Happy Valentine's Day everybody!
If you need some tips on how to celebrate Valentine's Day check out these videos featuring the University of Michigan's Louie Caporusso and Lee Moffie:
There was no love in the NHL this weekend as the Islanders-Penguins game from Friday got really ugly... and I mean REALLY UGLY! There were 346 penalty minutes between the two teams. Check out the game summary and explanation on SB Nation.com. This video has all the fights and more. It's 17 minutes long, but it's worth it:
Also, I just want to say that after watching this BS I'm seriously contemplating on whether I should keep supporting the Islanders. The front office is a joke, it has the worst rink in the league, and now this fiasco. Martin's assault on Talbot is criminal and if things went the way he planned Talbot could have been seriously hurt. I'm not anti-fighting whatsoever, but this game was pathetic.
In another NHL video, a marriage proposal at a Rangers game last Valentine's Day goes wrong:
Hey Dan, I'm a big Islanders fan too, but I saw it differently. Kind of like this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lighthousehockey.com/2011/2/14/1993481/revenge-is-dish-served-ice-cold-with-a-side-of-hypocrisy
Martin's hit on Talbot was brutal, but he turtled. Martin's going to serve his suspension. This was no Bertuzzi-Moore incident. What's ridiculous is that guys like Matt Cooke can keep playing in this league despite going out there with an intention to injure every game. He ended Marc Savard's career.
(See here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv0cOcJXFv4 and here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z1vJrIAg-0&feature=related . There's a bunch of others.)
He's a headhunter. Martin's a tough kid, but there's no evidence to suggest that he's a goon. He's just a part of a team that finally put its foot down.
Also, there seems to be a definite double standard in the NHL: teams like the Penguins (posterboys for the "new game") can get away with most anything, while the second rate Islanders get skewered. Don't feel ashamed of your team. Be proud of your boys. There's good times coming on the Island...I hope.
Also, if you haven't heard Howie Rose's take on it, it's a good listen.
http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2011/2/15/1993137/howie-roses-wfan-interview-plus-thoughts-on-isles-pens-mess
Thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteI guess I was just blowing off 21 years of frustration as an Isles fan. I haven't had a chance to do that, but I will never turn my back on the Islanders. I mean, I'm still a Mets, Jets, and Nets fan as well. A part of this whole frustration also has to do with my tremendous dislike of Rick DiPietro.
I don't mind Martin going after Talbot, but don't agree with the way he went about. If you're going to make a point to a guy you should do it to his face, not from behind. If Talbot didn't catch Martin out of the corner of his eye it probably would've been worse.
I definitely agree with you that Matt Cooke is a dirty player. I hate players like him. But, from my perspective when looking at his incident with DiPi it looks that DiPi hit him. It seems that he stuck out his arm a little bit to make contact with Cooke.
I was also upset with Gillies actions. He fought a guy that was hurt on the play and then taunted him while he was down. I am totally against players that are paid to just fight.
When looking back on the game I'm more proud that the Isles won 9-3 and took a 6-0 lead. I understand that some of the physicality was necessary, but I think it was excessive. The best way to gain respect is by winning games, which is something the Isles have been doing lately.
I enjoy watching guys like Tavares, Moulson (former ECAC guy), Parenteau, Grabner and I do think things are going to be better on the Island.
I like your post about the game. Thanks for the link.
I'm in the same boat: I'm a Jets-Mets-Islanders die hard. And for the first time in a while (maybe since Dubie's poke-check, or even during the 01-02 playoffs), I felt proud to be an Islanders fan. I don't want to give Gillies or Martin a free pass either, but theat's what their suspensions are for.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me is that the Islanders were fined 100K and the Penguins got no fines, no slap on the wrist. Nothing. And then Mario has the gall to come out and criticize this type of play when he employs the likes of Talbot and Cooke? Hypocritical at best. Also, lest we forget Mario's reputation as a dirty player at the beginning of his career...
Either way, though, I'm still on the fence about DiPi. He's clearly (or was) an excellent athlete, and his struggles to stay on the ice were unforeseen when Milbury ran the Islanders through (for the last time, thankfully) when he inked him to the 15 year deal. I wonder how much vitriol is generated toward Ricky because of the contract? But you're right. Give me a goalie with less raw talent than DiPietro but with quiet confidence (Dwayne Roloson, anyone?). DiPietro has been far too prone to flaunt his now diminishing gifts. That gets him in trouble. I love fire in a player as much as the next hockey fan, but not when it comes across as that unenviable quality of cockiness.