Pre-Season: Sabres @ Leafs - Sept. 22, 7:00pm - LeafsTV, TSN 1050

[bustaheims]

Or, Tropp could have not acted like the drunk guy picking fights with sober bouncers twice their size on a Friday night.

Still doesn't mean Devane has to engage. The bigger man should be the bigger man.

 

[Britishbulldog]

Or, Tropp could have just not tried to fight him.

Or, you know Devane could have recognized Tropp wasn't anywhere near his weight class and skated away - just like many other players in the league have done in the past. I mean, not engaging a guy that's almost 40 lbs lighter than you in an unnecessary and useless fight feels like pretty simple and basic stuff to me.

Domi should have had that option as well.  Same as Brett Gallant from NYI or Mirasty.

Tropp is a fighter and a good one.  Devane is trying to be a hockey player and cut his fighting majors significantly while in the OHL.  I will defend Devane on this night. 

I am still finding the staged fighting hard to stomach though.

 

[TML fan]

Or, Tropp could have not acted like the drunk guy picking fights with sober bouncers twice their size on a Friday night.

Still doesn't mean Devane has to engage. The bigger man should be the bigger man.

He was. That's why Tropp got knocked the eff out. It's not Devane's job to protect idiots.

 

[bustaheims]

He was. That's why Tropp got knocked the eff out. It's not Devane's job to protect idiots.

It is his job to know where and when to fight, and that was neither. When a little guy that just scored a goal to get his team back in the game comes at you, you skate away.

 

[mr grieves]

Bruce Arthur ‏@bruce_arthur 24m
In fairness to David Clarkson, a 10-game suspension is just a blip when you're signed for seven years.

 

[Bender]

Leafs needed a guy like John Kordic tonight. (Really. He was the one who pulled Clark back onto the bench during the Leeman/Savard brawl.) - DGB

 

[TML fan]

He was. That's why Tropp got knocked the eff out. It's not Devane's job to protect idiots.

It is his job to know where and when to fight, and that was neither. When a little guy that just scored a goal to get his team back in the game comes at you, you skate away.

That runs completely contrary to everything we know about fighting in hockey. It was the perfect time for the Leafs to instigate a fight, having just had their 3 goal lead cut to 1, indicating a significant momentum shift. Tropp is doubly stupid in this case for instigating the fight at the wrong time, and picking the wrong guy.

 

[bustaheims]

That runs completely contrary to everything we know about fighting in hockey. It was the perfect time for the Leafs to instigate a fight, having just had their 3 goal lead cut to 1, indicating a significant momentum shift. Tropp is doubly stupid in this case for instigating the fight at the wrong time, and picking the wrong guy.

I mean, sure, if you believe the myth that a fight can change the momentum of a game . . . but, I mean, that involves ignoring the hundreds and hundreds of times that it's done absolutely nothing in favour of the handful of times that it has.

 

[Bender]

It is, and I totally agree with you! This shouldn't be in the league. However, this was here and now. Who was supposed to fight Scott based on the line that was out there? I'm not sure if the refs would've been able to intervene!

Well, why was that line out there? That was a pretty stupid decision by Carlyle. If the Scott's of the league are on the ice, you shouldn't put guys like Kessel out there.

Carlyle tried to defuse situation after Devane-Tropp fight by sending out Kessel line thinking Scott wouldn't start up ... didn't work - Mark Masters

Scott looked right at Kessel and said I'm going to jump you.

Scott was about to go apepoop regardless. I don't think you can wholly say that Devane is the main issue here. If Ron Rolston doesn't tell Scott to go headhunt then we don't have a problem. I don't think Devane was thinking when he got challenged that a line brawl would ensue!

 

[Chett]

He was. That's why Tropp got knocked the eff out. It's not Devane's job to protect idiots.

It is his job to know where and when to fight, and that was neither. When a little guy that just scored a goal to get his team back in the game comes at you, you skate away.

Would you skate away if that "little guy" punched you in the face? Watch the replay on tsn video.

 

[Bender]

I don't understand why Carlyle put Kessel on the ice to line up against Scott right after that happened. Bad decision.

I think it was a pretty clear message that Carlyle wanted his team to play hockey.

Yes, it was. Even then, if Scott went after someone else the way he did I think you would see another line brawl.

 

[princedpw]

He was. That's why Tropp got knocked the eff out. It's not Devane's job to protect idiots.

It is his job to know where and when to fight, and that was neither. When a little guy that just scored a goal to get his team back in the game comes at you, you skate away.

This is part of the reason why the enforcer thing just makes no sense whatsoever.  Typically, big guys "arent allowed" to fight small guys so if your team is all small guys you don't have to worry about being beaten up.  On the other hand, even if you have lots of big guys protecting the small guys, one of the other big guys on the their team could always get a wack at one of your small guys if they were really determined to do so.  The fighting logic just doesn't work.

 

[bustaheims]

Scott was about to go apepoop regardless. I don't think you can wholly say that Devane is the main issue here. If Ron Rolston doesn't tell Scott to go headhunt then we don't have a problem. I don't think Devane was thinking when he got challenged that a line brawl would ensue!

I think you can say pretty convincingly that if Devane doesn't fight a guy much smaller than him, Scott isn't out there looking for trouble - in fact, he's probably not even out there at all. Like it or not, there is a code among NHL players, and part of it is that you don't engage guys that are that much smaller than you.

 

[bustaheims]

Would you skate away if that "little guy" punched you in the face? Watch the replay on tsn video.

Actually, yeah. I'd probably laugh at him, walk away and be happy my team got a powerplay out of it - and that likely would have shifted the momentum in the Leafs' favour (not that they ended up needing that, but, still).

 

[TML fan]

That runs completely contrary to everything we know about fighting in hockey. It was the perfect time for the Leafs to instigate a fight, having just had their 3 goal lead cut to 1, indicating a significant momentum shift. Tropp is doubly stupid in this case for instigating the fight at the wrong time, and picking the wrong guy.

I mean, sure, if you believe the myth that a fight can change the momentum of a game . . . but, I mean, that involves ignoring the hundreds and hundreds of times that it's done absolutely nothing in favour of the handful of times that it has.

Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. It's commonly accepted as a reason for starting a fight in a hockey game. At any rate, this discussion isn't about the merits of fighting, nor does it matter because Devane did not instigate the fight.

 

[bustaheims]

nor does it matter because Devane did not instigate the fight.

It very much does matter, because, as I've been saying, just because Devane didn't instigate the fight doesn't mean he should have been involved in the fight.

 

[TML fan]

I don't understand why Carlyle put Kessel on the ice to line up against Scott right after that happened. Bad decision.

I think it was a pretty clear message that Carlyle wanted his team to play hockey.

Yes, it was. Even then, if Scott went after someone else the way he did I think you would see another line brawl.

Agreed. Carlyle didn't have the personnel to counter that big oaf. It's not really fair of him to ask someone, say Bodie, to go out there and take one for a team he likely isn't going to make.

His only recourse was to hope that Rolston had an ounce of integrity and honour in him. That was his mistake.

 

[Chett]

Would you skate away if that "little guy" punched you in the face? Watch the replay on tsn video.

Actually, yeah. I'd probably laugh at him, walk away and be happy my team got a powerplay out of it - and that likely would have shifted the momentum in the Leafs' favour (not that they ended up needing that, but, still).

Then you're a calmer man than I! And Devane too apparently...

 

[Rebel_1812]

I like how carter ashton is starting to play tougher.  I think his tough play this preseason has earned him a sport.  Certainly about colborne.  Considering how old colborne now is, he should be traded.

 

[TML fan]

nor does it matter because Devane did not instigate the fight.

It very much does matter, because, as I've been saying, just because Devane didn't instigate the fight doesn't mean he should have been involved in the fight.

Yeah, you have been saying that. What I've been saying is that is flawed logic based on everything we know about fighting in hockey, and human beings who like to fight.