Monday, March 26, 2012

A Memorable Day...

... for Wings fans.


From FoxDetroit:
(WJBK) - Fifteen years ago today, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-5 in what was one of the most memorable games in team history.
The fight between Darren McCarty and Claude Lemieux still fires up fans. It also helped the Red Wings turn the corner and launch their dynasty, winning the first of four Stanley Cups in 15 years.
The Red Wings of this season have struggled of late, but with some players back from injuries, they're hoping to change their fortunes.
I SO remember that game... and like the article sez, it marked the point where the current Wings dynasty began.  That, and the fact that Darren McCarty kicked the hell outta Claude Lemieux.  No one in hockey... at that time... deserved it more.  Highlights:


That was the BEST gotdamned brawl of the modern era, bar none.

15 comments:

  1. My nephew ...and buddy ...noted that on a Facebook post. His words are, "Fifteen years ago tonight... McCarty created a turtle out of Lemieux."

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    1. Your nephew nailed it, Skip.

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    2. He was a very impressionable nine-year-old at the time

      That obviously had been building for quite some time

      Quite remarkable how each player had chosen his respective opponent when the ship hit the sand

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    3. In re: Choosing one's opponent... Here's some additional irony: Number 14 (Brendan Shanahan) is the guy who went after Roy, the Avs goalie. He's now the NHL's vice-president of player safety, whose principal job is handing out fines and suspensions for players who deliver dirty hits and other rules infractions.

      As for building a long time... yeah. Nearly a year.

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  2. Watching two goalies fight at center ice is sorta like watching some kind of weird ultra-violent sumo.

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    1. Sumo's pretty violent in and of itself. But I see the parallels.

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  3. #10,387 of things I’ll never understand - fighting in hockey. It’s like going out to dinner and ordering lobster and being brought chicken and the waiter can’t figure out why you have a problem with that. I came to watch hockey, I have no idea what this has to do with that.

    An FYI, I’ll watch and love UFC and hockey in general, especially international and college (of which I watched plenty of over the weekend.)

    Ah yes, tradition. Like polio and racism and being ruled by Britain…etc.

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    1. Ah yes, tradition. Like polio and racism and being ruled by Britain…etc.

      Or Mom, apple pie, and Chevrolet. In the eye o' the beholder, etc.

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    2. Correct me of I’m wrong but didn’t that the popularity of hockey increase soon after fighting was penalized heavier? Eye of the beholder for sure.

      Also, I’m thinking the Wings dynasty had something to do with wining games, that being scoring more goals than their opponents…I mean, there is no scoring for fighting…

      Again, I’ll watch two guys bash their brains in via boxing or UFC, etc. but I just don’t get wanting to watch hockey players go at it. It has zero to do with the game and I just don’t get the point.

      I get the physical aspect, I played plenty of sports that involved that - football, lacrosse and even soccer. If someone gets cheap there’s plenty of opportunity to get “even” without taking swings. It would seem to be the failings of a player’s ability to master the game rather than being a “good” hockey player that leads one to fisticuffs.

      I don’t recall the great ones, Gretzky, Howe, Lemieux, etc. being fighters. So which is it, fighting or scoring being the mark of a master?

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    3. Correct me of I’m wrong but didn’t that the popularity of hockey increase soon after fighting was penalized heavier? Eye of the beholder for sure.

      I don't think penalizing fighting "heavier" had anything to do with the game's popularity, but I'm willing to entertain any evidence you have to the contrary. Attendance and sales of paraphernalia have been up since the lock-out but I think that has more to do with expansion and marketing than implementing the instigator rule.

      Also, I’m thinking the Wings dynasty had something to do with wining games, that being scoring more goals than their opponents…I mean, there is no scoring for fighting…

      Again, I’ll watch two guys bash their brains in via boxing or UFC, etc. but I just don’t get wanting to watch hockey players go at it. It has zero to do with the game and I just don’t get the point.



      True for the first; the point of fighting is to protect your stars and keep the opposition honest. Hockey is prolly the ONLY sport left where there's a code. NO ONE ran Gretzky or Lemieux back in the day... the Oilers and the Flightless Birds had some pretty heavy-duty enforcers that would take exception to that sorta stuff. SERIOUS exception.

      It would seem to be the failings of a player’s ability to master the game rather than being a “good” hockey player that leads one to fisticuffs.

      Fights almost always happen when a player throws and elbow or takes a cheap shot, e.g., a hit from behind. And then there's payback, of course. You'll note in the video I posted the whole thing began when Forsberg smacked Larionov... and Igor took exception to being punched. Neither of those guys could be accused of "not mastering the game."

      I don’t recall the great ones, Gretzky, Howe, Lemieux, etc. being fighters. So which is it, fighting or scoring being the mark of a master?

      Right about 99 and 66, WRONG about Howe. How do ya think the "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" got its name? Some of the greatest names in hockey also had reputations as being scrappers; see Orr, Lindsay, and Rocket Richard, just to name three legends. Hockey has many areas in which a player can excel, like scoring, defense, playmaking, and yes... fighting. It's just part of the NHL game, tim... like it or not.

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  4. Them was great hockey days.

    One of those interesting notes: Gordie Howe only had one Gordie Howe hat trick.

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    1. Just checked myself - he had 2.

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    2. Great days, indeed. Let's hope the rivalry regains its former status, eh?

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  5. What a brawl. I enjoyed watching it and reading your post as well as the back and forth in the comments. I would differ with you in one statement regarding hockey being the only sport left with a "code." I'm pretty sure Major League Baseball still has a code, especially regarding such things a pitchers hitting batters. If it's a deliberate hit (which is subjective I know), sometime during the game or even the next day the opposing pitcher will hit a player on the other team. Sometimes this leads to a brawl or a brouhaha.

    Returning to hockey, Tennessean columnist Climer said in a recent article that your favorite Predator, Radulov, not Peyton Manning would be more likely to deliver a title to Nashville. Climer's written 2 articles about that possibility. So far Radulov has 1 goal and 2 assists.

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    1. You're right about baseball's code (of course!)... I didn't think that one completely through, did I?

      It's too bad your Preds will go out in the first round this year; they really deserve to go further but it's just NOT gonna happen. ;-)

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.