This fight ended Taylor Hall’s season. Image via SportsNet Canada

The Blues’ 2-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday at least showed us a team that gave a rat’s you-know-what on the ice, which was helpful.  What was NOT helpful was seeing all the not-really-ready-for-the-NHL talent out there.  What also helped were a couple fights for me to tell you about, even if I don’t have much good news on either of them.  They both involved “Your Favorite Tweeter And Mine”, the one-and-only Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette.  The first was a draw with Ryan Reaves, probably given because of a premature slip (video here).  The second was clear win over Tyson Strachan in which “Strachs” CLEARLY should have let Roman Polak handle his own business (video here, and for the record, I would have LOVED to see Polak and Biz go at it).  The Blues move up to 69 fighting majors on the season and a temporary tie for first place in that category with the Pittsburgh Penguins after Tuesday’s pair of scuffles.  Their fight record moves to 28-21-20.

We’ve covered the Edmonton Oilers on three occasions this season (December 4th, February 4th and February 25th).  They are well-documented as the worst team in the Western Conference.  This team has earned that draft lottery number, but it’s not like they had all sorts of upside what with all the youth and the random spare parts.  This team WILL be good again one day, though, behind the likes of Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi, Jordan Eberle and Linus Omark.  But for now, the Oilers are at the bottom of the barrel.  But they’re not too bad in the fight standings.  They currently stand ninth in the NHL by themselves with 46 fighting majors.  Their fight record, though, is a bit below average: 13-16-17.

Zack Stortini (6’4”, 215lbs, 1-5-2, currently with Oklahoma City in the AHL), despite not having played for the Oilers in over a month, still leads the team with eight fights.  The active leader is Theo Peckham (6’2”, 234lbs, 1-2-4) with seven fights.  Following him is Steve MacIntyre (6’5”, 250lbs, 3-1-2) with six.  Colin Fraser (6’1”, 193lbs, 0-3-1 including a loss to Stefan Della Rovere, Day-to-day with a foot injury) has fought four times.  Jason Strudwick (6’4”, 226lbs, 2-1-0 including a win over Cam Janssen) and Jim Vandermeer (6’1”, 214lbs, 1-1-1 including a loss to Janssen) have each fought three times.  Jean-Francois Jacques (6’3”, 231lbs, 1-0-1, Day-to-day with a foot injury), Ryan Jones (6’0”, 205lbs, 1-0-1) and Ladislav Smid (6’3”, 226lbs, 0-1-1) have each fought twice.  And nine Oilers (one now a FORMER Oiler) have each fought once: Sam Gagner (5’11”, 191lbs, Win, Out for the season with a hand injury), Gilbert Brule (5’11”, 186lbs, Win, Day-to-day with a concussion), Andrew Cogliano (5’10”, 188lbs, Win), Ryan Whitney (6’3”, 210lbs, Draw, Out for the season with an ankle injury), Dustin Penner (6’4”, 245lbs, Draw, Traded to Los Angeles at the deadline), Kurtis Foster (6’5”, 226lbs, Draw), Shawn Horcoff (6’1”, 208lbs, Draw, Day-to-day with an ankle injury), Hall (6’1”, 194lbs, Loss, Out for the season with an ankle injury suffered IN said fight) and Alex Plante (6’4”, 230lbs, Loss, currently with Oklahoma City in the AHL).

I’d say your best bet for a GOOD fight would be Reaves squaring off with MacIntyre, assuming Steve Mac even suits up.  Otherwise, I guess a rematch between Janssen and Vandermeer wouldn’t be bad.  There are many possibilities here, though, and I fully expect there to be multiple fights in this game.

Both of these teams’ seasons are over.  Which one has more pride?  We’ll find out later.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

SHOW ME YOUR WAR FACE, TIM! Image via Zimbio

I’ll say this: I was in a somewhat poor mood and in somewhat ill condition before Friday’s Blues game with the Edmonton Oilers, and after about the second period of the 5-0 shellacking The Note dealt to the Oil, I felt about 150% better about myself both mentally and physically.  I can’t lie about that . . . it was THAT good.  We can only hope our boys keep this trend up.  Anyway, after some testy action between the two clubs throughout the game, there was a fight after the game was essentially put away by the Blues, and it involved Jason Strudwick and Cam Janssen (video here).  Irony would have it that it came seven seconds after Janssen’s first point of the season (an assist on Matt D’Agostini’s goal).  Strudwick seemed to use his size advantage well in this one, but I thought Janssen did his best to hang right in there with him despite not being afforded the second minute of the fight by the linesmen (as you well know, Janssen dominates fights late because he keeps himself in REALLY great physical condition . . . oh, and he doesn’t play much).  Regardless, it was a unanimous decision in favor of Strudwick.  The Blues still place second in the NHL, now with 59 fighting majors on the season.  Their fight record now stands at 24-18-17.

We have covered the Calgary Flames in this space once before (right ahead of the All-Star Break on January 26th).  Since switching coaches, the Flames have overachieved on the ice, and unfortunately part of that is not fighting as much as they previously had.  It’s a trend that I wish were not totally true, but it seems to be, at least these days, the better teams fight less.  Of course, the Pittsburgh Penguins fly right in the face of that as they’re a postseason team at this point.  Anyway, the Flames still DO fight, just not nearly as much as they did earlier in the season when they were a top-five fighting team.  Their 32 fighting majors on the season is 17th in the NHL by themselves and only two more than they had the last time the Blues played them.  Their fight record is somewhat mediocre at 9-13-10, but not outright terrible.

Free-agent signee Tim Jackman (6’4”, 210lbs, 3-6-3, questionable with an “upper body issue”) leads the team with 12 fights, a total that also puts him just short of the Top 10 individual fighters in the league.  Tom Kostopoulos (6’0”, 200lbs, 1-1-1 as a Flame and 1-3-1 overall) and Stefan Meyer (6’2”, 195lbs, 2-0-1, currently with Abbotsford in the AHL) both have fought three times each as Flames.  Those with two fights each include possibly my favorite NHL player to watch that has never been a Blue in Jarome Iginla (6’1”, 207lbs, 1-0-1), Robyn Regehr (6’3”, 225lbs, 1-0-1), Mark Giordano (6’0”, 203lbs, 0-1-1), former Blues farmhand Steve Staios (6’1”, 200lbs, 0-1-1) and Cory Sarich (6’4”, 207lbs, 0-1-1).  Solo fighters include Brett Sutter (6’0”, 192lbs, Win, traded to Calgary and currently assigned to Charlotte of the AHL), Olli Jokinen (6’3”, 215lbs, Loss), Curtis Glencross (6’1”, 195lbs, Loss) and Raitis Ivanans (6’4”, 240lbs, Loss, out with a concussion).

With THEIR Jackman out with a suspected shoulder problem, it’s hard to imagine that anyone else really thinks about stepping up in his place – especially considering he has battled 12 of the Flames’ 32 fights.  If anyone would, however, I’d bet on Kostopoulos, whom I’ve started to call “The Greek God of Hockey Violence”.  He would be a spectacular matchup for Janssen, if Janssen were to play.  Otherwise, we have two teams going in different directions and those usually lead to fisticuffs you don’t expect, so expect anything.

It’s a “somewhat” home-and-home with the Flames with the second game on Tuesday.  MOMENTUM IS HUGE!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

PECKHAM’S FACE ASPLODE! Image via Yahoo! Sports

And a disappointing Blues stretch continues with a 3-2 loss to a very good Vancouver Canucks late last night.  The good?  Two things: 1) the Blues played well enough to win, and 2) There was a fight!  It was between BJ Crombeen and Tanner Glass, in one that – preliminarily, at least – shows The Beej winning the fight (video here).  On the eye test, I thought Crombeen won the fight, too.  Good thing we agree on this!  Anyway, the Blues now bump up to 58 fighting majors on the season, remaining in third place in the NHL.  Presuming my prediction and the vote tallies hold true, the Blues’ fight record now stands at 24-17-17.

The Edmonton Oilers are easily the worst team in the Western Conference.  This is what happens during a rebuild in a VERY difficult conference (as us Blues fans are used to seeing).  The Oilers are a team that will be good with luck, skill, youth and good timing – they already have the skill and the youth down pat, so no worries there.  But this is a fight report, and I’m here to tell you that while the Oilers DO fight a good amount, they probably should do it less given their fight record.  We have covered the Oilers twice before (December 4th and February 4th).  The Oilers have collected 37 fighting majors on the season, tied for 11th in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks.  In those fights, the Oilers have gone 7-14-16.  Not so hot, if you ask me.

Zack Stortini (6’3”, 228lbs, 1-4-3) still leads the Oilers with eight fights despite spending practically the last month in the AHL with Oklahoma City after clearing re-entry waivers.  The active Oiler fight leader is Theo Peckham (6’2”, 223lbs, 0-2-4), who is STILL one letter away from a “Bend It Like . . . “ joke, with six.  Following Peckham is Steve MacIntyre (6’5”, 250lbs, 2-1-2) with five fights.  Former Blackhawk Colin Fraser (6’1”, 190lbs, 0-3-1 including a loss to Stefan Della Rovere) has fought four times this season.  Jean-Francois Jacques (6’4”, 217lbs, 1-0-1), Jim Vandermeer (6’1”, 210lbs, 1-1-0 including a loss to Cam Janssen) and Ladislav Smid (6’3”, 226lbs, 0-1-1) have each fought twice.  Every other Oilers fighter has only fought once each – Sam Gagner (5’11”, 191lbs, Win), Gilbert Brule (5’10”, 180lbs, Win, out with an ankle injury), Ryan Whitney (6’4”, 219lbs, Draw, out with an ankle injury), Dustin Penner (6’4”, 245lbs, Draw), Kurtis Foster (6’5”, 223lbs, Draw), Shawn Horcoff (6’1”, 208lbs, Draw), Ryan Jones (6’1”, 202lbs, Loss) and Jason Strudwick (6’4”, 225lbs, Loss).

After a flight to Edmonton and after a tough loss, it would be hard to imagine a game without a fight tonight.  Expect Janssen and Vandermeer to at least look at each other tonight.  I would not be surprised to see a couple lower-tier fighters battle it out in this one – say, Chris Stewart and Smid?  A man can dream, I guess.

Another loss and I’ll come close to giving up on this season.  But I have faith!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

No more Storts in Edmonton. Sad face. Image via Copper Blue Dreams

Hey, remember that game that was played this past Tuesday between the Blues and the Colorado Avalanche?  You don’t?  Well, why not?  It wasn’t PLAYED, you say?  Well alright, if you say so . . . .  In all seriousness, yes, that really happened – a game played on ice was postponed (to February 22nd – so mark your calendars, February 1st Ticket Holders!) due to . . . icy conditions.  I am not by any means saying it was the wrong decision . . . I’m just saying that it’s QUITE ironic!  But life – just like the Throwdown Lowdown report – rolls on.  By some stroke of luck, though, the Blues remain tied atop the fight standings with the Anaheim Ducks, both having collected 49 fighting majors.  Their fight record, obviously, still stands still at 19-17-12.

We have covered the Edmonton Oilers previously (December 4th in Edmonton, which, in a weird stroke of irony, was the last game Andy McDonald has played before his anticipated return tonight).  I’d be willing to bet this Oilers team wishes it were in the Eastern Conference.  Geography sometimes gets the better of teams, especially bad ones.  But like most hockey teams that are rebuilding or are otherwise not playing up to the rest of their competition, the Oilers do not have any problems dropping the gloves when called upon.  Now, compared to the Blues, it’s not that much, but compared to the rest of the league, they more than hold their own.  Before tonight’s game, the Oilers were (in a tie for 13th in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings) with 31 fighting majors on the season.  Too bad they can’t translate their truculence into more fight wins – their fight record is 7-13-11 on the season.

Zack Stortini (6’3”, 228lbs, 1-5-2) leads the Oilers with eight fights, but he was waived by the club on Tuesday, cleared waivers and is now with Oklahoma City of the AHL.  So the active fight leader for the Oilers is actually Theo Peckham (6’2”, 223lbs, 1-1-3), who is one letter away from a “Bend It Like . . . “ joke, with five.  Following Peckham is Steve MacIntyre (6’5”, 250lbs, 2-1-1) and former Blackhawk Colin Fraser (6’1”, 190lbs, 0-3-1 including a loss to Stefan Della Rovere) with four each.  Every other Oilers fighter has only fought once each – Sam Gagner (5’11”, 191lbs, Win), Gilbert Brule (5’10”, 180lbs, Win, out with an ankle injury), Jim Vandermeer (6’1”, 210lbs, Win), Ryan Whitney (6’4”, 219lbs, Draw, out with an ankle injury), Dustin Penner (6’4”, 245lbs, Draw), Kurtis Foster (6’5”, 223lbs, Draw), Jean-Francois Jacques (6’4”, 217lbs, Draw), Ryan Jones (6’1”, 202lbs, Loss), Ladislav Smid (6’3”, 226lbs, Loss) and Jason Strudwick (6’4”, 225lbs, Loss).  Golly Jeepers that’s a lot of names . . . no wonder Stortini was expendable!

There are just too many possible matchups tonight to narrow it down to just one, but if I had my druthers (then again, I don’t know how my druthers were missing in the first place), I’d bet on a fight between the two big boys – Winchester and MacIntyre.  Let’s call it a hunch – Winchester SHOULD fight against the Oilers, his former team (he was even on the roster for their ’05-’06 Stanley Cup Finals run).

The Blues tend to do well when I attend their games, and I’ve got a ticket.  Want to guess what that means?  Yes, they’ve got a chance tonight!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

MacIntyre appears in some of my nightmares. Image via the Palm Beach Post

The 4-1 loss by the Blues to the Washington Capitals was something a lot of pundits would have predicted.  What this one reporter was not able to predict, however, is the lack of fighting in that game.  Not only that, the lack of a fight has dropped the Blues in the overall fight standings – The Note now sits in a tie for second in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins (I’m sure Jeff is happy with this, eh?), each carrying 26 fights thus far in the season – two behind the ever-truculent New York Rangers.  The Note’s fight record?  Yep, it’s still 13-7-6.

Exactly like you would expect, a team as low in the standings as the Edmonton Oilers have their enforcers and are ready to fight at moment’s notice.  You may remember a similar pattern the Blues of the middle part of this decade followed – if you can’t beat ‘em, beat ‘em up.  This team DOES possess young firepower in the likes of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, but they may be a few years away from contending, so they’ll keep with the program for now.  The Oilers have fought 18 times on the season, good for 10th place in the NHL.  Their fight record is not as impressive – 5-7-6.  But the fight record doesn’t tell the whole story.  They have some beasts in mid-Alberta.

Steve MacIntyre (pictured above, 6’5”, 250lbs, 2-1-1) is a co-leader in Oilers fights with four, and he scares the living hell out of me because he is big and ONLY seems to fight guys bigger than him.  This may leave him off the fight card tonight, thankfully, but keep this in mind if he plays AND locks horns with someone like Brad Winchester.  Another big body, Zack Stortini (6’4”, 215lbs, 1-2-1) is the other co-leader at four.  Other Edmonton fighters include Theo Peckham (6’2”, 234lbs, 0-0-2) and former Blackhawk Colin Fraser (6’1”, 193lbs, 0-1-1) with two each and a whole bunch with one each: Sam Gagner (5’11”, 191lbs, Win), Gilbert Brule (5’11”, 186lbs, Win), Ryan Whitney (6’3”, 210lbs, Draw), Ryan Jones (6’0”, 205lbs, Loss), Jason Strudwick (6’4”, 226lbs, Loss) and Ladislav Smid (6’3”, 226lbs, Loss).

If I had to venture a guess, this wouldn’t be a good night for the Oilers to send MacIntyre out there due to the overall team speed the Blues possess (even WITHOUT David Perron and TJ Oshie).  With that said, a fight between Stortini and Winchester could happen, or a mid-card between Fraser and Cam Janssen could be in the cards.  I would find it hard to believe this game would be played without a fight.

We’re gonna have to start doing something about this losing streak.  Everyone’s pointing and laughing at Blue Note Nation right now.  Not cool, Zeus.  Get a win!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Zack Stortini shows little fear. Image via the now-defunct copperbluedreams.blogspot.com

There were no fights last night between the Canucks and Blues (at least nothing worth grading, anyway), although I nearly jumped through the television screen to have a few words with the officiating crew after that supposed slashing call in the 3rd period that led to the power play goal that ended up deciding the game.  Sometimes we, as fans, exaggerate the role of officiating in whether our teams win and lose games, but for crying out loud, the backside official HAS to choke on the whistle there . . . right?  Moving along . . . the Blues hang onto 5th spot in the league with 45 fights and hang tight to their 21-13-11 season fight record.

The Edmonton Oilers are currently duking it out with the Carolina Hurricanes for the right to draft Taylor Hall.  You would expect a team this bad to be in the top 10 as far as fight totals . . . and you would be correct!  They’re 12-12-16 in 40 bouts this season, good for 8th in the National Hockey League.  Four of their bouts have come against the Blues, and they’re 2-1-1 against us on the season.  On December 11th at the Kiel (Never gonna call it anything else) Center, Jean-Francois Jacques worked a draw with BJ Crombeen.  On December 21st at Rexall Place, Zack Stortini defeated Crombeen, Brad Winchester took down Jacques and Ethan Moreau defeated Darryl Sydor.

The leading fighter for the Oilers is winger Stortini (6’3″, 228lbs, 4-2-6).  The best description for him is David Backes without the skill . . . he’s about the same size, anyway.  Other multiple fighters for the Oilers are winger Jacques (6’4″, 217lbs, 1-2-4), winger Ryan Stone (6’2″, 207, 1-1-2, out with a knee injury), defenseman Jason Strudwick (6’3″, 225lbs, 2-2-0), defenseman and former Blues prospect Steve Staios (6’1″, 200lbs, 0-1-2), defenseman Ladislav Smid (6’3″, 226lbs, 1-0-1, out with a concussion), winger Moreau (6’2″, 220lbs, 1-1-0) and defenseman Sheldon Souray (6’4″, 227lbs, 1-0-1).  As you can see, there are a lot of contestants to choose from here . . . a total of 12 Oilers have fought this year; however, one of them (Steve MacIntyre) is now with the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers after being waived.

Personally, I would love to see Crombeen have another go at either Stortini or Jacques.  One wonders if Backes will play again tonight given that he returned from injury last night (although he looked just fine to me), but if he’s absent, Cam Janssen may play, and he would not back down from any of these guys.  Olympic watch?  No one for Team Canada, but Denis Grebeshkov is on Team Russia and Lubomir Visnovsky is on Team Slovakia.  Alas, neither has fought this season.  So if Backes plays and fights, it probably will not be against an Olympian . . . this Western Canada swing wasn’t exactly great for his chances to take down Olympic opponents apart from game one.

This is not a must-win, but it would be hard to stomach the end of a Western Canada swing without a victory over the worst team in the Western Conference.  Go out and get it, boys.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights