default-cbs-image

Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher has some extra time on his hands… er hand. After breaking two fingers on his left hand while blocking a shot and undergoing surgery, he can’t play for a while. But he can still type apparently.

Gallagher took exception to some criticism from ex-NHL enforcer Jim Kyte, who had some analysis on players like "Gallagher and [Boston Bruins forward] Brad Marchand” on Twitter. That sparked a good ol’ fashioned Twitter feud between the 51-year-old Kyte and the 23-year-old Gallagher. Ah, debate in the Year 2015.

It all started with this:

Someone either tipped off Gallagher or he’s a name searcher because it took about two hours for a reply. And the Habs sparkplug came to the digital dance with some intel.

The video is of a Kyte sucker-punching Mario Lemieux back in 1985. At the time, Lemieux was a 19-year-old rookie, while Kyte was in his second full NHL season. That year, those two players combined for 103 points. Mario had 100 of them.

But Kyte was quick with an explanation.

That retort didn’t work for Gallagher, who did the one thing older folks really hate with the ol’ “things are better now than they were back in the day” and even took a swipe at Kyte’s ability on the ice.

That staggered the salty veteran, who came back with this:

When you resort to the “good one” reply, you’re on the ropes. Gallagher, having already delivered the blow that staggered his opponent, went out with this.

But nothing’s over until it’s over. You can’t have an argument between players from different generations without a “back in my day” statement. And here it was:

Poor Guy Carbonneau got dragged into this, too? All he ever did was win three Selke Trophies and three Stanley Cups.

Kyte, by the way had 66 points in 598 career NHL games as a defenseman. He also picked up 1,342 penalty minutes. He actually has a pretty interesting story as he was a first-round NHL draft pick despite being legally deaf due to a degenerative nerve disorder that caused him to lose a lot of his hearing, as detailed by The Hockey News. 

There’s no doubt that Kyte was a tough customer in his day, and he probably would have had his own way of dealing with players he viewed as rats. However, the game has definitely changed.

Enforcers have gone by the wayside, as teams have had to fill their teams with more speed and skill to keep up with top teams like the Blackhawks and Kings. The results are showing in the way the Canadiens are playing to start this season, posting the NHL’s best record. 

Gallagher plays a feisty game that can teeter on the edge at times, but he’s also developed into one of Montreal’s best forwards from a skill standpoint. Before going down with his injury, he was the team’s top right wing and ranked third on the team with 19 points. Last year, he posted his first 20-plus goal season (24). He’s also been remarkably durable over his first four seasons in the NHL up until his hand got in the way of a Johnny Boychuk slap shot.

Maybe there are some differences of opinion on how the game should be played, but the athletes in the NHL are far better today than they were even 15 years ago. As league revenues grow and attendance rises in some of the biggest cities in the NHL, the public seems to like this version a lot.

Brendan Gallagher got into a good ol' fashioned Twitter fight. (USATSI)
Brendan Gallagher got into a good ol' fashioned Twitter fight. (USATSI)