November 1st, 2006 - Canes @ Thrashers: Random Musings and Observations

- Garnet Exelby is a jacka**. For those of you who did not have the pleasure of receiving the Atlanta broadcast feed, Exelby got interviewed during the first intermission. And naturally, the interviewer questioned Exelby about his already infamous hit on Eric Staal. What did Exelby say? Something along the lines of..."Well, his head was down, and I had a job to do, so...".

There it is, NHL, straight from the horse's mouth. Seriously, this trend of players hitting other players, on the Canes or another team, with their heads down has GOT to STOP. It is very reminiscent of Scott Stevens, AND ESPECIALLY how Shane Willis and Ron Francis got pretty danged bad concussions. Hell, *just thinking* about that day they showed Stevens' hit on Ronnie during one of the playoff games this year *still* gives me freakin' shivers down my spine.

- Those kinds of hits are why the role of the enforcer is not dead in the NHL. And you can tell me how it's the "new NHL" over and over until you are as blue in the face as Mel Gibson in Braveheart, BUT the Canes need an enforcer to let teams like the Thrashers know that you can't do possible injury-causing hits on star players like Eric Staal AND EFFIN' GET AWAY WITH THEM!!

And while we're at it...what's up with Hutchinson giving Exelby a hug? That the ABSOLUTE LAST THING that guy needed after what he did to Staal AND Cam Ward. Also, what was also up with Walker being the only one among the Canes to show retaliation? He's the newbie, for crying out loud! Some veterans have got some steppin' up to do on the rough and tough front...

- Despite what could have been a devastating hit AND my gripes about the lack of toughness, the Canes played great tonight. Really, how could they not AND managed a 5-1 score? More often than not, numbers speak louder than words... ;)

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