Hockey and fighting are synonymous and while there are it’s (fighting) detractors, there are others still who love a good bout.
Here then is our list of the top 10 NHL enforcers of all time:

1. Bob Probert
2. Dave Brown
3. Behn Wilson
4. Clark Gillies
5. Nick Fotiu
6. Bob Nystrom
7. Larry Playfair
8. John Kordic
9. Joey Kocur
10. Marty McSorley

I’ll leave you with a video tribute to Bob Probert’s fights.

Last winter, The Hockey News polled the league’s players on a wide variety of subjects. When asked who the most hated player in the league is, 66 percent of respondents cursed the name of Sean Avery. A far distant second was Jordin Tootoo at six percent, followed by Darcy Tucker at four percent.

You have to be one hell of a guy to be hated over 16 times as much as Darcy Tucker. Avery went undrafted out of the Ontario Hockey League; after parts of seven seasons with three different teams, the bruising left-winger has 50 goals in 322 games with 913 penalty minutes.

But Avery’s mouth is his most dangerous weapon. He’s offended just about everyone in the NHL at some point, including his own coaches, league officials and commentators. And all the while, he’s been dating the likes of Elisha Cuthbert and, according to TMZ, Mary-Kate Olsen. No wonder everyone hates him.

I’ll leave you with a video of the now classic Avery vs. Tucker fight.

The National Women’s Hockey League is the top senior women’s league in the world. It has top notch players, dedicated volunteer coaches and administrators, and has its very own, newly minted version of the Stanley Cup- the Clarkson Cup.

But like many women’s sports leagues, the NWHL can’t seem to snag corporate sponsorships; the players aren’t paid; and the league has no fan base, financial stability; media attention or big broadcast deals. It hasn’t come close to getting verbal, much less financial support, from the NHL.

Should this stop you from betting on women’s hockey? On the contrary. When a sport or league is starting from the bottom up, slowly gaining momentum, that is the best time to extend your betting fix. Consistently winning and losing teams are easy to identify thus making sure your betting dollar is getting it’s best return. Just think the WNBA. It’s slowly gaining momentum and a loyal fan base and is now one of the best places to bet your basketball dollar. Women’s hockey isn’t far behind.

Scoring is starting to dip in the NHL again and everyone’s looking for something or someone to blame. It may be time to shift some of the blame to the idiots that allowed the composite stick to be brought in a few years ago.

The composite stick made news last week after Sherwood, the largest supplier of hockey sticks in the world, announced they would no longer be producing wood sticks due to decreased demand. If wooden sticks start disappearing from NHL dressing rooms, don’t be shocked if goals continue to drop.

Sure, the composite stick allows even the weakest player to add some extra zip to their shot, but the faster shots aren’t creating more goals. The culprit is that composite sticks are likely causing fewer scoring chances. The same technology that allows played to add a few miles per hour to their shot also makes it more difficult to receive hard passes and control the puck while stick handling. The composites have also further decreased shooting accuracy. What good is a faster shot if you keep missing the net?

They’ve only handed out the Maurice Richard Trophy since the 1998-99 season, but it’s already one of the most coveted awards in the NHL. Last year’s winner was Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier with 52 goals. Who’ll win this year?

It’s a tight race, as usual. In first place at press time was Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk with 14 goals after 17 games. Behind him with 13 goals apiece were Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg and Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson. Kovalchuk is the proven sniper of the three; Zetterberg’s top output was 39 goals in 2005-06, the same year Alfredsson potted a career-high 43. Kovalchuk had 52 goals that year.

Kovalchuk also tied for the Richard Trophy in 2003-04, when he, Calgary’s Jarome Iginla and Columbus’ Rick Nash finished with 41 goals and sent the NHL into lockout mode. The big Russian can keep up the scoring pace with the league’s best, even more so with Alfredsson’s former teammate Marian Hossa at his side.

Thanks to the advent of the “overtime loss” and the shootout, every NHL game that’s tied after 60 minutes is now a three-point affair; two for the eventual winner, one for the loser. Eleven teams finished the 2006-07 regular season with over 100 points.

The 100-point season may have become mundane, but someone still has to win the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular-season record. Last year’s victors were the Buffalo Sabres with 113 points. Their chances in 2007-08 are slim following the exodus of Daniel Briere and Chris Drury; after 16 games, Buffalo was just 6-9-1 for 13 points.

This year’s safest pick out of the chute was the Ottawa Senators, who have posted four straight 100-point campaigns in the weaker Eastern Conference. Bryan Murray was kicked upstairs and John Paddock became the new bench boss; the Sens have responded with a 14-2 start to the season for 28 points, tops in the NHL at press time.

It’s not easy being a hockey fan if you live in Providence, Rhode Island. Fans there have waited 10 games for their Bruins to play this season’s home opener. Perched atop the Atlantic Division of the American Hockey League, Providence earned 17 of a possible 20 points (.850) on their long stretch of road games. It’s still early in the season but some analysts have the Bruins on their way to a 10th consecutive berth in the Calder Cup playoffs
Led by fifth-year head coach Scott Gordon, Providence ranks first in the league this season in both shots on goal taken (36.3 per game) and shots allowed (21.3 per game), while ranking second in scoring (3.80 goals per game) and fifth in defense (2.40 goals against per game). Highly-touted rookie Tuukka Rask is 6-1-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average after starting seven of Providence’s first eight games this season.
Expect an excited crowd this Wednesday as Providence finally hosts a home game, against the 3rd place Portland Pirates.

Eric Lindros is expected to hang up the skates Thursday after 14 years in the NHL. It’s a career that was riddled with injuries, including six concussions, and some believe his chances at entering the Hall of Fame have been damaged by his last four largely unproductive seasons. Who else might want to quit while they’re ahead?

Patrice Brisebois, Montreal: “Breeze-By” is on his last legs, but at least he gets to go out with his original NHL team.

Doug Weight, St. Louis: Just three assists in 13 games for the 15-year veteran.

Martin Gelinas, Nashville: The last active NHL player involved in the first Wayne Gretzky trade. Currently out with an eye injury.

Bobby Holik, Atlanta: You know the Thrashers are in trouble when their captain only gets 14 minutes of ice time.

Owen Nolan, Calgary: Two assists in 15 games. Has it really been 10 years since he called that goal at the All-Star Game?

I’ll leave you with some hockey nostalgia: A Wayne Gretzky career highlights video. Enjoy.

This is turning into the Year of the Goalie. Thirteen of them had save percentages of .920 or better heading into Sunday’s action. And you won’t find names like Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur and Dominik Hasek anywhere near that list.

Here’s who you will find in the Top 5:

Pascal Leclaire (.953): Five shutouts in nine games suggest the Columbus prospect has finally arrived.

Dan Ellis (.952): Nashville honked one by letting Tomas Vokoun go to Florida, but Ellis saved the day (for now) with four straight wins, including two shutouts.

Tim Thomas (.946): Taking full advantage of Manny Fernandez’ knee injury. Getting the job done for the Bruins this season.

Martin Biron (.940): Cast aside in Buffalo, but leading the Flyers’ surge back to respectability.

Henrik Lundqvist (.939): Don’t blame him for the ’ slow start. Three shutouts this season and only one shootout goal allowed in six attempts.

What the heck’s going on here? Philadelphia, Carolina and Columbus are all kicking ass in the NHL. Anaheim, New Jersey and the Rangers are all sucking wind. What’s a hockey bettor to do?

Get used to it. This is life under the salary cap. NFL bettors know all about parity, how some teams can go from the penthouse to the outhouse and back again. The dynasties of old are no more, and non-traditional hockey markets like the Carolinas are winning Stanley Cups.

This may or may not be “wrong,” depending on your hockey worldview. But here’s what I don’t like about the league, and it’s the same problem with the NBA: that ugly corporate smell. It’s in their insipid marketing, their continuous expansion that robs the game of its quality level, and their unending grab of taxpayer money to finance new arenas. The ugly ownership mess surrounding the Predators speaks volumes. But it’s always been this way, hasn’t it?

And while we’re talking about what’s wrong with the NHL, how about a little something about what’s right- depending on whether you enjoy brutishness or not.  For you then, rafish hockey fan, some fist’a'cuffs on video.