Goon Squad's NHL Hockey Fan Profile

Coyote Ugly - Deserted Dogs posted on 01/31/2010
Keith Jeffries of Huntsville Sports Ventures has been the owner of the Havoc, a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League, for all six years - the longest stint of the city's four previous franchises.

Admittedly, he didn't know that much about the sport before he became an owner, but he did love watching the game.

After selling his business several years ago, it was a search "for that second career" that led Jeffries to the front office of the minor league team.

Decorating the walls of the team's main office are framed jerseys from past years. His office, off to the side of the main office, is modestly decorated with bookshelves, pictures, a couple of hockey masks, pucks and a family picture prominently displayed.

Last week, Jeffries talked about the team and the sport with Times business editor Budd McLaughlin. The conversation has been edited for space and clarity.

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Hockey Police? Really? posted on 01/28/2010
Dangerous head hits in hockey are spinning out of control. The NHL pretends they don't really exist and junior players get the kind of suspensions that don't seem to act as a deterrent, because no sooner does the hype from one near-decapitation die down that anothert one takes place.

Hockey leagues of all levels in Canada are pledging to do more to improve players' safety in the wake of recent violent headshots. But one observer believes the sport could use a little help from the legal system.

Peter Donnelly, director of the Centre of Sport Policy Studies at the University of Toronto, counters that severe punishments like the one Cormier received don't do enough to deter players. "If there are any blatant attacks where clearly one person has gone after a person that was not expecting it, as in the incident with Cormier, I think that's a criminal act," Donnelly said. "

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USA! USA! USA! posted on 01/28/2010
Has it been 30 years now since the US beat the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid?(It seems like only yesterday...)

The Americans went on to win the gold medal in hockey that year - something that hasn't happened since, but don't expect any miracles next month at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. No, the United States still isn't favored to win a gold medal in hockey. In that respect the Americans remain underdogs. But with a roster stacked with young talent, they certainly are a medal candidate - one that the powerhouses from Canada, Russia and Sweden can't afford to overlook. "A little bit different situation [than 1980] in my opinion," said United States team captain Jamie Langenbrunner, a forward with the NHL's New Jersey Devils. "As much as Canada deserves all the credit that they're getting for the players they have, the 23 players named to the [United States] team play in the same league as those guys and we feel quite comfortable playing against them on a nightly basis. We feel we belong on the same ice."

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From Russia, with love. posted on 01/23/2010

Did I say love? My bad!

A huge fight that stopped a KHL Championship game just after four minutes of play has led to a criminal investigation being launched into the reasons behind the major brawl at the game between Vityaz Chekhov and Avangard Omsk on January 9th.

Match officials struggled desperately to separate the teams and eject the offending players before the game resumed, but another fight broke out after just seven more seconds of play.

The officials finally scrapped the match, with only seven and eight players, respectively, left on each team.

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Goons Gone Wild - Jr. Edition posted on 01/18/2010
I really hate to call this kid a Goon. I think punk ass bitch fits him better!

Patrice Cormier, Team Canada's World Junior captain and forward for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies was ejected from a QMJHL game in overtime on Sunday when he came off the bench for a line change, cut through the faceoff circle at center ice, and layed an elbow to the face of Quebec Remparts defenseman Mikael Tam.

The 18-year-old defenseman suffered trauma to the skull and brain and lost many teeth. He is now hospitalized in stable condition and is expected to be released possibly as early Tuesday.

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