So long as there is worthy content, I could get used to this whole NHL Fight of the Night routine. Last night didn't disappoint.
Just minutes into George Laraque's first appearance in the Canadiens lineup, he got into it with the Bruins' Shawn Thornton in what Puck Duddy calls a staged fight. Either way, you have to admire the hate and respect shown in this fight, not to mention the announcers emphatic call.
What I love most is that Thornton let Laraque get back up after he slipped without any cheap shots (did you read that Albert Haynesworth). Thornton explained his move after the game:
Early in the fight, Laraque lost his balance and Thornton had him down. But the Boston tough guy didn't throw any punches and let Laraque get to his skates. "I'm not that guy to finish somebody off when they're down," Thornton said.
"I think there's a lot of respect among us with our jobs. It's a couple things -- bad karma and too much respect for the job he does to throw punches while he's on the ground. He threw a punch, lost his footing, and went over the top. His momentum took him down. I don't think it's fair to hit somebody when he's on the ground. What goes around comes around. I wouldn't want to be on the bottom with him throwing punches either."
Thornton may have won the fight, but Laraque would have gotten huge points if he could have tossed his opponent completely into his team's bench. Until next time...
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