Quick Hits: Draper’s Face Was Caved In

IN RED WINGS LAND

There Will Be Blood | The Players’ Tribune

To be 100% honest, I rarely thought of getting revenge on Lemieux. It wasn’t about that. Unfortunately, Detroit did not feel the same way. It was like the entire city took the hit personally. When the season started, and I was back in the lineup, all anybody wanted to talk about was our first game against Colorado. But, as fate would have it, Lemieux wasn’t in the lineup for our first two games. The third game in Colorado got very heated — you could feel the tension — but the referees were on top of it. Nothing major happened. But you could feel the hatred building and building….

Right up until March 26, 1997.

When it all exploded at The Joe.

Kris Draper’s article hit the internet yesterday and was a hit among hockey fans (except Avs fans because we all know they can’t read). It’s a great stroll down memory lane of one of the bloodiest rivalries in hockey history. Draper gives you his perspective on the brawl and the feud with Colorado. It’s interesting to read what was going through his mind during the initial hit from behind from Claude Lemieux, his road to recovery, the Red Wings struggles to get over the hump and, of course, the big fight. This is without a doubt worth your time to read.

AROUND THE NHL

Is Brad Marchand Really A Hart Candidate? | Sportsnet

The numbers are pretty damn good. Despite his status as a rat, you can’t deny he’s the driving force behind the Bruins recent stretch of success (maybe Bruce Cassidy gets some credit too). If Boston holds on to makes the playoffs — which they should — and Brad Marchand stays at or near the top of the NHL in goals and points, he’s likely a Hart finalist. Of course, let’s be real here, he’ll probably slewfoot someone soon, get suspended for a couple games and that’ll cost him the league lead in both categories.