Bring Back The Bruise Bros

If Abdelkader did that to Claude Lemieux, i would still say the gesture was over the top. Just embarrassing.

I blame Kirk Maltby for all this.

I still think an official fighting/enforcer thread would work, so we don't have this s*** in every thread.

Both teams played a great game. Petr Sykora created a lot of scoring chances for NJ. He and Elias don't look like they've lost a bit of chemistry since Sykora was last in New Jersey. Surprisingly, their fourth line of Cam Janssen-Rod Pelley-Brad Mills played acceptionally well. Brodeur should be alright, as he was on the bench after Hedberg took over in goal.

Huge win tonight. Good night in Detroit for sports. Tigers win in front of a sellout crowd and the Wings win in front of a sellout crowd.

That gesture after the end of the fight was not Arron Asham. Good to see he recognized he made an ass out of himself, and apologized for it, cause that was over the top.

We should make an official fight thread, to avoid making one for each notable fight. Good to see Abby playing gritty and contributing offensively.

3rd line of Abdelkader-Helm-Bertuzzi looked solid again. Good to see Abby go after Yapierre. I wasn't awful impressed with the officiating tonight. Both calls against Bertuzzi were horses***. The tripping call Ballard got for the hipcheck on Zetterberg was bogus, as well. The powerplay continued to slump, but at least we're playing decent at even strength. Pavs looked lively out there. Threw a solid hit or two. Howard played solid. We're looking good early on this season.

Hockeyfights.com, a paradise for enforcer-slappies like myself, is reporting the NHL saw 72 fights (Fight is characterized by an altercation in which at least 1 of the 2 players gets a fighting major) in 108 pre-season games, the lowest in over a decade. According to the site: *The 2010-2011 pre-season saw 115 fights in 106 games. *The 2009-2010 pre-season saw 164 fights in 109 games. * The 2008-2009 pre-season saw 151 fights in 111 games. Are we seeing the effects of the deaths of Boogaard, Rypien, and Belak over the summer? Are guys more cautious about fighting? Or could it be the suspensions of a lot of "enforcers" like Shelley, Leblond, and Staubitz in the pre-season that dropped the numbers so significantly? Will these numbers translate into the regular season?

Anger management. Oh s***. I see what you did there.

Guess not. Nashville has a plethora of forwards, wonder if McGrattan will get time on the 4th line.

I thought they had too many forwards, or were against the cap, or something? Edit: Nystrom to Dallas for future considerations. Dallas assigns Tomas Vincour to Dallas' AHL affiliate, so Nystrom can fill a 4th line position.

Stortini clears waivers, off to Milwaukee.

Nystrom has cleared re-entry waivers, so expect the Wild to make some sort of move. Montreal could use a 4th line center. I watched Derek Dorsett play in Syracuse when the Crunch were affiliated with the Blue Jackets, and i'm telling you guys, he's got some offensive upside. He can play 3rd line minutes, and he's afraid of nobody. Put him on a line with Abdelkader and Helm/Eaves, he'll put up 25 points, and add that gritty presence to the lineup. As far as McGrattan, I watched him play last year, and he turned out to be a pleasant surprise for the Crunch. Scored 10 points in 20 games with Syracuse last year, and improved his skating a bit. I realize AHL stats don't directly translate to the NHL, but he looked a lot quicker last year. I know many will disagree with this, but i'd love to have McGrattan as a 13th forward for when we play Anaheim and other more physical teams. Obviously, i'd take Dorsett first, because he's more versatile, and we could play him on the 3rd/4th line in the playoffs, as well.

Fabian Brunnstrom- One year deal with Detroit. He is really making some noise around here and will force the coaching staff (and possibly Mr. Holland) to make some tough decisions. Ryan Johnson- Released by Detroit. I thought he played decent, and could have served as a solid extra forward. Hopefully he is able to continue his career elsewhere. Trent Hunter-One year deal with Los Angeles. He's played decent in preseason. Could have several roles with Los Angeles, both bottom 6 and top 6. Todd Fedoruk- Released by Vancouver. I was really pulling for him to get a spot with the Canucks, but he was ultimately beat out by a younger Aaron Volpatti. That may spell the end of Fedoruk's career. Owen Nolan- Released by Vancouver. Played through a groin injury for part of the preseason, but failed to make the cut. Steve Bernier- Reportedly released by New Jersey. Did not look good in the defensive zone, most notably. Troy Bodie- Released by Winnipeg, but he eventually found a place to play this year by signing a one-year, two-way deal with Anaheim. The Ducks have placed him on waivers with the intentions of him starting the year with their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. He will have to work his way back into the Ducks system. Likely a depth move by Anaheim, because Brian McGrattan was claimed off waivers by Nashville. Bodie is relatively versatile, and not afraid to drop the gloves. David Koci- Released by Winnipeg. His NHL days may be over. Steve Staios- One year deal with the Islanders. Adds some veteran presence to an otherwise young team. Ray Emery- One year deal with Chicago. He's a gamble, no doubt. But for $600k, they must feel its a risk they can afford to take. Chris Clark- Released by Boston. Appeared to be the top candidate for the vacant 4th line spot in Boston. Bruins decided to go with younger Jordan Caron. Michael Nylander- Released by Philadelphia. Clearly not up to speed. Could be forced to retire. Adam Mair- Released by Philadelphia. Although he serves as a veteran presence, the Flyers felt they can do better with the younger guys they've got, possibly Zac Rinaldo could become a regular on the Flyers' 4th line. Brad Winchester- One year deal with San Jose. Adds some size and scrappiness to a roster that saw the departures of Ben Eager and Jamal Mayers over the summer. Petr Sykora- One year deal with New Jersey. It seemed unlikely at first, but he seems to have impressed the Devils coaching staff. I think loyalty is a factor, in this situation. Anton Stralman- Still in the running for a spot on the Devils blueline. Jay Pandolfo- One year deal with the Islanders. A defensively responsible forward with Stanley Cup rings. I think he could be waived if he doesn't impress during the regular season. This move could push Trevor Gillies and Michael Haley to the extra forward positions. Stephane Veilleux- Placed on waivers by New Jersey. Didn't seem to impress in preseason with his lack of discipline. Joined by him on the waiver wire are Rod Pelley and Vladimir Zharkov, who both spent time with the Devils last year. I believe Cam Janssen could stick with the big club as an extra forward. i don't believe he has been waived yet. Manny Legace- Released by Vancouver. Reportedly in camp with Florida's AHL affiliate in San Antonio. As more news pops up, i will continue to update.

Bodie signs one-year deal with Anaheim.

Classy move by the Wings, in my opinion. Professional sports teams should work together like this more often to accommodate the fans of the city. Many Wings fans are Tigers fans, like myself. Big fan of this move

Predators claim McGrattan off waivers, waive huggy bear Stortini Doesn't appear David Poile was impressed with Stortini against St. Louis the other night. I'm really hoping McGrattan gets some games in with them. Their roster is packed, but it appears Poile finds value in an enforcer, seeing as he acquired Wade Belak from Florida a few years back.

YEAH THAT HIT RIGHT THERE PROVES HOCKEY IS STILL A HARD-HITTING GAME!! Dips*** Pierre. Edit: Jollymania, I miss your big hit threads titled "(insert name) plasters (Insert name)" or "(insert name) gets hammered by (insert name)"

Don Cherry mentioned the GMs speaking out against the suspensions. A double minor for high-sticking would've been enough, hasn't that been the rule for a few years now? Blood drawn=double minor.

Remember Morrow's 4-OT goal in '08 against San Jose? The place was really rockin' back then.

It'll really be dead here tomorrow night.

Tonight's attendance at Nationwide Arena for the Canucks/ Blue Jackets contest: 9,187

After taking so much s*** from classmates, co-workers, and family all these years, I am finally able to give it back. And i'm not being nice about it. 5-0 for the first time since 1956. How bout them Detroit ******* Lions.

As Puckloo mentioned, a lot of the recognizable names in Dallas are gone. Mike Modano, Sergei Zubov, Jere Lehtinen, and Marty Turco were the more popular guys among the fans. Sort of similar to our situation in the first couple years after the lockout. Our fan-favorites (Yzerman, Shanahan) parted ways with the team, and the interest went down a bit. Difference between their situation and ours: We remained competitive.