NHL Hockey thread

[Grey Fox]

PLD is such a liar.

[viper37]

PLD is such a liar.

Could be.

[viper37]

Found on Facebook.

The "Good Friday Massacre" was a memorable second round playoff series during the 1984 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The game occurred on Good Friday, April 20, 1984 in Montreal, Quebec between the Quebec Nordiques and the Montreal Canadiens.

After a number of fights, a bench-clearing brawl broke out as the siren sounded to end the second period.

Among the fourteen altercations at the end of the second period were the Canadiens' Mario Tremblay smashing the nose of the Nordiques' Peter Stastny, and Nordiques' Louis Sleigher knocking Canadiens' Jean Hamel unconscious by sucker-punching him in the eye. Bruce Hood, the referee for the game, sent the teams off the ice without officially ending the second period by assigning penalties for the brawl.

After the intermission, with all players from both teams on the ice to warm up for the third period, a second brawl broke out.

The public address announcer started reading the penalty summary as the players warmed up, and as players heard the confirmation that they were to be ejected from the game anyway, some felt they "might as well take some guys with (them)" (per Larry Robinson), as "they had nothing to lose" (per Guy Carbonneau). In particular, the Canadiens players went after the Nordiques' Louis Sleigher, furious with him for the damage he had inflicted on Jean Hamel in the original brawl. The second brawl included a fight between brothers Dale Hunter (Nordiques) and Mark Hunter (Canadiens).

The game resulted in 11 ejections, a total of 252 penalty minutes and
referee Bruce Hood's retirement.

[Grey Fox]

Apparently, mother Hunter was really angry at her sons for that fight.

[crazy canuck]

Hood went on to a career being an international ref and trained hockey refs. He also wrote a couple of books that did well.

[viper37]

Hood went on to a career being an international ref and trained hockey refs. He also wrote a couple of books that did well.

Much better career than being an NHL ref in these times.

[crazy canuck]

Hood went on to a career being an international ref and trained hockey refs. He also wrote a couple of books that did well.

Much better career than being an NHL ref in these times.

Maybe, I had a buddy growing up I got to know through competitive swimming who became a ref - he seemed to enjoyed it. 

[Barrister]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nhl-backtracks-pride-tape-ban-1.7006393

Story time...

NHL teams have done "theme nights" for a lot of years.  Military appreciation night, Hockey Fights Cancer night, Black History Month night, whatever.  Typically what happens is there's a little ceremony at centre ice, and the players come out for the warm-up in unique themed jerseys.  Those jerseys then get auctioned off with proceeds to whatever the theme of the night was.

One of those nights for almost all teams is Pride Night.  Players come out in rainbow-coloured jerseys.  This has gone on for several years.

Well last year one player refused to wear the jersey saying it conflicted with his religious beliefs.  He was Russian.  After that a handful of other players also refused to wear Pride jerseys - mostly Russians but also some Canadians.

So the league banned players wearing fancy jerseys altogether during warm up.  Which seems like overkill to me, but they didn't want the bad publicity.  This was announced in the off-season.

As we get close to the somehow the issue of stick tape comes up.  In particular - rainbow coloured stick tape, which could be seen as showing support for Pride and gay rights.  So the league bans coloured tape.

Multiple players speak out against this - saying they should be allowed to show support that way.

So last night NHLer Travis Dermott comes out with some multi-coloured pride tape on his stick.  And the NHL - completely folds.  They realize how bad it would look to punish Dermott for having some multi-coloured tape on his stick, so they rescind the policy completely.

It was all so completely predictable.  Did the league not expect players to try and stick it to the league by supporting gay rights?

[Grey Fox]

The conspiracist in me thinks that was the plan all along. Make it a player vs player issue instead of a Team vs Player issue like the jerseys are and let the PA handle it.

[viper37]

Decided to visit my friend yesterday night. Obviously, Saturday night, the Habs are playing.

Winnippeg is winning 3-1 in the 2nd tier. Can't be a bad game, now can't it?

That curse is following me.  Every time I sit down with that friend to watch a game, the Habs win.

Stupid Canadiens had to tie the game in the 3rd and win in the shootout.  BB, I am extremely disappointed in your team.  Why is it they always lose against the Habs??   Dammit.  Can't trust any team from Canada to do right by me.  No Stanley Cup, no victory against the forces of Evil.

[Grey Fox]

 

[Valmy]

no victory against the forces of Evil.

Gary Bettman?

[viper37]

no victory against the forces of Evil.

Gary Bettman?

The smaller evil. 

[Grey Fox]

Viper expresses the smugness of someone wearing a Charlton Athletic kit walking around Old Trafford* but in the end it doesn't matter, he doesn't have a team. For 29 years now.

*Thank Jeremy Clarkson for that timeless analogy.

[HVC]

Damn, 29 years already.

Can I still hate them? I still have a team. I mean it's a cursed team, but still a team.