"You Can't Do That"

Hellllooooooo my friends! I'm sorry I've been MIA, it's been crazy busy in Caitlin town. So I know you are all busy rooting for the Sox and waiting to see who will get hurt next for the Pats, but let's talk about my boys for a few. 7 wins and 3 loses so far in the month of October. Not too shabby. They play the Penguins on Wednesday at 8:00pm. (excuse me while I relive the sweet sweet sweep)

Anyhoo what I really want to talk about is the hit on Loui Eriksson.

I'm still not sure how I feel about Loui yet, but no deserves that! C'mon Scott I used to like you! You used to be a goofy, airfreshener loving Blackhawk, what happened to you? Oh wait, that's right you got traded and ended up in BufaLOL. Hits to the head are getting out of control now in the NHL.

Rule 48 - Illegal Check to the Head

48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.

Scott clearly leads with his elbow. He got a match penalty and was ejected from the game. I realize he is much taller than Eriksson, but he's not stupid. He is targeting the head and it is blatantly obvious. If you try and say that was a legal check, save your breath because you're argument is invalid and I will never accept that. John Scott reportedly texted Eriksson that night apologizing and said he was "sick to his stomach" about the hit. Scott has been indefinitely suspended from the NHL pending his in-person hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Thursday. 
Many people are voicing their opinions on the hit. 

• “Now here’s a story. He sits there for 55 minutes. He’s put on the ice. He’s got to do something. He’s got to do something or he’s going to be gone. … It’s so unfair,” --Don Cherry.
• “The guy who did it did his job tonight,” Claude Julien told reporters after the game. “He's out there for two reasons -- that's either to fight or to hurt. He did his job tonight.”
• “This guy is a predator,” Milbury said after the game. “He was put out there to seek and destroy, and in this case, with his team down two goals [Boston led 4-2 at the time], he destroyed a pretty good player well after he’d released the puck. He was looking for trouble; he’s been looking for trouble every shift he’s been on the ice because he can’t do much of anything else."

I'm not one of those people that wants to do away with hitting in hockey all together because I believe that would ruin the game, but something needs to be done about all the head shots. One of my all time favorite players career was cut short after a terrible hit to the head and if this continues he won't be the last. There needs to a mutual respect across the league between the players. I know tensions are high during games, but that his no excuse to go out and elbow a player in the head. I get it Scott is an enforcer. Well guess what, wiki says, "an enforcer's job is to deter and respond to dirty or violent play by the opposition. When such play occurs, the enforcer is expected to respond aggressively, by fighting or checking the offender. Enforcers are expected to react particularly harshly to violence against star players or goalies." From my knowledge the Bruins had not made a 'dirty or violent play' that would cause such retaliation. Adam McQuaid played the role of an enforcer in the right way. After the harsh hit McQuaid fought Scott(not his best fight but pish posh), but I digress. 

I think Scott should get a lengthy suspension and the league or the teams should threaten to cut loose next offender. There needs to be harsher punishments for this because suspensions clearly are not working. One possible punishment I've heard thrown out there is that the player that through the check should be suspended until the injured player returns. Either way these players need to clip their elbows and keep it body checks. 

I'm sorry again for not writing recently, I'll try and do better, but I can't make any promises!

The New Guys

So there have been many trades during the off-season this year. The Bruins traded some big names like Tyler Seguin, Nathan Horton, Rich Peverley, Andrew Ference, and backup goalie Anton Khudobin, but picked up some new guys like Loui Eriksson, Jarome Iginla, and Chad Johnson. Here is the low down on the fresh faces of the Boston Bruins.

Loui Eriksson was acquired from the Dallas Stars during the Seguin trade. 28-year-old Eriksson had 12 goals and 17 assists in 48 games last season for the Stars. The Sweden born player was drafted 33rd overall to the Dallas Stars in 2003 and played in the 2011 NHL All Star game. He played for the Swedish Hockey League and the American Hockey League before making his NHL debut, October 4, 2006, against the Colorado Avalanche. He was a force to be reckoned with on the Star's offense. Coming to Boston there will be a lot expected from him. Pressures on Eriksson, don't let Boston down.

36-year-old Jarome Iginla from Edmonton, Canada was on the Calgary Flames for 16 seasons. After playing most of his career with the same team and no real shot at winning the hockey holy grail on the horizon he decided to take a look at other teams. Last season the media was reporting that a deal between Iginla and Boston was imminent. At the last moment Iginla signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, believing he would have a better chance to win the Stanley Cup with the leagues all-star team. Boston fans were disappointed to say the least, but got their revenge when the Bruins swept the Penguins in third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. After seeing how the Bruins played in the playoffs now Iginla wants to come to Boston? I don't like being anyone's second choice. I had so much respect for him before the whole Pittsburgh deal. Iginla was an exemplary player; he was a scorer who wasn't afraid to drop the mitts for his team and a gracious leader on and off the ice. He was an all around class act. Then he went to the Penguins and his talent was canceled out by Queen Crosby and his minions. Iginla can be a great player and I think Boston is a good fit for him, I just wish we were his first choice. C'est la vie, what's done is done and he is a Bruin now, but in my eyes he still has to earn his glory back. 

Chad Johnson, (and no not the Ochocinco guy), has only played three years in the NHL. Two years for the NY Rangers and one year for the Phoenix Coyotes. Having only played ten games in the NHL, Johnson still has to find his big boy pads. In ten games he has a save percentage of .929. The Calgary native was drafted 125th overall in the 2006. The 27 year old made his NHL debut December 30, 2009, against the Philadelphia Flyers when Lundquist was pulled after the first period. He had 17 saves on 20 shots. In his first career start he lost 2-1 in overtime to the Atlanta Thrashers. Maybe he just needs more game time to boost his confidence or Thomas and Rask have just spoiled me. Johnson is going to have to majorly step up his game if he wants to be backup for Tuukka Rask.