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Marty McSorley has a code. The fighting, he always said, played a role in the game.

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The goons were watching each other. They kept the other morons from preying on your talents.

At least that was what they claimed.

And when you talk to the talented players of the era, they insist that the goons played a role, that they kept the guys from running too much. They did their job and the good guys moved on.

Whether it was really true or not, it didn’t matter. They believed him.

This moron did his job and he should have done it with honor, McSorley will tell you.

Sure, sometimes things might have gotten a little crazy, you might have had to do something to remind people you were there. Maybe you got suspended for a few games.

But the relief valve was important to the big picture.

You might have been a little crazy at times, but at least it was dignified.

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However, he repeatedly said that Donald Brashear did not conform to this sense of dignity. McSorley didn’t like the way he taunted the bench, the way he preened.

He also had no time for trainers who sent their tough guys out to threaten, but with orders not to fight.

As most fans know, near the end of the Canucks-Bruins game on February 21, 2000, McSorley punched Brashear in the side of the head. It was such a stunning act that the courts intervened. This is not an act of hockey, a judge would decide.

But all these years later, McSorley remains defiant. This was evident from the conversations I had with him and his very public appearance on Sportsnet 650 on Friday.

“I punched Donald Brashear to make him turn around and fight me,” McSorley told Jason Brough and Mike Halford. “The stick hit him in the shoulder… I came up from my waist to hit him in the body.

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His claim about where he hit Brashear has always defied reality: The video is clear as day, showing McSorley hitting Brashear square in the head. Maybe he was trying to hit Brashear in the shoulder, but he missed.

And then the worst happened.

After the match, McSorley admitted: “That’s not what I intended to do. »

But over the years, his position evolved into one of blame. He blames Brashear for not fighting him – although they had fought earlier in the game and Brashear had beaten him badly, as had been the case in most of their encounters. Brashear was much younger and much stronger. McSorley was an aging veteran by then.

McSorley had attempted to fight Brashear a second time in the match, but ended up with a misbehavior.

Then, at the end of the game, the Canucks tough guy was back on the ice. This is where McSorley blames Canucks coach Marc Crawford. “What was he doing putting Brashear on the ice,” McSorley asked.

Bruins coach Pat Burns ejected McSorley in response, telling his tough guy to go fight.

Brashear, as far as McSorley was concerned, was sent by Crawford to mock, but not to fight. There’s not much McSorley hates more than a coach who does that.

The worst has happened and the years have soured McSorley on this subject. Why he doesn’t just say, “I’m sorry I hit Brashear in the head like that, despite all these other things,” is unclear. It doesn’t seem that difficult.

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For a guy who cares so much about a code, it’s very strange that he still refuses, after all these years, to admit what we can all see.

Repair the dashboard

One match later Rick Tocchet noted that fans pay hundreds of dollars to sit in the seats at Rogers Arena and while its players should give fans more reasons to cheer for them, it’s the building itself that has let fans down.

Some sort of malfunction caused the video boards surrounding the stands to all go dark. And apparently the same system controls the lower strip of the main scoreboard, since it has also gone dark.

It would be nice if the fans received some sort of credit since they missed out on the full experience.

It’s time for a fun run

“We must build” Tyler Myers said after the match.

Here’s a guy who’s seen it all in Vancouver. He signed here five years ago hoping to usher in a glorious new era for the home team.

It was a bumpier ride than expected. But the way things have evolved Rick Tocchetit’s the team he always hoped to join.

Last year, they finally took action. They can become that team again, he sincerely believes.

His head coach says they need to play harder. Myers usually defaults to the team’s focus level.

I just wonder if they need to find a way to have a little more fun. Do they smile enough? I’m not so sure.

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