WTF?

So that sucked.  I sure had hoped the boys would carry the momentum over from the weekend, pack it on the bus with them, and get a road win in Kelowna.  Alas, it was not the case.  The Rockets came out on fire and never let up.  From the sounds of it, the Ogopogologos dominated play from the very start.  The Ams didn't help themselves by taking so many penalties, very un-Americans-like.

And let's talk about one penalty in particular.  *Warning, rant ahead*  Who the hell gets in a one-man fight?  Lukas Walter put his team at a disadvantage for 5 minutes for fighting with NO ONE.  I've kept it off this blog for long enough because I don't want to be a total dick*, but in my opinion, and it's only one fan's opinion, there is not a whole lot of value to Walter.

Now I know that I personally don't hold the value of fighting as high as I do puck handling or scoring, but I also know there's a place in hockey for fighting.  I don't mind a good tilt every now and then.  But I'm of the school of thought that the enforcer role is on it's way out.  If there's going to be an enforcer on my team, I also want them to have some hockey skill.  Hell, some skating skill would be nice too.  Even Aaron Boogaard could skate--and skate well.

Look at the skill and talent and speed on this team.  It's phenomenal.  Bob Tory has done a remarkable job of building a quick team that has some grit and some finesse.  Even our big guys like Jordan and Sam skate pretty well (ok, Big Mess is a little clumsy sometimes).  To me, and again it's just me, if this team wants to go deep into playoffs, their best chance is through skill and speed.  There is rarely--very very rarely--a fight in playoffs, too much is on the line.  So to me it would make more sense to get guys like Dallman or Nickles some 4th line time now throughout the season so they have some ability and confidence to be able to play some big minutes in the playoffs.  If there is talent and depth clear through to the 4th line, that would give the 1st and 2nd lines a chance to rest their legs a bit longer between shifts and stay fresher.  If you've got a guy who only plays two shifts a game, that's putting a greater burden on your top guys.

To play my own devil's advocate, I will say that if there is going to be fighting, Walter is the guy to do it.  I'd rather see him in the box** than Big Mess or Sam Grist or whoever.  That way it's less of a loss to the team while the penalty is served.  But that argument alone is does not outweigh the rest in my mind.

Now, before you fire off angry, hate-filled comments at me, remember everyone sees the game differently, everyone values different aspects of the game.  And as I always say when I post something potentially "controversial", I believe in Bob Tory.  There's a reason he's a GM and I'm not.  I also believe in Jim Hiller.  Additionally, I have no doubt that Lukas Walter is a great kid, they all are, so it's unlikely he'd be any different.  This isn't a personal attack on him, though it comes across that way since that's the role he's in.  Ok, the part where I'm pissed off about the one-man fight is a personal attack because that was just stupid.  But still.

Here's to hoping for a better outing against Calvin Pickard and the Seattle Thunderbirds tomorrow night.  And here's to hoping I finally get the interview with Brian Williams from last week transcribed and posted.  Stupid real job, stupid real second job--interfering with my hockey writing.

*I'm sure many of you think I'm a total dick anyways, and that's ok, sometimes I am.

**UNLESS IT'S FOR A FIGHT AGAINST NO ONE.