OT: Pretty Good NHL Scrap Last Night
- Thread starter king_kong_
- Start date
they should've taken their helmets off
extra 2 minute penalty but infinitely more gentlemanly
tale of the tape:
NYR's Rempe - 6'7" 240 lbs
TOR's Reaves - 6'2" 230 lbs
Toronto Maple Leafs
#75 - Ryan Reeves
6'2" 226lbs
Age 37
From Canada
New York Rangers
#73 - Matt Rempe
6'7" 241lbs
Age 21
Also from Canada
Good fight, but Reeves for Toronto (smaller, older dog) whooped up on the larger, younger buck in Rempe. The only chance Rempe had is if he weren't a Canadian.
And if some had their way, the NHL would go the direction of the ultra soft NBA, whose demise began with the introduction of the “flagrant foul” rule. Then hand checking was eliminated, and from there the league eventually became unwatchable for anyone who ever liked hard nosed defense.
Even the NHL has grown softer, to an extent. Fighting is way down from where it was 10, 20 years ago. I watched a documentary on the Detroit/Colorado rivalry the other day—absolutely mind blowing. Epic rivalry, with skill at the highest levels on both teams, premium coaching, and undisguised guttural hatred on both sides. That kind of rivalry could never exist today. Guys like Claude Lemieux and Darren McCarty would serve their 30 game suspensions and eventually be blackballed. Still, of all the major sports leagues, the NHL has done the best job of staying true to its original vision. Great throw down last night.
