Carcillo is a repeat offender (and a goon) – he was suspended 2 games for this hit on Carolina’s Pittkanen on 10/28. Guest Starring Rob Blake!!

Calgary’s Rene Bourque got a 5-game ban [link] and a lifetime spot on my s&%$ list for his elbow to the precious face of Nicklas Backstrom.  You all saw it, and I don’t want to watch it again.  As mentioned yesterday, Bourque is also a repeat offender for this hit on Chicago’s Brent Seabrook in December that got him suspended for two.

Dale Hunter gave no conclusive update on Backstrom yesterday, but his brother posted an update to Twitter:

This was obviously not team-sanctioned news and was quickly taken down.  Silly people with inside info, you are not publicists!  But no worries, because Nicky participated in a full practice this morning and is expected to make the Caps trip to San Jose today, for the game Saturday.

It’s not just elbows and knees getting people into trouble.  The Panthers’ Krys Barch has been suspended 1 game for an alleged racial slur against PK Subban.  The remark was overhead by a linesman during Saturday’s game and Barch was ejected [link].  There are a lot of things we’d like to say to PK Subban, but none of them are that.  And all of them come after, “Can we have Stamkos’ number?”  I’m sure there’s a lot of hearsay in this case, but this argument is looking pretty valid:

And Rangers’ coach John Tortorella was fined by the NHL after some pretty inflammatory comments following Monday’s Winter Classic:

“I’m not sure if NBC got together with the refs or what to turn this into an overtime game,” Tortorella said Monday. “For two good refs, I thought the game was reffed horribly. I’m not sure what happened there.”Maybe they wanted to get into overtime. I’m not sure if they had meetings about that or what. But we stood in there. I don’t want to … because they are good guys. I just thought it was, in that third period, it was disgusting.” [link]

Torts apologized and will fork over $30k for the outburst.  New Yorkers will love him more.

Hey! I'm walking here!

So, anyone else want to have a go today?  Got some leftover 2011 aggro hanging around?  Let it go, it’s a new year.

My neighbors must think I’ve opened a truck stop for the mile-long string of extremely colorful expletives that came out of my mouth.  Bourque got an elbowing minor.  Nicky took two more shifts, then went off for “observation” and did not return to the game.  Coach Dale Hunter says they’ll know more today.

You hurt THIS FACE?! What is wrong with you?!

Shanny’s going to bust out his spray starch today and give Bourque a disciplinary hearing [link].  Bourque has already been suspended once this year – just 18 days ago (12/18)!  He got 2 games for boarding Brent Seabrook [video].  Apparently he’s only after guys with really great hair.

Nicky had 3 assists and was First Star.  Mike played 15 minutes and had 2 penalties – none of them for fighting the guy who decked his boyfriend.  The Caps beat the Flames 3-1 and have won their last 4 in a row.

If Nicky misses games… I can’t. I’m not going to say anything.  Mike just got back!  They need each other!  And I/we need them!  We’ll just play TSwift’s “Nothing I Do Better than Revenge” on a loop today and sharpen our claws.