By Tyler Atwood on February 8, 2010
For those of you that care about football (remember, I’m a football guy first) . . . hopefully you enjoyed the Super Bowl and the commercials that came along with it. Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for a well-played Super Bowl and a victory that was earned and not handed. What a game! And as a lifelong Denver Broncos fans, all I have to say is . . . I guess the San Diego Chargers never really had a good use for Drew Brees, did they? But enough about football analysis . . . this is a hockey blog.
I had the great honor of being in attendance for Saturday’s tilt between the Blues and the Blackhawks. Despite the result, it was a great time – especially since there were TWO fights in the contest. The first one – pretty much a hug-out between SIR JAXX (Barret Jackman) and Cam Barker (I blame it on Barker . . . he seemed not ready to throw fists, but . . . oh well) – was scored a draw at Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights, whereas the second fight between Eric Brewer and Andrew Ladd was called in favor of Ladd. The second fight, I thought, was even, but I also am biased (obviously). Jackman is now 1-0-2 on the season and Brewer is now 1-1-0. With the two fights, the Blues did not move up or down in the season standings, holding steady at 5th place with 48 fights on the season and a 21-14-13 season fight record.
The Colorado Avalanche are one of those teams with a mixture of a bit of everything – youth, locker room vets, skill players, tough guys, grinders and big boys. Much like the rest of the Northwest Division, the Avs are not allergic to fighting – they have fought a collective 43 times on the season, good for 7th place in the National Hockey League. However, they do not have a propensity to win fights – they’re 7-14-22 on the season, this despite starting the season 0-8-10. The Blues and Avs did not fight in the previous meeting between the two teams back on December 7th at home.
10 Avs have fought this season, and the leading fighters on the team are wingers Cody McLeod (6′2″, 210lbs, 2-3-8) and David Koci (6′6″, 238lbs, 1-4-5). As you can see, McLeod is big but Koci (who last season was a Blue for, like, five minutes) is much bigger. Center Matt Hendricks (6′0″, 215lbs, 1-3-2) is next on the list, but he is on IR with an ankle issue. Others with multiple fights are winger Chris Stewart (6′2″, 228lbs, 2-0-2), defenseman Ryan Wilson (6′1″, 207lbs, 0-1-2), veteran winger Darcy Tucker (5′10″, 178lbs, 0-1-1) and winger Chris Durno (6′4″, 205lbs, 0-0-2). Among these fighters are 6 of the 7 fight victories the Avs have recorded this season. They LIKE to fight, they just don’t WIN fights.
The dream matchup of the evening involves whichever between Cam Janssen and DJ King plays and either Koci or McLeod. If it’s King, I’d like to see him go at Koci. If it’s Janssen, he and McLeod match up well size-wise. I would also not be against a fight between someone like Jackman and a wily veteran like Tucker, although that’s a bit of a size mismatch.
One road game, then back home. The Blues need to make this one count against a very formidable foe on in Denver.
LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!
Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights
Posted in Articles | Tagged Andrew Ladd, Barret Jackman, Cam Barker, Cam Janssen, Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Durno, Chris Stewart, Cody McLeod, Colorado Avalanche, Darcy Tucker, David Koci, DJ King, Eric Brewer, Matt Hendricks, New Orleans Saints, Ryan Wilson, St. Louis Blues, Super Bowl
By Tyler Atwood on February 3, 2010
Here, David Backes shows how to make Jonathan Toews vomit in the penalty box. Twice. Image via stlouisgametime.com on SB Nation
There was only one scrap on Saturday night with the Blue Jackets, and maybe there should have been more. Jared Boll took on Brad Winchester after Boll made a questionable hit on Jay McClement. You’d think he’d be smart enough not to pick on the grinder line’s center, especially when said center-on-the-grinder-line is an alternate captain, but Jared seems to be – as noted before – “Strong like Boll, smart like tractor”. The match was considered a draw since no one really won the fight but both contestants got some good shots in. Winchester’s season fight record moves to 3-1-3. The Note hangs on to 5th spot in the league with 46 fights. Their season fight record is a robust 21-13-12.
Leave it to people like me to make fun of the Chicago Blackhawks. While many Blues fans have turned most of their hatred to another old Norris Division rival – the Detroit Red Wings – I have stuck with my extreme disdain for the Blackhawks. Most of it has to do with proximity, but a lot of it has to do with Mike Keenan, among other factors. So the Blackhawks can have their precious “2nd place in the conference” record, while I point and laugh at their puny 22 fights on the season. That’s good for a 24th place tie with the New York Islanders, who have maybe a half a fighter on their team. This from a former Norris Division rival. PATHETIC, I say! Amazing even yet, 5 of the 22 fights were in one game – their January 2nd matchup with the Blues in St. Louis. The Blackhawks somehow were 2-2-1 in those fights – Ben Eager defeated BJ Crombeen, Cam Barker defeated Mike Weaver (after Weaver destroyed Patrick Sharp at the red line), David Backes not only defeated Jonathan Toews but later made him vomit in the penalty box (this fight was the start of the “Inglorious Backes” movement that led to the t-shirt referenced in Jeff’s most recent Monday Musings filing), Carlo Colaiacovo worked a draw with Colin Fraser and Barret Jackman (whom I’ve taken to calling “SIR JAXX” lately, apropos of nothing) took down Eager. The Blackhawks’ season fight record is a very even 7-8-7.
What’s equally strange about the Blackhawks is the fact that 12 different players have contested their 22 fights on the season. This type of spread usually happens when a team has no true enforcer. Only three Blackhawks have thrown the gloves down more than once – center Fraser (6′1″, 190lbs, 0-2-4), winger Eager (6′2″, 230lbs, 3-2-0) and winger Troy Brouwer (6′2″, 214lbs, 1-1-0). The Blackhawks do possess one able-bodied enforcer in winger Dustin Byfuglien (6′4″, 257lbs, 1-0-0), but no one wants to mess with him . . . and at that size, do you BLAME them? Yeesh! Of the 12 fighers, one has been waived and two are currently with Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford (Home of Cheap Trick, the greatest rock band ever to come out of Rockford!).
For whatever reason (probably because he’s a pest with no will to fight real fighters), Eager has rubbed me the wrong way throughout his career. Therefore, it would be nice (not to mention poetic justice) if either Cam Janssen or the recently-recalled DJ King not only were to play tonight, but were to throw fists into his face. (If you believe Dan O’Neill’s report from yesterday, they may both be on the same line with McClement) And if ANY Blue were to challenge Byfuglien (which I don’t suggest), let it be Winchester . . . yes, he gives about 30 pounds to him, but at least the reach advantage is equalized.
I need nothing to get me jacked up for this game. I may have friends that root for the Blackhawks, but I don’t like their team one bit.
LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!
Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights
Posted in Articles | Tagged Barret Jackman, Ben Eager, BJ Crombeen, Brad Winchester, Cam Barker, Cam Janssen, Carlo Colaiacovo, Chicago Blackhawks, Colin Fraser, Columbus Blue Jackets, David Backes, Detroit Red Wings, DJ King, Dustin Byfuglien, extreme lack of fighting, Jared Boll, Jay McClement, Jonathan Toews, Mike Keenan, Mike Weaver, music references, New York Islanders, Norris Division, Patrick Sharp, silly nicknames, St. Louis Blues, Troy Brouwer