In Plymouth, JT Miller (NYR 2011 1st) and his Plymouth Whalers hosted the Windsor Spitfires in a game that wound up with 37 different penalties, 112 penalty minutes, 7 fights, and we expect later this week that a couple of coaches will be writing checks to the league and a couple of players will be suspended.
Oh yeah, Plymouth rolled over Windsor 5-1 in a game that the score did not even come close to describing how badly Plymouth beat on the Spitfires. The Whalers wound up with 54 shots for the entire game while holding the Spitfires to 27 shots.
Miller was scoreless in this game but was involved in one of the fights which makes it is for fighting major of the season and second game in a row with fight. If JT Miller plans on playing as a pro next year that some friendly advice to him would be that the others fight and you do everything else.
The Rangers are going to start your contract just because you can fight; they will turn you pro because you can score, create, and play defense. For you fighting to be the last resort.
We normally don't do game sheets but this one we think we should because it's very much an example of what happens when a game gets out of control. We expect the couple of coaches to be writing couple checks as will the team as well. Total disgrace to the game and of all days, Dr. Martin Luther King Day.
You know how coaches like talk about missed opportunities? On Monday evening, the Spokane Chiefs might look back at their game with the Seattle Thunderbirds as one of those missed opportunities.
Brendan Kichton (NYI 2011 5th) and his Chief teammates will regret their 3-2 loss to the Thunderbirds as they could've closed to within two points of fourth place in the WHL's Western Conference.
Ranger fans will understand this one as Spokane defeated conference leading Tri-City just the other night in what was a key win for them but lost the momentum by losing to a team that's 15 points behind them in the standings.
Kichton didn't score but he had his chances but he isn't to blame for the loss as this one belongs the entire team. Spokane had three games in hand entering today's play, losing this one could down the road be the difference between having home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs and not having it.
Lessons lost
I was five years old when Dr. Martin Luther King gave his "I've got a dream" speech in Washington DC. I was eight when he was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee and I remember my mother crying because he wasn't a president, he was just a man at least that's what I thought.
It saddens me that in the year 2012 that we still have to fight bigotry and intolerance. I'm grateful that my mom taught me that the people not by the color of their skin but rather the size of their heart.
It has been 48 years since Dr. King spoke his most powerful words about having a dream. Yes you can say there has been some change but honestly very small.
We still have incidents of players using racial or sexual gender remarks. One would think that by now that would not be any need for investigation of alleged remarks but yet three times in the NHL, two times in the OHL and who knows how many times in the other leagues.
The excuse that we hear be given time and time again is "the heat of the moment or battle." In 2012 that excuse should be unacceptable to all of us.
Maybe I'm disappointed because on one hand we don't see people counting how many people of color are playing the game. That's a good sign; now we have to work on the mindsets because it should not matter what color player is, or if he's gay or straight.
What should matter is he a good player, is he a good contributor to the community and to see the type of person you would want your kids to have as a role model.
Call that my "I have a dream" moment.
(Dr. Martin Luther King- Dr. Martin Luther King.net)
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