Fights

     This week I'm going to touch on a subject of ice hockey that is held in different lights by different people.  Some people see it as something that holds back the skills of the game while others see it as one of the most important parts of the game.  I'm talking about a good old fashion fight.

     Now some "outsiders" have the image of two players dropping the gloves and mauling each other with bare fists as soon as you mention the sport of ice hockey around them.  A lot of times, they'll toss in the old joke, "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out" making it sound like fighting is the main reason to watch hockey.  I will admit that sometimes things do tend to get a little our of hand when the benches clear and the goalies go at it.  Those kinds of fights, however, are the ones that are remembered for years.

     Let's break down the penalty of fighting in hockey for a second.  When two players square off and drop the gloves, they duke it out for a bit until the referees step in to break it up.  Sometimes refs decide to step in too soon though and pay for it.  Once the dust settles, each player goes to their respective penalty box for a five minute major penalty.

     The Gordie Howe hat trick is an unofficial term that has been used to describe when a player gets a goal, an assist, and drops the gloves in one game.  These are usually rare, but this season, Wayne Simmonds pulled off two Gordie Howe hat tricks... in one week!  Simmonds has been a huge gun for the Flyers this season proving that he can do just about anything from putting the puck in the net to putting another player on the ice.

     Tonight, the Flyers take on George's team, the Devils.  So far this season, the Devils are sitting ahead of the Flyers in the standings by 4 points.  These next two games are huge for the Flyers because they play the Devils at their home rink tonight and then drive back to Philly to take them on again Friday night.  If they Flyers win both of these games, they will catch up to the Devils in points.  This is big for both teams since they are in the same division.