Look at Matt Cooke, few if any forwards hit as much as he does or as heavy. But he's played 76^ each of the past 4 seasons. If you know what you're doing and hit properly, you should be able to play through the bumps and bruises. To suggest that a physical player should be expected to miss 20-40 games is folly.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

I'm not sure that Cooke is a good example. You don't get injured as much when all you do is hit guys in the head.

But you make a fair point.

You can't call Kaleta dirty.

Face the facts; he's a hitter. Any hitter is going to have a couple of questionable ones based on the way other players react to seeing him coming at them.

Kaleta's poor reputation around the league stems from his early days in Buffalo, when he was on the ice to hit, rather than play hockey.

That's changed now. We know that. It's going to take a little bit of time for the rest of the league to see it.

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Wheelhouse

Some fans already do. It's typically WC fans who haven't had to see him 4 games a year at least, but on HF Boards there were guys talking about how much they like him.

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mechaphil

Haha yeah, he didn't win over too many Lady Bing voters with that hit. Having watched him play a great many games over the past three seasons I can say with certainty that he has learned how to accurately gauge the temperature of a game. What I mean is, if opponents take too many liberties at his teammates, most notably Crosby or Malkin. Then they most expect that Matt Cooke will blow up one of their star players. He's very consistent with that approach, and VERY effective. He's knocked guys out of the lineup with clean and dirty hits alike. The Savard hit is a notable exception because it was a rather slow, unemotional game up to that point. But Savard invited the hit, it's incumbent upon players to protect themselves at all times and never admire a weak long range wrister. I'm not saying it wasn't dirty, it was, but there's a reason why many star players don't get caught getting hit like that. They are always mindful of it and wisely respect/fear the agitators.

Which reminds me once again of the clean-punishing hit Myers put on Malkin last season. That may not have seemed like a big deal to you guys, just another player getting caught with his head down. It was in fact a big deal, because even though Malkin almost always skates with his head down, he is very much aware of where everybody is almost all the time. In fact, I don't think he's EVER been caught that unaware, I don't think he expected a big body to move his feet that fast. People try to get him all the time and he makes people look retarded, like when Ovechkin lined him up way back when and got erased into the corner boards. Myers will never be able to hit Malkin like that again I'm afraid.

I have not watched Kaleta play more than a dozen or so games. But he has the tools to be the kind of deterrent Matt Cooke is with experience and of course, more games.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

Haha that hit was gorgeous. Snapped Malkin's stick with the way he went down, too.

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mechaphil

Just wanted to chime in and say how much I like this signing. Looking forward to kaleta getting better and I'm loving his comment about bringing a cup to the city of Buffalo.

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Kaleta is dirty.

He's just OUR dirty player.....

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Sabres Hockey: Commitment to Mediocrity

There's a difference between dirty (Lapierre, Gauthier, Nichol, Tootoo, J. Ruutu, Neil, Tucker) and pest (Kaleta, Avery). What Kaleta does is walk the line while staying on the pest side...99% of the time.

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mechaphil

Exactly. He's had the odd dirty hit which is what you get sometimes when you hit a lot. All depends on what the guys reaction is before Kaleta plows into him. Kaleta would be ineffective in his agitator role if he took more penalties than he drew which shows ya how he plays.

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You could make the same argument for some of the players we consider dirty.

I'm with JB on this one.

It only takes one hit to get the dirty rep. If you're an agitator and you don't have that rep, then you're not very good at your job in my opinion. I don't advocate dirty hits, I hate them. And that's why I hate agitators. And that's why they are called agitators. And I'm smart enough to know that having on or two of them on your team, is an excellent way to keep other teams agitators from destroying your skilled guys.

I apply the same theory to enforcers too, you need them because everybody else uses them.

I would prefer to watch a league filled with gentlemanly play, nothing but fast paced open ice hockey with clean hits and very few whittles and zero scrums. But there are no bright double rainbows in hockey.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

People who call players dirty just because they don't like them irritates the shit out of me. I hate Sean Avery but he's not dirty. Besides, Ovechkin is the dirtiest player in the game today...no doubt about it.

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"Every time I think you say the dumbest thing ever...you keep on talkin' " - Hank Hill
"Starting today, the Buffalo Sabres' reason for existence will be to win a Stanley Cup" - Terry Pegula

bingo

http://www.sportsargumentwiki.com/index ... ick_Kaleta

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whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA...
he's not the dirtiest

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FIGHTER OF THE NIGHTMAN

"on the ice now for buffalo, looking for the pass, and gets it, afinogenov, couldnt get the shot away, now HE DOES, HE SCORES!!!! HOLY MACKEREL ROLE THE HIGH LIGHT FILM, MAXIM AFINOGENOV, WHAT A MOVE!!!!.... thats not fair... that was unbelievable"
-R.J. and Lorenz

If Kaleta was dirty, then I would admit it. He's had a FEW borderline hits, yet out of the hitters in the league he's one of the cleaner.

Kaleta, is in no way, dirty. I view being dirty as purposely hitting people in say the head or with an elbow, or to try to take out a star player (like Neil on Drury). Or, if they Pronger it and stomp on someone's leg. That's dirty. If you hit people as your job you will have a few bad hits.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

Kaleta isn't a thumb biter. He isn't a knee on knee guy. He isn't a slash artist.

He throws hits, and then he gets abused.

Could someone please explain to me how this makes him a dirty player?

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Wheelhouse

He gets blood on him.

BAH DUM TSHH

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

That was bad, I'm sorry.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

sometimes kaleta leaves his feet. sometimes he takes more then 3 steps. sometimes he hits when he sees numbers. sometimes he gets an elbow up. its the nature of the game for someone who has bloodlust for anyone in an opposing jersey and wants to hit him hard.

maybe he doesnt take baseball swings to someones face, or he doesnt go knee on knee. but hes sometimes dirty. and dirty is dirty no matter what jersey you wear. and if he were in any other jersey but a sabres jersey, we would all detest him and call for his head on a spear.

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