, bumping and hitting and took the game away from the Flyers.

In a complete turnaround, Leafs outshot the Flyers 16-2 in the final period. And, had it not been for the splendid work of Hextall, Leafs might easily have come away with a victory.

Last goal: 18:35

"We weren't bumping. We weren't playing the physical type of game we need to play to be effective," said right winger Steve Thomas. "If you bump a team like that you get respect from them. In the second period we were lackadasical. When we gave up their second goal we started to bow our heads."

Flyers went ahead 1-0 just four minutes into the game when defenceman Al Iafrate lost the puck behind the Leaf net. Lindsay Carson slid the loose puck into the slot to Ron Sutter, who drove it past Leaf goalie Ken Wregget's left pad and the post.

Flyers took a 2-0 lead when Dave Brown scored just past the midway point of the second period. Iafrate had just returned from serving a minor penalty, but was unable to get into the play and prevent Brown from skating into the slot where he accepted a pass out from Murray Craven and quickly ripped a shot past Wregget.

It took Leafs only 58 seconds into the third period to respond to Brophy's scolding.

Tom Fergus clearly beat Peter Zezel in a faceoff to the left of Hextall. He slid the puck back to Thomas, who stepped into the circle and drove a hard slapshot under the goalie's catching glove.

Led by the inspirational play of Brad Smith, Leafs applied tremendous pressure after that and kept the play in the Philadelphia end of the rink.

Smith replaced Rick Vaive on the line with Fergus and Thomas and his helter-skelter play aroused both the Leafs and their fans.

"He's a whirling dervish out there," said Brophy of Smith. "He gets things mixed up. The other team's got to wonder where he's going to come from."

Vaive's only appearance in the third period was on a power play.

Later, neither Brophy or Vaive would discuss the benching.

"I had to go out and create opportunities for Steve and Fergie," said Smith. "We had to chip away at them. They're the best team in the league right now and that was a great point go get."

While the Leafs controlled the play it looked as if the Flyers would persevere behind Hextall's stalwart play.

However, with only a minute and 15 seconds remaining in regulation time, Leafs' got the tying goal.

Russ Courtnall gained control of the puck just inside the Flyers' blue line. Then, Courtnall spun around quickly and fired a shot along the ice towards the Flyer goal. Wendel Clark arrived in front of Hextall at the same moment as the puck and redirected it past the startled goaltender.

"That was a good one," said Brophy. "The big thing was we had the character and guts to come back. We had a super third period and we had the better chances, I thought, in the overtime."

Leafs wound up with a man advantage in the overtime session when Clark drew Flyers Rick Tocchet into a fight. Clark had flattened Mark Howe with a thundering bodycheck. That brought Tocchet roaring in to play the role of the Philly policeman. He and Clark battled away for several minutes with both heavyweights landing solid punches. In the end, however, Clark won the battle as he drew only a fighting major, while Tocchet received a two-minute instigator penalty as well as a major and a game misconduct.

"He's a good fighter," said Clark, praising Tocchet. "When it was over we asked each other if the other guy was cut. That was it."

Clark added that if need be the two would go at it again Saturday night when the two teams stage a rematch at the Spectrum.

Oilers vs Kings War, a classic from Feb. 28, 1990

2011-03-01T23:57:00.002+02:00

McSorley claims Messier started things; Ex-Oiler will get gate
Stories by JIM MATHESON Journal Staff Writer. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alta.: Mar 2, 1990

Los Angeles

The 3-hour Cold War was over and Marty McSorley was thawing out in the Los Angeles Kings' bathhouse.

The former Oiler had been a key figure in Wednesday's ugly Kings-Edmonton fiasco that produced more penalties - 86 - than any game in National Hockey League history.

When McSorley and MVP candidate Mark Messier tangled 95 seconds in, it was the start of a long night of ugly, stupid brawling.

"I'm not saying I'm innocent but I think if you see the tape, you see Mess drop his gloves first," said McSorley.

By the time the game ended, seven players had been ejected, five of them Oilers including Glenn Anderson for having tape on his hand during a fight.

McSorley got two game misconducts with 26 seconds to go, his fourth and fifth of the year, which means he's automatically suspended for four games.

The late flurry of penalties broke the Boston-Minnesota record of 84 set on Feb. 26, 1981 but the 356 minutes fell short of the all-time record of 406 the Bruins and North Stars rang up in the same game.

Brian Benning, who was pummelled by Oiler Steve Smith late in the second period in one of many fights that broke out between pugilists and normal pacifists, drew a game misconduct for cross-checking Jari Kurri on the side of the head with 3:20 to play.

That set the scene for a repeat of Jan. 25 when the Finn was nicked by McSorley's stick and the Oilers got three power-play goals.

But the Oilers couldn't convert this time and eventually lost 4-2 as Wayne Gretzky's sealed things with a short-handed empty-net goal.

No. 99 was lucky he was still in the game.

"He should have gotten a third-man-in in the Benning-Smitty fight," said Jeff Beukeboom, who eventually sat on Gretzky.

McSorley denied he deliberately went after Messier.

"I wasn't looking to send a message. We bumped heads and you don't want to lose any ground," said McSorley, who'd been more interested in getting Tikkanen out of Gretzky's hair in previous games.

"He went after me for sure. I wasn't expecting it at all," said Messier, who's no shrinking violet but hasn't had a fight all season. "I don't know why he'd want to do it, but as far as I'm concerned, he instigated the whole thing.

"Why? I guess he's trying to do what's best for his team. Disappointed in him? I guess all's fair in love and war."

What bothered the Oilers most was that McSorley didn't fight Kelly Buchberger or Dave Brown.

"Whatever Marty tried to do, it worked," said Oiler coach Ted Green. "He started it, then finished it and he didn't have to fight a tough guy. It was obvious what his game plan was, and he followed it."

"I lost some respect for Marty," said Oiler head coach John Muckler. "He sure picked his spots. He wouldn't accept the challenge of Buchberger or Brown."

McSorley, one of the game's premiere heavyweights, didn't feel the time was right to battle the Oiler sluggers.

"I've got to be on the ice," he said. "There's a time and place to make a stance. We had a two-goal (2-0) lead. You don't change the momentum of the game against guys who don't play much."

Brown laughed when asked if he thought McSorley ducked him.

"What do you think? You can see out on the ice what was going on. I don't think anything would have started if Marty hadn't fought Mess."

McSorley made no apologies, noting that the Oiler heavyweights also went after some of the smaller Kings.

"We had guys on the bottom of piles in two fights. Kelly hit a few of our smaller guys. Kelly hit Tomas (Sandstrom). Dave Brown did the same thing," he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blame McSorley for this ugliness
JOHN SHORT. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alta.: Mar 2, 1990.

If you agree the Edmonton Oilers won the battles but lost the war Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings, credit the two points to former Oiler Marty McSorley.

Starting with an assault on captain Mark Messier, McSorley suckered his ex-mates into an almost-endless evening of tugging, hauling, punching and brawling.

At least one suspension seems automatic. Oiler Glenn Anderson entered a fight with tape on his hands, a precaution normally reserved for men who fight in rings and put thumbless gloves over the tape.

After the Oilers lost any lingering semblance of discipline, the Kings won an important Smythe Division victory and stretched Edmonton's losing streak to three games.

McSorley's approach was obviously based on tactics employed by Calgary Flame pest Neil Sheehy in 1986.

As I recall, there were only two clear differences:

* Sheehy wore No. 5. McSorley wears No. 33.

* Sheehy sported a beard that made him look like an unemployed pro wrestler. McSorley's open face makes him look like a 235-pound choir boy.

Sheehy, now a Washington Capital, entered Edmonton's sports hall of infamy by whacking Wayne Gretzky at every opportunity, then burying his head and refusing to look at big opponents.

Gretzky was Edmonton's superstar of the day. McSorley was Edmonton's leading goon, visibly incensed that Sheehy intentionally violated the unwritten NHL rule that says goons can't start brawls with real hockey players.

Goons can learn, too.

Messier untouchable

These days, Messier is in the same untouchable category as Gretzky. He can't afford to fight because the team can't afford to lose his scoring, so hulking teammates are supposed to provide protection.

After inciting the Oilers by challenging Messier, McSorley pulled another Sheehy-type move. He skated miles to avoid any chance of a meeting with Dave Brown or Kelly Buchberger unless other Kings were in the neighborhood.

Only after the long-overdue ejections of both Oiler musclemen in the third period did McSorley condescend to fight. As Sheehy had done before him, McSorley took great care to seek only smaller foes.

He should have been more careful. After jousts with Jari Kurri, Peter Klima, Craig Simpson and other certified non-combatants, McSorley made a miscalculation and was battered rather thoroughly by large Steve Smith.

Although Sheehy's tactics cost the Oilers both their poise and a Smythe Division final in those dark, distant days, McSorley's style as a villain was at least equally obnoxious.

WWF style

In approved WWF style, he was positively despicable. All he needed was a foreign object in his trunks.

Evidence aside, McSorley says he didn't intend to start a mini-war.

"I wasn't intending to send a message or anything. We bumped heads. You don't want to lose ground."

Messier and McSorley have a little-remembered history of conflict.

When both were younger and McSorley was a fringe player with the Pittsburgh Penguins, they exchanged fisticuffs twice in one game. McSorley lost both decisions and suffered large cuts over both eyes.

McSorley didn't lose any blood Wednesday night but he may have lost some respect among his friends.

Had he accepted a fistic challenge from Brown or Buchberger early in the game, as goons are required to do, chances are Tomas Sandstrom would not be resting an eye injury and Peter Prajsler would not have stitches in his face.

There is an ongoing theory that on-ice scrapping is a safety valve, preferable to the indiscriminate and dangerous use of sticks in hockey.

It only works when so-called tough guys fight and real athletes play the game.

As I said, McSorley's antics probably won the game for Los Angeles. I suspect the price of victory was too high.

The game was a disgrace. No sport can survive such ugliness for long.

May 22, 1975 - Batman!

2008-05-22T22:13:00.006+03:00

May 22, 1975, Buffalo Sabres beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 in Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals, to even their series at 2-2. The game will always be remember for other thing.

Just when the puck was about to drop for a face-off, a bat came flying in over the ice and started hovering over the players. Everybody jerked back except for Buffalo's Center Jim Lorentz. He hit the bat with his stick and it fell to the ice.

Lorentz used his stick to slay a bat, of all things, that was annoying players and fans. Nobody was sure whether the bat had found its way into the arena or was brought into the building by a mischievous fan.

"It was dive-bombing the crowd, and a couple of times it came near the ice and I remember Parent taking a couple of swings at it with his goal stick and missing," Lorentz said.

Fans continually reacted to the bat when it swooped down toward them, and it was a clear distraction. When Lorentz was standing still getting ready for a face-off and spotted it zooming toward him, he reached up and killed it with a slash of his stick. The crowd and the players were happy until they realized they had another problem.

"No one wanted to pick it up," said Lorentz, who instantly was dubbed as Batman. "Finally, (Philadelphia's) Rick MacLeish picked it up and buried it in the penalty box."

Finally, from the same game, a toe to toe fight between Philadelphia's Bob "Battleship" Kelly and Bufallo's Rick Dudley.

The last Bench-Clearing Brawl in the Stanley Cup Finals

2008-05-22T22:10:00.003+03:00

MAY 22, 1986

May 21, 1978 -- David vs. Goliath

2008-05-21T22:43:00.004+03:00

Pierre Bouchard (Montreal) vs. Stan Jonathan (Boston), May 21, 1978.
Don Cherry loves this fights, of course, here's the story of this great fight, by Don Cheery.

This was the best fight I ever saw. We were playing against the Canadiens in the playoffs, and as usual it was hot and heavy. For some reason Habs coach Scotty Bowman puts on all his "heavies" for a faceoff.
Rick Chartraw (6-foot-2, 200-pounds), Gilles Lupien (6-foot-5, 220-pounds), Larry Robinson (6-foot-3, 220-pounds) and Bouchard (6- foot-2, 230-pounds). I forget who the fifth guy was, but with the other four, it didn't matter.
I had on two of my heavies, John Wensink (6-foot-2, 200-pounds) and Terry O'Reilly (6-foot-2, 205-pounds). I also had Peter McNab out there, and he was a giant (6-foot-4, 200-pounds), but he was a scorer and playmaker, not a fighter. So when I saw who Scotty had sent out to dance, I sent out my pitbull, Stanley Jonathan (5-toot- 9, 175-pounds), because I knew a war was about to start.

We won the draw, but the puck went out of their end and came back in quickly for an offside. So Stan skates up alongside of Pierre and sort of tugs at him. It looked like David and Goliath. Pierre accepted the challenge and away they go.
Boy, does Pierre start off great. He is lifting Stan off the ice and throwing him around. I'm on the bench and I say, "Uh-oh, Stan looks like he's bitten off more than he can chew. Get ready, boys."
I can't let Stan take this rap.
All of a sudden, Stan switches hands, from a righty to a lefty. This is tough for Pierre and it catches him off balance. It was doubly tough with Stan. He could KO you with either hand.
Stan landed a heavy left and Pierre started to go down, but as he's falling Stan pours about three more on him, then the "coup de grace," as they say, was just as Pierre hit the ice.
The blood was everywhere, even on linesman John D'Amico.
I felt kind of sorry for Pierre. He was a good guy, but if you play with the bull, you're going to get the horns.
I remember after the fight McNab said, "When I saw Scotty put on all those tough guys looking for trouble, I said to myself, 'Why am I out here?' And when Grapes put on Stan to take my place, it was the happiest moment of my life."

When they talked to Pierre after, he said, "Serge Savard is my hero, but I really didn't want a nose like him."
When Pierre was asked if he thought he'd ever play again in the NHL, he replied, "Yeah, if I take up the organ."

March 19, 2008 - Doug Murray crushes P-M Bouchard

2008-03-20T12:42:00.004+02:00

The St. Patrick’s Day Massacre

2008-03-17T15:07:00.004+02:00

St Louis at Chicago March 17, 1991

Adam Oates on the 2nd period brawl – “It was weird. I was pretty scared, I’ll tell you that. Let me rephrase that. Terrified. Grimson, Manson and Peluso and they had 10 bodies on the ice, too." Taken from The Hockey News.

This game is known in Chicago and St. Louis as the "St. Patrick's Day Massacre."
This was a classic Norris Division battle amongst two teams fighting for the President's Trophy. It was expected to be an intense game, but it quickly turned into a very chippy affair early.

A line brawl, started when Featherstone took exception to Jeremy Roenick's hard hit on Snepsts. Featherstone shoved Roenick, Keith Brown shoved Featherstone, and the fight was on.
With Featherstone and Brown fighting, another scuffle broke out when Roenick shoved Chase, called up from Peoria by the Blues in case something like this happened.
Goulet tackled Chase, then Kimble, acquired by the Blues to beef up the lineup, came into the fray, apparently leaving the bench to do so. Kimble yanked Roenick off the pile, and pummeled Roenick while Rod Brind'Amour held onto Roenick. Kimble broke Roenick's tooth and cut Roenick's lip.

''They had something against me and they wanted me to feel the pain,'' Roenick said. ''They did.''

The brawl started with Larmer high-sticking Gino Cavallini on the face, drawing a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, then escalated into an ugly altercation in which the Blues had eight players on the ice and Chicago nine.
The Blues players, among them Brett Hull and Oates, were sent onto the ice for the power play, but hostilities increased and Keenan sent out the enforcers.
Featherstone got into a fight with Peluso, who received a double game misconduct, but the main attraction was Stevens and Manson, renewing acquaintances after an ugly incident last year in which both were suspended.
Stevens, the $1 million defenseman, and Manson skated away from the melee to get into a fight at center ice. Everyone else stopped fighting to watch the fight.

Melees in the first and second period resulted in 278 penalty minutes, including 24 minor, 12 major and 17 misconduct penalties.
The Hawks won 6-4 in the game that best defines the phrase, "That's hockey, baby."

Hockey Hardest Hitters

2007-12-27T21:33:00.001+02:00

- from 1989, thanks to PJ, for the clip.

Video: Hockey's Hardest Hitters

Dec. 2, Clash of the titans

2007-12-13T23:23:00.000+02:00

From "The Hamilton Spectator", Dec 3, 1992.

Unlike many other heavyweight fights, this was certainly one battle that lived up -- or down, depending on your point of view -- to its advance publicity.

And while last night's epic scrap between Detroit Red Wings' tough guy Bob Probert and New York Rangers' resident pit bull Tie Domi was the lead item on nightly sportscasts, the reviews won't be nearly as favorable from NHL president Gil Stein.

Domi stirred up a controversy earlier this season by telling the Toronto Sun he was planning a rematch of his Feb. 9 bout with Probert at the Garden. Stein warned against the fight, but Probert and Domi were on the ice shortly after the opening faceoff and squared off at the first opportunity. Probert cross-checked Domi at the neck three times after a faceoff, and the much-anticipated battle was unde way just 37 seconds into the game.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Probert rained 47 punches on the 5-foot- 8, 198-pound Domi, who was at a severe disadvantage in terms of reach and was able to get off only 22 left-handed punches because he was hanging onto Probert's jersey with his right. Domi eventually went down from a chopping overhand right. Unbowed, the Rangers' "Pocket Pugilist" waved to the madly cheering crowd and smiled as he skated to the penalty box.

Told after the game that Probert hit him with 47 punches, Domi said, "He could've hit me with a thousand. It doesn't matter to me. The bottom line is we won the game and got two points."

Domi knew going into last night's game what he had to do, and he did it. "I did want to get into the game a bit (before fighting)," said Domi, who had some redness on his left cheek and a scrape on his forehead but nothing more. "But what can you do? The whole building started jumping. I could feel it, and my adrenaline started pumping."

Rangers Coach Roger Neilson thought Domi provided a needed spark and disagreed with the suggestion fighting gives the NHL a black eye. "I think it's great; it's exciting," Neilson said. "Part of the reason those guys are in the NHL is because they're such tough players. They drop their gloves; they have their fight; they go off to the penalty box, and the game resumes. I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all.

"(Domi) stood his ground against a bigger guy. I think it pumped the team up a lot."

By the way, after the fight, a hockey game broke out. In case you're interested, the Rangers edged Detroit 5-3.

Dec. 1, The Brother's Day

2007-12-13T22:31:00.001+02:00

December 01, 1940
Four sets of brothers played in one NHL game: Rangers' Lynn & Muzz Patrick and Neil & Mac Colville played against the Black Hawks' brother acts of Max & Doug Bentley, and Bob & Bill Carse. Black Hawks won the game 4-1, at Chicago Stadium.

December 01, 1984
Marian Stastny scored his third career hat trick and added two assists, and his brother Anton had two goals and three assists as the Quebec Nordiques won 8-4 against the visiting Hartford Whalers.

Fight of the day, from 12 years ago, Sandy McCarthy fights Dennis "The Menace" Bonvie.

Nov. 30

2007-12-01T12:51:00.000+02:00

November 30, 1918
The NHL modified its penalty rules: From this time forward, teams would play shorthanded for only the first three minutes of a five minute major, and for only the first five minutes of a 20 minute match penalty.

November 30, 1963
Boston Bruins' goalie Eddie Johnston and Canadiens' Charlie Hodge dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at Montreal. It was the third career shutout for Johnston and the 7th for Hodge.

November 30, 1993
NHL Officials announced the end of their strike, which had begun on November 15, 1993.

November 30, 1987
Bob McGill(Chicago) fights Gary Roberts(Calgary)

Nov. 29

2007-11-30T20:12:00.000+02:00

November 29, 1967
Scotty Bowman picked up the first coaching victory of his NHL career when the Blues beat the Kings 3-2 in St. Louis (to end a team-record 7 game losing streak). Jimmy Roberts led the scoring with two goals.

November 29, 1986
Flyers rookie goaltender Ron Hextall became the first goalie in Flyers' history to record two assists in a game, as the Flyers beat the Islanders, 6-5 at the Nassau Coliseum.

20 Years ago, Steve Thomas(Toronto) drops the gloves against Dirk Graham(Minnesota).

NOV. 28

2007-11-30T19:38:00.000+02:00

November 28, 1925
Playing in his 328th straight game for Montreal, goaltender Georges Vezina collapsed during a game against Pittsburgh. Suffering from tuberculosis, he died four months later.

November 28, 1979
Billy Smith became the first goalie in NHL history to get credit for a goal. He was the last Islander to touch the puck before Rob Ramage of Colorado put it into his own net. But the Islanders lost 7-4 to the Rockies at Denver.

November 28, 1982
Ron Sutter made NHL history when he played in his first game, with the Flyers. It was the first time in league history that five brothers from the same family all played in the NHL. The Flyers tied the Canucks, 5-5 at Vancouver.

The fight of the day is from 1981, a toe to toe battle between Dave "Tiger" Williams(Vancouver) and Steve Jensen(Los Angeles)

Nov. 27

2007-11-29T21:10:00.000+02:00

42 years ago...Detroit's Gordie Howe scored his 600th NHL goal. It came in a 6-2 Red Wings loss to Montreal. Howe also got a major penalty that night for elbowing J.C. Tremblay. Howe became the first NHL player to get 600 career goals.

23 years ago...Alain Lemieux (Mario's brother) scored his first career hat trick to lead the Blues to a 6-1 win at Vancouver. Lemieux played 119 NHL games with the Blues, Quebec Nordiques & Penguins, and scored 28 goals and 44 assists.

10 years ago...Michel Petit became the first player in NHL history to play for 10 different teams, when he made his first appearance with the Phoenix Coyotes in a 4-1 loss to Dallas.

Fight of the day, happened 12 years ago, with Tony Twist beating Rob Ray in a classic bout.

NOV 26

2007-11-27T18:23:00.000+02:00

24 Years ago, Rangers vs. Hartford. Ed Hospodar(HTD) elbows Jan Erixon(NYR). Now Rangers go after Hospodar, Hartford stands up for his player and we a have a Brouhaha...Old time hockey, at his best.

26 Nov 2007, Scott Hartnell(PHI) cheap shots Andrew Alberts(BOS). Bruins players just watch like a buch of pussies and do nothing. "New" NHL at his best.

Also on November 26...82 years ago, NHL announced it's new "anti-defense" rule, which would prohibit teams from having more than two players in their own zone when the puck was not present. The NHL also upped the number of regular season games from 30 to 36 for the upcoming season.
And on November 26, 1983, Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky began an NHL-record 17 consecutive game assist streak, at St. Louis. It came in the midst of his NHL record 51-game point scoring streak (during which he scored 153 points). Oilers lost 8-6 to Blues.

NOV 25

2007-11-25T21:33:00.000+02:00

November 25 was a good day to be a Red Wings fan:
24 Years ago...Detroit Red Wings beat Pittsburgh 5-2 before 21,019 fans at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, the largest crowd (up to that time) ever to see an NHL game. Rookie Kelly Kisio led the scoring with a goal and two assists.
20 Years Ago...Steve Yzerman began a team-record 22 game point scoring streak in the Detroit Red Wings' 10-8 win over the visiting Winnipeg Jets.
15 Years ago...Detroit Red Wings reached double figures in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history, as they won 11-6 over the Blues at the Joe Louis Arena. Dino Ciccarelli led the scoring with two goals and two assists.
Also, this was the day when Joe Kocur KO Jim Kyte, with three good rights.

24 NOV

2007-11-23T21:09:00.000+02:00

Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers from 19 years ago...good times!

23 NOV

2007-11-23T18:27:00.001+02:00

11 Years ago...one episode form "The Battle of Alberta" rivalry between Calgary Flames & Edmonton Oilers, didn't take place on the ice.

The first player who jumped over the glass, was Sasha Lakovic

22 NOV

2007-11-23T18:00:00.000+02:00

21 Years ago...Wayne Gretzky scored his 39th career hat trick and added two assists, to give him 500 career NHL goals. The milestone came in a 5-2 Oilers' win over the Canucks in Edmonton. Gretzky's 500 goals came in just 575 games

NOV 21

2007-11-21T00:42:00.000+02:00

65 years ago...The NHL Board of Governors announced that overtime would be discontinued in regular season games because of conflicts with train schedules. Overtime was finally reinstated in the 1983-84 season after a 41-year absence.

25 years ago...Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky scored his 17th career hat trick and added three assists, as the Oilers lost 9-7 to the Nordiques.

11 years ago...Tie Domi fought Rob Ray, for the 8th time in their long rivalry. I was a donnybrook :)

NOV 20

2007-11-20T23:28:00.000+02:00

28 years ago, playing in his first NHL game, Quebec Nordiques' rookie Paul Stewart fought Boston's Terry O'Reilly, Stan Jonathan, and Al Secord. Stewart later became an NHL referee.

In Your Face

2007-10-27T14:38:00.000+02:00

Top 10 Stanley Cup Semifinals

2007-05-23T18:43:00.000+03:00

Video: Top 10 Stanley Cup Semifinals

Go Ducks !

Greatest Sports Moments

2007-05-19T08:20:00.000+03:00

Great clip about the Greatest Sports Moments in US picked by ESPN.
For a moment you can see Nadia Comaneci.

Video: ESPN - Greatest Sports Moments

Best Playoff Performers

2007-05-18T22:47:00.000+03:00

A Top 10 clip, with the best players who have the best records in overtime periods of NHL playoffs.

Video: Top 10 - OT Performers

Stompin' Tom Connors - The Hockey Song

2007-05-15T15:50:00.001+03:00

Truly Old Time Hockey !

2007-05-15T14:53:00.000+03:00

No helmets, no ads, no masks and of course NO Gary Betman.

Video: DC's Hockey Mix Vol.17 Vintage

Interview with an enforcer

2007-05-13T15:39:00.000+03:00

From Wikipedia :

"Enforcer is an unofficial role in ice hockey. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "fighter", "tough guy" or "goon".

An enforcer's job is to deter and respond to dirty or violent play by the opposition. When such play occurs, the enforcer is expected to respond aggressively, by fighting or checking the offender. Enforcers are expected to react particularly harshly to violence against star players."

Video: Interview with an enforcer

The Rules

2007-05-13T10:04:00.000+03:00

The first rule of Fight Club is - you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is - you DO NOT talk about Fight Club. Third rule of Fight Club, someone yells Stop!, goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule, only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule, one fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule, no shirt, no shoes. Seventh rule, fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule, if this is your first night at Fight Club, you have to fight.