I'll never forget a Boston Bruins game at the old Boston Garden serveral years ago where we had seats next to the goal judge. It was a great view. As a newbie sitting there you instinctively did a lot of flinching, ducking and covering every time a shot sailed past the net and hit the glass in front of your face. However, the most memorable part of that game was not a highlight goal, but a disastrous injury.
One of the opposing players, who came racing to the puck that was behind the net, was given a hard check into the boards. His skate some how got stuck in an awkward position and he suffered a badly broken leg with a compound fracture. It happened right in front of us. It was horrible to see a young player's season and possibly career (I don't remember who it was) end in a split second just a few feet away. The medical personnel had to bring out a stretcher to carry the player off. The Garden was in shock and dead quiet for several agonizing minutes.
NHL players have gotten even bigger and faster since then. Did anyone else notice a rather large fellow named Evgeny Artyukhin as he freewheeled around the ice this past weekend? It was hard to miss him. Thankfully no Rangers were crippled by this young truck. Calling Artyukhin a truck is fair, because he's 7 inches taller and only about 15 pounds lighter at 260 than Jermome Bettis, the former NFL "Bus" was during his playing days.
Who would you rather stand in front of after they got up 10 yards of steam on their respective playing surface? Consider that Bettis started decelerating after about six.
This season most observers are saying the Rangers are faster than last year. That is considered a good thing. But, is there ever a downside to too much speed? Will speed and quickness on the ice combined with larger players result in more injuries? Bottomline, has the NHL game become more dangerous?
If you were a Ranger racing a player like Artyukhin for the puck would you always want to get there a split second ahead of him?
ICINGS:
Running into Evgeny Artyukhin.Russia's Evgeny Artyukhin (in red with back to photo) takes out Finland's Jari Viuhkola in Helsinki, Finland, November 9, 2006.
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New York Islanders defenseman Chris Lee was carried off the ice on a stretcher after being checked into the boards from behind by Florida's Rostislav Olesz in a preseason game Monday night.
A team spokesman said the 28-year-old Lee had movement, was conscious and was taken to a hospital....
Ryan Hollweg of the Toronto Maple Leafs learned Monday that he has been suspended for the first two games of the season.
Hollweg, 25, received an automatic suspension because he has accrued three boarding and game misconduct penalties in a span of 41 games.
The rugged forward committed the third infraction in last Wednesday's 7-3 pre-season loss to the St. Louis Blues.
He will sit out Thursday's season opener at Detroit and Saturday's home opener versus the Montreal Canadiens.
Hollweg earned similar penalties playing for the New York Rangers last season, in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 5 and a 5-3 victory over Montreal on Feb. 3...
"[The Metallurg game] felt like a very important regular-season game, bordering on the playoffs," Drury said. "We did not want to lose that game. We did not want to go into the regular season with a loss."
They didn't. And in turn, the Rangers came home with a pair of wins that could prove crucial when it's time to mete out who will be in the playoffs...
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