Via the Free Press:
“He asked me to go, so I was ready to go,” Bootland said. “He was just trying to suck me in, and it worked out. Just happy they didn’t capitalize on the power play.” Bootland said Tootoo didn’t come near him the rest of the game. “It’s pretty frustrating,” Bootland said. “He comes in (Wednesday) and throws a sucker punch right off the hop — I thought it was. Usually, most guys have the respect that if you’re going to ask a guy to go, you’ll get ready and go.”
I know there are those people who would say Bootland is just whining, but he has a very good point. There’s such a thing as proper etiquette and Tootoo didn’t follow it. Now, Bootland probably should have known better, as one of Tootoo’s few redeeming qualities is his ability to goad players into taking penalties. Still, it’s not to Jordin’s credit that he proposed a fight and then backed down.
For an example of proper etiquette, see the video below:
That’s how fighting is different than leveling players as they touch up an icing.
As for the comment about Tootoo not coming near him for the rest of the game, I’m not surprised. Bootland only played one more shift after that so unless Tootoo buzzed the bench, he wasn’t going to be around. Had Darryl played more than a minute and a half, I’m sure the two would have found each other and maybe the results would have been different.
It’s doubtful that Bootland will get another chance at him until next season, since he should be back in Grand Rapids before the last game with the Preds, which will take place on March 29th in Nashville. Of course, he’ll have to make the Wings’ NHL roster if he wants another shot at Tootoo, as he is still only in the AHL, despite the fact that legions of fans around the League hold his brief stint with the Wings in ‘03-’04 against him like he’s an NHL regular. Why he’s such a special object of hate, I don’t know, since most fans who aren’t up to speed on the AHL have rarely seen him play (whereas Tootoo has been pissing people off for his play in both leagues for three seasons). I’d say he has a pretty good chance of making it, though.
Tootoo is going to keep on as long as he gets ridiculous four minutes for what should have been intent to injure penalty. Just ask Stephane Robidas with the Dallas Stars. As soon as he is conscious.
JSDillon I was at the game and you are wacked… For all we know Robidas had a charging speed of 20 MPH and a fist just being put up high would knock him or anyone else to the ice where (depending on how they land) he hit his head and the lights went out..
I would recommend watching other hockey games other than just your own team and see how the rest of the league plays…Then develop your own educated view.. Not a distorted one just from listening to other people talk.
Tootoo is an agitator, that draws penalties and he does not run from fights…just the ones he is told to avoid.
Bill, watch the replay and don’t rely on your memory from the game.
There is no way Robidas was going to hit Tootoo from behind like Predators fans like to pretend he was. Robidas wasn’t going to “defend” Modano by slamming Tootoo right back into him. He had stopped skating and was going to glide in to yell at Jordin and give him a facewash or something similar, not deck him from behind. So, Tootoo’s childish little preemptive strike merely prevented a post-action scrum, not a dangerous hit.
As for the laws of physics you bring up, you can’t deny that Tootoo swung his fist. It’s not as though Robida skated in to Jordin’s outstretched arm and knocked himself out. Had that been the case, it would be Robidas looking stupid, not Jordin Tootoo.
So you were among the fans who did not think it worthy to acknowledge Modano’s feat and instead booed the greatest US-born goal scorer? Classy guy.
Just learned from the second-tier commentators on Versus that Tootoo has a right to protect himself “offensively.” Having established that “fact,” every Star should know that Tootoo poses an immediate threat any time he’s on the ice and, therefore, all Stars should protect themselves “offensively” when he is within arm’s length.T2: Judgment Day opens March 31 in Nashville.
Randy,
Oh yeah, everyone knows that the best defense is a good offense, right? What? That doesn’t apply to individuals? Oh. Someone should tell the Versus guys that.
Clever Terminator tie-in, by the way. That should be an interesting game.
JSDillon, before you go bashing the Nashville fans for not acknowledging the milestone, you need to consider the scene.
And I’ll preface this by saying that in my opinion, Mike Modano is a very talented player, and what he has done for the game of hockey in the U.S. is nothing short of remarkable.
However, not even one minute before the goal was scored, the fans witnessed Modano swing his stick at one of their players with malicious intent. Yeah, he said in his presser that he tried to hold back. But the fact remains that he still made decent contact, and that didn’t set well with those who saw it. I’d venture to say that the same sentiments would be shared if this had occured at Joe Louis instead. Modano should have been turning the faucets on for his shower instead of scoring a goal on a power play. The fans were not happy that he was still even on the ice.
If they had not just seen that happen, I’m sure the setting would have been different. But it wasn’t, and being greeted with a the loudest chorus of boos that the NHL has isn’t exactly the way that an accomplishment of that magnitude should be celebrated. Besides, there is no rule or guideline that mandates Nashville to give any sort of recognition to something that wasn’t even an official NHL record. Believe me though, without the given scene, I know that the accomplishment would have been announced and that the crowd in Nashville would have been more than happy to give him the ovation that he deserved.
I am a Nashville fan, and you can believe me when I tell you that we’re not as uneducated as you people like to think we are.
Kevin,
Thanks for your comment.
The beef is not necessarily with the fans, who can cheer or not cheer whatever they want. The issue is with the organization, which did not have the announcer inform the crowd of Modano’s accomplishment. It is something the organization should have done, irregardless of the feeling in the arena among the fans.
Hi Matt - You’re exactly right. When Mark Recchi scored his 500th goal when the Penguins were at the Stars in January, we (fans) did not adequately acknowledge it. The announcer mentioned it again and literally play stopped until the fans gave him a deserving standing ovation. I know it’s not the same as the circumstances with Modano/Tootoo/Robidas in Nashville, but even if the fans wanted to boo, I think the announcer should have made note. And to Kevin … careful on the “not as uneducated as you people like to think we are” comment. I went to Vanderbilt.