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Puck Daddy - NHL

Puck Daddy

Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:11 am EDT

Never play tug-of-war with a Bruins fan through the glass

By Greg Wyshynski

After the Boston Bruins' fourth goal tonight in their 4-2 Game One win against the Montreal Canadiens, a silly little scrum occurred with Maxim Lapierre bumping into Phil Kessel as he celebrated. (Was that "message sending," which is now a suspension-level offense in the NHL?) During the tussle, Alexei Kovalev participated in some intriguing fan interaction. From the AP:

Montreal Canadiens right wing Alexei Kovalev (27) and a Boston Bruins fan battle over possession of Kovalev's stick, which popped through a photographer's shooting hole in the glass, during the closing minute against the Boston Bruins in a first-round NHL hockey playoff game Thursday, April 16, 2009, in Boston. The Bruins beat the Canadiens 4-2. The stick broke, with both men ending up with part of it. 

Yeah, but whose wish comes true? And more importantly, did Kovalev eventually give that dude on the left a fist bump or what?

Thanks to Puck Buddy Brad S. for the tip; if anyone comes across a clip, hit us on e-mail and we'll add it. (UPDATE: Video here, thanks to Puck Buddy Kevin; you can see a glimpse of it at the 20-second mark.)

A couple of thoughts on the early games:

• Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski were held off the scoring sheet ... and the Detroit Red Wings still put four on the board against Steve Mason and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Thirteen saves from Chris Osgood in the first period probably quieted a few critics for the moment.

• Martin Havlat's going to get the ink tomorrow morning, but the story of the night for the Chicago Blackhawks' win was Jonathan Toews. He had the primary assist on Cam Barker's goal, played aggressive hockey all night and won 10 of 14 faceoffs -- including seven of nine (as opposed to Seven of Nine) against faceoff ace Craig Conroy. There wasn't a ton of anticipatory buzz about Toews heading into the postseason; he's on the radar now.

• Finally, a big thanks to everyone who read and participated in the first-round preview coverage here on Puck Daddy; and a tap of the stick to both B.D. Gallof and Steve Dangle for adding their particular brands of whimsy to the proceedings. If you missed any of them, here they be:

Puck Daddy's 2009 Stanley Cup playoff staff prognostications

Series Preview: Boston Bruins (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
Series Preview: Washington Capitals (2) vs. New York Rangers (7)
Series Preview: New Jersey Devils (3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6)
Series Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)

Series Preview: San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)
Series Preview: Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7)
Series Preview: Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. St. Louis Blues (6)
Series Preview: Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs. Calgary Flames (5)

Related: Stanley Cup Playoffs

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177 Comments

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  1. Ali G
    1. Posted by Ali G Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:47 pm EDT

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    thats hilarious
  2. habs1rule
    2. Posted by habs1rule Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

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    Bob Gainey, the three players you depend on most in your delusional mind..Kovalev-1 shot...Koivu-1 shot... Plekanec-0 shots...were next to invisible..just like you will be soon. Montreals all time worst GM hands down.
  3. Wyshynski
    3. Posted by Wyshynski Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:21 pm EDT

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    @ Bill B --
    Oh, I agree. But I'm just trying to figure out how far the NHL is going to take this fun new rule in the playoffs.
  4. Nick P
    4. Posted by Nick P Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:39 pm EDT

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    Thank you Bob Gainey for playing Laroque as much as you did. Having to play against a forward whose skill level is ECHL-esque made this win a lot easier than it would have been had you dressed a hockey player in his place.
    Most obliged.
  5. CUP#12
    5. Posted by CUP#12 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:40 pm EDT

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    conn-smythe watch: chris "the wizard of oz" osgood
    conn-smythe watch: johan "the mule" franzen
    conn-smythe watch: pavel "pasha" datsyuk
    conn-smythe watch: henrik "Z" zetterberg
    GOOO WINGS! HEY HEY HOCKEYTOWN! WINGS TIL DEATH!
  6. clinicallyinane
    6. Posted by clinicallyinane Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:50 pm EDT

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    habs1rule, and Nick P: Neither of you must've watched the game, as Kovalev, Koivu and Laraque (all on the same line, coincidentally) played fairly strong for their relative roles.
    Kovalev got a goal, sort of glossed over that, sort of important (up until the tie-breaker on the 4th PP for the Bruins).
    Koivu played with a ton of heart, throwing hits left and right (near the end of the game, he laid out Chara twice on one shift-- pretty sure that's a good thing).
    Laraque was strong on the puck. Obviously, he's not the best player, but that's what he's asked to do, and he did it.
  7. clinicallyinane
    7. Posted by clinicallyinane Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:50 pm EDT

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    Also: I swear, that's Claude Julien (cleverly disguised as a Bruins fan) in that tug of war.
  8. Two Dot
    8. Posted by Two Dot Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:35 pm EDT

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    Ozzie didn't have a lot of saves, but his effort in the first period was HUGE!
  9. HotStacey
    9. Posted by HotStacey Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:48 pm EDT

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    wow, not only did they lose but they got SHUT OUT IN THEIR OWN BUILDING. just goes to show all the totally worthless "experts" who really stuck their neck out(!!) by choosing the president's trophy winner (wow, you managed to pick the first place team! how'd you decide??) are total morons. ALL of them chose SJ. we win the cup and add Hossa and still get no respect....laughable.
  10. habs1rule
    10. Posted by habs1rule Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

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    Nick,, Right on dude...As for @6...Koivu hitting?? I have a sister that hits harder...Did you lose, Did you lose, Yup.
  11. habs1rule
    11. Posted by habs1rule Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

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    Sharks fans..This ones for you..DA DA DA DA...DA DA DA DA.......Habs fans...Na na na na...Na na na na!
  12. John I
    12. Posted by John I Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:35 pm EDT

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    Boston fans: setting new standards in douchebaggery every day.
  13. HotStacey
    13. Posted by HotStacey Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:48 pm EDT

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    hey habs fans.....lot harder to win a cup when you can't cheat by taking ALL of the good players for decades, huh? it's really interesting how once territorial rights ended you guys gradually went from AVERAGING ....FOUR cups a decade to...uh....not that many at all. since the league became truly competitive in the early ninties, the devils and us (wings) have dominated. oh well! have fun DEFINITELY losing this first and only round of yours......i'd get the brooms out if i were a Boston fan.
  14. CUP#12
    14. Posted by CUP#12 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:40 pm EDT

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    i cant believe the sharks went down like that! they will bounce back in game 2. maybe 1st playoff game jitters? time will tell.
    WINGS TIL DEATH!!
  15. kristin
    15. Posted by kristin Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:48 pm EDT

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    I saw Kovalev over near the scrum and wondered what he was doing so close to the action. Now I know!
  16. CUP#12
    16. Posted by CUP#12 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:40 pm EDT

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    add jiri "huds" hudler to that conn-smythe watch! the 3rd line really rocked it!
  17. Otto
    17. Posted by Otto Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:46 pm EDT

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    Hossa, you should really be more informed. You really don't have a clue as to what those "territorial rights" meant do you?
    Here's something you should read: http://www.liam.ca/ed20040319.html
  18. Anthrax Jones
    18. Posted by Anthrax Jones Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    @ Otto
    Don't bother trying to get Red Wings fans to read anything. The only reason they're able to function in the commenting section is 90% of everybody else speaks caveman too.
    The "territorial rights" argument is something that only popped up recently, as Detroit fans needed to massage their already overinflated egos even more by pretending they're on the same level as (or even higher than) the Canadiens, when the truth is, they'll never have the success (or class) the Habs do. So, they'll continue spewing their misinformation about "territorial rights", all the while ignoring that James Norris had controlling interests in both the Blackhawks and Rangers for years, effectively rendering them as de facto minor league teams for his Red Wings. Somehow, that's different. ;-)
  19. CUP#12
    19. Posted by CUP#12 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:40 pm EDT

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    yeah that article talks says something wonderful. it says that the habs OWNED ENTIRE LEAGUES not just the drafts rights! makes the point even better! lmaooo nice try otto, gotta love revisionist history!
    ..."in some instances they purchased the rights to an entire league to get a certain player." says it all.
    WINGS TIL DEATH!!
  20. clinicallyinane
    20. Posted by clinicallyinane Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:50 pm EDT

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    Prior to the draft, that was sort of what teams did, buying teams and signing kids. With the territorial rights, however? It never helped much, considering the players it provided (or didn't, considering how there were many years where the team declined the rights).
    Take a good gander: http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2007/06/debunking-french-canadien-territorial.html
    Last comment brings up a good question, though, how many players can YOU name that were acquired through said rights?
  21. Fox
    21. Posted by Fox Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:24 pm EDT

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    @Cup12: All six teams were allowed to buy up whole leagues, and my recollection is that the Leafs were no slouches in that area; carp about it if you like, but it was something teams with money could do, not a Habs-only rule, which was the Territorial Rights argument. And, go rent Net Worth and watch it. Easy for you to pick James Norris over the Habs (@Otto, don't forget effectively owning a piece of the mortgage on the Bruins' building); might be harder for you to pick him over Ted Lindsay. I'm going with Lindsay, myself.
    @Habs1rule: thanks for the pole dance, I can tell you've had years and years of experience. ::tosses loonie::
    Hiller had it going tonight; you'll hear some crossbar and post talk from some other Sharks fans maybe, but I think the Sharks played that one about how they wanted, but the Ducks did as well, and did it a little better.
  22. CUP#12
    22. Posted by CUP#12 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:40 pm EDT

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    @fox are you yahoo sports jim fox? ill check out the movie. thanks. who had money and was closer and thereby had more access to those leagues?
    WINGS TIL DEATH!!
  23. Fox
    23. Posted by Fox Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:24 pm EDT

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    @Cup12: Hah, nope; I'm just some guy yapping his opinions on a blog, as far as the sports scene goes. If I were, chances are I'd have a stylin' "yahoo blogger" address, a couple tickets, and a job somewhere where bailing out two hours early because my team has a playoff game in the eastern time zone would be totally acceptable.
  24. Jacobi
    24. Posted by Jacobi Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:20 pm EDT

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    that Warrior Dolemite one-piece is worth more than the car that they gave Matt Damon in "Good Will Hunting". i don't blame him for hanging on for dear life. Southies can't count high enough to know how many "Yaz w/Mutton chops" cards that twig is worth on EBay...
  25. ~jai~
    25. Posted by ~jai~ Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:21 pm EDT

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    For all those chirping about how my Wings can't compare to Montreal let me just say ... what have you done lately?
    That being said... poor Blue Jackets, only goal they score is one by a guy with two feet in the crease, even with Detroit playing short-handed most of the first period. Go Wings!

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