When the Shanahammer Falls

Now let me tell you of a man, one Shanahan by name
He metes out fines and punishments, no two judgments the same
Took up a shining hammer when he answered Bettman's call
Now brave men flee scared lest they be the anvil when it falls

It's a breakneck world of hitting in the good old hockey game
One hundred thousand eyes on you and plays shown frame-by-frame
So don't talk back and don't be smart when he got you by the balls
Just close your eyes and hold your wallet tight 'til the Shanahammer falls

He'll shame you public from his throne of the D.O.P.S.
But 'next suspension coming down could be any man's guess
So be warned, goons and thugs from Anaheim to Montreal
You best be scared, 'cause who knows where the next Shanahammer falls

A man may not be looking when you stand up in his way
But you can't be sure on which side Shanahan woke up today
So you better speak in whispers and you tip-toe through the halls
And beware the shadow of the Shanahammer if it falls

So if a game is rough and neither ref is making calls
And you want to smash Hank Zetterberg's damn head against a wall
Go ahead and take a chance! but if you touch Jarret Stoll
Well... you better not be Raffi fuckin' Torres when the Shanahammer falls

 

Game 12: "Free Jumbo!"

Congratulations to San Francisco on its first World Series Championship! Yeah, Man. Sweet. Maybe I'll buy a ball cap. Okay the real news, though, is that Joe Thornton has been suspended for two whole games! For hitting some dude in the head! The replay looks bad, too, like, really bad. Thornton, stepping out of the box after serving a penalty he didn't like,* drops his shoulder into Perron's head while Perron is moving 20mph, looking behind himself. In that respect it looked vicious. On the other hand, what was Joe supposed to do, let Perron skate by with the puck because he wasn't looking where he was going? In this respect, I think that the NHL is sending mixed messages. The only thing this suspension shows is that players are unclear on what the penalty is. They can suspend Joe as many games as they like to "send a message," but he still isn't going to know what he did wrong.

But regardless of the penalties, I was excited to see what the Sharks looked like without Joe Thornton on the first line/power play. Now, having seen the Tampa Bay game, I can say that they looked awesome! Power play was great, too. Couture fit right in on the first line (love that guy) and got a goal to put him right in the middle of the race for the Sharks' goal-scoring lead. I would also like to take this time to note that Jamal Mayers has been making a big impression on me. I think he's really added to the scoring potential of that fourth line, but, not only that, there have been several moments when a puck squirts loose, where all I can think is "Somebody ------- get that!", and Jamal Mayers turns on the jets and gets there first. He's far speedier than I expected. Of course, the only thing anybody could tell me about this guy when he signed was "Was he the guy who shaved his eyebrows into tiger stripes in the playoffs?" So my expectations weren't high.

Go, Sharks!

6-6-0

*and his first of the season