Thursday Mail Bag

Before we get to this week’s mail bag. . .

Martin Brodeur has his eye on the next record he wants to smash into a million pieces.

And it might not be the one you think.

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Martin Brodeur has his eye on the 1,000 games played club.

Most would suppose that Brodeur, destined to own every record that matters in the NHL goaltending universe after breaking Patrick Roy’s record for most wins on Tuesday night, is anxiously eying Terry Sawchuk’s all-time career mark for shutouts by a goaltender in the regular season of 103.

“That’s going to happen,” said Brodeur, who has 100 shutouts, on Wednesday. “It could happen four games from now, or it could happen 100 games from now. I hope to get it soon, but it’s just going to happen one day and we’ll think, wow, we did it.”

But he might hit another milestone first, and it’s one he cherishes even more. He needs 13 more game appearances to join Roy as only the second goaltender to ever appear in 1,000 NHL games, and 43 to snap Roy ’s all-time mark of 1,029 games.

“I talked to Patrick about it on Saturday,” said Brodeur. “You think of all the goalies who have played in the NHL, and only one has played 1,000 games. Even Sawchuk didn’t play 1,000 games. That would be a special one.”

Brodeur enjoyed a rare day off in Raleigh yesterday after securing his 552nd career victory Tuesday against Chicago. Afterwards, he cut down the twine on the net in which he played the final period, an idea he said was not his.

“I didn’t plan anything. I didn’t want to jinx it,” he said. “(Kevin) Weekes skated out to me after the final whistle and handed me a Devils hat, and the scissors were in it. I guess Patrick did it when he broke the record. I started to do it, but it was taking me a lot of time so the boys helped me. I did all three posts, and they did the rest. It made it a fun night for everybody.”

Brodeur wore three different jerseys and used a different goalie stick for each period, and some of that memorabilia will make its way to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

And the net?

“I don’t even know where that is,” said Brodeur. “The trainers have all that stuff.”

Brodeur is now 14-3-2 on the season with four shutouts, a sparkling .923 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.06. Since returning from a biceps injury Feb. 26, he is 8-1 and has allowed only 17 goals, and said there are few lingering effects of the injury he suffered Nov. 1st in a game against Atlanta.

“I get little tweaks here and there, but it goes away,” he said. “I don’t lose any flexibility or strength. Sometimes it just aches.

“The toughest thing when I came back was playing the puck. It wasn’t that it hurt, it just seemed my decision-making was slow. Well, in the last couple of games I’ve felt really confident making plays again. Maybe because the games were more intense I felt ready. But that was the one area that took the longest to get back, and now it’s back.”

Brodeur has three more years left on his contract and knows he’s closer to the end of his career than the beginning.

“When my contract’s up I’ll be 40 in the playoffs that year, and I think by then I’ll have a pretty good idea what I want to do,” he said. “Even with this year’s injury, I’m not really worried about my body breaking down at all. It’ll be more about when I don’t enjoy going to the rink anymore. I’ve got the Olympics next year and I want my kids to be part of it, and I don’t really know about how long I’ll keep going.

“Patrick said he just reached the point where he couldn’t get up for it anymore. All my life I’ve be able to do something I love and right now I’m just going to try and keep doing it.”

Now, with lots of questions on fighting waiting, on to the mail bag:

Q: Regarding fighting in the NHL. From my perspective and limited time as an NHL referee; Commissioner of the IHL (9 years); OHL (6 weeks); EHL (2 years); CCHA (13 years); and owner of the IHL Toledo "Goaldiggers" (3 years); I think I have a pretty good slant on "Fighting" in professional hockey.

I will predict that the NHL, through the introduction of European hockey players and NCAA Division 1 College Hockey players will, eventually, adopt the NCAA playing rules. The NHL has already adopted the elimination of the Red Line (for purposes of the off-side pass) and many other NCAA rules since "Red" Berenson and Bill "Red" Hay became the first NCAA College hockey players to play in the NHL.

The NHL will culturally grow up, some day and, albeit reluctantly, come to their senses and decide that the NHLPA, though the evolution of European and NCAA Division 1 Hockey, will even persuade players coming from the CMJHL'S that "fighting," in hockey, is as foreign in the 21st century, as two-wheeled 90 gallon drums used to flood the ice surface was, in the early 50's at Maple Leaf Gardens. I can wait!

Bill Beagan, Hilton Head Island, S.C.

A: Bill, thanks for your perspective, and I think you’re right. The pro-fighting crowd, however, will fight this evolution tooth-and-nail for their own reasons, and when fighting disappears will of course blame its disappearance for the ruination of the sport. Personally, I think it will be just like the red line – when fighting’s gone, everyone will wonder what the fuss was all about. Sort of like the way we now look back on the days of bench-clearing brawls.

Q: Damien:

Used to enjoy your opinions long ago when you were on with Bob McCown. My question to you is:

Who in the media will take a stand against 'Fighting in the NHL' the way Bruce Dowbiggin did against Alan Eagleson and the NHLPA ?

Who is prepared to throw the NHL into disarray, possibly jeopardizing his position, for calling fighting what it is - A Criminal Act!

Surely there is someone.

Signed,

Wilfrid Blais, Nanaimo, B.C. - ex-sports fan who has been alive for 17 of Montreal's 24 Cup Victories

A: I’m not exactly sure what you’re looking for. I think there are many in the media who have taken a strong stand against fighting, but I’m not sure I can agree that there is criminal activity here going undetected. There have been occasions on which I’ve welcomed the intrusion of the judicial system into acts of hockey violence – the Bertuzzi assault, the McSorley-Brashear incident – but for the most part hockey fights seem to involve two players agreeing to drop the gloves rather than one player attacking another. I don’t think the game needs such nonsense, but I don’t see it as criminal. Moreover, there’s no secret or conspiratorial behaviour here – everyone can see what’s going on.

Q: I don't understand the big focus on getting rid or at least cracking down of 'staged' fighting exclusively. It seems to me that staged fights between two bigs (who usually seem to have a bizarre respect for one another, and know the 'code' of fighting) that is meant to spark their team is less dangerous than a fight that springs up out of the heat of the moment when two players are just pissed at each other. To me that seems more dangerous as the intent is to actually hurt the other player more so than it is with staged fighting. I could be way off on this but that's my two cents.

Matt H., Toronto

A: Not sure about that, Matt. I think whenever Derek Boogaard drops ‘em, his objective is to knock the other guy out. As well, I’ve seen some enforcers absorb some terrible injuries in these so-called staged fights. I’m not really one for saying one type of fight is more useful or less dangerous. I saw Nick Kypreos basically get his career ended at Madison Square Garden when he was knocked out by Ryan Vandenbussche, and they were both heavyweight types. To me, they all deserve game misconducts and add nothing to an otherwise great sport.

Q: Damien,

You wrote about Brian Burke's failure to convince fellow GMs to explore the possibility of team being permitted to absorb salary as part of trades. Do you think the GMs would have any taste for adopting a "Larry Bird" type rule, where teams can go above the cap to sign their own free agents?

I ask because it seems like teams who stockpile picks and build from the ground up have a very small window to contend now, before all their young assets hit free agency, and the team can't fit them all in under the cap. Teams like Tampa and Ottawa (and I believe Anaheim, Pittsburgh and the Rangers could join them soon) have shown us what happens when too much cap space is tied up in too few players. It seems a team on the rise like Washington or Chicago has maybe two or three years to win a Cup before they have to move people for cap issues. And that defeats the whole purpose of the cap, in my opinion. If you draft well and manage your cap, you should be rewarded rather than punished.

Clark Aitken, Scarborough

A: I think you make a terrific point. Right now, the Bettman administration isn’t interested in any change that loosens the hard cap or allows wealthier teams to do things poorer teams can’t. I agree, however, that the nature of the current system seems to provide a very small window for teams to succeed, or at least forces them to make very hard choices very early. For example, it seems inescapable that the Penguins will have to eventually move one of Evgeny Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal. In fact, they’ve already moved Ryan Whitney, once a core player. It’s all about cap management, but I think part of the answer lies in not elevating players to the NHL at 18 or 19, which extends their wait until unrestricted free agency.

Detroit does that very well, and the Wings have the luxury of not having to use players until they are definitely ready for the NHL. One of the biggest problems with the Leafs keeping Luke Schenn this season is that it started the clock ticking on free agency. Right now, he’ll be unrestricted at age 25. All of these issues, however, will be dealt with in the next round of collective bargaining, which will be a tricky set of negotiations indeed.

Q: Damien, what are the rules governing NHL players being sent to the AHL for the Calder Cup playoffs? Do you envision any Leafs being sent down? I can think of five Leafs (Kulemin, Grabovski, Schenn, Orosevic and Frogren) that could really help. Great column, hope to hear the answer.

Kevin Kohl, Fort McMurray, AB

A: Right now, the players on the Leafs roster that would be eligible for the AHL playoffs would include Nikolai Kulemin, Ben Ondrus, Phil Oreskovic, Jonas Frogren, Anton Stralman and Andre Deveaux, who was recalled yesterday. My understanding is that all six will be made available to the Marlies, although last spring Stralman was allowed to play for Sweden at the world championships instead.

The Marlies sit fourth in the North Division of the Western Conference and with the addition of these players could be a playoff threat. Jeremy Williams, Tim Stapleton and Jiri Tlusty, all of whom spent time with the Leafs this season, will be with the Marlies for the post-season.

Now what about Jeff Hamilton, who was in the minors all season before joining the Leafs? He’s not eligible to play for the Marlies in the playoffs because for a player on the Leaf roster to be loaned to the AHL for the playoffs, that player has to be recalled after the trade deadline and then he’s eligible to be loaned back after the deadline, according to CBA regulations. Hamilton was signed to an NHL contract after the deadline and can’t be sent down.

So what about Luke Schenn? He’s not eligible for the AHL playoffs either because he still has junior status. To be eligible for the Marlies, he would have had to go back to Kelowna before the trade deadline, play for that junior club until it was eliminated and then could join the Marlies for the remainder of their post-season.

Complicated, huh?

Q: For the "pro-fighting in hockey" lobby, fighting is an important element of self-policing in hockey and serves to protect skill players. For the "anti-fighting" lobby, stiffer penalties and more stringent refereeing, would take care of gooning behaviour. If and when fighting is banished from hockey, what will prevent players resorting to the kind of simulation and embellishment that is rife in soccer?

Mark Hillard, Milton

A: Great question. Hopefully peer pressure, for starters, but I’m a realist and understand it will probably take sanctions to stop players from pretending in order to draw penalties which, by the way, happens now even with fighting in the game. In a game last week between the Rangers and Flyers, New York forward Brandon Dubinsky was caught rather obviously faking an injury to his face when he was hit with a hard shoulder-to-shoulder check by Mike Richards. Richards got an elbowing penalty. Upon review, if I were Colin Campbell, that would earn Dubinsky a five-game suspension for holding the game up to disrepute. Whether it’s hockey, football, basketball or soccer, there are those in every sport who will try to fake injuries to draw penalties. Hockey, with instant replay, has the ability to come down hard on those who try.

Q: Hi Damien,

Luke Schenn question. I know he's a solid prospect, but do you think they drafted him because he could help now? So MLSE could say "hey look how well the rebuild is going folks, keep buying the merchandise”? Sacrificing picks and passing over higher ceiling guys like Hodgson/Boedker etc doesn't make hockey sense to me. Am I being too cynical?

David Robinson, Toronto

A: I do think they drafted him because they believed he could play in the NHL right away. That’s what Cliff Fletcher was thinking. He wasn’t thinking long-term or he wouldn’t have trade a first, second and third rounder to get the No. 5 pick with which to acquire Schenn. I’ve been saying this for months. But this ship has sailed, a new administration is in place and it’s time to move on.

Q: Why does Burke get all excited with each victory the Leafs get? This summer he will be trying to trade up in the draft and it would have cost him less off his time if he only need to jump a couple places rather than seven. The same thing happened last year, Cliff traded a first, second and third to move up two spots to draft Schenn. If the Leafs had not won when it did not matter, they would have had those extra two draft picks. Deja vu all over again.

Brian M., Barrie

A: He gets excited because he hates to lose. Leaf fans shouldn’t want anything less from their GM, ever.

Every Thursday, Damien Cox answers your questions in The Spin, only at thestar.com. Click here to submit a question. **Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Damien. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

Comments

[joe jacobs]

Hi Damien,

I have a simple question:
If so many people think that fighting is such an important part of hockey, then why are the players penalized?

[joe jacobs]

Further to my previous point:

I don't hear people saying, "tripping is a fundamental part of hockey" or the same for hooking, slashing, butt-ending, spearing, etc.

these are all 'against' the rules. they are punished because they go against the game. no one would say, 'we need to get rid of tripping', although there was a movement against all the hooking, clutching and grabbing.

but for many, fighting is equated with scoring, passing, checking, etc. so if that is true, that it is some skillful, important part of the game, then why give it a penalty?

in fact, why shouldn't teams get points for winning fights? maybe they should get an extra goal or something.

given the military references that don cherry always makes and the connection between a team sport like hockey and a combat unit, why not really glorify fighting? surely soldiers don't get penalized for fighting or defeating the enemy. so why in hockey?

[John H., Belleville]

As much as I respect admire and think Martin Brodeur is the best goalie in modern hockey I think the record of wins is somewhat short. Unlike a shooter in a shoot out to break a tie who does not get credit for a goal scored a goalie does get credit for a team win. I would have to ask how many of the wins credited to Brodeur are of this variety, Roy was never given the opportunity to even try for such a win and was credited with a tie and not a win. I have to question the actual wins that were attained in this manner and the ones that were attained in regulation time and see how many more wins are needed to actually attain the record.

[Adam C]

@joe jacobs: To be fair, I suspect many DO think tripping is a part of hockey - a "good penalty" if it takes away a high percentage scoring chance.

And to hear Don and Ron whine and complain about the two referee system and the obstruction crackdown, it seems very likely that they felt hooking and slashing were also fundamental aspects of the game.

Spearing and butt-ending, on the other hand, routinely earn match penalties and suspensions.

[Gary]

I also think he gets excited because in the back of his mind, despite all of the statements to the contrary, the win moved them to within 8 points of a playoff spot with 24 points still available on their schedule. (Carolina won last night so it's 10 points again)

A 3 game win streak for the Leafs and a 3 game losing streak for Carolina , both not out of the question, sure changes the equation for the last part of the schedule.

It's a longer shot than me getting a date with Keeley Hazell, but Burke like me can always dream.

[Guido]

Just because fighting is penalized doesn't mean it's not part of the game. I still get why this is all even being discussed so heavily right now. Who cares? And Yeah I know about the Sanderson death - but let's not forget that happened in a league that has banned fighting.

And Burke should be cheering.. The Leafs have lost enough and you cannot move forward with a culture of losing. You cheer and hope to win every game and at the end of the year you see where you pick and react accordingly (trade up,etc). Continuing to lose doesn't do any good other than to create losers.

My guess is that Burke can get the #1 or #2 pick for Kaberle + his first if he wants it.

[Tim]

Doesn't Don Cherry have a conflict of interest when he gets on our national broadcaster and talks about how fighting and tough hits are a part of the game and completely necessary and then is involved in a money making enterprise that sells videos of these fights and tough hits?
Maybe he should be told to divest himself of any part in the video making and sales or stop commenting on the necessity for fighting in hockey!!

[Peter]

joe jackobs,
so they penalize tripping and slashing and all that. did they go away from the game? no? so, then banning fighting will make it disappear? no, it won't. the penalties are already there, so i think this whole debate is pointless and a waste of time. and Don Sanderson played in a league which banned fighting. did that make any difference? what i don't get what that has to do with the NHL.

[Jason]

"A lot of people who aren't fans of the game don't understand that [fighting] gets a disproportionate amount of attention. It isn't what the game is all about. ... The role of fighting in the game at our level is something that I think anybody who follows the game understands."

A quote from the guy who runs the league Gary Bettman
I suppose you know more than him. Well at least you delete is cause it doesn't further your personal agenda.

[Sandy T.]

Wow. Way too many posts making sense here. Do I sense a sea change?

Re: John H. - Marty Brodeur has, I believe, 28 shootout wins, so your asterisk-free record will fall shortly anyway. Anyway, it's all relative. How many more games might Terry Sawchuk have won if overtime was played at all during his era, and given the excellent teams - Detroit and Toronto - he played with at that time?

As for playing the most games, that's just a formality now for Marty if he remains healthy. There is one goalie record nobody is ever going to equal though, and that's the 502 consecutive games played by Glenn Hall. In the two goalie era it's just not possible.

And Tim, excellent thought, but I doubt CBC is about to say anything to him. They're most likely collecting royalties from Don for any of the Rock'em Sock'em footage provided by HNIC.

[Roble]

Hi Damien,

Love the comments. Keep up the good work! One thing though... around here we say, 'complicated, EH?' Let's keep Americanisms like 'huh?' in America thanks.

[Mark Hillard]

How many play-off wins did Patrick Roy have? I think they should count for something, otherwise just say the record holder is whoever has the most wins after 100 games, 200 games etc. I like Brodeur, he is a real stand out. All this hoopla will be embarassing to him, he just wants to put the pads on and win another.

[Tabber]

Cherry also glorifies great goals and plays in his videos, and it's the CBC that holds the license, I believe.

On another note, please note that Damien Cox is in potential conflict of interest when writing about Brodeur, as he (co-) wrote a book with Brodeur. Where is the news about the divorce after Brodeur was allegedly messing with his sister-in-law (his sister-in-law, for Pete's sake!), and the latest alimony decision that went against Brodeur? Trying to get out of supporting his kids until they're adults is not, in my eyes, reflective of the "good guy" that Brodeur is constantly portrayed as. Anything that Cox writes about Brodeur should be prefaced with a full discosure note stating the connection with the book and the subject. This is done in other cases, why not in this case?

[Marijan Kalman]

It is bigger achievement when Jacques Villeneuve won F1 title then 600 Brodeur wins, PERIOD.
Did you and all media spent hundreds of pages writing about his W.C.??? Do you in the media understand that NOBODY in the world knows who some NHL goalie is!! Why you, media are treating our athletes from other sports like garbage??? Fighting is criminal activity in Ontario, that is why UFC can't get license for event.

[Nathan]

Hey Damien,
I don't understand why you and Bob McCowan feel the need to bring up fighting every single day. Give it a rest. Eliminating fighting in no way makes the game better or more entertaining. Fighting is simply a short distraction. It's entertainment. Injuries like Sanderson could happen whether or not fighting was banned. High sticking is banned yet Brian Berard lost an eye.

[joe jacobs]

i am never puzzled by the lack of any discernabe logic in arguments here.

i asked pretty simply why fighting should be both glorified and penalized. well...?
we don't glorify guys who trip or slash or dive or hook.
so why glorify players who fight and then give them a penalty. why say it is such an important part of the game, an indispensible part, but also give penalties?
i don't see the logic
why not give some reward to the team or player who wins a fight?
why not really embrace it rather that be wishy-washy about it? if it's so important, have a spotlight on the guys; play the music from rocky; whatever.

but why act so schizophrenically, both revering it and punishing it at the same time?

[Ian]

Tabber this is Canada and sorry to say Hockey is 100 times bigger then F1 will ever be here, don't get upset just realize this to be true. I'm sure that in places that the F1 is popular this story got a lot of coverage do you understand that NOBODY in canada knows who some F1 driver is!! (of course this isn't true I'm just trying to be a smart @ss)

[Sandy T.]

Mark Hillard. Playoff wins do count, but aren't added in with those of the regular season. As with all the other post-season stats in every other league or sport, playoff wins are totalled separately from those of the regular season.

Since Marty still has some more playoff appearances yet to come, the only fair comparisons are winning percentages and goals against averages...

Roy: 247 games played - .611 W pct. and 2.30 GAA

Brodeur: 169 games played - .562 W pct. and 1.96 GAA

So who's better? Too close to call IMO.

[Korg]

If you want to put an asterisk by any goalies name Roy should get an asterisk listing how many games he won by using oversized equipment that eventually led to equipment size being regulated.

[gump]

Well Bill Beagan I think your wrong..The anti-fighting crowd has been saying for many years that eventually the NHL will eliminate fighting..I would think that someone with your so called credentials would have brought up the fact that the players don't want fighting removed from hockey..This fact alone will make it quite difficult to remove it from the game..Don't understand why you think the NHL will adopt college rules considering very few players from the NCAA ranks actually make it to the NHL..I think your argument is silly and reaks of desperation..

The granola eaters are loosing the fight and haven't been able to make any kind of headway in their argument so they just use the same old "10 years from now" we'll see baloney..

It wasn't long ago that people like you were talking mandatory visors for the NHL..That won't happen either..Looks like another victory for the pro-fighting crowd..

[chris]

Let's see, who has more credentials in what's right for hockey? A veteran referee who was also an owner and commissioner of a hockey league? Or some mindless blood thirsty moron who can't spell "losing"? Hmmmmm?