SLBD

In Wednesday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, columnist Ron Cook decides to follow along with the idiocy let loose by Bob Smizik regarding fighting and it’s detraction from the NHL’s ability to expand its fan base.

I think it’s ridiculous, actually, that the sport allows the gratuitous violence.  It’s an embarrassment to a great game.

Its a good thing there aren’t going to be many people who care what you think on this one.  Its been a part of hockey since before you were born Ron.  It happens to have a big impact on games all year long.  Mixed-Martial Arts is gratuitous violence.  Fights in hockey are not.  You only need to look to last year’s playoffs, in the first round. Max Talbot threw down with Dan Carcillo in a fight he knew he’d lose.  Why?  To fire up his team.  Guess what Ron?  It worked.  In case you’ve been asleep in hockey since then, it spurred a comeback win from a 3 goal defecit late in the 2nd period.  That’s not my interpretation, that’s according to the players.

It brought back memories of Talbot’s one-sided fight with Carcillo in Game 6 of the teams’ first-round playoff series last spring. It was dramatically one-sided in Carcillo’s favor, yet the Penguins still will tell you that Talbot’s willingness to go gave them the juice to climb out of a 3-0 hole and turn out the lights on the Flyers’ season with a 5-3 win. Funny, I thought quick goals by Ruslan Fedotenko and Mark Eaton immediately after the fight were a bigger factor in the comeback.

So despite what the Penguins will tell you (your words) you will simply discard the players own words and focus on goals scored to serve your own tiny purpose for your piece like a statistician.  Ron, it’s likely that Fedotenko & Eaton’s goals would have never happened had Maxie not gotten into that fight.  Talbot’s willingness to throw down is the reason, according to the players who played that game, that they decided to get up of the mat and try to score those goals that you cite as more meaningful.  If Talbot doesn’t fight, or if the league had not allowed it, we play game 7.  FACT

Then who knows what happens.  No Cup?  Its a distinct possibility.

This is just a guess, but at least 90 percent of those lovable [Flyers] people probably would love to see Crosby carried out of their building on a stretcher. At the very least, they won’t be happy unless Cote beats the heck out of Godard in a rematch.

In his most recent photo, Ron Cook is seen trying to find relevancy until next September

Fighting with hockey has nothing to do with the Flyers hating Crosby.  Not being first in the lottery does. You’re no better than all of the Steeler’s fan who are jumping ship right now to act like they’ve been watching hockey every night, incluidng a nasty west coast road trip in November.  You’re just doing it as a journalist.  Sensing the Steel ship going down for the season you are trying to make a splash in the hockey media landscape.  Your previous article for the PPG covering the Penguins was on 11/29/09 and dealt exclusively with David Morehouse’s medical status and not anything happening on the ice.  Before that?  Opening night when we raised a banner praising Max Talbot.

I said it right after the Steelers lost to the Browns last Thursday night.  Welcome to the Penguins Bandwagon, there is plenty of room on the 4th balcony, behind the pole, next to the fat guy.  Go right ahead up there an shut it.  You’ve not been here all year and now want to use your position at the Post-Gazette to make a headline others will grab and debate.  Why don’t you start a new blog at the PPG for the next 6 months.  Call it “Jumpin’ Ship”.  Bob Pompeani has the marbles to come on and ask the people who’ve been watching all year to help source his material.  You’re just an idiot Ron.

It’s ridiculous that the PPG allows this guy to pass himself off as an authority on hockey, when he has only thought about it 3 times in 3 1/2 months.

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