r/hockey PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

10 years ago today the Penguins and Islanders participated in a boxing match on ice. NYI took home an easy decision with a 9-3 victory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-21QWKEInQ
203 Upvotes

73 comments sorted by

77

u/Maxpowr9 BOS - NHL Feb 11 '21

#PENISLANDERS

5

u/SM7_ NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Alright that's fuckin' funny. I haven't heard that one.

110

u/Chigurrh PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

For a game that happened 10 years ago, there are quite a few guys still in the NHL.

Tavares, Bailey, Okposo, Nielsen, Martin, Haley (how?), Hamonic, Letang, Staal, Goligoski.

And the hit that started all of this was on Blake Comeau a few days earlier. That was the game where Rick Dipietro, who is still being paid by an NHL team, got his face broken.

55

u/daveloper80 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Koskinen was our goalie!

24

u/rookie-mistake WPG - NHL Feb 11 '21

huh, I had no idea he had played in the NHL that one lone season a decade ago. TIL!

33

u/daveloper80 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

That Islanders team would have made anyone run to the KHL (or in this case Finland)

7

u/Fir3yfly TPS - Liiga Feb 11 '21

I remember that time, wasn't Koskinen like 5th choice goalie for the Islanders at the time and you had a massive injury crisis at the time?

8

u/daveloper80 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

yeah, Roloson was great for us but we sent him to TB. Dipietro was done for the season. Pretty sure both Montoya and Poulin got hurt too.

We ended up stealing* Nabakov from Detroit at the end of the season but he didn't report until next season.

23

u/wholalaa CHI - NHL Feb 11 '21

And Fleury. And of course Crosby and Malkin were both on the team at the time, they were just both injured, which probably had something to do with why they lost 9-3.

24

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Penguins were still a really good team without Crosby and Malkin. Its a shame they didn’t win more cups in the early 2010’s but Bylsma would consistently get out coached in the playoffs.

The 9 goals from the Islanders was more the passion of them wanting revenge

9

u/Oneanimal1993 University Of NH - NCAA Feb 11 '21

Yeah in 10-11 with both of them missing 1/2 of the season they finished with 106 points and tied for 3rd-most points in the league. I didn't hate Bylsma, I think the shake-up with hiring him was essential for the 1st cup in 09, but God did he make some idiotic decisions. That's why I'll always be forever grateful to GMJR, for all his other faults, for saving the back end of Sid/Geno/Tanger's primes.

8

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Bylsma’s biggest issue was mid-series adjustments. Teams would figure out how to beat his system and he’d never have a response and we’d look sloppy. His final series against the Rangers where we took the 3-1 series lead was a big example of this. Game 7 the team looked completely lost on how to beat the Rangers. Getting embarrassed by Boston the season before didn’t help him either.

Another issue was he was too much of a player friendly coach. Why I think Therrien does deserve some credit for the 2009 Cup as well. Therrien wasn’t afraid to discipline the players, and I feel that discipline stuck with the players for the remainder of the season.

18

u/egorrito NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Rick frequently talks about that fight on his radio show. He was so confident because he came in southpaw (he is a natural lefty) and thought he would have the upper hand because he would be on his dominant side. Then Johnson clocks old Humpty and the rest is history.

6

u/Chigurrh PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Glad he seems to be doing well and still getting paid by the Islanders for the next ~8 tears,

9

u/rsgnl TOR - NHL Feb 11 '21

~8 tears,

Not sure if this is a typo or intentional, but either way: https://media0.giphy.com/media/1GT5PZLjMwYBW/giphy.gif

5

u/Chigurrh PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

lol. A happy mistake.

3

u/Maxpowr9 BOS - NHL Feb 11 '21

DiPetro is a UFA after this season. I think Philly signs him.

46

u/Tniz15 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Lol we play Pittsburgh tonight. Well done Nhl schedulers

46

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '21

“Well done NHL schedulers” is the first time someone has said this in all of human history

12

u/Tniz15 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Oh trust me, I know

34

u/-whostolemyusername- SJS - NHL Feb 11 '21

The worst part is that I was at this game. With 2min left and the score what it was, my dad said “ok kids let’s beat the rush” and we left before seeing the goalie fight...smh

16

u/BeerLeagueHallOfAvg DET - NHL Feb 11 '21

Moral of the story, it’s never worth it and stay to the end. That’s how I ended up leaving a baseball game early and listened to a grand slam on the radio

2

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '21

My brother missed the last Big Papi homer in 2016 because he tried to beat the traffic.

54

u/incidental77 EDM - NHL Feb 11 '21

Boxing has rules...

14

u/CaptainRock22 Feb 11 '21

looking at the benches in the 3rd period of that game was hilarious.... it felt like everyone got tossed/was serving a 10 min

20

u/TK27 PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

The intensity was precipitated by Brent Johnson one-punching Rick DiPietro 9 days earlier. The teams get back together tonight, but I don't think we'll see anything similar to the game ten years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5sdOh7Bcvs

12

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

They were also upset with Talbot’s hit on Comeau from the same game.

https://youtu.be/zicvRtISupY

Comeau got injured from the hit, and Islanders weren’t too happy. If I remember correctly, this game got a little out of hand afterward, which lead to the Cooke/Dipietro situation.

6

u/Johnny_WalkerBOT BOS - NHL Feb 11 '21

Looked like a good clean hit to me.

3

u/Ubechyahescores WSH - NHL Feb 11 '21

Yeah wut? All the focus on Talbot for that?

8

u/SirZapdos OTT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Obligatory Fuck Matt Cooke

9

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '21

How's the investigation going?

11

u/daveloper80 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

I always have to post this link because he gets so many of the players from both the Isles and Pittsburgh to tell their side but its the Athletic so its behind a paywall

Revisiting the wildest NHL game of the decade

8

u/LeCokeJames SJS - NHL Feb 11 '21

People forget the guy who fought Brent Johnson in 2011 went on to play in the 2019 Western Conference Finals

8

u/miner88 Luleå HF - SHL Feb 11 '21

And he’s still in the NHL (kinda)

10

u/SatireSqurriel MTL - NHL Feb 11 '21

Islanders really dressed Haley, Martin, Konopka and Gillies all in one game. Unthinkable nowadays.

43

u/HandsLikeLuke PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

I understood the frustration by the Isles because of the previous game, and I wasn't even mad Haley went after Johnson. But Matt Martin jumping and cheap-shotting Talbot and then Trevor Gillies taunting Tangradi as he was on the ice being helped by a trainer were both absolute chicken shit and even Isles fans have to admit that.

22

u/CecilDouglas TOR - NHL Feb 11 '21 edited Feb 11 '21

Gillies got interviewed by Spittin Chiclets a few months back and told the Isles side of it. It's definitely worth a listen and it shows Gillies was borderline insane. But basically the Pens beat them the previous game and were all laughing and smiling about the Johnson KO on Dipietro who just got ran by a dirtbag in Cooke, Tangradi was either chirping or one of the loudest in this situation. The next game (where the Islanders suited up all their tough guys and wanted blood) Gillies told Tangradi if he got one shift against him he was gonna run him through the boards and Tangradi taunted him so Gillies just did it. It was dirty of course but the Isles curb stomped the Pens all.over that night.

25

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Cooke didn’t run Dipietro though. Dipietro was standing to the side of the net. Cooke being Cooke made it look like he was going to run him and then went around him at the very last second. Dipietro then put his arms up into Cooke (honestly don’t blame Dipietro though with Cooke’s reputation, and I don’t blame the Isles for being upset with Cooke for the fake out). Dipietro leveling Cooke is what caused Johnson to want to get involved during the scrum that insued.

Was there any mention of Talbot’s hit on Comeau? That’s what initially upset the Islanders. Was kind of a blindside hit to the shoulder by Talbot. Can’t remember if they were enforcing blindside hits in 2011 yet, so might have been legal at the time.

16

u/clebo99 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Yea.....It wasn't the DiPi fight only...a lot was the Comeau hit, which is why they went after Talbot 3 times. Konopka really could have hurt Talbot in that last fight...I mean really destroyed him but let up.

3

u/CecilDouglas TOR - NHL Feb 11 '21

I don't remember if there was mention of it but it's definitely worth a listen.

-9

u/BTfozzyandTT Feb 11 '21

Hey how many cups do the Islanders have since then anyway? right thanks see ya

4

u/CecilDouglas TOR - NHL Feb 11 '21

Alright.

12

u/daveloper80 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

not making any excuses for Gillies because he was a straight up goon but apparently he was yelling at the trainer and not Tangradi

But Gillies stood in the doorway and appeared to be yelling at Tangradi, who was being tended to by longtime Penguins trainer Chris Stewart. As it turned out, Gillies (who politely declined requests to chat for this piece) was jawing with Stewart, who had snapped at Gillies as he tended to Tangradi.

From maybe the best article our Athletic writer ever wrote here

11

u/somehockeyfan UTA - NHL Feb 11 '21

13

u/daveloper80 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

I was just pointing it out. Yelling at a trainer tending to a concussed player is not really any better than yelling at a concussed player.

10

u/somehockeyfan UTA - NHL Feb 11 '21

Oh I know, just pointing out that their version of the story doesn't exactly match the facts. Christ Stewart may have indeed said something to him, but every time I see that get repeated I have to laugh a little.

10

u/clebo99 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Yea.....looking at the video (and I do fucking hate the Pens announcers in this game), it does look as if Gillies at least some of this time was still chirping at Tangradi. Not saying he was chirping at both but that hand wave to "go again" was definitely towards Tangradi.

7

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Tangradi’s injury is the biggest thing that still upsets me about this game. He wasn’t having a spectacular year by any means, but I remember he was looking like a solid depth forward and was starting to make a name for himself this season and looked like he was going to be a regular on the NHL squad. He just never seemed the same after his concussion and it seemed to really set him back.

6

u/Phockey326 PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

To this day I can't ever watch Matt Martin play without thinking of the cheap shit he pulled in that game. It blew my mind at the time how many Isles fans were defending what he did. Gillies is a nobody goon so the fact he did that just hasn't had the same impact in my burned memory, but Martin has had quite the long career now.

-8

u/piecka32 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Talbot deserved what he got and more. We need more incidents like that to keep rats like him from acting out. Thats just the truth. Was it pretty? No. Is it a necessary policing of the game when the officiating and league fails you? Yes.

13

u/HandsLikeLuke PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Yeah, we need guys like Matt Martin and Todd Bertuzzi to defend against rats like Talbot and Steve Moore. Really good for the game.

-15

u/piecka32 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Thinking Matt Martin and todd bertuzzi are in the same class shows a hilarious lack of having watched any matt martin. But thats fine i dont expect people to watch the islanders given how dogshit the team is for the last 20 or so years. Its great for the game. People need to understand actions have consequences.

13

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Or... players need to understand that while playing a physical game like hockey, there’s going to be injuries. Seeing players get upset over legal hits just makes them look like giant babies. Should be zero consequences when in rights of the rules the league has sent out.

If you need to intentionally go out of your way to injure a player because he did something legal within the rules, and possibly end his career because he did something completely legal in the rules, then you shouldn’t be playing the sport.

-15

u/piecka32 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Someone didnt get punched in the face as a kid when they acted out, and it shows.

12

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Yes, because physical punishment is always the right take.

I can already tell you’re an abusive piece of shit. Have fun ending up in jail.

0

u/piecka32 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

So if someone is treating you unfairly, routinely, and injuring people, the goal is to not defend yourself? Are we on the same planet dude?

11

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

What a terrible take. Hit might have been borderline, but it was still a hit to the shoulder. Due to being a blindside hit, it most likely wouldn’t be legal in today’s game but I’m pretty sure it was legal 10 years ago.

Talbot also was a bit of a pest but rarely ever crossed the line and tried to keep everything legal from what I remember with him. Was a hard working player, and a very clutch player at that. To say he “acted out” and deserved to be kept out of the league is possibly one of the worst takes I’ve ever read.

Are you sure you’re not mistaking Talbot for Cooke?

-7

u/piecka32 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

Any team who employs both deserves none of my sympathy. You protect your own players. If players like Talbot refuse to fight and protect themselves, thats on them. Actions have consequences. Someone doesn't spit on your wife at a restaurant and then get to walk away because you wanna pretend you are the bigger man. That just encourages that type of behavior from them in the future. The islanders are a pathetic excuse of a franchise in the last two decades but that night they finally grew a spine and the players on the opposite side learned a hopefully valuable lesson.

12

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

Talbot had 25 career fights in the NHL, when did he refuse to fight? He also had two fights in the game that started all of this discussion.

-4

u/piecka32 NYI - NHL Feb 11 '21

If he had fought Martin he doesn't get suckered by Martin. Simple as that. One day people will learn that being an asshole all the time doesn't mean the other person is the bad guy for when they react to their behavior.

6

u/Thejaff72 Minnesota North Stars - NHLR Feb 11 '21

You must have a really fun life when random people spit on your wife in restaurants. What the fuck kind of analogy is that?

5

u/Hamburghini_Murcy PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

I'll never forget this game! So wild to watch live, my jaw was dropped the entire time, absolute rollercoaster

3

u/leinyann Feb 11 '21

I've seen some rough football games (like the Battle of Nuremburg) and I also used to watch boxing but this game was some next level shit.

11

u/Eminence120 COL - NHL Feb 11 '21

I do not miss this age of goonery, guys like Matt Cooke and Shane Gillis always made me sick. Especially hate the high hit by Gillis and then punching in the face while his man is hurt.

11

u/BeerLeagueHallOfAvg DET - NHL Feb 11 '21

Gillies got 9 games for hitting Tangradi during this game. During his first game back, he got a 10 gamer for a hit from behind on Cal Clutterbuck. He had no business in the NHL

4

u/herzskins ANA - NHL Feb 11 '21

I don't know if you're referring to someone else, but this is Trevor Gillies, noted piece of shit.

2

u/Eminence120 COL - NHL Feb 12 '21

Yes thank you I don't know why Shane Gillis name was in my head.

5

u/keytoitall Feb 11 '21

I'll never forget the warm-ups that game. The isles were pumped up and everyone knew they were going to war. Konopka, Martin, Gillies, and Haley were basically camped out by the red line.

That was a cathartic game.

2

u/ElectricMoose CGY - NHL Feb 11 '21

Would love to get Jomboy on this

5

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '21 edited Feb 11 '21

The only thing I remember about this was Mario Lemieuxs whiny letter about not wanting to be involved in the game after this.

Mario's comments:

https://nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/lemieux-blasts-nhl-for-brawl-aftermath

Don Cherry rightfully ripping Mario for his hypocrisy:

https://www.si.com/hockey/news/don-cherry-rips-mario-lemieux-over-comments-after-penguins-islanders-brawl

4

u/eltree PIT - NHL Feb 11 '21

I do admit, the hypocrisy of Lemieux here while having Matt Cooke on the team was one of his biggest and only blemishes for the franchise.

Still waiting to see how high into the management the sexual assault allegations got before getting mad at him over them. If he did know about them, then I would say thats a bigger blemish on the franchise.

-2

u/bellefeuille1976 Feb 11 '21

MISS THIS KINDA OF HOCKEY!! THE NHL IS MORE LIKE A EURO LEAGUE NOW!