For all you Hockey fans... Isles Vs. Maple Leafs

[302Riz]

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Michael Peca's knee has recovered enough for him to seek revenge on Darcy Tucker.



Peca




Tucker



Whether Peca or his New York Islanders teammates take action against Tucker -- or the Toronto Maple Leafs -- is anyone's guess.


The Islanders say they don't expect anything to happen Friday night when the teams face off on Long Island for the first time since last season's hostile playoff series. The Maple Leafs won't say anything at all.


"This is the day and age of the WWE, and it's on everybody's TV,'' Peca said. "So people want to come out and see the blood and everything else. We're more concerned about winning two points.


"We can't get caught up in that stuff.''


All the animosity dates to New York's first postseason appearance since 1994. The Islanders beat Toronto three out four times in the regular season and looked to advance behind the leadership of their captain, Peca, in his first year with the team.


The Leafs jumped to a 2-0 lead before the Islanders tied it with wins at Nassau Coliseum. That set up the pivotal fifth game back in Toronto.


Peca and Tucker traded barbs on and off the ice. Peca said Tucker threatened during games to kill or hurt him. Peca called the talk "comical'' before Game 5 on April 26.


It was all funny until "The Hit,'' which was deemed dirty by the Islanders. In the second period of a 6-3 win by the Maple Leafs, Tucker closed in on Peca and bent at the knees to deliver a check low to his legs. Peca went end-over-end and fell on the ice. No penalty was called.


"It comes to a point where you've just got to let it go,'' Peca said. "You can't go on day after day with contempt. I can't carry this baggage I don't care to carry. I'd rather focus on the more positive things in life and the game.


"I'm not going to carry around anything that's going to use up energy where I don't want it to.''


Also in that game, New York defenseman Kenny Jonsson was felled by a concussion after being checked from behind by Gary Roberts.


"The Toronto game isn't about taking personal matters,'' Jonsson said. "We have to move forward.''


Peca was gone for the playoffs -- just two more games for the Islanders following a spirited home win in Game 6 -- and required surgery on his left knee that caused him to sit out until just a few weeks ago.


"The thing that happened last year with Pecs, that's Pecs' problem,'' Islanders forward Jason Blake said. "Obviously we're his teammates and we feel for the guy, but we all know that two points is more important than the revenge on Darcy Tucker.''


Tucker said he went low to avoid any chance Peca could throw a shoulder into him. Now, Tucker and the Maple Leafs won't talk about it at all.


"It's last year,'' Tucker said. "It's over, and guys don't want to talk about it. It's not an issue for us.''


If that's true, the Maple Leafs are in the minority.


"I hope there's guys that want to go out and deliver a big-time hit, but I think it's important that we keep everything within the rules,'' Peca said. "I don't think it's necessary for anybody to do anything stupid.''


Tickets for this game sold quickly. Media attention is squarely focused, and league disciplinarian Colin Campbell was considering attending, too.


"I've been in these situations before where people are building up so much that nothing happens,'' Peca said. "That's usually the case.''

If the Islanders aren't looking for retribution, their fans might be.


"You hear about them having to up the security and stuff outside the rink,'' Peca said. "I think people should just be passionate about the game and just forget about anything like that.


"I think everybody is going to come expecting a really hard-fought game and I think that's what it will be.''


League spokesman Frank Brown wouldn't discuss any security measures, citing league policy.


Tucker has drawn the wrath of the Islanders' faithful, the likes of which is usually reserved for the New York Rangers.


A Halloween costume contest at Nassau Coliseum was won by a boy dressed in a Tucker jersey adorned with a bull's-eye on the back. His face was bruised and bloodied, his white Maple Leafs sweater bloodstained.


"I don't have a crystal ball to see what will come from the incidents that happened last year, other than the fact that it's probably going to be a high-intensity, hard-fought, hard-hitting game,'' Islanders coach Peter Laviolette said. "You know the fans are going to be in it. Our players will be ready, I'm sure Toronto will be ready, and it'll be a great game.''

[Shogun]

Originally posted by crazyhorse93

"I think everybody is going to come expecting a really hard-fought game and I think that's what it will be.''

Our players will be ready, I'm sure Toronto will be ready, and it'll be a great game.''

And I think there'll be a lot of fighting And I think it's understandible. The Leafs intentionally went after the opposing teams captain. Not only that, they went after him with a cheap shot. It was totally uncalled for. Peca wasn't even looking. It'll be interesting to see how the Islanders' enforcers take the slightest wrongs from the Leafs for this game. I think they'll use any infraction a just cause to start a fight....and who can blame them huh?

And judging from the Leafs' coach, it seems that they are "ready."

[302Riz]

Yep. Its gonna be messy. Im wondering how long its going to take for Darcy Tucker to be taken out in an ambulance...

Old fashion hockey at its best tonight

[kreator]

http://nhl.com/onthefly/scoreboard/r...5_2_recap.html

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- While the much anticipated bloodbath never came to fruition, the New York Islanders exacted revenge against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a different form.

Arron Asham scored two goals and Brad Isbister added a goal and two assists to lead the Islanders to a 4-2 victory over the Maple Leafs in the teams' first meeting since last season's hotly contested Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

After Darcy Tucker low-bridged Michael Peca during their playoff series, the Islanders' captain was forced to undergo offseason knee surgery and missed all but 27 seconds of New York's first 16 games this season. Many expected Peca to repay Tucker but other than a few uneventful fights, the Islanders let their play do the damage.

"We directed our energy in the right way," Peca said. "We really talked about it the last couple of days, to really focus on what's important. That's winning the hockey game. We know we wouldn't have a shortage of energy or emotion. We had to harness it. Despite what I said in the summer, we don't want to see another injury like that. We just want to play the game hard."

"Our coaches told us to stay out of the extracurricular stuff, stay out of trouble," Islanders center Jason Wiemer said. "I thought that they were watching out for (Tucker), watching his back. Maybe they didn't want him to get involved in anything."

New York coach Peter Laviolette admitted it was difficult to maintain composure and not attempt to gain retribution against Tucker.

"I don't think you can keep away completely," he said. "The guys read everything that is written and hear everything put on the airwaves. We did our best to put it on the back burner and put the game on the front burner."

Asham scored 45 seconds into the second period to snap a 1-1 tie before netting his fifth goal of the season at 6:54 of the third to post his second career multi-goal game and first since being acquired from Montreal in an offseason trade.

Isbister netted his eighth of the season between Asham's tallies, while Chris Osgood needed to make just 13 saves for the victory.

Former Islander Tom Fitzgerald and Mats Sundin scored for the Maple Leafs, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

After Wiemer and Fitzgerald traded first-period goals, Isbister fed Asham in the slot while falling to the ice behind the Toronto net, and the 24-year-old right wing wristed a shot past goaltender Trevor Kidd for his second goal in as many games and a 2-1 Islanders lead.

Just over eight minutes later, defenseman Adrian Aucoin pinched along the right boards and fired a pass to the front of the net.

After glancing off Mark Parrish, the puck went to Isbister on the left side and the rugged left wing deposited it into the net to give New York a two-goal cushion.

"It was a pretty big win for us," Isbister said. "The atmosphere was similiar to the playoffs. I think both of us tried to play disciplined. We tried to play smart but stay out of the box and focus on winning the game."

Asham made it 4-1 less than seven minutes into the third, grabbing the rebound of a right point shot by Aucoin and knocking it by Kidd.

"I enjoyed it tonight," Asham said. "It was a physical contest.

I was fortunate enough to get the puck at the right time to score. The guys did a great job of moving the puck and getting it in a position for me to shoot."

With a three-goal lead, New York center Dave Scatchard decided to settle a score by engaging in a tussle with Shayne Corson after a faceoff. But while the raucous crowd of 16,234 chanted "We want Tucker", it was forced to settle for a 4-2 victory, as Sundin's wrister from the top of the left circle bounced into the net off the left post midway through the session.

Toronto coach Pat Quinn believed the hype leading up to the game had an effect on his team.

"We weren't much into the game," he said. "All of the stuff that went on throughout the week, I guess we were concerned with what was going to happen out there. As much as you like to prepare for it and think that you are mentally tough, we didn't deal with it very well. Only one team played. Let's face it, these guys hyped it up all week, I guess to sell tickets, I have no idea. Usually, I've been around in the 'stupid 70's' and looks like we are getting stupid again."

The Islanders, who extended their home unbeaten streak against Toronto to seven games, including three victories during the playoffs, took the lead at 10:17 of the first period. After picking up a loose puck at the left side of the net, Scatchard unleashed a shot that Kidd turned away. But the rebound came right to Wiemer, who fired it past the Toronto goalie for his fourth goal.

With 12 seconds remaining in the period, Fitzgerald gathered a loose puck along the left boards and ripped a turnaround slap shot from the top of the circle that snuck between Osgood's pads for his first goal in 34 games and first as a Maple Leaf.

At 2:28 of the second period, Steve Webb flattened Jonas Hoglund with a hard but clean check, causing the Maple Leafs right wing to miss the remainder of the game with a concussion. Toronto enforcer Tie Domi attempted to instigate a fight with Webb but instead battled rookie Eric Godard, who was recalled by the Islanders earlier in the day.

"(Webb) was late, I know that," Hoglund said. "That's the way he plays. He finishes all his checks, whether it's late or not. I took my shot and didn't have time to protect myself. I saw him coming at the last second, but it was too late. Once I got to the bench, I didn't feel 100 percent right away. But it came back to me pretty fast as soon as I got back to the dressing room."

"It was a good hit," Webb said. "I was in the right place at the right time."

Where's the blood?!

[302Riz]

Tucker only played about 8 minutes that game. And all the NHL big wigs were there. Gary Bettman, Andy VanHellemond and the dude that dishes out the punishments for foul behavior.

There was no blood spilled but it was a good game nonetheless. Lots of hitting and the Isles won so im happy

[Shogun]

No blood, but a lot of action. One of the captains said "hopefully we'll get a big lead and then take care of some business."
They got a few of those Leafs. That was funny. I think the coaches for the Leafs thought of Tucker's safety. No more than ten minutes! I heard it was like 6.

The crowd was a little upset over the whole deal. They wanted Tucker's head on a silver platter. The whole intire crowd yelled, "WE WANT TUCKER!" over and over again. It was quite a fiasco.

They didn't get revenge this time, but I'm sure they have a little more for him next time.