I'm hoping to get more activity on this list, and I'm desperate
enough to hope that a topic on hockey will do it.

In today's Star Tribune (Sunday, March 25, 2007), Michael Russo had
a column suggesting that the NHL might have to really come down on
fighting because the goons are getting so big that players are
starting to really get hurt in the fights.

Now, I'm grateful that for insight into this column, Russo did not
go to a new book written by a local alleged writer (one who has put
out books that could be the worst of the 21st century--not to
mention the 20th century and maybe even the 19th century). Instead,
Russo sought the opinions of Derek Boogaard of the Minnesota Wild,
to wit:

Boogaard, Minnesota's 6-7, 250-pound fighter, says the fans'
reaction -- the crowd was cheering and standing -- when he fought
St. Louis' D.J. King on Thursday "shows it's meant to be in the
game. If you take fighting out of hockey, it might be exciting for
10, 30 games, and then the rinks will start emptying," Boogaard said.

To his credit, Russo did get comments from others, including those
who don't have a vested interest in preserving fighting. In
Boogard's case, it seems clear he wouldn't be in the NHL, and maybe
not anywhere in professional hockey, if goons weren't needed.

As for Boogaard's attempt at logic in saying that that hockey won't
be able to survive without fighting, what about the popularity of
international hockey, college hockey, high school hockey? The sport
at these levels may still have some, as they say, "chippiness," but
the penalties for fighting are severe enough that it pretty much has
eliminated it. That hasn't emptied Mariucci Arena.

Another comment by Boogaard is too stupid to respond to: "Guys get
knocked out when they get hit. Why don't they take body checking out
of hockey?"

Meanwhile, last night Boogaard was named the number three star of
the game. His contribution was a fight with the Kings' top goon in
the closing minutes. We've long been able to see how meaningless
these three stars selections are, but the inclusion of Boogaard on
the star list brought it to a new low.

Stew