#94's #s: 22 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, Even, 45 PIM.
Take the good: Boogaard snapped a 234 game goalless streak with a wide open, wobbling slapshot that beat Michal Neuvirth short side back in November. But he wasn't being paid $1.625 million this season to score, he was paid to be a pugilist and Hockeyfights has his fighting record at 4-2-1. Take the bad: Not a single bout that Boogaard took part in was for any other reason but to justify his paycheck. He didn't defend his teammates, he didn't try to spark them or to spark the crowd. He averaged 4:32 of ice time as a pathetic sideshow who couldn't skate. He took a big punch from Matt Carkner in the beginning of December and was never heard from again. Brandon Prust - a top grinder and penalty killer - just had to undergo surgery on his shoulder having been forced into the enforcer role by Boogey's absence.
Take them both and then we have: A waste of a Ranger jersey and another failed free agent signing by Glen Sather. The era of the goon was long gone before Glen gave Boogey his deal and we have three more seasons of this lumbering loser.
4 comments:
I got depressed reading this because I had mentally blocked out the existence of Boogaard's conract. It was undeserved when he signed it, and it even more undeserved after that abysmal performance this season. Who is supposed to be afraid of fighting someone who can't even take a punch? Shame on our continually failing free agent signings. I may be forced to use that last line again in a couple of weeks when your post for #10 appears ...
ugh. you actually make him sound better than he was.
Coming on the heels of the Brashear debacle (2yr/$2.8M) the Boogaard contract (4yr/$6.6M) just made no sense. Funny, but I think if Sather wanted a goon he should have just stayed with Colton Orr. His fight record the last two seasons:
2010-2010: 7-5-1 and (2G)
2009-10: 12-5-6 and (4G, 2A)
Toronto signed him for $4 million for 4 years. He was a bargain when the Rangers had him. And in hindsight he was still a bargain if you wanted a brawler.
He was awful and any attention he gets is from his sideshow antics...
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