So giving a player a shove is now considered going after them?
Neil isn't a coward he would wipe the floor with rosehill or w.e his name is, and he held his ground against that goon orr. He is a player that any team would love to have, doubt ottawa will ever have a top tier fighter and hitter who can actually contribute offensively like him.
Held his own? Hehe Orr bloodied his face. Exactly the reason Neil avoided Orr countless times after that fight. Rosehill is no slouch either. Check out his fight against Lucic. But I agree neil is a decent player and can skate/forecheck well.
Anyway Grabovski is a magnet for big hits so a couple punches to the helmet can't keep him down.
How did Grabo make a dumb mistake? He didn't get hurt or look too bad in the exchange, tried to show that he didn't want to see teammates pushed around and it didn't cost the Leafs the game. You have your skilled forward willing to fight Neil. That's worth more than anything coming from the game.
Seems alright to me.
Hindsight... He made a dumb mistake for the following reasons;
1) Neil has no effect on the outcome of the game
2) Grabo is far more valuable to the leafs than Ashton
3) Grabo could've been injured
4) Grabo in the box for 5 minutes could've changed the game
5) Ashton is 6'3", 215pds - he could've tied Neil up better than Grabo
Any way, luckily this didn't change the outcome of the game and Grabo is fine...but some players make dumb decisions in the heat of the moment. Another example of this happened a couple games ago when Cowen one of the sens best dmen fought Nokoleinan, a 4th line plug.
I hope you guys think this is okay next season when we get Orr/Rosie/Brownie to pay a visit to Alfie or Karlson just so we can take them out of the game:naughty, I remember sens fans crying when Tucker destroyed Heatley in a fight and took him out of the game and "did his job" but now that Neil did it's ok
Why would Alfie or Karlsson accept a fight with them?
I hope you guys think this is okay next season when we get Orr/Rosie/Brownie to pay a visit to Alfie or Karlson just so we can take them out of the game:naughty, I remember sens fans crying when Tucker destroyed Heatley in a fight and took him out of the game and "did his job" but now that Neil did it's ok
Again....Grabo threw the first punch. Alfie and Karlsson are not stupid enough to take themselves out of the game, hence that's why they don't start fights. They have Neil for that reason. Two different scenarios
Hindsight... He made a dumb mistake for the following reasons;
1) Neil has no effect on the outcome of the game
2) Grabo is far more valuable to the leafs than Ashton
3) Grabo could've been injured
4) Grabo in the box for 5 minutes could've changed the game
5) Ashton is 6'3", 215pds - he could've tied Neil up better than Grabo
Any way, luckily this didn't change the outcome of the game and Grabo is fine...but some players make dumb decisions in the heat of the moment. Another example of this happened a couple games ago when Cowen one of the sens best dmen fought Nokoleinan, a 4th line plug.
All legitimate reasons, yes, and it's true... I'd much rather Ashton fight Neil since he's actually experienced a fight before. Having said that, the game is meaningless. As a diehard, I get so much more from Grabo continuing to prove that he is the heart and soul of this team. Having seen the Leafs heartlessly finish season after season, I'll forever love Grabo for showing up game in and game out.
Grabo responded to Neil shoving Ashton and a fight broke out. It's gonna happen and I kinda don't fully blame Neil for it. I do think it'a a dick move to keep throwing punches when both guys are on the ice though. That's my only real issue here.
Last edited by Paris in Flames: 03-18-2012 at 01:22 AM.
No it perfectly makes sense cause you guys were saying Garbo started and should have not protected a rookie against pig face but if your own player does the same thing it would be okay. To bad its called team toughness and not 1-2 guys sticking up for your entire team. Garbo showed toughness and leadership... toughness is something Alfie is allergic to and Karlssons balls hasn't dropped yet so I get why you Ottawa fans won't understand this.
Ashton ran Ottawa's goaltender twice. Leafs aren't tough, sober up.
Neil will fight anyone in this league and give them a good run so I don't really have a problem with him as I'd love to have him but I do agree that it's not exactly good for his reputation to go after a kid who doesn't fight then scrap a Euro who's never fought before. I think it's a case of picking and choosing his spots and clearly, Rosehill should be on the top of the list. Rosie is a lot like Neil, dumb as hell and willing to fight anyone. They're a match made in heaven.
I was always a pretty big Grabo fan but my respect for him went up even more after tonight. You have to love the way he doesn't even hesitate to defend his teammate, especially against one of the tougher guys in the league.
As for Neil, I don't see what the big deal is. He's just doing his job. And being very effective at it, as usual. Look at how Toronto embraced Darcy Tucker & Tie Domi. You guys would be loving Chris Neil if he were wearing the blue and white.
Neil will fight anyone in this league and give them a good run so I don't really have a problem with him as I'd love to have him but I do agree that it's not exactly good for his reputation to go after a kid who doesn't fight then scrap a Euro who's never fought before. I think it's a case of picking and choosing his spots and clearly, Rosehill should be on the top of the list. Rosie is a lot like Neil, dumb as hell and willing to fight anyone. They're a match made in heaven.
Well that euro showed up when Ashton should have. Garb started it.
Neil isn't afraid of anyone on the Leafs so he'll do whatever he wants out there. If he wants to go after a rookie, he'll go after a rookie.
But yeah, I'm sure Chris Neil is scared of big bad Dion Phaneuf.
Phaneuf is the biggest spot picker in the league.
Don't really think Phaneuf is a spot picker. He's a guy who can fight that can also legitimately contribute to his team. He won't fight if the team is winning/in a good spot because the team needs him to be on the ice. He has the right to pick his fights.
Well that euro showed up when Ashton should have. Garb started it.
I never said he didn't start it, he was sticking up for the kid but I always find it weak when a known tough guy goes after a rookie who's certainly not a scrapper. I don't like it when my team does it either. If Jay Rosehill chased down say, Turris, although he's not a rookie the principle is the same. Just a weak move.
He didn't go after a rookie. He pushed him in the back. Didn't Ashton fight the other night? Maybe Neil was jsut trying to get in his head like "Hey rook, wanna go". Grabo pushed him then Neil tied him up and threw one punch. I like how Neil handled the whole thing. He just took a top forward of the other team for 5. Not a bad swap.
{MOD EDIT}That means nothing. Mike Komisarek is 6'4 245lbs and is as soft as a kitten. Plenty of fighters in this league could sacrifice size and weight and still beat the **** out of the majority of players bigger than them.
Last edited by Homeland Security: 03-18-2012 at 12:33 PM.
Reason: Edit.
He didn't go after a rookie. He pushed him in the back. Didn't Ashton fight the other night? Maybe Neil was jsut trying to get in his head like "Hey rook, wanna go". Grabo pushed him then Neil tied him up and threw one punch. I like how Neil handled the whole thing. He just took a top forward of the other team for 5. Not a bad swap.
Ashton did fight the other night BUT it's because he threw a hit and Mattias came up and instantly dropped the gloves, it's not like Carter had a choice. It's also quite the leap going from Mattias to Neil.
I never said he didn't start it, he was sticking up for the kid but I always find it weak when a known tough guy goes after a rookie who's certainly not a scrapper. I don't like it when my team does it either. If Jay Rosehill chased down say, Turris, although he's not a rookie the principle is the same. Just a weak move.
I suppose but all im saying is Ashton isn't some undersized kid who has never dropped the gloves. He fought in juniors and the ahl.
Ashton did fight the other night BUT it's because he threw a hit and Mattias came up and instantly dropped the gloves, it's not like Carter had a choice. It's also quite the leap going from Mattias to Neil.
What does that have to do with anything? Neil is a fighter. Ashton had his first NHL fight. Looked like Neil was just messing with him like "want to add to your resume?" By no means does he "go after" a rookie.
Regardless, since when is a rookie exempt from being pushed around a little bit? Soft cotton is soft.
