old time hockey

I have not seen all the footage--didn't see the check from behind that he was retaliating (no cable, sorry . . .), just the aftermath . . .
Kind of funny--the 4-year-old (Little E) just started taking ice skating lessons--
Chris is a distant cousin of my wife's . . .

The NHL has had a number of rule changes since the lock-out . . .
they have been trying to limit the fighting—and to speed the game up a bit. The new rules also favor the scorers, resulting in higher scores, or at least that was the intent.
Chris didn't get in trouble for fighting--he took a swing at another guy's face . . .with his hockey stick...it looked like he was playing t-ball with the dude's head . . . someone told me it looked more like a bunt.
Chris is Ojibwe from Wikwemikong Reserve on Manitoulin Island in Ontario . . .
his dad is a famous artist in the First Nations community--
I'm a big fan of his father's work . . . he's got a studio on the reservation, overlooking the bay and the North Channel--beautiful spot . . .

Chris, as a person, is a certain way—he’s a good guy, has always been active with the Native community (hockey camps, etc . . . ) but he's expected to be an enforcer . . . or at least was--this is his sixth suspension--in terms of games, its the leagues longest (if you don't count the McSorley suspension during the lock-out).
For every Chris there's a thousand other kids who didn't make it to the NHL . . . but could have--but they couldn't overcome their demons for whatever reason . . . the whole thing's got me a little bummed. . . they have a little in-house league back in Wiky--they usually field something like 8-10 teams and half the teams are chock full of ex-college, ex-junior, ex-minor-league players . . . so its not just about Chris, and I'm sure he knows that . . .
I still can't believe the Wings picked up Bertuzzi . . . but Gary Bettman, a.k.a. Captain NBA (current NHL comish, formerly the NBA commish) has really messed with the game--he wants to make it Euro-style. . . I miss the old days . . . old-time hockey!!!

SLAPSHOT--Best hockey movie ever!!
and the Hanson brothers remind me of buffer Joey Ramones . . .
I think a couple of the wife's cousins played in the East Coast league--
pretty rinky-dink back in the 80's . . .