Comments on: Ellen Etchingham, theory_of_ice, MUST READ [CAM JANSSEN CONTENT]

By: okto

okto — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 20:32:00 +0000

cant thank you enough for her link. what a great writer. satisfying.

this is my favorite:

http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2012/06/15/the-perfect-stick/

By: JZarris

JZarris — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Definitely. One of the best around, and the podcasts are fantastic.

By: USHA#17

USHA#17 — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 16:43:00 +0000

Your right, the Phoenix one was the last I recalled (at least with Richards).

While the calls may at times be random the fact that they exist have all but eliminated the the need for the spontaneous (as opposed to “arranged” which solves nothing) fight as a way to police the game. Players cool down while anticipating a call (or non-call). Just as often the perpetrator is sent to the locker room.

Once in a great while I’ll see a play that IMO may be deserving of immediate retaliation. Just as often the intention/facts/damage from a hit can be misconstrued. A good example is the Brown hit in the Phoenix series. On face value that appeared deserving of retaliatory fists. In detailed review there was nothing there.

By: Jack

Jack — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 01:40:00 +0000

I was thinking of the hit Penner took from Oshie when LA was playing St. Louis. It was a big but clean hit that some may have seen as charging and Richards must have felt it was cheap and needed to step in. I believe he got an instigator for it.

On a side note, while there may be less reason to drop the gloves nowadays, I wonder if players might feel a need to keep the opportunity to fight in the game when player suspensions for dangerous hits are so random at times, even now Shanahan in control.

By: USHA#17

USHA#17 — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 01:02:00 +0000

Under the current rules and style there is rarely a reason or opportunity to drop the gloves.

Wasn’t his fight against Rozsival in Phoenix…when mercifully Rozsival spared Richards and chose not to pound the guy to the ice. The size difference was so great that I felt for sure Richards was heading for another concussion. Instead Rozsival just held Richards until he cooled down.

By: Jack

Jack — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:01:00 +0000

The best thing about this is that instead of going for the obvious angle like I would be so tempted to do (the awful comments Cam made), she instead takes the opportunity to investigate the first thing people will bring up when they’ll defend a guy like this; that he’s a ‘team guy’.

I remember watching Adam Henrique in the playoffs against LA and being quietly amazed that this rookie (although 25 or so) was playing in his first SCF and while clearly getting frustrated with LA’s physical play and stifling defense, he was keeping it together and playing his game. Not once did I wonder if NJ was going to get a guy to drop the gloves for him because they didn’t need to.

I can’t remember the last fight an LA player engaged in, but I think it was Richards after the Oshie on Penner hit in the playoffs. At the time, all I thought was ‘great, now Richards wants to sit for 5 minutes on a completely fine hit’.

The sooner the machismo of fighting for teammates by dropping the gloves is gone, the happier I’ll be. Because then I just get to see teammates fighting for each other by just playing the game I love to watch.

By: Emo

Emo — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Backhand Shelf isn’t just her, but it is a fantastic hockey blog all around.

By: Garrett79

Garrett79 — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:35:00 +0000

Thanks for linking to this, Quisp. I’ve never read Ellen’s blog, but I’ll be bookmarking it now!