No Staged Fighting... But We Can Make a Movie!

I would like to start today's blog post off with a quote by Stu Grimson on why he kept a photo of himself on top of his locker throughout his playing career:

"That's so when I forget how to spell my name, I can still find my f***ing clothes."


The reason I bring up this quote is because Stu Grimson was a fighter, and by that I mean a hockey enforcer. Grimson carved a career in hockey by carving up his opponents faces with his fists. Grimson played in 729 NHL games spanning 11 seasons in the NHL. He recorded 2113 penalty minutes and fought known hockey enforces like Bob Probert, Tie Domi and George Laraque (who eventually ended Grimson's career).

This is how he made a living

Many people might now know Grimson as a person who is against fighting in the NHL. He has had many sypmtoms that NHL players today like Kris Letang, Jeff Skinner and Sidney Crosby have dealt/dealing with this season. Those repeated blows caused damage to Grimson and now has memory problems to the point where he forgets his thoughts mid-sentence. Now this post is not to bring awareness to Grimson's problems and advocacy for less fighting in hockey but to the new movie being released in February called "Goon" starring   Sean William Scott or more commonly known as Stiffler. Goon depicts a hockey fan who attends a hockey game and becomes involved in a fight with a player from the penalty box. He knocks that player out and is invited to practice. He cannot skate but finds a way to carve a career in hockey. The movie even has a George Laraque cameo in non other than a enforcer role.

Now the movie seems like it will be hilarious and provide for a solid way to get a few laughs. But what really pisses me off is the fact that the NHL is trying to eliminate staged fighting and they come out with this sorry excuse of a movie based on....Staged Fighting!!! Like what the f*** is wrong with George Laraque?! The guy goes on twitter and says he does not like how he made a career and would not recommend it but then goes and makes an appearance in this movie. Like is he really that f***ing broke to have to be in this movie? Go make a few more SavyTech commercials why don't you. Derek Boogard and Wade Belak lost their lives to depression due to the repeated pounding their brains took in hockey fights. Bob Probert had a mild form of CTE visible in his brain due to fighting in hockey. CTE is a build up of protein that causes neurological problems like memory loss and abrupt change in attitude.

I am appalled that anyone would make this movie especially after the deaths of three hockey players due to fighting in the NHL. Though from a marketing perspective the awareness about fighting has never had a brighter light shined upon it.

Making the dough with dirty flow!!!

But then I stop and think that if someone offered me a job that allowed me to support my family above and beyond an ordinary person's salary but had to accept the dangers in the job, I would probably accept the offer. To say that is a dumb move is a contradiction. George Parros is a Princeton graduate with a degree in economics and completed a thesis. He openly states that if he could find a job with his degree that paid more then an NHL player and was half as fun, he would take it. Sporting News even ranked Parros as the 4th smartest athlete behind A's pitcher Craig Breslow who has a degree from Yale in Molecular biophysics and biochemistry with a 3.5 GPA. He was accepted to NYU's medical school school. (Holy Snikkies is all I have to say about that). 

The point here is that these fighters are not dumb athletes that only know how to fight, they know how to make a decision and sometimes that involves taking a risk to help others. 

As most hockey fans would ask, am I a fan of fighting in the NHL? The answer is yes. I like the fact of players dropping the mitts and chuckin knucks at each other. What I do not like is the team goof that has no relevancy to the game and skates around looking solely to fight. Case in point, Donald Brashear. Breashear could not skate, averaged less ice time then he had fingers and effectively became the reason why fighting, espcially staged, should be limited/removed. The all around tough guy like the pre-Steve Moore Todd Bertuzzi or Jarome Iginla who can dish it out but also handle business when it arises, is the guy I want to see in any hockey game. 

All in all this movie will be funny, but has no right glorifying this act of staged fighting. The NHL should have done a better job of not allowing this into theatres or at least lets hope a warning at the beginning of the movie. You can bet I will be viewing this flick but not for George Laraque and his cheap a** cameo. 

Remember fellow pine pony riders, keep your head up and concussion down!

The Prince Is Coming Home!

Hello fellow dusters,

Detroit here I come!

I am proud to announce a special topic for a blog post today and that is Prince Fielder signing with the Detroit Tigers. Prince Fielder and the Detroit Tigers have reportedly agreed to a 9-year, $214 million dollar contract Tuesday afternoon. Now I know this blog is mainly for hockey purposes but on occasion there will be posts on other topics in sports including the MLB.

Now with the son of former Detroit Tiger Cecil Fielder signing with the Tigers, questions are already being asked.... where the f*** will he play?!

Before people start freaking out, I am here to provide a breakdown of options the Tigers have now that they have Fielder locked up. With Victor Martinez out for the majority of 2012, Tigers Owner Mike Ilitch and GM Dave Dombrowski decided to either go big or go home. Well they effectively combined both by going out and getting the big man to come home. And when I say big man I mean we are talking a guy who is north of 275lbs and is a vegan! How the f*** anyone could be that large and not eat meat is unfathomable. Talk about massive. The signing effectively tells fans and those interested in the team a couple things.

1) The farm system means absolutely nothing as P Jacob Turner and IF Nick Castellanos will not have anywhere to play in the next 5-7 years minimum.

2) Ilitch wants a ring before his time on earth is up and I personally think the signings will not stop. Ilitch has made it publicly known that he would trade in all the Stanley Cups the Red Wings have won for one World Series Ring.

Now lets talk roster. Prince Fielder will play first base. Miguel Cabrera will either head to 3rd, the position he started his career at, or move to the designated hitter spot (DH). Most would think the Tigers would rotate Fielder and Cabrera until Martinez comes back from his ACL injury. We must remember that this deal could not have happened if Cabrera did not sign off on the deal first. The last thing you want is your All-star first baseman going ape s*** over a guy who might take his spot. The Tigers also have options. They have Austin Jackson in the lead-off spot where all he has to learn is how to walk and he will keep his job. Bosch in the two hole, Young in the 5 hole and Jhonny Peralta in the 6 hole, but there is always that terrible bat that Brandon Inge possesses at the bottom of the lineup. Inge barely hits his weight and his glove is the only reason he is still given a uniform in spring training. Not to mention that the left fielder behind Inge is Delmon Young who is not the speediest of people, though his bat makes up for it, espcially during the playoffs. So the Tigers have some areas of concern and it will take  giving up the farm system to do so. Personally, I would be disappointed if the Tigers make this their only move as it shows they do not have the stones to hang with the big boys.

The possible 1-2 punch with JV

Available players the Tigers would be interested in are Roy Halladay (left),who recently said he was not interested in Detroit, would be a nice complement to AL MVP and Cy Young Award Winner Justin Verlander. Also available is Roy Oswalt (right, below) who can be inserted into the rotation at an affordable $8 million a year.

$8 million is well worth it!

One option that really raises some eyebrows is dealing with the reincarnation of Billy Beane and his name is Theo Epstein(left, below). Epstein is in his first full season with the Cubs and since coming from Boston has slowly modeled the Cubs into what Cubs nation hopes will be a championship contender. It will take some time like it did with Boston but they will get there. It is the way he does business that makes this next option unique. Dombrowski would deal for Matt Garza (below, right) and in turn have to give up the farm system. Many who follow baseball know that Theo is like a shark in negotiations and will work the phones, getting what he wants at his price. So Mr. Dombrowski be careful.

Can I really strike gold twice?

Detroit or bust?

Finally the Tigers have an opportunity to really flip the baseball world upside down. With the addition of the right arms and key personnel than the Tigers will have officially restored the roar in Detroit taking a major bite out of their competition, especially those Yankees.

As always keep your head up and concussions down.

P.s what does the World Series and a Bear on the pill have in common?........ No Cubs!!!
Good luck Theo, we all know you will definitely need it on the South Side!

Brain Stopping Trivia

Hello fellow dusters,

I will be posting trivia and fun facts in between posts and after a few runs and comments awards will be handed out to the person who responds correctly, responds fastest and even with the funniest response. So comment below and updates will be given about winners and prizes.

Today's trivia question:   What was the only game in NHL history to be postponed due to an injury?

You guys better not cut me!

 Remember to always keep your head up and concussions down!

Amateur Autographs From Professional Athletes

It is again with sadness that I start a blog off with a moment of remembrance. Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has passed away from complications of chemotherapy treatment of his lung cancer. Many people will grill me and say that Joe Paterno has no reason to be remembered as his moral decision making was questioned after the Jerry Sandusky incidents involving innocent children, but I am here to remember Joe Paterno the football coach that numerous players, past and present, look up to as a role model in the life values he stood for. I ask that you remember Joe Paterno for all the good he did and not just the recent bad. With that being said our thoughts and prayers go out to the Joe Paterno family and supporters who mourn his loss. Joe Paterno was 85.

Fellow headhunters, today I would like to introduce a personal annoyance of mine: professional athletes' autographs. To be more specific: the fact that they "sign" their name on a piece of paraphernalia and you cannot  read the signature makes we want to deliver a stiff two-hander to the back of the calves. These athletes are paid millions of dollars to play a game that we as fans pay good money to watch, so you think that they could at least make their signature somewhat legible. 

Some terrible examples of a signature are as follows:

Corey Perry

Evgeni Malkin

Alexander Ovechkin

After viewing these three disasters the first thing that comes to mind is why the f*** would anyone pay any amount of money to have their jersey ruined with these train wrecks of autographs. Check them for concussion like symptoms because you they are definitely not thinking straight. Evgeni Malkin's could be mistaken for calligraphy and possibly be one of the worst autographs in professional sports. Like are you serious?! I chose these three because they are relatively younger hockey stars who the everyday person can recognize. I just wish this generation and the ones to follow could sign autographs like these three gems.


Here is what constitutes as a true professional autograph:

Mike Modano

Teemu Selanne

Bobby Orr

Now those are autographs that belong on a jersey. These players come from a different generation where they realized that the only connection between a player and a fan was the autograph they provided to them. Today's generation is so caught up in the social media aspect, particularly Twitter, that they connect with them on a much closer level, eliminating the need to take the extra couple seconds to make a signature a true signature. Though the sign of a true professional lies in the signature. 


I do not know how anyone else feels about this but there is no bigger waste then going out and purchasing a jersey only to have some athlete scribble their so called autograph on it. It looks sloppy and rather unprofessional. So when you head to the rink next time, take a look at your favourite athlete and see if there signature is a professional signature, you will be shocked to see that a majority can not be made out. 


As always folks, thank you for reading and remember to keep your head up and concussions down!

Foot Protection A Heads Up Play?

I would like to begin this post by honouring Sarah Burke (left), freestyle skier who gave her life to the sport she loved so much. As many of you probably already know, Sarah was seriously injured in a practice session last week and was in a coma ever since. It is from the injuries she sustained that she succumbed too. My condolences go out to the Burke family and all of her fans.

In a recent article published in the Globe and Mail by Allan Maki, he brings to light the rising number of foot injuries in hockey.

If you ask anyone who ever played hockey, taking a puck off the skate is probably one of the most painful happenings for any player. Just ask Devante Smith-Pelly (right) who broke his foot while playing for Team Canada at this year's World Junior Championships. In the NHL, players like Jay Pandolfo and Nik Antropov are two of a long list of names to go down with a foot injury sustained from a puck off the boot. With head shots (no pun intended) stealing the spotlight, it has allowed foot injuries to go almost unnoticed unless you have them in your fantasy league.

The funny thing is that it isn't as if there are products out on the market to protect hockey players from foot injuries. A company from St-Laurent, Quebec fits hockey players with these guards. The guards (left) snap over the boot of the skate and acts as an halo over the entire boot. Other versions like SPATS foot armour (above, right) are a more simple version for the weekend warrior. Some say the guard is too bulky, others swear by them. Montreal Canadians Defenceman P.K. Subban took a puck off the foot from Washington Capitals sniper Alexander Semin. The puck hit his boot and rocketed up into the stands about 15 rows. The impact off the skate with the guard on cause the 26 bones in his foot to crunch up but without it Subban would have been out six weeks.

So with this being said the most common response to the guard is: a) the guard is two bulky and b) the old school mentality of "they never wore them before" taking precedent. The guard is anything but bulky weighting only a few ounces and snap on to the boot as to act as part of the boot. The old school hockey mentality is unfortunate because players never used to wear helmets or visors but both have become mandatory either across the league or grandfathered in. Even referees! (Kerry Fraser [right] still has the best flow of any person in the NHL, even Leafs fans can agree.) There should be no reason why this shouldn't change either.

Before everyone starts commenting like crazy let me clarify that it should not come down to the NHL implement guards,  but rather the GM or coach of the respective hockey team.

With so many players being paid more and more money each season why wouldn't a GM put into the contract that defencemen must wear the guards, along with certain forwards, to protect the player and their investment from injury? A simple clause that most players would learn to play with after a few practices could save many players from nagging foot injuries.

And if you think this blog is absolutely crazy just think about the next time you head to the rink with intentions of seeing you favourite player only to have them in street clothes and scratched from the lineup due to a foot injury.

Let me know you thoughts on this post and if you think the guards should be worn or not, and if they should be part of a contract?

Thanks and remember, keep you head up and concussions down!

Overtime: For those who are fortunate enough not to have their hearts broken every year by the Maple Leafs, here is the reference I mentioned in the blog!

Top 5 NHL Coaches

With the recent firings of as many as 7 NHL Coaches (and possibly counting) this season I thought what better way to fill your head with a Headshot of information then giving you the Top 5 NHL Coaches of all-time.

Choosing five coaches from all the great names that had the chance to grace the back of a coaching bench was not the easiest thing to do. Therefore fellow Headhunters, I say with pride, let the debate begin!

5. Viktor Tikhonov

Though being the face of the enemy for both Canada and the United States in terms of hockey, there is no denying his accomplishments on the ice. His dictatorship style of coaching allowed Tikhonov to win practically every major hockey accomplishment outside of the NHL, including 13 straight Soviet Union Championships, 4 World Championship Gold’s, 3 Olympic Gold medals, the 1979 Challenge Cup and the 1981 Canada Cup. Though his accomplishments are plentiful it is not the reason why he ranks #5 on this list. Tikhonov produced the original Russian five (Vyacheslav Fetisov, Alexei Kasatonov, Sergei Makarov, Igor Larionov, and Vladimir Krutov) but produced the next Russian Five in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings (Fetisov, Larinov, Sergei Federov, Vyacheslav Kozlov, and Vladimir Konstantinov). The introduction and success of Russian players in the NHL saw more NHL teams recruit Russian players of their own. So next time you youtube a Igor Larinov pass or a Vladimir Konstantinov hit, you can thank Tikhonov for grooming these beauties.

4. Dick Irvin

After a fractured skull ended his playing days, Dick Irvin got his start in coaching with the Blackhawks in 1931. Irvin would coach for the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, and again the Blackhawks in his final season. Irvin won 4 Stanley Cups (1932-TOR, 1944, 46’ and 53’ MTL), 692 wins, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958. Not only did he win, his record12 runner-up finishes in the Stanley Cup Finals displays the special touch he had to get the most from his players and reach the finals 13 times. Irvin’s 692 wins are surpassed only by Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour. Irvin could easily have been higher than #4 on this list but the fact he could not capture more than one Stanley Cup in 13 tries keeps him solidified in his current position. 

3. Al Arbour

            When the words New York Islanders are spoken by any individual, AL Arbour and four consecutive championships are the first thing to come to mind. Not only did this bench boss win four Stanley Cups as a player he was also the mastermind behind the New York Islanders memorable four Stanley Cups in a row, from 1980-1983. The Islanders dynasty went on to set records for consecutive regular season victories, consecutive Finals victories and consecutive playoff series victories. No team since Arbour’s Islanders have won 4 straight championships and the Islanders’ nineteen consecutive playoff series victory is a professional sports record. Having coached in 1607 regular season games and racking up 782 wins, ranks Arbour second to the legendary Scotty Bowman. As we can see, Arbour not only has a knack for dawning a dapper set of lenses, as in the picture to the left, but he also collected the Jack Adams Trophy in 1979 after improving the Islanders to a playoff after taking over the Isles in the 1973 season which saw them finish a dismal 19-41-18 (remember ties?!). Arbour’s ability to take a team from oblivion to infamy did not go unnoticed as he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. Many might argue he should be placed higher but the final two coaches make it awfully hard.

2. Hector “Toe” Blake

            After concluding an illustrious playing career which was highlighted by 3 Stanley Cups, a Hart and Lady Byng trophy and part of the “Punch Line” with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard, Blake stepped behind the bench after fracturing his ankle in 1948. After a few years away from the game, Blake was named head coach of the Montreal Canadians succeeding Dick Irvin. In 13 years with the Canadiens, Blake collected an outstanding 8 Stanley Cups and 582 wins, including 82 playoff wins. Considering there was only 6 teams in NHL at the time, 82 play-off wins is quite outstanding. Blake was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966 and collected the Order of Canada in 1982. Known for his tough coaching style, Blake will infamously be remembered for not allowing Hall of Fame netminder Jacques Plante to wear a mask. He eventually relented after a shot broke Plante’s nose. For all gongers who are probably wondering how he got the nickname “Toe”, well it is quite simple. His younger sister could not pronounce his name when they were children, often sounding like “Toe”. The name stuck and oh boy what a beauty it is, almost as good as the next final fellow on the list.

1. Scotty Bowman

            Scotty Bowman, a name synonymous with winning. Throughout this stellar career Bowman owns the top spot in the record book for wins with 1,244 and wins in the playoffs with 223. Having started his career with the St. Louis Blues, Bowman surprised the NHL by bringing the recently added Blues to the Stanley Cup Finals three years in a row from 1967-1970. Bowman would go on to collect 9 Stanley Cups, including 6 with the Montreal Canadiens, 1 with Pittsburgh Penguins and 2 with the Detroit Red Wings. Having won the Jack Adams Trophy twice and setting a record with 62 wins in the regular season, it is hard denying Bowman the ultimate honour of the best NHL coach of all time. This slick looking legend won with all kinds of teams, including the start studded 2001-02 Red Wings club that was arguably the toughest team to coach with so many all-stars in one dressing room. Scotty Bowman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. Bowman also wins the gongshow award for being part of two historic NHL brawls. The 97’ brawl between the Red Wings and Avalanche saw Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon throw down as Darren McCarty sought revenge on Claude Lemiux for his hit from behind on Kris Draper. The following year Bowman and Av’s coach Marc Crawford verbally got into it on the benches during the 98’ brawl. Words led to actions and if not for a piece of Plexiglas, we could have seen the first coach’s brawl in NHL history.

Honourable mentions: Punch Imlach, Pat Burns, Jack Adams, Mike Keenan, and Gordon Bombay. (Quack, Quack, Quack....!) and Mike Babcock purely due to his UNREAL flow!

Thanks and remember to keep your head up and stick on the ice.