Valentine's Day. It is the Hallmark holiday where you share time with your
loved ones. You might go out to dinner and movie, snuggle a bit, or pull
their jersey over their head and beat their face to a bloody pulp! That's
right, sweethearts. You might be smooching in the back seat of your
parent's Durango this February 14th, but NHL hockey will be delivering a
whole lot of love of a different kind.
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The season is in full swing (and so are the punches). The players are
talking smack, getting rough, and making their opponents kiss some ice. So
far there have been 427 tooth-shattering fights in 825 games. Last season
there were 803 fights in 1,230 games. They still have plenty of time to
catch up to last season. The Enforcers are out on the prowl and looking to
give a nice special kiss to your favorite players.
The following are some players and teams you might want to show some love
to. If not, step into the crease and let's see how long you last! These
are the most brutal and terrifying players of the NHL this season.
Valentine's Day? To hell with that, it's Halloween everyday for these guys!
They make the Oakland Raiders look like a bunch of sissies. Oh wait a
minute, Tampa Bay already did that.
JODY SHELLEY: This left wing for the Columbus Blue Jackets is a complete
madman. From Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Shelley leads the NHL in fights with a
total of 20 this season. That's a lot of anger and penalty minutes. His
last fight Shelley was against Reid Simpson of the Nashville Predators on
Feb. 8. Shelley dominated with a few good rights.
PETER WORRELL: Canada must be trying to go after the World Heavyweight
Championship of Boxing rather than Lord Stanley's Cup. Worrell, the Florida
Panther's left-winger from Pierrefonds, Quebec, has 17 fights this season so
far. This powerhouse is a bit sloppy, though. Just ask Wade Belak from the
Toronto Maple Leafs, the last guy Worrell fought. On Feb. 5 Worrell asked
Belak to dance but since both of their left arms got caught up in each
other's jerseys, few good punches were landed. In the end Worrell threw a
punch and missed; both players tumbled to the ice. On the way down, Belak
got Worrell in an arm bar.
JESSE BOULERICE: It's the Hurricane's season this year as long as they keep
this right-winger on their roster. From Plattsburgh, N.Y., Boulerice has
the honorable 3rd place for the NHL's "Guy Who Uses His Fists More Than His
Stick" award with a smashing 15 fights this season. Temper, temper. Cupid
better shoot this guy or there will be trouble. Ask our lucky friend Wade
Belak from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who managed to get away from
another scrap with his face intact. On Jan. 29 Belak and Boulerice decided
to tango for a relatively long bout. It ended when Belak hit Boulerice,
which caused Boulerice to slip. This gave the referees the hole they needed
to end this contest. Belak lives to fight another day.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. NEW YORK RANGERS: The boys from New York are proud
to come and heat up the D.C. ice with as much hatred and scorn that they can
muster. This rivalry has been growing stronger with each game. The last
time these teams met there were five fights and 89 penalty minutes for the
Rangers. Last year the Capitals blamed the Rangers for unnecessary heavy
hitting that landed the Washington star Peter Bondra on injury for a little
bit. Since then a vile black blood has come between these teams. However,
the Capitals tend to edge out the Rangers most of the time with a 2-1-1
record.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: The Blue Jackets are one of the newer expansion teams
in the NHL. They are like a baby needing nourishment and love from the NHL
fans before they go out into the great big open world of playoff hockey.
Though they have been gaining that love slowly, like a baby, they can at
times throw one hell of a temper tantrum. Columbus has had a total of 45
fights so far. The Phoenix Coyotes are tailing the Blue Jackets with 41
fights. Coaches are constantly telling their players, "Keep out of the
penalty box!" Watch out for this team if you find yourself playing a street
hockey game with them. It could get rough.
