Aside from all the goals flying into the net – which I can’t really talk much about having not been there and having not seen footage of, the games were billed as a chance to find out who is the EIHL’s heavyweight champions when it comes to the fighting side of the game.

Sean McMorrow took on Mike Sgroi in Belfast and won, and then a night later in Sheffield he beat him again which seemed to infuriate Sgroi as he chased McMorrow down after the fight was broken up like a nutcase, continuing the fight and getting beaten further. He then went after McMorrow again after they came out of the box, and yes, you can guess the outcome.

The night of fighting was rounded out when lightweights Tim Cook and Robert Farmer went at it with the Giants completing the clean sweep in the fights over the two games, and a little later on the clean sweep in the results also.

Here is a look at the fight video’s:

Sean McMorrow v Mike Sgroi (Belfast, 19 Feb 2010)

Mike Sgroi v Sean McMorrow (Sheffield, 20 Feb 2010)

The guy who made the video decided to hog the fun and restricted the embedding options, but here is a link to his copy on YouTube.

Mike Sgroi v Sean McMorrow (Sheffield, 20 Feb 2010)

Robert Farmer v Tim Cook (Sheffield, 20 Feb 2010)

Of course, there’s only videos of fights I could fine but if you see any fights without a video link, let me know and I’ll be sure to link it up.

For interests sake, Did you know:

- Sean McMorrow has now had more fights in a single season (20) than any other Giants season.

- The Giants have had more fights this season (35) than in any other season before.

- Paxton Schulte has had more fights than any Giants player in team history with 31. Shawn Skiehar is second on 21 with Jason Bowen and Sean McMorrow on 20.

- There have been 132 fights at home games and 125 on the road with four occasions when there have been four fights in a single game and one occasions when a player has had three fights in a single game (Shawn Skiehar).

- In December 2000 the Giants got into 14 fights in one month.

The homepage of the Giants fighting information can be found here with links to individual seasons.

The Sheriff appeared on BBC Radio Sheffield talking to their hosts about his teams upcoming double header (this past weekend) against Sheffield Steelers (in which each team won one game a piece) while also having an on-air chit-chat with Steelers new enforcer Mike Sgroi. The chat with Sgroi is the interesting point – an insight into what some of these tough guys think about one another. If you’re looking fireworks and trash talking then don’t bother, the respect is clearly there between these two heavies who have been doing the dirty work for their teams for over a decade now but it is worth tuning in to hear how they set up their fight for the first period of the first game between the two teams. (They did indeed go in the first and McMorrow got the edge).

Detractors will crucify this as them ‘arranging the fight’, but in Hockey this is something McMorrow would be expected to do. He is the leagues top enforcer and when someone new comes in to enforce for his team it’s only right that McMorrow gives him his stage, welcomes him to the league and lets him set a tone for his own team. Thankfully when it did happen McMorrow won the scrap and then the teams got on with the Hockey. The Giants won that one and lost the following night were both big boys kept clear of one another.

McMorrow goes on to say how he’d like every team to carry a player like himself and Sgroi on the line-ups and it’s hard to disagree with him. It would be good to see an extra element of entertainment on top of the skillful hockey some teams are producing and it would help add to the rivalries.

The irony in this radio piece though is that this is the same Sheffield team that earlier in the season said they were going down the skill hockey only route and that McMorrow wouldn’t be able to “buy a fight” against Sheffield but after a poor start to the year they have addressed a potential weakness by adding some toughness to the line-up (or if not to change fortunes at least give the fans something to cheer about) to fight, who else, but Sean McMorrow.

There have been rumors of McMorrow signing for a few years now but it never came to pass but finally the Giants top brass have got their man. It should spell the end of the rumours of what will happen to Jason Rushton as I seriously cannot see him returning now that McMorrow is in the fold. The guy is loaded with minor league experience from the NHL’s top affiliate league the AHL to the fighting league of Quebec the LNAH. He even cracked the show for a single game on 22 March 2003.

This kind of a signing is sure to split the Giants fanbase: Fight fans v Passivists. It was the hot topic for the last few months of the season, whether the team needed the likes of a Jason Rushton and now the debate has been reopened. Regardless of what we think he is signed now and we’ll just have to wait and see exactly what he brings to the table. If he brings what he says then he should be an excellent fit.

“No team is going to push us around with me on board, I guarantee that. I know that this sport is about winning, but it is also about giving the fans plenty to cheer about, and I promise to make sure that nobody goes home disappointed. I have heard great things about the city of Belfast and the Giants. I know what has been missing the last few years, and I want to be that player. I want everyone to know that I will bring a great deal of character on and off the ice and that nobody will do more in the community than me. I take pride in being a good role model for the kids that come to see us play, that is part of our duty and I will lead the charge with any and all community programs that the Giants take part in. I can’t wait to get to Belfast and get going.”
– BelfastGiants.com, 1 May ’09

All that community talk is bringing back memories of Paxton Schulte, the Giants last and possibly only, hardcore committed community man as well as a tough nut on the ice. I don’t for see McMorrow putting up Schulte kind of numbers going by the career stats below — A handful of points in over 500 career games.

Then again McMorrow does not seem the type to be too worried about individual points. There is probably a good reason for his lack of scoring. It likely starts with ice time and goes as far as playing on lines were you were expected to fight the tough guy across from you and that is about it. In the AHL McMorrow will have been a forth line guy playing a few minutes per night, he would have had very few scoring chances. In the LNAH he would have been on one of the two ‘designated fighting lines’ that league employees were you aren’t meant to play hockey. Over here the guy will see potentially more ice time that he has at any point since Junior hockey and he could well be paired with guys who look to score goals and set them up. Even if he finds himself on the 3rd line surrounded by British triers, he will likely create himself a ton of space through the art of intimidation.

Even if he doesn’t score any points he will still be a huge success if he merely drops the flippers with other toughies in the league, protects his team mates and most importantly of all gives them the freedom, space and security to go about their stuff without being intimidated by opponents. To often last year the Giants were devoid of a big man who could add such protection to the likes of Martin, Deniset and Thornton.

Let’s not discount the ‘entertainment to the fans’ and ‘good-guy in the dressing room’ factors either.

Welcome to Belfast, I just wish I could be there on opening night.

Sean McMorrow
Right Wing
Born Jan 19 1982  -- Vancouver, BC
Height 6.04 -- Weight 225 -- Shoots R

Selected by Buffalo Sabres round 8 #258 overall 2000 NHL Entry Draft

                                           -Regular Season-  --- Playoffs ---
Season   Team                        Lge   GP  G  A Pts PIM  GP  G  A Pts PIM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1999-00  Sarnia Sting                OHL   31  0  1  1   75  -- -- --  --  --
1999-00  Kitchener Rangers           OHL   31  0  1  1   67   4  0  0   0  12
2000-01  Mississauga IceDogs         OHL   13  0  0  0   34  -- -- --  --  --
2000-01  Kingston Frontenacs         OHL    7  0  1  1   22  -- -- --  --  --
2000-01  London Knights              OHL   29  0  3  3   75   5  0  0   0   0
2001-02  London Knights              OHL   38  0  1  1  107  -- -- --  --  --
2001-02  Oshawa Generals             OHL   27  6  1  7   63   5  1  0   1  12
2002-03  Rochester Americans         AHL   64  0  1  1  315   3  0  0   0  17
2002-03  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    1  0  0  0    0  -- -- --  --  --
2003-04  Rochester Americans         AHL   57  0  0  0  287  14  1  0   1  15
2004-05  Rochester Americans         AHL   59  3  3  6  288   4  0  0   0  16
2005-06  Rochester Americans         AHL   40  1  1  2  130  -- -- --  --  --
2006-07  St. Hyacinthe Top Design    LNAH  20  1  1  2  166  -- -- --  --  --
2007-08  St. Hyacinthe Top Design    LNAH  48  1  4  5  527  -- -- --  --  --
2008-09  Rockford IceHogs            AHL   25  0  0  0  141  -- -- --  --  --
2008-09  Saguenay 98.3-FM*           LNAH  Statistics Unavailable
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
         NHL Totals                         1  0  0  0    0

It includes some great knockout punches including one in which Mel puts his opponent down for a good 3 minutes in one punch. Also in there is the classic bouts against Darcy Hordichuck that some fans regard as the best ever – Two men standing toe to toe and throwin’ ‘em.

Mel has been fighting ever since he stepped onto the pro-circuit and this DVD goes right back to them early days when Mel was in his prime and a real wild man. Racking up well over 3000 penalty minutes in his career, Mel leads the minor leagues in all time penalty minutes acquired. His hero growing up was NHL fighting legend Bob Probert and Mel got his chance to drop the gloves with this guy in another fantastic scrap at an NHL pre-season game which is also captured on the DVD.

Ex-Giants captain Paul Kruse also features in the DVD in an epic brawl against Mel the Mangler in which both guys, in Mel’s true fighting style, stand toe to toe and just let the fists fly.

Full of some great music to go with the fights along with some commentary blended in along with some interviews with a bloodied Mel at different stages of his career, it all adds to the entertainment of that old time hockey.