Doc Holiday 0 Report post Posted August 16, 2009 Lilja DID challenge Weber to that fight because Detroit were losing. He admitted that in one of his interviews about his concussion. Lilja, a non-fighter, shouldnt have had to have been the one to say "enough is enough." But Lilja has done so, with enforcers IN the lineup. Having an "enforcer" doesn't mean that players who are not in that role won't fight. Take Igor Larionov for example. Even Thomas Holmstrom has scrapped with a player despite having numerous "tough guys" in the lineup. If Downey was on the bench, I would still have been fine with Lilja fighting Weber. The end result was a freak accident. It happens. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newfy 695 Report post Posted August 16, 2009 But Lilja has done so, with enforcers IN the lineup. Having an "enforcer" doesn't mean that players who are not in that role won't fight. Take Igor Larionov for example. Even Thomas Holmstrom has scrapped with a player despite having numerous "tough guys" in the lineup. If Downey was on the bench, I would still have been fine with Lilja fighting Weber. The end result was a freak accident. It happens. Lilja isn't the type that goes out looking for fights though. He defends himself which I am completely fine with but with an enforcer in the lineup he wouldn't have been the one out there doing that to Weber instead of Lilja trying to get something going because they were losing. People will fight without an enforcer in the lineup yes. With an enforcer in the lineup you have someone who can actually fight well and do the dirty work when youre losing big time instead of Lilja. And do you remember 2008 when Mclaren smacked Z in the face with his stick? or maybe he got ran into the glass, I forget because 2 things happened around that time. Downey went out there, kicked Mclarens ass and we didn't hear anythingm from him the rest of the season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doc Holiday 0 Report post Posted August 16, 2009 (edited) Lilja isn't the type that goes out looking for fights though. He defends himself which I am completely fine with but with an enforcer in the lineup he wouldn't have been the one out there doing that to Weber instead of Lilja trying to get something going because they were losing. People will fight without an enforcer in the lineup yes. With an enforcer in the lineup you have someone who can actually fight well and do the dirty work when youre losing big time instead of Lilja. And do you remember 2008 when Mclaren smacked Z in the face with his stick? or maybe he got ran into the glass, I forget because 2 things happened around that time. Downey went out there, kicked Mclarens ass and we didn't hear anythingm from him the rest of the season. Lilja has purposely gone after Phaneuf before, with Dallas Drake on the ice. Lilja is not an "enforcer" type, but he is a player willing to drop the gloves, regardless of an enforcer. And it doesn't surprise me we didn't hear anything from Mclaren, considering there aren't too many instances where Detroit players get run at or f***ed with. Is it just me or have Detroit players been getting run more when there IS an enforcer on the ice? I mean I can think of three instances in 2007-2008 where Detroit players were run WITH an enforcer in the lineup. But this detracts from the real issue. We don't have Grier, and it really is too bad because I would love to have a hard working guy like Grier in the lineup and would not argue with adding toughness to the lineup for any reason. However I don't think not getting Grier will hamper Detroit's progress in the regular season or post-season, and I do not think Detroit players will be fodder to getting continuously run at by the "tougher" teams' players. Time will tell, however. Edited August 16, 2009 by Doc Holiday Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_redwing 495 Report post Posted August 16, 2009 Lilja has purposely gone after Phaneuf before, with Dallas Drake on the ice. Dallas Drake complete with a FULL SHIELD and healing jaw. Drake was in no position to fight at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted August 16, 2009 All you nonbelievers make me angrier than Moses was when he destroyed the Ten Commandments. Have you forgotten what Lilja did to Souray, Boll, Phaneuf, Begin, Neil and Sharp? You should all be ashamed of yourselves for your lack of faith. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doc Holiday 0 Report post Posted August 16, 2009 Dallas Drake complete with a FULL SHIELD and healing jaw. Drake was in no position to fight at all. My point was Lilja has fought with both an enforcer being on the ice and in the lineup (Downey was on the bench). Just like he did with the majority of his fights. My point stands. But this detracts from the real issue. We don't have Grier, and it really is too bad because I would love to have a hard working guy like Grier in the lineup and would not argue with adding toughness to the lineup for any reason. However I don't think not getting Grier will hamper Detroit's progress in the regular season or post-season, and I do not think Detroit players will be fodder to getting continuously run at by the "tougher" teams' players. Time will tell, however. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
