| 20 April 2009
Well, it looks like our former ami, 'Toine is up to some man-on-man hijinx. Since being dealt to Columbus at the deadline, many have been quick to heap praise on the young man for helping the Blue Jackets reach the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Despite these laurels, it's been quite obvious (scoreboard!) that 'Toine is getting victimized as Ken Hitchcock has used him in a head-to-head matchup against the Datsyuk line.
As the Columbus Dispatch noted:
Vermette's frustration boiled over with 8:39 remaining and the Wings leading by four goals. He took issue with Datsyuk trying to dig a puck loose from goaltender Steve Mason and hammered him to the ice. The two sparred and a scrum ensued.Vermette explained his actions by saying:
"It's part of the playoffs. We're facing the same guys every night and sometimes you want to do something to provoke them."If 'Toine was trying to piss off Datsyuk, it worked. Datsyuk took issue with 'Toine ramming him from behind and offered up this gem of a quote:
"He just used me like pony. He was on top of me. I don't like being the pony. I want to be on top."Umm, awkward?
Judging from the results, provoking and inspiring Datsyuk, might not be the best way to go. For the good of the Jackets' survival, maybe 'Toine should just lay down (on his back), let Pavel on top and take one for the team. Who knows, maybe Pavel will get off after a short period and fall asleep for the rest of the game.
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