And if you're not, there's UFC for you and I don't have to watch it.
- bodiva88

Godiva, it's been a while. Who is the latest huckster that routinely draws you ire due to their robust tom foolery?

I got it....


ABACAB!!!
- Jsaquella

This is as close to a must win game as the first game of the season can be. They need to start strong this season, no slow starts.

I was going to vote for Dodo/Lurker.
- bmeltzer

Q LAzzaruss...Goodbye Horses.

You can all thank me later

I'm looking at it objectively, and it makes zero logic.

There's plenty of cases in all sports of teams and GMs doing illogical things, either for the sake of tradition or some other sort of rationale. That however, doesn't make it logical or reasonable.

I understand the point people make when they say that teams need enforcers, but the issue is the logic behind the point.

You can use theories all you want. The numbers clearly show that goons rarely fight skilled players. Look at www.hockeyfights.com . The goons have few if any fights against guys like Simmonds, Hartnell or Lucic.

Ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, having a guy whose main job was to fight was needed. In today's game, they are irrelevant. That's my point. There's no compelling argument to employing one. Team toughness trumps having a goon.
- Jsaquella

They aren't theories. And you're bringing up the same points that I've countered and or agreed with previously. Like I've said umpteen times. I think you have a valid argument against it. But if you were looking at it objectively, you'd see the validity in my stance. But since you're unwilling to do so, then I don't see the point to continue to discuss it with you. Because I'm not changing my mind. And you're obviously not going to either.

Hahah, maybe some Motley crue or metallica?

I hate the Habs, but I love how right before faceoff in the 2nd and 3rd periods they play for whom the bell tolls by metallica. They've been playing it for years and years too.
- Hextall271

My top 3 goal songs:

Your Song

Mother Nature's Son

Going to California

Or you could ignore the other team's enforcer completely... like when Rupp skated away from Shelley and called him "irrelevant" to his face.


Let's be honest... there's only 2 reasons why there's still fighting in the game, and neither of those has to do with exacting retribution, protecting teammates, or saving teammates from having to engage guys above their weight-class:

1) There are about 10-20 NHLPA members that depend on fighting to feed their families, and they just happen to be the nicest guys in the world,

2) Fighting sells tickets and is an easy entry point into the game for casual fans.


Period.
- Tomahawk

But Shelley proved his relevance in the Winter Classic, while Rupp embarrassed himself.

not feeling optimistic about this season
hope the flyers prove me wrong
- 2Real

the Flyers will, in fact, lose a few games this year ... thus giving you all the reason in the world to female dog and moan well into 2014.

Good old Comcast! Center Ice only has SD feed tonight, no HD.

I'm looking at it objectively, and it makes zero logic.

There's plenty of cases in all sports of teams and GMs doing illogical things, either for the sake of tradition or some other sort of rationale. That however, doesn't make it logical or reasonable.

I understand the point people make when they say that teams need enforcers, but the issue is the logic behind the point.

You can use theories all you want. The numbers clearly show that goons rarely fight skilled players. Look at www.hockeyfights.com . The goons have few if any fights against guys like Simmonds, Hartnell or Lucic.

Ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, having a guy whose main job was to fight was needed. In today's game, they are irrelevant. That's my point. There's no compelling argument to employing one. Team toughness trumps having a goon.
- Jsaquella

The Red Wings and several other recent cup champs would agree that having an enforcer is not needed, but that's of course if you want the extra skill guy around to you know win a cup.

But Shelley proved his relevance in the Winter Classic, while Rupp embarrassed himself.
- PLindbergh31

Rupp scored the game winning goal in a Stanley cup final!

They aren't theories. And you're bringing up the same points that I've countered and or agreed with previously. Like I've said umpteen times. I think you have a valid argument against it. But if you were looking at it objectively, you'd see the validity in my stance. But since you're unwilling to do so, then I don't see the point to continue to discuss it with you. Because I'm not changing my mind. And you're obviously not going to either.
- MJL

we need a "yawning" smiley

But Shelley proved his relevance in the Winter Classic, while Rupp embarrassed himself.
- PLindbergh31

Yeah, he looked like an ass saluting like Jagr after scoring the goal

My top 3 goal songs:

Your Song

Mother Nature's Son

Going to California
- Giroux_Is_God

I actually really liked Bro Hymn, but too many teams had it too.

Good old Comcast! Center Ice only has SD feed tonight, no HD.
- bgratch

Going to have to change to Hockeystreams next season. OB gets a kick back.

My top 3 goal songs:

Your Song

Mother Nature's Son

Going to California
- Giroux_Is_God

mother nature's son?

This is as close to a must win game as the first game of the season can be. They need to start strong this season, no slow starts.
- LJF

Good lord.

I felt the same way on the first day of my kids teeball career. The other parents were so outraged that i started hitting him and screaming in his face, but he just didn't get that his whole career was now off to a bad start. You have to start strong. Once that restraining order is lifted i'll get right back to the diamond.

mother nature's son?

- FlyerGuy

Yeah man that poop pumps me up

Honestly has always been one of my favorites from the Fab Four

Yeah, he looked like an ass saluting like Jagr after scoring the goal
- Jsaquella

The Rupps, Ashams players of that ilk are the perfect 4th line players. They will stand up to anyone if need be, and can play an NHL worthy shift.

Well I can because I obviously just did. If you take the goon fights out of hockey is the frequency really that different and why is fighting more frequent than in Football. There's no logical reason. You can easily argue that there are vastly more cheap shots and violent contact in Football. The league doesn't accept fighting as part of their sport. They legislate against it.

It's not like I'm comparing Football, Basketball and Baseball to boxing or the MMA where punching and kicking each other IS the sport. There's no reason for fighting to be an integral part of a hockey game other than that it's accepted. Good gods, there are rules in place that legislate how you can fight in hockey now. To me, that's ludicrous. You fight you leave, just like the other team sports.

(this is a different discussion than our goon discussion)
- mayorofangrytown

Is the goon fights out of Hockey? No they aren't. So what's the point. And if you add up all the fights in Hockey. What do you think happens more often. Fights between enforcers, or fights between regular shift players? Just the fact that there 20 players on the ice per team, 30 teams. Each team has one enforcer. Just from a numbers standpoint.
Huge difference between the culture that actually exists in the game, versus the culture you want to see. And in terms of fighting, none of the 3 other major sports compare to Hockey in terms of the amount of fights. No comparison. Take one schedule day in Hockey. I bet you there are more fights on one day of the season in Hockey. Then there is in the full schedule of the 3 other major sports combined

The Red Wings and several other recent cup champs would agree that having an enforcer is not needed, but that's of course if you want the extra skill guy around to you know win a cup.
- ob18

The most recent Cup winners to regularly dress a goon were the 2009 Pens and the 2007 Ducks. The Pens dressed Eric Goddard for 71 games in the regular season. The Ducks had George Parros who was acquired mid-year and played 32 games in the regular season.

In the playoffs, Goddard didn;t dress and Parros played 5 games

Do you feel optimistic about anything ever?
- Giroux_Is_God

i said i hope the flyers prove me wrong

Yeah man that poop pumps me up

Honestly has always been one of my favorites from the Fab Four
- Giroux_Is_God

love the beatles ... but after a goal I'd probably have to go helter skelter.

... or revolution #9

I'm going to say the over/under for this game is 8 goals. I'm thinking 5-4.

i said i hope the flyers prove me wrong
- 2Real

That's not being optimistic about things brah