It Wasn't Even Checking.....It Was Following!

Nail and No Talent Ferry

I can't contain my disgust for what I witnessed yesterday so I feel the need to vent!

Yesterday I was at the JLC watching the Knights take on my favourite OHL team the Sarnia Sting.

For me I love to watch the Sting play for a couple of reasons. 1. They are a very skilled team who play an up tempo game and its fun to watch and 2. Nail Freaking Yakupov!!

So I dish out 80 bucks yesterday for 4 tickets to go watch this highly anticipated match-up between two of the best Major Jr A teams in the country and what do I get for my money??

A free-agent walk on from London who sexually assaulted the best player outside of the NHL in the world.

This player in question Tyler Ferry is an absolute joke.  He and the team he plays for disgraced themselves yesterday with their garbage tactic of taking Yakupov out of the game.

Yes I know tight checking of super star players is a part of the game as it should be. But to back my point as to what this was I will paraphrase a tweet from a former NHL-GM and current Hockey Analyst Craig Button "That wasnt checking..that was following".

For anyone reading this who did not witness this let me try to describe exactly what happened.

The second Nail would step on the ice #21 from the Knights stood up and immediately jumped on the ice...again this is fine..they want him to be the guy to check Nail I have no problem with that. But what happened from that point forward made me sick to my stomach.  Ferry did not even look at the puck or for the puck the entire game!  If the puck was in the Sting zone and Nail took a skate to the other end of the ice...Ferry would leave the offensive zone to skate side by side with Nail.  ANYWHERE he went no matter where the puck was....side by side skates practically tripping over each other. What you see in the photo is not an isolated incident...that is how close he was to him the ENTIRE game no matter where the puck was! Now to add to this he thought he would agitate Yakki and slash him chirp him throughout the entire game. To Nail's credit he did not outwardly show that he gave a shit about this 4th line loser and just ignored him the entire game.  If it were me he woulda had a skate blade lodged in his balls by the second period.

For anyone trying to draw any kind of comparison to the NHL game from this just imagine if any NHL "checking forward" was told for an entire game...don't look at the puck...don't touch the puck...all you have to do is skate shoulder to shoulder for an entire game with Ovechkin.  How long do you think the NHL would stand for its best players basically being eliminated from the play to create a 4 on 4 with someone like Ovechkin essentially being blanketed for an entire game??

What pisses me off the most about this whole debacle?? Is the fact that Knight's fans (they are the OHL version of Leaf fans)...were praising Ferry like it took alot of skill to do what he was doing.  Give me a fucking break!  If you were told that you didn't even have to pay attention to the play and all you have to do is skate around the ice with someone on the other team....how is that hard?? How is that even a skill?? 

Needless to say even the fact I was sitting one row away from Bill Geurin (working for the Pens) and in the same section as Craig Button my entire day was ruined.

The Sting did manage to get a point in the shootout loss and take 5 out of 6 overall this weekend and not to mention the fact that Nail leads the OHL in scoring and just today was ranked # 1 in three mock drafts on NHL.com today!!!

Also out of interest sake for my Bruin fans reading this I will be watching Koko in person this Friday night when his Windsor Spitfires take on the Sting. Can't wait to watch the Bruins 2nd round pick in action!  Will be sure to give the full scouting report here!

- Ashley