Word is that you MIGHT remember this guy. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Road wins are really cool, y’know. The St. Louis Blues were able to snag a big two points in Ottawa on Tuesday in Brian Elliott’s return to the place he called home to begin his National Hockey League career, earning a win over the Ottawa Senators 3-1. There was an early scrap between two familiar opponents, and it was recapped here. Zenon Konopka is ready and willing to throw down at a moment’s notice, and he did just that with BJ Crombeen, though the fight was largely unspectacular and ended in a draw. With that fight, the Blues move up to 26 fighting majors collected on the NHL season, still good for a 10th place tie with the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild in that category. With the draw, the team’s record moves to 12-3-11. That is still quite impressive, I would say.

Welcome to the swamp! The Blues’ road train moves to Newark, NJ to face the New Jersey Devils. You may recall that a recent popular figure on Blues teams of the past signed with this squad in the offseason, and while I’ll mention him later, you can only imagine how fired up he will be to see his old squad. As a result of some tough veteran members of the team, some youngsters needing to play because of injuries and some other acquisitions through various sources, the Devils have themselves a fisticuffs-ready club, top to bottom. The Devils are tied for seventh in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, each team having 28 fights. The Devils’ fight record is quite alright at 11-8-9.

You may recognize the Devils’ leader in fighting majors this season, as he is our aforementioned “Old Friend” (and one of my personal favorites due to his sheer perseverance). Yes, I’m talking about the one and only Cam Janssen (6’0”, 215lbs, 0-1-5), who has collected six fights this season. Following CamSmash is the veteran duo of Eric Boulton (6’1”, 225lbs, 4-1-0) and David Clarkson (6’1”, 200lbs, 3-1-1), who have each fought five times. Ryan Carter (6’1”, 200lbs, 0-2-1, Day-To-Day with a hand injury) has fought three times, but is not expected to play tonight. Brad Mills (6’1”, 195lbs, 1-1-0, recently sent to Albany of the AHL) has fought twice this season. Mark Fraser (6’4”, 220lbs, 1-0-0 as a Devil and 1-0-1 overall, traded to Anaheim in December and currently in the AHL) fits a special category as he HAS fought twice this season, but only one of them was with New Jersey. Other Devils “solo fighters” include another guy in that Anaheim trade, Rod Pelley (5’11”, 200lbs, Win, traded to Anaheim in December), as well as team superstar Ilya Kovalchuk (6’3”, 230lbs, Win), Tim Sestito (5’11”, 200lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany), Alexander Urbom (6’4”, 215lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany) and Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss).

I’m pretty sure if Janssen plays, he will be fighting someone. Expect the opponent to be the guy who basically took his job, Ryan Reaves, if anyone. It would be hard to imagine him fighting anyone else.

Two wins in a row over the Eastern Conference would be mighty fun, for sure.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Both men performed admirably here, but it wasn’t the greatest fight it could be. Part of the problem is that the two men got themselves a bit tangled in trying to punch each other AND protect themselves all at once. While it makes for worse fights, you have to protect yourself in a fight or else you’re going to get destroyed. The fight ended when Konopka gave Crombeen a bit of a “snap-mare takeover” (to borrow a wrestling term) after Crombeen’s final punch. This was a definite draw.

Could’ve been worse, I suppose.

You just got Kronwall’d because I don’t know why I even bother covering Red Wings fights. Image via jpowers65/Flickr

In a game I felt the St. Louis Blues HAD to win to keep their reputation as a league-wide menace, the team held their end of the deal by downing the Buffalo Sabres 4-2, despite an extremely sluggish first period and a few late calls that left a lot to the imagination. While the two teams always seemed to be on the precipice of getting into a brawl (the incident between TJ Oshie and Patrick Kaleta comes to mind), only one fight occurred, and it was a good one between Ryan Reaves and young Joe Finley. Finley held his own, but Reaves delivered a knockout blow in taking the victory (video here). So the Blues now have collected 23 fighting majors on the National Hockey League season, which remains good for 10th by themselves in that category. With yet another fight victory, the Blues’ fight record stays impressive, now at 11-2-10.

I really don’t know why I even bother to waste energy on this report for tonight’s opponent, the Detroit Red Wings. Nothing ever changes with these guys . . . they don’t fight, even when they really should, and while you can sugarcoat it with as hard a candy shell as you can find, it reeks of a team that chooses not only to not be physical, but not to stand up for themselves either. This may explain why the Wings tend to have dropped out of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion the last few years, but that’s neither here nor there. Despite seemingly not needing to cover this team, we HAVE covered this team a few times in the past (November 15th, December 6th, December 27th and December 31st). The Wings remain in dead last in the NHL with six fighting majors collected on the season. Their fight record is a bit less than robust, obviously, at 2-4-0.

Of those six Wings fights, Justin Abdelkader (6’1”, 219lbs, 1-1-0) has taken part in two of them. The other four have been split among Jonathan Ericsson (6’4”, 221lbs, Win), Todd Bertuzzi (6’3”, 229lbs, Draw), youngster Jakub Kindl (6’3”, 216lbs, Loss) and veteran Mike Commodore (6’4”, 227lbs, Loss to BJ Crombeen).

I’ll go ahead and predict no fighting for this one. I think I stand a great chance of being right. It should be a pretty good game, though.

One-game roadie? This team can do it. Let’s see it happen THIS time.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Your breed is still dying, Cody. Better duck out while you can. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

When you find ways to win, you give fans hope. The St. Louis Blues keep finding ways to win. This time, it was a barrage of shots, none of which passed the goal line until late in the third period of a 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. And we saw a fight in this game, and the Blues won it! Ben Eager, for some reason, decided to take on BJ Crombeen, and lost the fight after his jersey flew over his head (video here). The Blues now have fought 22 times on the National Hockey League season, good for 10th by themselves. With the victory, the Blues’ fight record moves up to 10-2-10, which – if you ask me – is quite damn impressive.

The home stand has to come to an end at some point, and you may as well conclude it with a game against one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. Yes, the Buffalo Sabres are in town! This team has been hit by a rash of injuries, horrible on-ice play, a slight goaltending controversy and a myriad of other problems that I’m sure the new owner did not see coming, and probably thinks he can spend his way out of. We’ll see what happens, but in the meantime, the Sabres DO know their way around an on-ice scrap. They’ve fought 21 times on the NHL season, good for a tie for 11th place with the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets in that category. Their record in these fights isn’t horrible at 8-5-8.

Leading the Sabres in fights is veteran enforcer Cody McCormick (6’3”, 221lbs, 3-1-2) with six fighting majors on the season. Following him is Paul Gaustad (6’5”, 212lbs, 2-1-0, Day-To-Day with an Upper Body Injury) with three fights. Patrick Kaleta (6’1”, 206lbs, 1-1-0), Mike Weber (6’2”, 211lbs, 0-0-2), Christian Ehrhoff (6’2”, 203lbs, 0-0-2, on IR with an Upper Body Injury) and Robyn Regehr (6’3”, 225lbs, 0-1-1) have each fought twice. Solo fighters include Joe Finley (6’7”, 245lbs, Win), Corey Tropp (6’0”, 183lbs, Win, currently with AHL Rochester), Zack Kassian (6’3”, 214lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Rochester) and Matt Ellis (6’0”, 212lbs, Loss).

If there is a fight, I have a feeling it will not feature McCormick, for some reason. On a hunch, look for Ryan Reaves and Kaleta to go at it. But we’ll see what happens.

Keep winning. That’s all.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Clayton Stoner says “I WILL FIGHT EVERY DAMN ONE OF YOU!” Image via rburtzel/Flickr

To continue my remembrance of when the St. Louis Blues sucked at hockey back in the middle to late ‘00’s, back then a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks would not have been viewed as a disappointment. Now? It is a disappointment, which is a good sign of where this club is headed going forward. As for fights . . . there were two. First, BJ Crombeen and Dale Weise worked a draw (video here, and might I add that Beej made the RIGHT decision to let up on Weise after he slipped . . . I wish more fighters would do that). Then, Roman Polak went into “Berserk Mode” and wailed fists all over Maxim Lapierre for a victory (video here). Despite the two fights, the Blues stay at 18th place in the National Hockey League, albeit by themselves, with 17 fighting majors on the season. The fight record, with the draw and the win, now goes up to 7-2-8.

So hey, now we get a home game with another Western Conference playoff candidate in the Minnesota Wild. We have covered these folks twice, both for road contests (November 5th and November 19th). While this team, like the Blues, is not in the upper echelon of fighting teams, they are not afraid to drop the gloves and go at it. This is not to say that it will happen tonight, but there is a bit of a recent history between the two clubs. The Wild are tied for 13th in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets, who each have collected 18 fighting majors on the season. Their fight record stands at a stout 9-5-4.

The Wild are led in fights, unsurprisingly, by Brad Staubitz (6’1”, 215lbs, 4-2-2) with eight of the team’s 18 fights. Following him are young Twitter fiend Matt Kassian (6’4”, 232lbs, 2-0-1, currently with Houston in the AHL, follow him here) and big defenseman Clayton Stoner (6’3”, 225lbs, 2-1-0), each with three fights. The rest of the Wild players on this list have fought once each, and they are Justin Falk (6’5”, 215lbs, Win), Darroll Powe (Draw with Scott Nichol), Nick Johnson (6’1”, 183lbs, Loss) and Warren Peters (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss).

You never know . . . Nichol and Powe could go at it again with one another. But what I really want to see is a fight between Stoner and Ryan Reaves. That would be perfect . . . two heavyweights, going fist-for-fist. I would love it.

It’s time to get the bus back on the road and win some more hockey games, starting tonight.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

When Travis Moen is your best fighter and he hasn’t won any fights, that’s not a good signal of your team’s toughness. Image via clydeorama/Flickr

Total domination . . . that was what the St. Louis Blues displayed in a 4-0 shellacking of the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. The only bad part of that game was that while there were some moments of testiness in the battle – especially between Cody McLeod and, fresh off his Injured Reserve stint, Ryan Reaves – there were no fighting majors assessed. But hey, I’ll take the victory. The Note stays at 15 fighting majors on the season, still good for 18th spot all alone in the National Hockey League in that category. And yes, the fight record still stands at 6-2-7.

Hello, one-game road trip! And at that, it’s a visit to one of professional hockey’s most storied franchises . . . Les Habitants de Montreal, or – in English (as Randy Cunneyworth prefers . . . harf harf harf!) – the Montreal Canadiens. Despite a hot performance which included a four-goal game (and first-ever hat trick) by former Blues prospect Lars Eller, the Habs have been on a downward slide pretty much the entire season. I would not let this fool the Blues, though, as it could be a perfect trap game. However, with Jaroslav Halak (who, ironically, was the return for the trade package that included Eller) playing for the first time in Montreal since being traded by them after an outstanding 2009-2010 playoff run, anything is possible. However, it is wise not to expect a fight in this contest, as the Habs are tied for 28th in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes with eight fighting majors on the season. Their record in those fights is a less-than-satisfactory 0-3-5.

How little do the Habs fight? They are led in fights by two people who have two fights each, and neither is particularly known for fisticuffs – Travis Moen (6’2”, 215lbs, 0-0-2) and Petteri Nokelainen (6’1”, 202lbs, 0-1-1). The rest are solo fighters, and they are Mike Blunden (6’4”, 218lbs, Draw), Max Pacioretty (6’2”, 196lbs, Draw), young up-and-coming defenseman (and one of my personal favorites) PK Subban (6’0”, 206lbs, Loss) and the incredibly tall Hal Gill (6’7”, 241lbs, Loss).

As noted earlier, I do not anticipate there being a fight between these two teams, but with all the trading that has happened with the two clubs in the last few years, maybe I will be wrong. If you’re betting on anything to happen, bet on Moen going at it with BJ Crombeen, but don’t bet the house on it.

I would much prefer the Blues continue this winning streak. Wouldn’t you?

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

The first debate people seem to bring up is: “Why did the Blues trade away home town tough guy Cam Janssen.?” If the Blues wanted an enforcer type to get underneath the skin of the opposition and to protect the team when playing those in the league who tend to take cheap shots, why on earth would you trade away Janssen? Folks, without offending you too much, let me lay it out in a plain and simple way. Ryan Reaves can skate better, has better hands, has more offensive ability, and is better defensively in his own zone then Cam Janssen could ever dream of being. Not to mention Ryan is 6’1″ 230 lbs and matches up better with most of the remaining tough guys in the NHL than Cam ever could. That is not to say Cam was afraid or would ever back down from a fight against anyone, but when you lock up with the likes of Chicago’s John Scott who stands 6’8 and weighs in at 270 pounds you need to have at least some sort of frame to match him. Cam will be more suited to fill a role similar to Kelly Chase. Chaser is one hell of a media guy for the St. Louis Blues and I think that Cam would be very comfortable bringing it to the people in some sort of role close to what Chaser does.

Now that we have covered the “why Reaves and not Janssen angle,” lets look at a few other key notes to clue in on. Going forward the Blues will look to add more skill to their line up. With the strong possibility of Blues prospects Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko making the team out of camp next season the Blues have some decisions to make. The Blues 4th line is the current home of the Blues tough guy, and will most undoubtedly be his home for the tenure of his career here in St Louis. When you peek in on the possible line ups including those players and the current roster of the Blues you start to notice that there are a good amount of guys that fall in the bottom 9 role. Forwards Chris Porter, Scott Nichol, BJ Crombeen, Evgeny Grachev and Ryan Reaves all compete for time on that line. Of those forwards, Scott Nichol and Chris Porter are unrestricted free agents at the end of this season. BJ Crombeen has 1 year after this season, good for 1,000,000 dollars.  Evgeny Grachev is still on his entry-level deal through the 2012-2013 season, after which he becomes a restricted free agent.  It would seem that St. Louis has a bit of a log jam at the bottom of the order and the Blues have taken a interesting path with the signing of Reaves. Will the Blues look to not re-sign Chris Porter in the off-season? I am willing to bet that they may take Porter back on a 2 way 1 year deal if he agrees to it, but I would look for Porter to end up on a 3rd or 4th line some where else in the NHL, likely with a team whom might be looking for an energy guy with some offensive skill. As for Scott Nichol, the Blues will need to evaluate the need for Nichol at the end of the season. In my opinion, if Scott Nichol continues to play the way he has for the Blues up to this point, I want him to retire as a Blue. No one on the team has a better face off percentage than Nichol, and he brings a feistiness to his game that is refreshing considering he is all of  5’9 and 180 pounds. Nichol has become one of my favorite players to watch on this St. Louis Blues team. With Jason Arnott being a UFA after this season along with Jamie Langenbrunner, Nichol may be the guy the Blues fore sure want to look at holding on to.

Onto the subject of BJ Crombeen… It is hard for me to come to say this because I am a very big BJ Crombeen fan…. I find it hard for the Blues to keep BJ if the trend is for the new kids on the block to come calling next season. I think there are enough teams out there at the deadline who are looking for someone to fill a fourth line role that could use BJ that the Blues may look to send him out. I know that in and of himself Crombeen does not bring much in the way of trade value but he does bring the possibility to be a player you can add to a package that may put it over the top (think Jay McClement-ish). Reaves gives you everything BJ Crombeen offers and at a lower price with less miles on the tires. What package and what deal possibly sends BJ packing is above my pay grade to speculate upon.

No matter how things fall, the Blues and Doug Armstrong have made it clear that they are not only in the business of winning right now, but they also want to be in the business of winning for many years to come. Locking up Ryan Reaves for a 2 year one way deal at $600,000 is a cost effective and smart way to fill a role the Blues will need to stay team tough and competitive in a Western Conference that is loaded with players that need to be kept in check. To not leave the fans who love a good knock down wanting more out of this article here is a little tasty treat from last season. What will the face of the St. Louis Blues look like after this season? Time will tell my friends but along the way let the speculation and water cooler trash talking commence !

Ryan O’Byrne (3) is tall. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

What a rally! The St. Louis Blues have proven to be a never-say-die team under Ken Hitchcock, and they proved it again by rallying from a 3-1 deficit after a HORRIBLE second period to win 4-3 over the Edmonton Oilers with a flurry of goals to begin the third period. The only bad part about all this was the lack of a fight. This was only a touch disheartening, considering how the action was going in this game and the fact that the game flow and action nearly dictated that a fight was to happen. Oh well, I guess I’ll survive . . . . Anyway, the Blues stick and stay at 15 fights on the season, which now gives the squad 18th spot all alone in the National Hockey League. And they remain at a nice 6-2-7 fight record. Hey, when your team plays well, your team generally does not have to fight as often. I get that. So I’m cool with it.

The last game of THIS home stand (but only the third home game of the month out of a total of nine) brings Denver’s hockey team to town . . . yes, the Colorado Avalanche. We’ve covered the Avs twice this season, both prior to road losses to that team (December 2nd and December 21st). The Avs are not allergic to fisticuffs, but they seem to do it just about as often as the Blues do this season, which is to say “not that much”. Also of note . . . the Avs are coming off a road game in Chicago, so it’s possible they may not be in the mood to fight anyone tonight. But I digress . . . the Avs are tied for 10th in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild with 18 fighting majors collected on the season. Their fight record is a very respectable 5-5-8 on the season.

The Avs are led in fights by a familiar face around these parts, fighter extraordinaire Cody McLeod (6’2”, 210lbs, 3-2-2) with seven fights on the season. Following him is former Predator and Canuck Shane O’Brien (6’3”, 230lbs, 2-0-1) with three fights. Ryan Wilson (6’1”, 207lbs, 0-0-2, on IR with a head injury) and David Jones (6’2”, 210lbs, 0-2-0) each have fought twice. Three Avs players have fought once each, they are former Blue and golf cart driving extraordinaire, Erik Johnson (6’4”, 232lbs, Draw), fresh figher TJ Galiardi (6’2”, 190lbs, Draw), Ryan O’Byrne (6’5”, 234lbs, Loss) and Daniel Winnik (6’2”, 210lbs, Loss).

Since there were no fights in the first two contests between these two teams, plus this being the second of a back-to-back set for the Avs, I will not predict a fight, and it’s possible that there will be no fights tonight. But that’s not what I want! I want BLOOD! That said, in four games last year, the two teams fought somewhere around 10 times, and there was big trade between the two clubs less than a year ago. Anything is possible. For your best bet, go with McLeod and BJ Crombeen.

Let’s continue this winning streak, why don’t we?

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Darcy Hordichuk knows his way around a scrap. Image via Dinur/Flickr

2012 starts with a bang for our St. Louis Blues, which is great, considering how horrendously 2011 ended. They were able to take the battle to the soon-to-be-not Phoenix Coyotes in a 4-1 rout. There were several opportunities for a fight, but none came to fruition. This, despite Paul Bissonnette and BJ Crombeen being virtually paired off with each other all night . . . I would be disappointed, but I’d rather have the victory, honestly. The Blues stick and stay at 15 fighting majors on the season, still good for a tie for 17th in the National Hockey League with the Dallas Stars, and the team’s fight record stands pat at 6-2-7.

The home stand continues with a youthful opponent in the Edmonton Oilers. We have covered the Oilers once this season, for a game in Edmonton early in the season (October 30th, back when *GASP* Davis Payne was coaching the team!). The Oilers are a very young team with a few veterans sprinkled in. People are taking their shots at them right now, and they’d better, because this team will be a force to be reckoned with in a few years. As far as fighting is concerned, the Oilers are tied for 19th in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs with 13 fighting majors on the season, sporting a fight record of 4-3-6.

The Oilers are led in fights, as most teams are, by a pair of journeyman brawlers – in this case, it’s Darcy Hordichuk (6’1”, 212lbs, 2-2-0) and Andy “Are You An Expert?” Sutton (6’6”, 245lbs, 0-0-4), with four fights each. Following them is a tough younger brawler, Theo Peckham (6’2”, 235lbs, 1-0-1), with two. Solo fighters include AHL veteran Lennart Petrell (6’3”, 198lbs, Win, currently with Oklahoma City in the AHL), the oft-injured Sam Gagner (5’11”, 195lbs, Draw) and former Blackhawk Ben Eager (6’2”, 240lbs, Loss).

The likelihood of a fight in this game is high, I feel. For one, Sutton is coming off suspension and is probably ready to punch anything in sight, including a brick wall. I’m not an expert, but I don’t think that would be a great idea, so he’d probably rather go at it with someone like Crombeen, who gives up some size in that bout. Another guy who could fight Crombeen is Peckham. Also, with Eager playing for the Oilers, there’s ALWAYS a fight pending, it seems. We’ll see what happens.

Let’s have a winning streak, eh?

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

The Man. The Myth. The Legend. BizNasty. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Talk about a year ending with a thud. First, it was the shootout loss on Friday. Then, the St. Louis Blues laid an egg in Joe Louis Arena against the hated Detroit Red Wings in a 3-0 losing effort. The best thing that happened in this game (and I will avoid the issue of illegal hits here, as it will get me WAY too worked up at the moment) was that BJ Crombeen got into his first fight of the season, and he WON the fight over a decent veteran fighter in Mike Commodore (video evidence found here). While it is currently at the cost of one Ryan Reaves, I love the fact that Beej is back. So the Blues now move up to 15 fighting majors on the season, which is STILL good for a tie for 17th in the National Hockey League with the Dallas Stars. It’s weird how things like that happen. Anyway, the team’s fight record slides up to 6-2-7 with the win.

About a week ago, the Blues faced the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale, AZ (I covered that December 23rd game thusly). At the time, the ‘Yotes were tied for first place in their division. Today, if the playoffs were to begin, the ‘Yotes would not be in the dance. This is how crazy the Western Conference has been all season. This is not to mention that this team does not fight too often, although to me, that is a function of not playing the pugilist fourth-line players that they already possess. The ‘Yotes have fought eight times on the season, good for a tie for 27th (27TH!) place in the NHL in that category, and they are 1-3-4 in those eight fights, which, to put it bluntly . . . is not very good.

The Coyotes are led in fights by two journeyman veterans of the practice, Kyle Chipchura (6’2”, 203lbs, 1-1-1) and veteran agitator Raffi Torres (6’0”, 208lbs, 0-1-2, “Shanabanned”) with three fights. The other two fights were contested by The Most Awesome Twitter Follow In Hockey, Paul “BizNasty” Bissonnette (6’2”, 216lbs, Draw) and former Blue Jacket Rostislav Klesla (6’3”, 223lbs, Loss), obviously with one each.

I am basically hoping that BizNasty plays, and being that he played in the team’s most recent game (Saturday), there is hope that this will happen. If so, look for him to fight Crombeen. If HE doesn’t fight Crombeen, I think Chipchura might . . . again, if he’s even playing in this game.

The Blues want to start the year right with a victory. I would like the same. So, let’s make this happen.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights