Goons lose, Hockey wins

Last night a rivalry nearly a century in creation played out. As history would have indicated Montreal won in convincing fashion.  Last time the teams met Toronto destroyed Montreal, beat them on the ice and in the alley. Most Montreal fans looked at that loss as the harbinger of a terrible season. Toronto won that game because their goon system was allowed  by the referee. Toronto employs three full time goons. Montreal has one fighter who is also a legitimate third line player. The reason Montreal won last night was that the referee nipped goonery in the bud. When the leaf Goon Brown made a dirty hit on the Montreal player, he was not only heavily penalized; he was thrown out of the game. With that message sent the team playing hockey had an easy night of it. I hope this is a sign of the future of NHL hockey and not an aberration based upon not wanting to repeat the near riot of the previous game. That would mean that 6’5” players like Frazer Mclaren who you must admit with his helmet on looks like an orc, would have to be able to play an elite level of hockey to skate in the NHL.