Takes and trash talk from both ALL sides of the NHL's most obscure PATHETIC* rivalry

* Thanks, Kevin Lowe!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Our Goalie can beat up Your Goalie!!

Waaay back in the days of watching hockey while living in New Jersey, I randomly flipped on a meaningless Rangers-Islanders game. And for some reason, some force compelled me to keep watching.

And I'd like to thank that force for compelling me to do so, as I saw quite possibly the most hysterical beating this side of a Claude Lemieux tortoise act, when a young Dan Cloutier pummeled Tommy Salo into Swiss cheese.

Honestly, I haven't stumbled onto sports history many times since. Sure, there was a Ron Artest melee here and a Jarome Bettis fumble there...but how often do you get to see Salo get absolutely demolished in the waning moments of a regular season game?

That, along with slightly above average goaltending, is what Mr. Cloutier brings to the grand city of Los Angeles. Sure, the Ducks now have 2/4 of the Mount Rushmore of Hockey Defensemen. And sure, the Sharks have the Hart trophy winner.

But c'mon. Do you honestly think that J.S. crying after Game 7 Giguere could throw 'bows with Dan? Vesa Toskala and his limp glove wrist? I don't think so.

So go ahead Sharks and Ducks. Take your "victories" and "irrelevant franchise histories." We'll sit pretty with Cloutier, knowing that we have an enforcer in the net.


(Is it me, or are the Kings becoming The Island of Misfit Netminders? Seriously, first Roman Cechpanic and now Cloutier? Yikes.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Goalie fights kick ass.

This is one of those unshakable tenets of hockey, like "keep your stick on the ice," or "don't block shots with your cup."

James Mirtle said...

Cloutier's a pretty good goaltender. He'll get the Kings to the playoffs, at least. Then it might be time to throw LaBarbera in.

Anonymous said...

You forgot to add Felix "high glove side" Potvin, and Jamie "I'm an airhead so LA is perfect for me" Storr as castaways on the Island.

Earl Sleek said...

That is the sort of video, by the way, that the NHL would be selling hockey with if it were truly 'My NHL'.

I always wondered where Salo's broken English came from.

Anonymous said...

For popular consumption we have:

Cloutier vs. Tommy Salo (with the full brawl over here)
Cloutier vs. Sean Gauthier
Cloutier vs. Steve Passmore

And, finally, for reasons known only to Forsberg himself, Peter Forsberg punches Cloutier in the nuts. Yeah, I got nothing.