Don't Boogaart The Brawling
The Wild have themselves a remarkable young rookie in Len Boogaard. "Boogie" runs 6-7 and 260 pounds making him one of the biggest dudes in the league and a serious presence on the ice.
Like the fabled Ogie Oglethorpe from Slapshot ("This young man has had a very trying rookie season...what with the notoriety, his subsequent deportation to Canada and that country's refusal to accept him...") Boogie was used as a circus act during his stint in the juniors:
"So all these years, he's been basically told, We don't want you to play and we don't think you can play. We just want you to be out there to fight."
Boogaard was like a marketing tool -- sell tickets, rile up and entertain the crowd. And if frightening the competition was a side effect, good for him.
Lynn, shaking his head, said, "One or two shifts a game, he was told to fight."
The fans loved him, but being the village pugilist isn't an easy role. It turns out Boogie actually has some skills, which is why the Wild took a chance on him.
So he's starting to get more shifts and the coaches think he can make an impact with his play. That's not to say he still doesn't drop the mitts or intimidate his opponents:
Some guys just by looking at the size of me, they just turn around and skate to the bench," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment