378 PIMs for Ak Bars and Traktor in Superleague

Tatneft Arena, KAZAN, Russia -- This story has been all over the Internet, and was even featured on Sportscenter last night, but I thought I'd include it here. In case you missed it, in their matchup Tuesday night, Russian Superleague teams Ak Bars Kazan and Traktor Chelyabinsk managed to rack up 378 penalty minutes in a bench-clearing brawl at the end of the game.

The fight started after Traktor forward Alexei Zavarukhin thought he scored with 34 seconds left in the third period, but the puck crossed the line after the referee had whistled the play dead. Ak Bars took exception to the extra effort, and Zavarukhin was leveled in the corner by two Kazan players, sparking the melee.

The referees made a feeble effort to keep the players from leaving the bench, but within seconds it was 22-on-22 in a bruising brawl that lasted more than five minutes. As the fight started to wind down, the Ak Bars fans can be heard chanting "Молодцы!" which translates roughly to, "Good job, guys!"

Ak Bars won the game 7-5 and currently sits in sixth place in the Superleague, while Traktor remains mired in 14th.

Here's a video of the whole affair, courtesy of my old employer, RTR-Sport.



On Thursday, the Russian Hockey Federation announced suspensions for 12 players. The longest went to Kazan forward Alexander Stepanov, who received three games for leaving the penalty box. He could receive another six games unless he pays a fine of 30,000 rubles (approximately US$1,200). Traktor forward and former Hartford Whaler Andrei Nikolishin received a one game suspension plus three games should he not pay the fine.

Speaking of the Whalers, this brawl brings back memories of the legendary tilt between the New England Whalers and the Minnesota Fighting Saints on April 11, 1975 in the old World Hockey Association. That fight set a WHA record for penalty minutes in a game at 217, a paltry total when compared to this Superleague fight.

You can watch a short piece about that night at the Hartford Civic Center below, or you can listen to the call from Bob Neumier here.




I must say that in all my years of watching Russian hockey, I have seen very few fights in the Superleague, and none at a live game. I'm not saying fighting doesn't happen over there, but don't think that this incident means the rough and tumble hockey of the NHL in the 1970's can now be found in Russia. Fighting remains much rarer than it is in North America, but probably more common than in other European leagues.

UPDATE: This was one of my favorite stories from the Superleague last year. Good job, Traktor fans.

Salavat Yulayev Bans Traktor Fans, Receives Fine

December 12, 2006 -- Salavat Yulayev Ufa has decided that fans of Traktor Chelyabinsk are no longer welcome at their stadium. The announcement came after a December 6th incident in Ufa when a person, identified as a Traktor fan by Salavat Yulayev officials, tossed a smoke grenade onto the Ufa bench during a game. The fan was immediately arrested and charged. Salavat Yulayev has also begun comprehensive searches of all persons and their belongings entering the stadium, and fans expressing support for Traktor will not be allowed to attend any games. Salavat Yulayev officials stated that they held Traktor entirely responsible for the incident, but the Russian Hockey Federation still fined the home side 300,000 rubles (US$11,500), because according to federation rules, the home team is responsible for the behavior of all fans in their arena, regardless of their leanings.

I Like Fighting, But I Hate Goons

BOULDER, Colorado -- Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox recently had an article on ESPN.com about Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby.

I generally agree with his assessment of Crosby and skill players in the NHL more generally - this conventional wisdom that every skilled superstar needs a goon to back them up is ridiculous. Toughness - and that includes fighting - is an essential part of the game, but this should be a team concept, not just for a fourth line of bubble players who made their way up through the minors by knocking people's teeth out. There are few things more pointless than two goons duking it out for no reason; that being said, there is nothing more exciting than seeing two stars punch each other's lights out.

I am also tired of talk about the halcyon days of the NHL of the past. We are always contorting our understandings of the past to fit our perfect vision. The Original Six is a farce, a 25-year blip in the history of the National Hockey League. Players were no more respectful of each other or of the game 30 years ago; they just got paid less and had fewer rights, so it's easier to think of them as noble lunch-pailers just doing an honest day's work.

This is not to say the league is without tradition. The NHL is in some of the poorest sorts in its history, and the commissioner is a laughing stock. Clearly, looking back to some tradition could only help. But if you truly understand and respect the game, you can make sound judgments about which changes are good and which are not; the healthy debate that will ensue will only help hockey improve.

So, don't be swayed by dumb stories about how Wayne Gretzky never got hit because of Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley. And make sure that the guys on your favorite team that punch the tar out of people can also skate and pass and shoot, like this guy and this guy, not like this guy.

If you enjoy fights as much as I do, check out this website.

UPDATE

For some terrible resources on fighting, go to this website. Not only does their "ranking" system penalize players for scoring, but they rank Peter Worrell as the most effective fighter ever. If you know who this is, you can understand my horror. Also, under their listing for Mike Peluso, native of Hibbing, Minnesota and Stanley Cup winner with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, they have a picture of minor-league journeyman Mike Peluso of Bismark, North Dakota; in other words, not the famous goon Mike Peluso.

Bang up job, fellas.

And I realize that all the Russian on my page is screwed up - it happened during the switch over to a Google blogger account. I'll fix it soon.