Read quite the little story in my sports section this morning! Seems like there was QUITE the game played between the Quad City Mallards and the Ashville Smoke recently. (Does anyone know where these guys play?)
The game included 214 penalty minutes, 9 fights and a player knocked unconscious. One of the players involved was Kerry Toporowski, who incidentially used to play for our own Spokane Chiefs, (W.H.L.) and was a fighter.
I guess the first fight started 30 seconds into the game, and an Ashville defenseman was knocked out literally after a hit by Quad Citys' Mark McFarlane. Apparantly the Ashville Coach claims McFarlane continued to pound the Ashville player (Mallete) after he was already unconscious. In all there were 14 major for fighting, 6-10 minute misconducts, and 5 game misconducts. The game was stopped with 10 seconds to go after another brawl started up. My oh my..boyz will be boyz. :eek:

Geez -- that sounds like a scene featuring the Hanson brothers from Slap Shot!

The Hansons on attack!

hey bucky: I tell you what..I don't know where this league plays in, I am guessing, Michigan? Help me out if you can, but seeing Kerry Toporowski play is worth the price of admission alone. This guy is an ENFORCER!!! I remember many a game when he played in Spokane, that he beat the living stuffing out of the competetion. I used to yell "send them home black and blue" and would get laughs and cheers from the crowd. Gotta love those hockeyfans!!!

Asheville and the Quad Cities are part of the UHL (United Hockey League) -- teams stretch from Connecticut down to N. Carolina and Tennessee and out to the Mississippi (the Quad Cities are Moline and Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa).

UHL Website

You know, Bucky, some day I need to meet you!

Trevor

thank you for the info dcbucky!!

Talk about your old-time hockey! The minor leagues definitely have more fights than the NHL...and it seems that the lower the minor league level, the more fights there are.

joe: I would tend to agree with you, although all the leagues, and I can speak to the Western Hockey League, have really tightened their reign on fighting, subsequent penalties, and fines, which have gooten way BIGGER. Although it has been quite awhile since I have seen a real donnybrook (bench clearing brawl) break out.

Whew, had me going for a minute until I verified that it was Kris Mallette, not Troy Mallette playing for the Smoke. (Ah well, saved me some road trips to North Carolina for drooling over the latter...)