User Blog: greifi griffie Posts made by greifi griffie on Boston vs Pitt nonsense greifi griffie Sun, 08 Dec 2013 09:53:26 -0500 <p> </p> <p><a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Shawn Thornton</a> was the personification of the honorable tough guy in this league until last night. His violent attack on <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Penguins</a>' d-man <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Brooks Orpik</a> was shocking but not unsurprising, as it capped off years of bad blood between these teams, dating back to Matt Cooke's cowardly blindside shot on <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Marc Savard</a> in 2010. </p> <p>To start things off, Orpik laid out a recently-concussed <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Loui Eriksson</a> on a play that certainly didn't require a massive body check....Eriksson was relatively defenseless, and Orpik took advantage of that, destroying Eriksson with a high hit as he attempted to exit the <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Bruins</a>' defensive zone. While it may be considered a clean hit in some circles in my opinion it was another example of needless maximum violence being applied in the course of a hockey game. Orpik has made a career out of punishing smaller forwards, while hiding from the likes of guys like Thornton and Parros, and he should've dropped the gloves and taken his medicine when Thornton came calling for a donnybrook after the Eriksson hit. Orpik chose to do the wrong thing and not fight, further inflaming the Bruins' tempers. If a guy like <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Brian Boyle</a> has the courage to get thrashed by Chara, perhaps the Pens' best defenseman should've acted less like Ulf Samuelsson and more like a guy who knows the inevitable risk of playing a physical style of hockey....and then before the game could calm down, <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">James Neal</a> decided to do his thing.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Neal slammed his leg into the head of a defenseless and prone <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Brad Marchand</a>, in one of the most disgraceful on-ice acts I've ever seen in 35+ years of playing and watching hockey. Disregard the fact that Neal outweighs Marchand by 25 lbs and is five inches taller than Rat Marchand for a moment--Neal could've easily broken Marchand's neck with this play. While everyone screams "Bertuzzi" at Thornton--and rightly so--where is the outrage over Neal's hit? Neal is a damned coward and punk, and one day the wheel of karma will spin his way...the same way it spun for Brooks Orpik, neck-breaker of <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Erik Cole</a>, and punisher of those who aren't big or mean enough to hit back.</p> <p><br></p> <p>in any event, last night was a display of the worst that hockey has to offer. I hope Thornton goes for 10, Neal for 10, and in my version of a perfect NHL Orpik would sit for a game for his own reckless behavior. But since this is a league that recently allowed <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Ray Emery</a> to beat on an unwilling fight partner and then walk away unpunished, I'd imagine Thornton is going to get something in the 20-25 game range to make up for the non-punishment of Emery, while Neal may get 3 games. Orpik, whose cowardly behavior caused this entire chain of events to unfurl, will doubtlessly get nothing but sympathy from his fawning and uncritical fanbase. The Pens and the Bruins are two of the dirtiest franchises in the league, and the league needs to throw the book at everyone involved here. Time for this crap to stop.</p> <p><br></p> Devils are in trouble greifi griffie Thu, 08 Aug 2013 11:47:48 -0400 <p>Puck Daddy published a piece today about the current sad state of affairs for the <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">New Jersey Devils</a>. Evidently Vanderbeek is financially toast and the Devils may be taken over by the NHL. Supposedly there are interested parties who wish to buy the franchise…URL below:</p> <p></p> <p>Hilarious news. Couldn't happen to a more deserving franchise. Sorry for the lack of linked text.</p> Something apart from the labor battles greifi griffie Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:22:12 -0500 <p><a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Brad Richards</a> led a quiet NYR effort to help with post-hurricane cleanup in Breezy Point....Marion Gaborik, Ryan Callahan, and <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Dan Girardi</a> also pitched in with time and effort. Class all the way here.</p> <p> </p> <p>There are bigger things in life than sports....glad to see that a bunch of <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Rangers</a> felt compelled to offer their labor to a community that has been hammered by disasters repeatedly in the last 11 years. At a time when the league is at a standstill due to a shitty commissioner and a couple of greedy owners, it's nice to see the unselfishness displayed by the current version of the Rangers extends to their off the ice pursuits as well. Link is below because my damn phone is a pain when it comes to interacting with this site.....</p> <p> </p> <p></p> StarTribune article about Boogaard's addiction greifi griffie Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:34:17 -0400 <h3 class="link-title"><a href="" rel="nofollow">StarTribune article about Boogaard&#x27;s&amp;nbsp;addiction</a></h3> <div class="description"><p><p>Here's a lengthy piece by Michael Russo of the StarTribune about the extent of Derek Boogaard's addiction to painkillers. Really heartrending stuff here about the Boogeyman, whose problems with drugs preceded his time with the Rangers.</p></p></div> Former Canucks owner owns Rangers' Cup-winning puck greifi griffie Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:54:12 -0400 <p><br>Lost amidst all the subterfuge and strategy revolving around the <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Rangers</a>' offseason free agent targets and RFAs to be resigned was <a href="" target="_blank">this little nugget</a>: one of the most worthwhile pieces of Ranger memorabilia is in the possession of the former owner of the NY Rangers' last Cup Finals opponent, the <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Vancouver Canucks</a>.  It's a nifty little story, as Arthur Griffiths claims that rugged forward Tim Hunter gave that puck to him in the locker room after the Canucks lost game 7. Given all the controversy over last year's Final-winning puck (shot by Patty Kane, and possibly heisted by linesman Steve Miller) I thought it was a good story to share.....and maybe that's why Vancouver's karma might be a little bit off....and it goes to show that Tim Hunter was always crafty too.</p> the Hypocrisy of Sid Crosby greifi griffie Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:08:23 -0500 <p>Sid Crosby is a polarizing figure in today's world of hockey.  A <a href="" target="_blank" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Globe and Mail story published yesterday</a> alleges that Crosby may sit out the All-Star Game this year as a form of protest against the NHL's policy on headshots.  While on the surface this move may seem honorable, Crosby's sudden awareness about the danger of head injuries has its origin in selfishness.  Before Crosby's own concussion he was completely silent on the issue of headshots; but now that they have affected him directly he is attempting to bring his star power to bear on this issue.  Once again Crosby is blind to the level of petulance embodied by his reaction--after all, noted headhunter <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Matt Cooke</a> is his teammate, and Crosby offered no opinions on the hit itself or consolation to fellow NHL'er Marc Savard after Cooke injured Savard with a dirty hit.<br></p> <p> </p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Rather than talking about headshots in terms that apply to the entire league, Crosby and his mouthpiece/agent Pat Brisson have suddenly discovered how dangerous they are because....well, because Sid Crosby suffered a head injury in an accidental collision with <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">David Steckel</a> of the Capitals during the Winter Classic.  Their collision was deemed accidental at the moment it occurred during the game, and there was no subsequent punishment meted out to Steckel by the league's disciplinary office.  But don't tell the Whining Golden Penguin this--he wants Steckel suspended, despite the fact that Crosby's own team sent him back out on the ice with a concussion.  And that should be the real story here, that either Crosby or Bylsma decided that Sid could still play hockey while suffering from the effects of a head injury.</p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><br style="line-height: 0.75em;"></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Like a classic pampered brat, Crosby is looking for someone else to blame for his problems, when either his coach, Crosby himself, or his team's medical staff are the ones at fault here.  And this is why Crosby is so hated by many hockey fans.  To wrap up here's a quote from Brisson--"If you accidentally hit someone on the head, you should be suspended for a game.  It makes it easier on everyone if there is a penalty and a suspension."  Got that everybody? When Sid Crosby gets a concussion, we all suffer....</p>