At the end of last night’s poorly officiated game between the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, a brawl broke out in front of the SJ net.

image: TSN

There were 70 minutes of penalties, which I think is just downright ridiculous for a game so close to the end of the season.  Plus, it’s no secret that these teams don’t particularly like each other so when you combine that, the penalty minutes and the poor officiating (along with the pressure to do well before the playoffs), it was a perfect recipe for a disaster.

Still, in the end, the Sharks were able to hold on and skate away with a 3-2 victory over their Pacific Division rivals.  Fortunately, it doesn’t appear that anyone got hurt but it’s always scary to see a goaltender buried beneath a brawl.  Watch the video:

I was almost in tears I was laughing so hard when I saw this clip of a melee from the Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks game yesterday.  I’ve heard some people even refer to it as “Mean Girls on Ice” and I can’t disagree.  This fight was ridiculous!

image: Newscom

It all started when Dustin Byfuglien (Chicago) decided to push Roberto Luongo (G, Vancouver) in the face after he made a save.  It was totally unnecessary and I can understand the outrage considering the fact that it’s almost playoff time and the team has also been without Luongo earlier this year due to injury.  Plus, it’s just nasty to touch a goalie…

This sparked a brawl that can only be described as emotional because I saw some things I’ve never seen before.  The Hawks were down by 3-0 so you can understand why they were frustrated and then the Canucks were pissed about the swipe on Luongo.

Ben Eager (Chicago) and Kevin Bieksa (Vancouver) went off to the side of the net and were the first to exchange blows.  There were some good hits but then there were times when it looked more like something from the WWE (and I am not sure if it was because of the body slams or the lack of clothing by the end of it).

Next, a catfight broke out between Duncan Keith (Chicago) and Alex Burrows (Vancouver) with Keith putting Burrows in a headlock with him retaliating by grabbing Keith’s hair (around 1:30). He wouldn’t let go, either, and was trying to repeatedly use it to pull Keith down to the ice.  I seriously couldn’t stop laughing.  Watch the video:

In the end, Byfuglien earned a goaltender interference penalty but there were  there were 12 additional penalties called, including six 10-minute misconducts.  Vancouver went on to win the game 4-0 and have now tied with Chicago for fourth place in the Western Conference.

I’ve tried to avoid writing about it because I wanted to see where this was going to go but now that it’s everywhere, I have to jump in to the discussion.   At the annual NHL GM meetings, the league managers had some recommendations and I’m not sure how I feel about them.  They want to curb fighting, which I understand since they want to minimize injuries (particularly concussions and other head injuries), and have proposed some changes that I’m sure fans will have a strong reaction to.

From TSN:

The GMs have proposed that a 10-minute misconduct penalty be given to players who engage in staged fights right after a faceoff. They’d also like to see the instigator rule be more strictly enforced, particularly in cases where a player wearing a visor initiates a fight or a player drops the gloves after a teammate has been bodychecked.

There has been renewed interest in changing some of the rules after the death of Don Sanderson earlier this year.  The 21-year-old Ontario senior men’s league defenceman was in a coma for three weeks after hitting his unprotected head on the ice (his helmet came off during the fight).

Apparently, out of the first 500 fights this season, 108 happened right after a face-off while 118 came in instances where a player was responding to a teammate getting hit.  If the proposed rule changes are accepted, they will be implemented next season.

TSN used an example that really brought it home for me.  Read this:

Under the proposed rules, Ottawa Senators forward Jason Spezza would have received 19 minutes on one play for his actions in a game last week. Spezza fought Calgary’s Dion Phaneuf in response to a clean hit on Dany Heatley and would essentially be given four penalties for that next season - two minutes for instigating, two minutes for instigating with a visor, five minutes for fighting and an automatic 10-minute misconduct.

Uhhh… To lose a player for almost a full period for a fight is a little crazy to me but what do I know?  Gotta love Brian Burke’s reaction: "If I’m the GM in Ottawa my response is we will take that penalty," he said. "We will kill that penalty if it is a star player.”  He also said that he “doesn’t mind his players instigating fights as retribution for other things that happen during a game. He’s among the group that views fighting as a way for players to police themselves on the ice.”

Montreal Canadiens forward, Georges Laraque, is not impressed.  "All of their recommendations are a joke!" Laraque said. "Stupidest thing ever!  I think it’s a joke. They might as well take fighting out of the NHL…fighting won’t be safer; it will be eliminated because an added 10 minute misconduct is too much."  He went on to say: "I’m aware of the criticism I will face for speaking up and being vocal. I’m trying to protect the other guys. I’m at the end of my career, for me it doesn’t matter. I’m for safety, but not the elimination of fighting and these recommendations are leading to that."

Laraque feels that they should have looked more at improving helmets as a way to keep players safe.  I agree with that but I guess those types of changes would have cost money.  I also wonder if these types of rule changes are going to result in more cheap shots on the ice which, unfortunately, can lead to injuries as well. 

What do you think?  Are the proposed changes a good idea?  What changes would you make?

image: TSN

Luke Schenn of the Toronto Maple Leafs floored Evgeni Malkin minutes before and Tyler Kennedy, Malkin’s Pittsburgh teammate is being suspended for one game for instigating a retaliatory fight.

The disciplinary action comes after the Leafs requested the even be reviewed and alleged that Kennedy came off the Pens bench with the intent of starting a fight with Schenn.

It’s been a while since a hockey fight made me laugh out loud but this scrap between Alexander Semin (Washington Capitals) and Marc Staal (New York Rangers) will make you crack up.  Staal manages to pull Semin’s jersey and pads off so you’ve got Semin with no sweater on, smacking (yes, smacking – not punching) Staal as he lay on the ice. 

Semin got a 10-minute misconduct, an automatic ejection and a 5-minute major for fighting.  It really was surprising because I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him in a fight and he played Staal’s back like it was a pair of bongos.  Too funny!

It’s not funny but there is something about a good goalie fight that not only excites me but also just makes me laugh.  Maybe it’s all the pads but it’s so much fun to watch (not that I’m advocating fighting, blah blah blah…).  Of course, there couldn’t be a collection of these without at least one clip (there are actually two) of Patrick Roy.  Seems it runs in his family since his son has been charged in the fight he caused at the Remparts Quebec championship game this past season.  Anyway, watch the video here:

It’s a Monday morning and what better way to start the day than with a little Calgary Flames ice action?  All I gotta say is that I love the Phaneuf vs. Ohlund scrap and, well, Godard was a busy man… Here’s a look at some of the best fights from the season :

Patrick Roy, who has won the Stanley Cup four times as a goaltender, and his son Jonathan were both suspended Tuesday by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for their respective roles in a playoff brawl.

So, it goes like this.  Patrick Roy is the co-owner and GM AND coach of the Quebec Remparts.  Jonathan is the team’s goalie.  When the Remparts played a playoff game in Chicoutimi on Saturday night, a 10-player brawl broke out and Jonathan went for the opposing netminder, Bobby Nadeau.  Roy ripped off Nadeau’s mask, beat him to the ice and then made some nice gestures to the crowd (charming, eh?).  Daddy Roy says he didn’t say anything to cause the fight and junior said sorry.  Well, the league has imposed a five-game ban on Patrick and a seven-game suspension on Jonathan.

For the record, Chicoutimi was leading 7-1 when the melee broke out.  I guess it was an emotional game… Watch the footage:

This was a good fight!  Brad May (Anaheim Ducks) and Krys Barch (Dallas Stars) really went at it on March 19, 2008 during the first period when the Ducks visited the Stars.

Couldn’t help but laugh at them playing “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie.

Sean Avery and David Clarkson tangled on March 19, 2008 when the New York Rangers visited the New Jersey Devils.  Here’s the video: