21 Years Ago Today - Fight Night at the Joe

[Ace Card Bedard]

Still hoping expansion/relocation turns out the right way and Detroit moves back to the west, although it's improbable

I'll always have the fond memory of the Wings getting tossed out of the West by blowing a 3-1 series lead to my Blackhawks in OT of Game 7.
A fitting end.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Thank you!

 

[Mike Lowry]

Darren McCarty's actions that night were complete gutlessness and cowardly.

Amazing how poorly he did in the re-match when he had to look Lemieux in the face and Lemieux could defend himself and fight back

 

[ClydeLee]

I still remember watching this becasue I was also going outside looking at the Hale Bopp commet but had my brother yelling at me to get back in the goalies are fighting now

 

[Claypool]

Darren McCarty's actions that night were complete gutlessness and cowardly.

Amazing how poorly he did in the re-match when he had to look Lemieux in the face and Lemieux could defend himself and fight back

Seemed like a pretty even scrap to me.

 

[GordieHowsUrBreath]

yay the 90's yay

 

[NeverBeNormal]

Just shows how absurd "Wednesday Night Rivalry" is as advertising. THIS was a rivalry. Reread the Down Goes Brown article from last year today, still love the fact that 5/12 involved are in the Hall of Fame.

Roy is such a madman. Remembering him and Hasek between the pipes just makes me realize how boring goalies are now, stylistically and everything. I think the most entertaining thing about a goalie now is Luongo's Twitter account.

 

[The Macho King]

Absolutely. It's also amazing how many known names/faces were involved. Two current GMs, half the current TB Lightning scouting staff, the father of TB's top prospect, a (former?) TSN TV personality, a number of legends.

Engblom did the color for that game too.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Best. Era. Ever.

Today's softy players wouldn't stand a chance. To think, only 20 years has passed, yet all that was hockey (read: passion, soul) has basically been squeezed out of the sport. Those were real men, and that's what I call real men's ice hockey.

What's really amazing to me is that there's people dumb enough to actually have this kind of opinion.

 

[Leafblooded]

What's really amazing to me is that there's people dumb enough to actually have this kind of opinion.

Hmm, sounds like you should visit the Museum of Tolerance.

 

[PenguinSpeed]

What's really amazing to me is that there's people dumb enough to actually have this kind of opinion.

-Other guy never watched the Flyers vs Penguins in the battle of Pennsylvania. It was 3 years ago there was 4 complete team fights in a single period.

 

[viper0220]

Will we ever see a intense rivalry like this again in the NHL? Minus all the tough stuff(the tough stuff is not allowed in today’s NHL, there is dirty stuff as well.)

I think if Quebec City gets a NHL team, than games with Montreal will be intense, hard hitting, playing with emotion and fast paced hockey. Montreal and Quebec City are the only ones I can think of.

Calgary and Edmonton in a playoff series would also be intense, hard hitting, fast paced hockey but when one team is doing good the other one sucks. Don’t think they will ever be on even terms(where both teams are good.)

 

[Leafblooded]

-Other guy never watched the Flyers vs Penguins in the battle of Pennsylvania. It was 3 years ago there was 4 complete team fights in a single period.

Are you not entertained?

 

[GordieHowsUrBreath]

bunch of thugs in the garage league back then

 

[MarkStone]

So many things I remember from that game:

-McCarty fighting Lemieux, who turtled instead of trying to fight back.

-Roy vs Vernon. What a fight!

-Fedorov playing all game as a defenceman, had a 2 point night.

-Forsberg and Larionov going at it all night.

Funny thing is one of the main things I remember besides the fights obviously is the awesome Kamensky goal right off of a Forsberg faceoff win. Just a great set play that would have been demoralizing for the opposition. Kudos to Detroit on scrapping back and getting the victory though.

 

[Yarborough]

The closest thing I’ve seen this year was that Jets v Preds game last night in terms of intensity. If there was no instigator penalty, I’m sure there would of been quite a few fights.

Hopefully the meet in the playoffs so they can continue the intensity, cause you don’t see it much like that anymore.

Also, I always laugh at Roy skating away from the fight, turning back, and then proceeding to fight Vernon

 

[wingsfan17]

I think I remember reading/hearing that there’s no past grudges between all these guys now. Like Draper/McCarty and Lemieux have done signings together and will ask how the families are doing if they run into each other at the airport. Apparently Lemieux never even apologized.

 

[MartyOwns]

I was born on that day.

 

[sandysan]

Aside from the dirtbag hit that could've ended a career, of course.

someone asks and you say " no thanks I'd rather fight a lightweight and then consider it settled" when your actions put into motion something that ends with bad consequences, you know who you have to blame ?

Yourself.

if not what you are doing is enabling the rats to play all losey goosey with their sticks and knees and then hide behind their reticence to settle and think that this protection based on their unwillingness is somehow inviolate. its not, not then, not now hopefully nor ever.

 

[sandysan]

So many things I remember from that game:

-McCarty fighting Lemieux, who turtled instead of trying to fight back.

-Roy vs Vernon. What a fight!

-Fedorov playing all game as a defenceman, had a 2 point night.

-Forsberg and Larionov going at it all night.

That's some revisionist history right there. A guy getting his bell rung by getting suckered by a gutless "tough guy" isn't turtling. Claude HAS turtled in other fights, but this wasnt one.

 

[varano]

That's some revisionist history right there. A guy getting his bell rung by getting suckered by a gutless "tough guy" isn't turtling. Claude HAS turtled in other fights, but this wasnt one.

Yup. Mccarty was a complete douche.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I love seeing people yearning for these glory years.

I doubt any of those posters actually ever got into a fight It's all about insecurity when you get down to it.

 

[The Wizard of Oz]

Every game between these two teams from 96-04 had elimination game intensity, even in the regular season.

 

[sandysan]

I love seeing people yearning for these glory years.

I doubt any of those posters actually ever got into a fight It's all about insecurity when you get down to it.

or standing up for a teamate, or taking one for the team. you know things the chardonnay crowd don't understand.

guys will stand up for their teamates and or settle grievances with the end of their fists as opposed to the end of their sticks ( perezhogin, anyone????) oooooh the horrors !

 

[The Wizard of Oz]

I enjoy a hard style of play, but not dirty. I don't want to go back to the days where the only role of multiple players (who can barely skate) is to punch the other guys' lights out. You can watch old clips from hockey where the puck is totally ignored for small stretches of play and guys are only interested in taking off someone's head or blasting someone with a blind-sided hit.

This is the wrong thread for this narrative considering these two teams were the most skilled in the Western Conference. Yes, everyone remembers the brawls and cheap shots but the rivalry was great because the hockey was incredible.