Winning and Not Winning

The objective is to win the hockey game.

Sometimes, that gets lost amidst the emotions and the agendas and the beliefs that no matter what, the game must be played a certain way under certain philosphies.

So there will be those who believe Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf's decision to fight Nick Foligno of the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday after Foligno illegally low-bridged Phaneuf earlier in the game was the right thing to do. The honorable thing to do. To many, such as my Sportsnet colleague Nick Kypreos, the thing you must do.

And you'll never convince those people otherwise.

Similarly, there will be those who believe that having your captain and best defenceman engage in a tough, fatiguing fistfight in the middle of a hardfought hockey game is a waste of that player's energies and abilities.

And you'll never convince those people otherwise.

In this case, Foligno's hit wasn't dirty; he's not that kind of player, and we know his dad sure wasn't. It was simply illegal, and he was sent to the penalty box for that hit early in the second period of the Leafs-Sens game.

About seven minutes later, with the Leafs winning the game 2-1, Phaneuf challenged Foligno to fight in a bid to avenge his honor, and Foligno obliged, winning a decision that ended with the Leaf captain's jersey pulled over his head.

Phaneuf picked up the extra minor, as he should have, and the Leafs killed off the penalty. Shortly after that, however, Jason Spezza tied the game on a goal that should have been waved off for goalie interference but wasn't, and then in the third Kyle Turris won the game with a short-side goal that James Reimer should have stopped.

To sum up, Phaneuf's decision might have been the right one for him. I wouldn't characterize it as selfish, per se, because it's a hockey credo he obviously believes in. His boss, Brian Burke, believes in "self-policing" and undoubtedly applauded the decision.

But it took Phaneuf out of the contest for seven minutes at a time when the Leafs were up by a goal, he didn't play noticeably well afterwards and the Leafs lost a game with potential playoff implications.

And the objective, folks, is to win the game. At least to some it is.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Aubrey]

Who was the pro- Ottawa color commetator, biased jerk for that game ?.

[gary a]

your kidding right Cox..i know you like all the dirty play and head shits in the game because then that gives you guys something to write about and talk about 24/7 but to say the leafs lost this game because Dion got into a fight and didn't deserve the extra 2 for instigator is just ludicrous. quite trying to make it look like that fight meant nothing cause it did mean a lot..unfortunately his team mates get the boost they should have gotten from that fight. Reimer one bad goal but that 2nd goal was a joke...wish we had more guys that went to the net that hard and made life heel for the goalie!

[Nick]

What makes Foligno's low bridge hit different than Marchand's? Where was the ejection? Should start arguing about consistency again!

[Jimmy]

1. That was an extremely dirty hit by Foligno. I can't even believe you printed that. Unbelievable. There isn't even a debate.

2. Dion did the right thing. Nick Kypreos knows. He actually played in the NHL. You should listen to him.

3. If Dion deserves an extra two minutes for roughing, then he should just get an instigator. If the ref doesnt deem it necessary to call the instigator, then why add the extra two minutes. One or the other. I do not follow the logic of this call and would be happy to have it explained to me if, in fact, I am missing something.

4. Riemer let in one goal in this game and was sharp considering he was not tested much. The first two goals can in no way be blamed on him. THe goalie is not a couch.

5. The Leafs played an excellent game, and Lombardi was good, but no one can tell me that the leafs are a better team with Rosehill and Lombardi then they are with Frattin and Kadri,

6. Tim Connolly looks like an amazing player - in 1 out of 5 games. Tyler Bozak is a superior player in every way. That being said, the Leafs need a big centre capable of cycling the puck, which is a glaring deficiency on this team and Bozak needs to stay, making Connolly expendable. This is a guy signed as a free agent who could easily be turned into a second round pick. He shouldnt be on the third line and with Armstrong coming back, Connolly is (outside of Lombardi and Rosehill) the Leafs most expendable player.

[Andrew]

What did the Phaneuf fight have to do with the outcome of the game? The Leafs killed the penalty. Cox says himself that Reimer should have had the Turris shot. His mediocre play, more than anything else, resulted in the loss. Cox says the fight was "tough, fatiguing", suggesting that Phaneuf was wasting energy. Then by the same logic, the 7 minute rest he got that he wouldn't ordinarily have in the middle of a period should have rejuvenated him, so Cox should consider this a wash. You hate fighting, Cox, we get it. But your logic just doesn't hold water here.

[Ryan]

And when I saw the fight, the first thing I thought was "that'll shut up the media" that for the most part laments that Phaneuf doesn't fight more often. Damien, I don't know how you think Dion deserved an extra 2 for roughing - look at the tape. A few shoves, especially preceding a fight is never grounds for a roughing penalty. Also, you're trying to claim that a 37 second fight (at 5+ minutes of recovery afterwards) exhausted him - just ludicrous. I think you're just the type of person that will find something to complain about in any situation - the Stanley Cup parade route is too short, long, didn't have enough X.

[Virgil]

Damien, for real? "Foligno's hit wasn't dirty" You are actually in his head? YOU know his INTENT? No, you don't. Now this becomes drivel because of your omnipotence. Watch the film. The kid is a puke - proven time and time again.

[Ken Chevis]

Well said, Damien. Phaneuf is no better at fighting than he is at playing defence (emphasis on "playing")

[Terry Smith]

I can't buy into this. If The Leafs win 3-2, the headline is Phaneuf lifts Leafs with spirited scrap. The bigger story here is the Leafs goaltending. Regardless who starts there is a weak goal every night. I think the Leafs are a legit starting goalie and a consistent 2nd line from making it into the playoffs. The good news is, GM Burke is just the guy to fix that.

[Johnny Lesser]

How can you say that the Foligno hit wasn't dirty? As Phaneuf stayed down, Foligno chirped him. He had intent to injure without question.

My guess is that you wrote this article to receive a large response from leaf nation, so well done.

If this is what you really believe, and if your argument with Kyper last night was legit, than you need to put on a pair of skates and take a few lessons.

[John Hynes]

Getting Phaneuf out of the game for 7 minutes DOES give the Leafs a better chance to win.

[Paul Dunn]

Wrong again Damien, completely wrong. Maybe if you played the game and had to feel the pain and humiliation associated with that hit you would you look at it differently. That was handled perfectly by Dion, because he didn't get up and fight immediately (and maybe he couldn't have at that moment) but instead Toronto was given the opportunity to tie the game on a powerplay. Dion then went out an stuck up for himself and the logo on his jersey - and I at home said "right on Dion, it's about time". Kypreos played the game - he knows the game from the ice level, from the compete level, not from the laptop level. You are 100% wrong on this one.

[Rich D]

The hit was a dirt-bag move by a cheap player Folingo...hopefully he gets further discipline. The Leafs didn’t bury Ottawa when they had the opportunity and Reimer was simply average, Anderson was outstanding.

[Jim Jack]

First I agree that Foligno's hit wasn't dirty. The difference between his hit and Marchand's hit was intent. Marchand had the puck and you can't low bridge as a defensive strategy (i.e. to avoid being hit yourself) and Foligno did not go as low. Second, Phaneuf, in my mind did the right thing, both for himself and his team mates. You answer the call whenever you are challenged. Third, they lost this game because the Leafs are unwilling to do what all the other teams seem to do and that is crash goalies with impunity. I would argue that if more Leafs got into Ryan Miller's kitchen, into Biron's crease, into Anderson's face, they would not have lost these three games. I said after the Spezza goal that Wilson should be ordering his players to hammer the Ottawa goalie with every play on net. Didn't happen. This is the thing that separates Leafs from Ottawa. Willingness to go into the dirty areas and score cheap goals. Also, I would argue that both Alfredson's goal and Turris' goal were cheap.Reimer has to be better and I have seen enough of him (he ws out of position for no reason on Alfie's goal).

[Patricia Landry]

You need Phaneuf on the ice in a tight game, not in the box for 7 minutes. What happened to the good old days when the Captain could play the game and the designated fighter made sure Foligno got what he deserved?

[Geoff Read]

Agreed Damien.

Jimmy - in advising people to listen to Nick Kypreos and take him seriously you might as well advise them to listen closely to cows' flatulence for pearls of wisdom. Someone really needs to tell him that being louder and more obnoxious than everyone else doesn't make you right.

[mike]

Mr. Cox,
Foligno's hit was 100% dirty. Anybody at any level of hockey will fly into a rage when someone goes low at the knees. That was not a hip check. If Phaneuf blows his ACL, Foligno gets a suspension. Simple as that.
I do agree that Phaneuf is more valuable on the ice than in the box but I do not agree with the instigater in this case. If Rosehill had scrapped Foligno, then yes. Instigator for sure but in this case the ref should have used some common sense. As for Burke liking the play, I'm sure he'd have prefered real old time hockey whereby Rosehill takes Alfredson out. Or at the very least, his players backing into Anderson since clearly, goalie interference wasn't going to be called.

[John Smith]

Just an awful article written by someone who knows nothing about hockey. Stick to speculating about trades that will never happen buddy.

[jason chapman]

We know you don't like fighting, but I like what Phaneuf did. Kypreos was right. The Ottawa commentators make me want to vomit. I watched the Winninpeg and Toronto games, and they are probably the worst homers in the league.

[Tree]

My gawd, look at all the whining. Not one commentator on TSN or Sportsnet believed that hit would end up in a suspension, that it was nothing more than an interference call (which the refs did call). I can't wait to check back after Shanahan lets it go - I'm sure by then it will shoft from "Foligno's a dirty, cheap puke" to "the NHL has a bias against the Leafs". Hockey fans all over Canada have our violins out for you guys.

[Captain Morgan]

Sorry Damien, but apparently you were not watching all of the cheap shots that Ottawa was throwing at the Leafs...Dion stood up for his teammates as much as himself and said that is enough...the game was won by the refs last night and was a totally disgraceful display by them...they should be suspended!!!

[Jamie]

All of you Leafs homers are hilarious and completely biased. While the hit Foligno made was penalized, it shouldn't have been. First of all, when Marchand hit Salo, he "low-bridged" him (when did that become a hockey term anyway?) from behind while Salo was looking away. That didn't happen last night. No matter how much you guys whine about it you can't change the video evidence. Phaneuf moved in to lay a hit on Foligno, Foligno saw him and lowered himself to throw a "hip check". Look that one up. Guess what? It's a legal hit. Phaneuf went ass-over-tea-kettle, because he tried to avoid the hit by jumping away to the left. They fought afterward, and Dion got shirted after taking a bunch of shots. I find it amusing that when a guy like Foligno plays with intensity of a Gary Roberts or a Darcy Tucker that all of you Leaf nation types label him a puke or a rat punk. I guess it's okay to play like that when you're wearing blue only? Anyhow, good luck making the playoffs, hope to see a Sens Leafs match-up so I can get my dose of drivel commentary from you guys!

[Jimmy]

Nick Kypreos was an enforcer in the NHL. Taking Damiens opinion over his is like not listening to a doctor when he writes a prescription because it infringes on your un-logical religous beliefs. Damien has an axe to grind and he never stops. I am sorry, but saying Folignos hit is not dirty is just one of the most ludicrious things I have ever read. The guy deserved a 5 minute major, a match penalty and a suspension.

[John]

@Aubrey: That was Denis Potvin. You may have heard of him. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Potvin

[Lewis McClain]

Dion did the right thing. The on ice officials did not. If running the goaltender is legal then lets bring back Colton Orr, and get in the game.The officiating was incompetant.