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Truth & rumours

No punches pulled in debate over junior brawl

WILLIAM HOUSTON

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 4:27 PM EDT 31/03/08

Cherry and LeBrun are on opposite sides of the fence ...Read the full article

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  1. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: I see that Pierre Lebrun is now aiming for the "Rock 'em, sock 'em" market to the detriment of any good sportsmanship in the game of hockey...

    That's pathetic, Mr. Lebrun!
  2. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: No touch is also a no brainer...

    Wow, Mr. Cherry is starting to show some signs of intelligence lately...

    Perhaps, all those years of facing Bowman did rub off on him.
  3. Jerry KING from Ancaster, Canada writes: I'm shocked at the following quote attributed to Pierre Lebrun in William Houston's story concerning reaction to the Quebec Junior Hockey brawl.

    "Cripes, if anyone should be criticized it should be [Nadeau] for standing there like a Nancy Boy and not trying to defend himself when Roy came after him."

    Nancy Boy? Is that a worthy decription of a player (wearing all that unwieldy equipment) who does not participate in a fight.

    I think it says more about Lebrun than it does of Nadeau.
  4. Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Jerry KING from Ancaster, Canada:

    It certainly appears that Pierre Lebrun is trying to type cast himself as the heir apparent for the Rock 'em, sock 'emeers... Can you say big money?

    However, it does make one wonder as to whether Lebrun also blames shooting victims for standing in the way of oncoming bullets too?
  5. Rob C from Canada writes: Lebrun is a media whore - He is trying to make a name for himself. I never bought goaltenders fighting. Patrick Roy was acused of beating his wife - and he is now divorced, so something violent likely happened - and apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when it comes to acting out on temper tantrums
  6. Chris Eaton from writes: Somebody in the media is attacking a player for not fighting, and its NOT Don Cherry? This isn't the Canada I remember.

    I do have to say Cherry has been right on the money lately. I love a good Hockey fight, but being ordered by the coach to go beat on a guy who wasn't involved and wouldn't fight back? Disgraceful.
  7. Ziggy . from Canada writes: Robert Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Wow, Mr. Cherry is starting to show some signs of intelligence lately...
    I would venture to guess your own father became much wiser and intelligent after you graduated high school
  8. Celine Brown from Canada writes: How could someone who looks like LeBrun call someone else a Nancy Boy? That goatee is fugly.
  9. Matt O from Canada writes: All these suggestions to improve scoring are ridiculous...I mean, come on, switching benches to make defencemen have to skate further to switch up? Why not have them wear 50-pound chains around their necks? That would probably increase scoring as well. The REAL problem with today's NHL, the one that nobody wants to talk about, is that today's players, since the time they were kids, have been taught to play in a "system": that is, everyone becomes a cog in a big, boring, defensive machine. Creativity is shunned in favour of risk aversion. This is an idea that first caught on in Canada, but it spread in Europe like wildfire because their soccer/football teams play the exact same way...you know, any soccer team that can get 2 goals a game on average is celebrated for its "attacking style". I laugh when I look at the "superstars" in today's NHL. Apart from Ovechkin, Corsby, and maybe one or two others, every player just looks like every other player...it's like hcokey video games from the 1980s. The shame of it is that some of these men are perhaps truly talented and creative offensive players, but that gets stifled from the time they are kids. Just watch any classic game from the 60s through to the early 90s if you want to see what hockey can really be like...players with unique abilities that actually stand out on the ice, and aren't just spinning in circles trying to avoid mistakes.
  10. Henry Allen from East Bank, Don River, Canada writes:
    A good hockey fight! Gimme a break. Two guys wearing helmets and face shields flailing away at each other while losing footing on ice. Since NHL Commish Butthead says fighting is part of hockey, let's at least create some proper hockey fight rules, like these:
    1. Upon both players agreeing "to go" both shall remove all headgear, gloves and equipment above the waist.
    2. Pants suspenders shall be removed from the shoulders, forcing combatants to hold up their pants with one hand.
    3. Both combatants must engage for a full 3 minutes without stop.
    4. The fight loser will be decided by agreement of both referees as follows: (1) Knockout, (2) dropping his pants, (3) stopping to rest, (4) turtling or (5) dirty tactics, like karate kicks.
    5. The winner's team will be awarded a goal.
    6. The loser gets a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for losing, requiring his team to play short-handed for the full 5 minutes.
  11. Legman22 In Montreal from Montreal, Canada writes: I'd love to see no icing for the defending team on power plays. In addition, I think there should be a rule that adds up all icings by one team and whenever a certain number is reached, say 5, a bench minor is called. Something like team fouls in basketball. Another is to not let the goalie hold the puck for a faceoff unless the opposing player is within 10 feet of him...will speed up the game and continue the flow.
  12. Sean O'Reilly from Canada writes: I used to like Lebrun's work, his commentary on the Quebec brawl are quite poorly chosen. Was he sitting next to Mike Toth when he wrote it?

    To single out the goalie, who was assaulted and ridcule him more than the bully is just pathetic.

    I am amazed at how different the reaction is compared to the Bertuzzi incident.

    Would have it have taken the goalie to recieve an injury for the media to condemn this the way they did that.
  13. steve allan from Canada writes: Hey Lebrun, put a cork in it. How would you like it if I kicked the crap out of you, doughboy?
  14. Canuck No longer an Expat from Canada writes: Houston, you're wrong once again. Just as you say things in your column to provoke, LeBrun does the same to grab attention and of course your bit, hook, line, and sinker. I generally enjoy both of your columns even if I don't agree all the time (but isn't that the whole point of a column?). The bottom line of this whole Roy incident is that it WAS totally overblown. If it hadn't been the Roy's it would not even had made the local news. It's another example of how media just jumps on something and "CNN's" it, that is, overblows it and overplays it and tries to make something out of nothing. Patrick and is son both got suspended for their conduct - end of story. Move on please. As for Nadeau, you don't like seeing someone get attacked like that but why didn't he try and defend himself? Geez, at least grab on to the guy for crying out loud.
  15. Baldy Cotton from Canada writes: I agree that the Roy story has been overplayed, but LeBrun's comments are just total garbage. Thanks for your windbagisms, Pierre. Matt O, you make some good points about the state of the game . . . it's funny how the total paving (or homogenizing) of NHL hockey more or less coincides with the arrival of Buttman on the scene. Accident? I think not. The oily one's tenure of mediocritizing everything in the league has worked very effectively in tandem with the system's tendency to produce defensive-shell, chip-it-off-the-glass players.
  16. Paul I from Rochester NY, United States writes: I would like to see Pierre "Pasty A$$" Doughboys athletic resume. He looks like he would need CPR after walking up a flight of stairs.
  17. P McLean from Canada writes: First of all, Don Cherry has been calling for the removal of touch icing for years and years and years. He's pulled out the Pat Peake/Mark Tinordi video more times than I can count.

    I agree with Matt O about the whole "system" thing now. The problem is minor coaches are trying to make resumes, and like the NHL, that means winning games, which in most cases is easier to do by limiting the other team rather than outscoring them. I saw my cousin, whose natural position was centre, and who had the best vision on his team, get put on defense because he was the biggest kid, and was told to stay home and "be responsible." When he was allowed to do try some plays, things would start to happen. He wasn't real close to the OHL(went to the big scoutingcombine type thing they run but that was it), so what has happened to players who are of that caliber like you say? It seems that a kid's development is very important so long as it does not get in the way of getting a jacket.(go to any rink and everyone is always wearing it...)
  18. Czar Nicholas from Ottawa, Canada writes: Just don't pay attention to anything LeBrun says... it is incredibly easy to do. Isn't he the (usually) neutered side-kick of McGlasses or whatever his name is...

    And as someone who usually has more negative things to say about Cherry than positive, have to give him a lot of credit. He does a lot of positive advocacy work for the players and if the league cherry-picked his good ideas it would likely be a better league. The NHL can definately try many ideas in the AHL.

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