Montreal played in Boston tonight. It started out as a hockey game, but became something else. Boston, well known as one of the top two cheap shot teams in the NHL, decided beforehand to cement their well deserved reputation.
200 minutes in penalties. 7 fights. 7 misconduct penalties. 6 game misconduct penalties. And one very lucky Boston goalie.
Montreal won the fights, 5-2, lost the game 8-6. Take that for what it's worth.
What get's me is why Boston insists on the cheap shots. They're a really good team, but insist on playing like, well, idiots. Everytime there was an altercation on the ice, Boston got the extra penalty or penalties for starting it, or doing something stupid.
For example, the third period was disgraceful by the Bruins. If I was a fan of theirs, I would've shut off the tv. Marchand and Subban were about to dance, and Milan Lucic, the biggest cheap shot guy in the league besides Matt Cooke, comes crashing in from behind and earns a third man in and a misconduct.
David Krejci jumps Benoit Pouliot from behind, but then goes down after one punch from Pouliot.
Andrew Ference hits Travis Moen from behind, then gets pummelled after Moen gets back up.
Then Boychuck and Thornton do away with the Canadiens defence pairing of Spacek and Hamrlik, with Thornton jumping Hamrlik after a linesman ties up Hamrlik.
And finally Adam McQuaid nailing Max Pacioretty from behind, throwing punches while the play goes on. He gets 4 minutes, Pacioretty scores on the power play.
All of these are from behind. Maybe that's how the Bruins prefer things. Don't ask, don't tell and all that. But Montreal got 5 power play goals because of this. It just goes to the class and character of an organization. In the Pouliot fight, Benoit knocked him down and out after two punches, and then did nothing. He did not hit him anymore.
As you'll see in the Price / Thomas fight, one punch and down goes Thomas. Everyone in the league knows how tough Carey Price is, and Price really wants nothing to do with it. He spends most of the time laughing.
The Bruins? Every time a Habs player was on the ice, they were swinging. Hitting while they were down, or while an official had them tied up. That, and about 18 Stanley Cups, is what seperates Montreal and Boston.
and can anyone tell me why Thomas was not ejected from the game as is the rule? At the end of the video you can see backup Tukka Rask getting ready to go in, but the ref said no. Brent Johnson got tossed when he went down to challenge DiPietro the other day, why does Thomas get the preferential treatment?
Cap'n, I expect better from you! Let us recap...
ReplyDeleteFirst, it wasn't Marchand who was going to fight Subban, it was Horton but before Horton could get there, Gill steps in between and hugs PK. Lucic and Subban got matching misconducts. Subban must've done something to get that, no? BTW, is he ever going to drop em?
Next, Ference trips up Plekanec (not hit from behind), Moen comes over, they shove each other and go. Meanwhile, after the whistle blows, Hamrlik shoots at Thomas which draws the ire of Thornton. Linesmen jump in to protect the inevitable beatdown Hamrlik is going to take, but Thorton tears him away; hardly from behind. Meanwhile, Boychuk drops em with Spacek, lands a few noogies then, after they break apart for a second, Boychuk ditches his helmet and then proceeds to feed Spacek his lunch. Oh, and then Campbell just annihilates Pyatt after they lock up.
The McQuaid "bout" only happens after Pacioretty scissor locks McQuaid to the ice. None to happy about that, when they both pop up, McQuaid throws a few shots as Pacioretty wants no part of it.
The B's play physical, intimidating hockey; something the Habs don't. They need to get some toughness or it'll be a quick exit come playoff time.
Oh, and Thomas didn't get ejected because the "fight" between him and Price was the primary fight and not a secondary fight which warrants a match penalty. At least, I am pretty sure that is the rule.
Anyways, here ya go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiCdntbwO5c
Amen Casey, it's all a matter of perspective... Captain, you say that the Bruins are well known as one of the top two cheap shot teams in the league. Well, I hear plenty about Montreal being a team of wussy agitators who like to get under their opponents skin, yet always seem to back down when it comes to actually trading blows. Are you going to tell me, for example, that Pacioretty DIDN'T instigate McQuaid?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteAlso, in regards to "It just goes to the class and character of an organization", it takes two to tango. Why is it that Montreal is always the team that brings out the worst in the Bruins? If you want to call Daniel Paille's hit from a few games ago a cheap shot then I agree with you completely, I thought it was an awful hit and the suspension was well warranted. Last night though? That was a complete mess for both teams.
Casey, let's be serious here, honestly C'mon man!
ReplyDeleteFirst things first, if you’re going to criticize the ‘views’ of another person, at least get the facts straight! It was Darche who grabbed Lucic away from PK, not Gill. And that is not a very healthy choice for Subban- Lucic has four inches and twenty pounds on PK, of course Darche is going to step in.
I can't help but get a huge kick out of the "beatdown", 'annihilation' that the Habs players were destined for. Let's have a look at the clean fights that occurred, and then you can get back to me. If you played hockey at all it would be clear that the beat down to Pyatt's face was only due to the elbow pad of Campbell, unless of course he scratched his face with his fingernails. Open your eyes!
Don't get me wrong, the B's are an extremely dangerous team, amazingly talented, probably THE BEST goaltender in the league right now and tough as nails. But I'd like you to show me how being goons on the ice and kicking the shit out of their opponents with their fists is going to lead to a Stanley Cup!
Just have a look at the league leaders in fighting majors the past two years. Half of the top 10 in the past two years haven't made the playoffs, or are currently in a playoff position. You need to remember that this is hockey, in which fighting is perfect for the game and wouldn't ask for it to be gone at any time. But this is not you and your buddies giving a beat down to some kids down the street. This is hockey, when a player trips on a stick, you do not start pounding the player. When a player is being held by an official, you do not throw a sucker punch to their face. And especially! When a player is down on the ice, the fight is over- this is not a time to give them shots. Fighting in hockey is key to keep you Americans excited about this game, but it needs to be kept to a reasonable level.
The Thomas-Price fight was something different. Good times had for all, you are correct about no game-misconducts being given out or match penalty. The only rule that the official missed that I can see is that Thomas should have been assessed an additional two minute penalty for crossing the center ice line after the whistle.
All-in-all this was an extremely entertaining game. Nice to see the little Habs not back down to the B’s and at least give them a couple of punches. Let’s face it- they are nowhere near the size or toughness of their divisional rivals, but let’s just have a look at last year’s playoffs if you want to talk about the Canadiens facing an early playoff exit because of their lack of toughness.
Enough said.
Gill got in between Horton and Subban. Then Lucic stepped in at which time Darche tried to pull him away. The original fight was to be Horton v. Subban but Gill, the big oaf that he is (trust me, I watched him clod around the B's ice for more seasons than I care to remember), bumbled into Subban and that was that.
ReplyDeleteHow was Campbell v. Pyatt not clean? They tied each other up and then punches were thrown. Pyatt had cuts on his cheek and nose; pads may have caused the cheek to bleed, but definitely not the nose. I've played hockey for 15 years; I know the difference between a scratch and getting cut open.
Boychuk v. Spacek was clean as well. Spacek wanted no part of it and only started getting involved after Boychuk flipped his lid. It wouldn't have mattered much as Spacek didn't land a punch.
As for Thornton and Hamrlik, well, Roman should know better than to fired a puck at Thomas WELL after the whistle blew. Did he not watch the Stars game and the broken orbital bone Burish suffered for a similar infraction? Don't pull a move like that and then turtle when the policeman comes a'callin'.
The B's play a very physical game. They stick up for each other and are always ready to go when an opponent gets a little out of line. The Habs, while certainly talented, tend to do a little too much diving and lot more gum flapping. Subban talks A LOT of garbage and yet, I have not seen him answer the bell. Heck, even his team mates threw him under the bus for such behavior earlier this season with Philly.
I do believe the Habs got knocked out my the Flyers who then went on to beat the B's in 7. Not because of toughness, but because they were the better team (I hate saying that).
Like I said, and anyone with any part of their brain still in tact- do what you want when you're fighting one on one, but don't throw punches around the referee and especially don't throw punches while the player is on the ice. This isn't the UFC, this is hockey.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I remember correctly, the Flyers beat the Bruins in 7 games, and THEN went on to beat the Canadiens. Nothing wrong with that, in my mind the Flyers were the best team in the playoffs last year just couldn't find a save from anyone, and are probably the top team this year as well.
My mistake re: Bruins, Flyers and Habs. I pretty much curled up into a ball after that series.
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