Dressing Sheep in Wolves Clothing (Mod Warning page 35)

[Kalus]

Hopefully Gabrielle comes in to dev camp ready to take a run on the Boston roster.

I know he had a tough year, but he could be a nice, low cost answer to this need.

 

[BruinDust]

Hopefully Gabrielle comes in to dev camp ready to take a run on the Boston roster.

I know he had a tough year, but he could be a nice, low cost answer to this need.

At this point I just hope he's good enough to play regularly in Providence and doesn't end up in the ECHL next year.

 

[jgatie]

He did get his face caved in my Scott, but I don't think it was tied to Loui. Orpick was, but wasn't it delayed? Like they finished the game, and then did nothing, but the next game he went after him or something? My memory is fuzzy on the details. I thought it was similar to the Cook thing where it was a week or two later, but I could be crossing them.

McQuaid fought Scott immediately after he concussed Loui. Thornton got Orpik later in the same game.

 

[Tmac37]

Orpik sold the hell out of that I'll maintain to this day.

 

[Sheppy]

Orpik sold the hell out of that I'll maintain to this day.

Same here. You don't get "knocked out cold" and roll over on your side.

Thornton has been in over 400 fights and has never KO'd anyone, yet two pawed punches "KO's" Orpik? Get the hell out of here.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Same here. You don't get "knocked out cold" and roll over on your side.

Thornton has been in over 400 fights and has never KO'd anyone, yet two pawed punches "KO's" Orpik? Get the hell out of here.

400?

Are you counting playground and barroom fights?

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

400?

Are you counting playground and barroom fights?

.....You don't think he has 400 fights while playing over 23 years of hockey? (OHL, AHL, NHL). Three years in a row of 300+ PIMS in the AHL....I don't think he accumulated those high totals by trippings and slashes.

On his HockeyFights page, they have him recorded for about 250 fights. This wasn't including any of the AHL years between 1997-2001 (Where he totaled 300+ PIMS x3) and the OHL years. I'd say 400 is a pretty good rough estimate, here.

 

[Colt.45Orr]

400?

Are you counting playground and barroom fights?

He had 413 total fights between the OHL, AHL and NHL. Shocking number, eh?

 

[Sheppy]

400?

Are you counting playground and barroom fights?

Nope. I’m counting his total fights in Junior all the way up to the NHL.

 

[BruinLVGA]

He had 413 total fights between the OHL, AHL and NHL. Shocking number, eh?

Holy shit.

 

[LSCII]

Shawn Thornton Fights

 

[Sheppy]

Shawn Thornton Fights

Literally fought the toughest guys out there for 20 years. It's insane.

413 fights is absolute insanity.

Tie Domi finished his career with 339 total fights. Let that sink in.

 

[LSCII]

Literally fought the toughest guys out there for 20 years. It's insane.

413 fights is absolute insanity.

Tie Domi finished his career with 339 total fights. Let that sink in.

Yep. Crazy. I can't imagine his family feels all that great about that number and the impact it can have on long term health...

 

[Dr Hook]

Yep. Crazy. I can't imagine his family feels all that great about that number and the impact it can have on long term health...

He seems good right now, but with all the CTE talk of late, he would appear to be a poster boy for it.

 

[Troublesome 85]

Thornton wasn't the KO type of fighter he was the type to wear you down. Lucic and McQuaid are the guys that go for the KO and if they're pissed watch out.

 

[Fenian24]

So I'm much older than Carcillo and have had 8 concussions. I still feel the game should be played physically with hitting and fighting but this did make me pause. I understood the risks I took when I was younger and having never had any of the success that Carcillo did I still don't know if I would have changed anything.

It may have made me understand the anti fighting people who are legitimately concerned about the players health and not just whining that they don't like fights or hits.

 

[BruinDust]

So I'm much older than Carcillo and have had 8 concussions. I still feel the game should be played physically with hitting and fighting but this did make me pause. I understood the risks I took when I was younger and having never had any of the success that Carcillo did I still don't know if I would have changed anything.

It may have made me understand the anti fighting people who are legitimately concerned about the players health and not just whining that they don't like fights or hits.

Another pretty scary tale from former Bruin Nick Boynton.

Everything's Not O.K. | By Nick Boynton

Makes you pause for thought if nothing else.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

Frightening stuff.... I'm pro fighting, but the spontaneous, "you just did something cheap/dirty, lets drop them" kind. Never was and never will be an advocate for staged fighting. Yes, it's fun to watch, but I like passion behind it. That said, it's easy to forget these guys do this more than once...They do it over and over again, and that stuff with Carcillo and others....It's just frightening, and something I would never want to go through.

 

[DKH]

So I'm much older than Carcillo and have had 8 concussions. I still feel the game should be played physically with hitting and fighting but this did make me pause. I understood the risks I took when I was younger and having never had any of the success that Carcillo did I still don't know if I would have changed anything.

It may have made me understand the anti fighting people who are legitimately concerned about the players health and not just whining that they don't like fights or hits.

I’m probably older than you and I belonged to a boxing club as a teen and never even crossed my mind about concussions.

I took judo until 10-12 years ago and even then barely discussed- my kid took it for years as well and never thought about it when she was out there.

I never counted and never really worried or thought about it

If I did over I never would have boxed

The hardest hit I ever took though was in hockey looking back for a pass and the D stepped up and lit me up like a Christmas Tree.

It was like an out of body experience- I saw black and stars and felt detached as if I was watching it- it was as if I was like Wil E Coyote getting hit over the head. I did make it back to the bench and I never was tested or thought about it much other then that’s the last time I’m taking a pass like that

With what I know now I would still do judo and play hockey but not sure about football and definitely no to boxing

 

[Chief Nine]

So I'm much older than Carcillo and have had 8 concussions. I still feel the game should be played physically with hitting and fighting but this did make me pause. I understood the risks I took when I was younger and having never had any of the success that Carcillo did I still don't know if I would have changed anything.

It may have made me understand the anti fighting people who are legitimately concerned about the players health and not just whining that they don't like fights or hits.

One of the things to keep in mind from the old days (30's through the 70's) is that the athletes then weren't as jacked or well conditioned and trained as they are today. Not to say that there weren't guys who had the same issues with concussions, CTE and dementia, but it seems that there were fewer who had issues after retirement than recently and the game was a lot more vicious and rougher in that era.

 

[Fenian24]

I’m probably older than you and I belonged to a boxing club as a teen and never even crossed my mind about concussions.

I took judo until 10-12 years ago and even then barely discussed- my kid took it for years as well and never thought about it when she was out there.

I never counted and never really worried or thought about it

If I did over I never would have boxed

The hardest hit I ever took though was in hockey looking back for a pass and the D stepped up and lit me up like a Christmas Tree.

It was like an out of body experience- I saw black and stars and felt detached as if I was watching it- it was as if I was like Wil E Coyote getting hit over the head. I did make it back to the bench and I never was tested or thought about it much other then that’s the last time I’m taking a pass like that

With what I know now I would still do judo and play hockey but not sure about football and definitely no to boxing

I'm hoping never being a football player might save me but I boxed as well and did some Mauy Thai, had a few hits like yours and one or two punches where I saw stars. You didn't think anything of it, you just shook it off and kept playing.

 

[Fenian24]

One of the things to keep in mind from the old days (30's through the 70's) is that the athletes then weren't as jacked or well conditioned and trained as they are today. Not to say that there weren't guys who had the same issues with concussions, CTE and dementia, but it seems that there were fewer who had issues after retirement than recently and the game was a lot more vicious and rougher in that era.

One of the reasons is no steroids, not as much today but look at the Basil McRae's, Shane Churla's and of course Probert and Kordic who were steroid and recreational drug users. Fighting a jacked and high Bob Probert couldn't have been a lot of laughs.

Another issue that has been removed is one of the first things I was taught when I started in leagues where you could hit was how to throw a hit and how to protect yourself from a hit. One of those methods was to bring your stick into somebodies face who was coming to hit you, cage or not it tended to discourage guys taking runs at you. today you would get 3-5 games for bringing a stick up to protect yourself from a hit, I also think the equipment has a lot to due with head injuries.

 

[Dr Hook]

One of the things to keep in mind from the old days (30's through the 70's) is that the athletes then weren't as jacked or well conditioned and trained as they are today. Not to say that there weren't guys who had the same issues with concussions, CTE and dementia, but it seems that there were fewer who had issues after retirement than recently and the game was a lot more vicious and rougher in that era.

That's a great point. I remember watching a documentary about 15 years ago and one 70s era player said they had concussions, they just didn't know that's what they were, just a headache, probably a hangover But the size and strength of the players, the speed of the game compared to the 70s- it's a massive difference. You just can't handle the current day issues around brain injures and CTE by using a response model based on 1970s hockey. That is what all the "purists" do, however, forgetting that hockey has changed over the years. The 1970s game is not the game that was played in the 1920s.

 

[Chief Nine]

One of the reasons is no steroids, not as much today but look at the Basil McRae's, Shane Churla's and of course Probert and Kordic who were steroid and recreational drug users. Fighting a jacked and high Bob Probert couldn't have been a lot of laughs.

Another issue that has been removed is one of the first things I was taught when I started in leagues where you could hit was how to throw a hit and how to protect yourself from a hit. One of those methods was to bring your stick into somebodies face who was coming to hit you, cage or not it tended to discourage guys taking runs at you. today you would get 3-5 games for bringing a stick up to protect yourself from a hit, I also think the equipment has a lot to due with head injuries.

No question absolutely. Just look at the elbow and shoulder pads from the 70's. Those shoulder pads weren't much more than a rolled up flannel jacket. Now the pads are capped with hard plastic, like Phil Esposito says, they're wearing armor out there

 

[Chief Nine]

That's a great point. I remember watching a documentary about 15 years ago and one 70s era player said they had concussions, they just didn't know that's what they were, just a headache, probably a hangover But the size and strength of the players, the speed of the game compared to the 70s- it's a massive difference. You just can't handle the current day issues around brain injures and CTE by using a response model based on 1970s hockey. That is what all the "purists" do, however, forgetting that hockey has changed over the years. The 1970s game is not the game that was played in the 1920s.

Very true, and I think you can make the same case for football. Yes, there are guys from the 70's that are messed up but the players weren't as big back then as they are today. Hell, John Hannah played at 270 I believe. They'd laugh him out of camp today for being too small at that weight trying to play on the offensive line