Quote:
Originally Posted by Joborule
I feel in this case, it's to send a message that the team will stand up for itself, and will not tolerate being pushed around. Even if the hit wasn't intentionally malicious, it hurt the player, and resulted in another player being injured. Meanwhile for the Canucks it shifted the momentum in their favour, which carried out throughout the entire game.
Flames have been a team that's been soft as ice cream for the past few seasons, and you could say it's been a factor in their lackluster results. In game 2 of the season, immediately after this happened, I feel it's worth it to have push back physically, and stand up for themselves and build some fire in the team that is desperately needed. When a team plays physical and with umph, I feel the team plays better. It's like when Ferland made Bieksa his bitch back in the '15 playoffs. The Flames were fueled from that energy. Since then, there hasn't been a player that really been that spark, and the team has flatlined since that series.
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And if Gudbrandsen handles Prout easily, or even just acquits himself well against a supposed tough guy then what? It's pretty doubtful that any fight would result in a big moral victory - most are just hugfests, especially where you have guys who have fought and can defend.