like the “figures don’t lie but liars figure” version :0)

again, i am 1000000% anti goon, and if removing the instigator removes some goonies (like former blues fan favorite tyon nash) I’m for it!!

but seriously, I suspect a real league could eliminate the fighting AND the goonies…

olympics did. inernational does. colege generally does. peewee leagedoes.

i mean seriously if it is so hard and such a part fo the game, we should eb traing 7 year old hanson brthers, correct?

football lotz more hatin ad in the facin and when was the last time you see them fight in the NFL?

your NOT going to get rid of the goonies by NOT hitting cooke’s head-huntin wallet and his owners purse.

and the goons have to be eliminated.

on the cam side, his role is to be the ‘blue’ the the great clips winner has to meet and greet :)

I agree and wish that only fights that occur during the flow of play would be allowed.

I can’t stand the fights that start at the drop of the puck, or occur 15 seconds after the whistle blows because one goon finally got to the part of the ice the other goon was on.

Just keep the goons away and this is probably the type of fight that would disappear as well, which would be perfect.

and what it’s done for fighting. I’m not out for blood or anything…I just don’t like the new nhl.

Everything you said is… spot on. I can’t argue any point you made for a heartbeat. You are right as you can be.
I don’t know if you remembered my fanpost over how I thought King and Cam should dress every night, but you’re too right here. Neither should be, at least on a nightly basis.

That being said:until everyone eliminates them, you really can’t afford to. You can’t risk putting a small team on the ice if a Colton Orr is out there.

In the old NHL, they work. The “new” NHL is deplorable, in my opinion, but times changed. Personally, I think the instigator rule is garbage. I think the tightening of the interference rules puts defencemen at risk.
I think, I think, I think.
It doesn’t matter what I think!

Regardless, great article, well written, all that jazz.

I’m just the same with pro-fighting/anti-goon. How many times have our goons fought to stick up for a teammate anyway? They aren’t even on the ice when that sort of fight happens, it always seems like they are “setting the tone” or trying to “change the momentum” when they drop the gloves. Wouldn’t say Eller actually putting the puck in the net (or being better at defense) be a much better way to do that?

there will be goons, and a reason to have them.

Now, if we could cross-breed a few more players like Ryane Clowe of the Sharks – guys who fight a fair amount, don’t mind banging people into the boards and put enough goals and assists on the sheet to be valuable (it may or may not be about the Sharks and their system, but whatever) – then this argument gets thrown out the window, the goons are gone and that’s that. That would take a few years of internal development by each team in the NHL to become fully realized. Backes and Clowe are examples that such development can be done. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough faith in the management of every team (especially several in the Eastern Conference) to think that this is a possibility.

Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, and Alexander Semin are on the Capitals. Arguably all stars in their own right. The closest thing the Caps have to a fighter is Matt Bradley, who bleeds every fight and has a concussion history, and Ovechkin who hits people but doesn’t fight because he’s worth too much. The Caps seem to be doing fine in the standings.

They used to have Brashear, a goon who fights goons. But really what good did he do? He only fought goons, not to go against “the code” and fight the pure skill players. He barely scored, and terrible are defense, typical goon. And opposing goons aren’t going to act nice because they know they will be pummeled if they act out, they get paid to act out so they’ll do it anyway. Having the player in the box and slaughtering them on the powerplay is a nice idea that seems to get the job done. Better than a goon fighting an unrelated goon, or giving payback yet putting your team on the pk for 5 straight minutes.

Goons are useless in the new NHL. Hitting still has a place, but fighting rarely does.

Tyson Nash was called a goon and I don’t agree at all. That guy was Esa Tikkanen with long hair.

What if Cam Janssen is a mucker and grinder who checks well and is a pest and fights?

And I would agree that King being on the team seems pretty antiquated.

I’m looking forward to the Matt Walker Fan Club president’s response.

as I’m still surprised that they’re playing King over D’Agostini, you’d think I’d be in the “we need no goons” court. And in a way I am. But in a way I’m not. Confused? You will be.

I cannot see a need for King – I’m starting to believe he’s being played more to showcase him than anything else.

However. I would hold onto Janssen. Why? Because I like the pest element…the irritation factor. Also, the fact that he’s working hard to improve his game…to become more than he is…makes me love the guy even more. He’s working to give the team more. I would prefer that he goes more along the route of trying to irritate the living shit out of the opposition, to throw them off their game, as opposed to going out there and simply fighting.

I hate staged fights. I hate the ones where they drop the gloves as soon as the puck is dropped. But…I think sometimes you just have to fight. To try and get your team energised,..to try and lift the fans…to pound someone down to teach them a bit of respect…whatever.

You’re selling him way too short. Don’t be a myopian, why not actually watch him while he’s on the ice to see how he plays?

Also if you’re going to cite numbers then you have to also realize the Ducks have been decimated with injuries, especially to Getz and Teemu who are out again. Their rough and tumble style brought them a cup recently, how many do the Blues have?

Cam is more a goon and liability to me than Deeej, a one trick pony as you call them. Kinger can play some hockey whether you want to admit it or not. Kinger in the lineup also creates space for our skill forwards. After picking the Boogeyman apart how many players do you think want to dance with him? How many opposing players want to take cheap shots knowing Kinger is on the bench?

Kinger also had a goal tonight if you hadn’t noticed, even though “Blind Melon Chitlin” the ref disallowed it for some BS reason.