CrashingTheGoalie

by Ron Spence

Patrick Kane was talking tough.

Ottawa’s Nick Foligno had tried to run him and Kane brought up his stick into Foligno’s mouth.

Later, Kane – who drew a four-minute double minor – claimed that the blood-soaked Senator had taken runs at him on back-to-back shifts.

This was part of a trend, Kane was finding, during his second year in the league.

“You have to do things to just protect yourself,” said Kane. “The rest of the game no one really took a run at me, so maybe it sent a message.”

“He was coming up high on me. I just had made a pass and my stick was in that position, [so] I just got it up there to try to protect myself. I’d rather have him take a stick in the chops than me take a stick in the chops.”

Retired NHLer “Terrible Ted” Lindsay must have smiled when he read this.

At 5′8″, he used his stick relentlessly and named it ”The Great Equalizer”. Lindsay also received – as well as gave - and retired from the NHL with 700 stitches patterned on his mug. Players who used their sticks a lot – in those days – were called surgeons.

Kane is talking freely about his stickwork – and I am surpised that Gary Bettman hasn’t said anything. Maybe if Kane wasn’t a star, the Commissioner might have made a phone call.

Had Kane read about the stickwork in the past, he would be keeping his stick down and his mouth shut.

One Detroit vs. Toronto Stanley Cup game – on March 28, 1950, – was close to the worst.

During the first period – of game one - Detroit’s Marty Pavelich and Fleming Mackell went at it, and Gordie Howe and Bill Juzda also battled.

Later “Mr. Elbows” – later called “Mr. Hockey” – tried to run Toronto’s captain. So, Ted Kennedy quickly stopped and ducked, and Howe went ass over tea kettle into the boards.

courtesy of greatesthockeylegends.com

Then, Howe lay on the ice and had to be taken to the Detroit hospital on a stretcher.

There was even a question as to whether he might die, and his mother – in Saskatoon – was told to fly to Detroit immediately.

“I saw Howe lying on the ice with his face covered with blood,” said Kennedy, “and I couldn’t help thinking what a great player he was and how I hoped he wasn’t badly hurt. Then Detroit players started saying I did it with my stick. I knew I hadn’t and, as I’ve always regarded Coach Tommy Ivan as a sensible level-headed man, I went over to the Detroit bench and told him I was sorry Howe was hurt, but that I wasn’t responsible.”

Next, Howe’s teammate Sid Abel slashed viciously at Kennedy’s ankles.

Meanwhile, the fans, coaches and media were fueling the fire. The home town fans stated that Kennedy had hurt Howe on purpose. The Toronto fans claimed that it was an accident.

Then, everyone turned on NHL President Clarence Campbell.

“Kennedy,” Campbell countered, “as a right-handed player, had the butt part of his stick tight to the fence as he was going up the ice. He was being checked from his right. The injuries to Howe were on the right side of the head. Kennedy had stopped to avoid the check, and Howe went in front of him.”

The referee Gravel agreed, but a Detroit paper claimed that he had admitted that he had not seen the collision.

The first period – of game two – had few fireworks, but during the second Lee Fogolin tripped Kennedy. Fogolin was sent to the penalty box, and Ted Lindsay rushed over and cross-checked Kennedy back to the ice.

Then Gus Mortson went after Lindsay and Jim Thomson fell, and Detroit’s Leo Reise bludgeoned him across the head and shoulders with his stick. Next, Reise slashed at him again, and skated over to give Kennedy a two hander on the shoulders.

Lindsay rushed at Kennedy to axe him again, while Abel was punching Kennedy.  A fan also grabbed Kennedy and held his arms while other Wings struck the Leaf captain.

Patrick Kane had three high-sticking penalties that December 11th evening and the Blackhawks beat the Sens 2-0.

“It seems like it’s more this year,” Kane concluded. “It’s to be expected coming off your rookie year. [It] sends a message to maybe the other teams in the league that if they’re going to keep taking runs then I’ll get my stick up on them. Obviously, I’m not the biggest guy in the world where I can drop the mitts and beat [up] someone. If that’s the way I have to do it, so be it.”

Kane won’t be saying, “So be it,” when he’s picking his teeth off of the ice.

He’s been a surgeon once, but he shouldn’t try it again.