Peters has no respect for Rechlicz actions

Devils enforcer Andrew Peters tried to be diplomatic, but could not hide his displeasure with Islanders tough guiy Joel Rechlicz after tonight's game.

"He's trying to make a name for himself," Peter said after he fought Rechlicz twice in the Devils' 4-2 preseason victory over the Isles tonight (Rechlicz also fought Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond). "There's a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. I understand that you want to go out and you want to fight. To do what he did at the end of the game there, someone will get hurt. It doesn't help your team."

The second fight came with 6:27 left in the game. Everything started with a hit by Devils defenseman delivered to Islanders No. 1 pick John Tavares in the left corner of the New Jersey end in the first minute of the third period. White knocked Tavares down, but it appeared to be a clean hit.

"There's hitting in the game, last I knew," White said afterward.

Islanders defenseman Andy Sutton went and gave White a shot in the back shortly after that, but nothing else happened immediately.

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With nine minutes left in the third, Rechlicz, who had fought twice already, went after White and knocked him down with a hit behind the Devils' net. When White got up, Rechlicz followed him to the Devils' bench, giving him a few shots along the way. White can't fight because of the eye injury he suffered two years ago, but he told me that Rechlicz never asked him to.

"He was just talking, just yapping," White said.

Peters instigated the second fight with Rechlicz about two and a half minutes after that.

"If he wants to address (White) fine," Peters said. "I guess hitting isn't allowed in the game anymore. Hitting is part of the game of hockey. I understand he's got a job to do. He's there to protect his players. I know what he was trying to do. He's a tough kid. He's trying to make a name for himself and it's a tough job. But there's a right way and a wrong way."

Peters landed more good punches in the fight, but Rechlicz ended up on top of Peters as they both fell to the ice.

As Rechlicz was being escorted off the ice by the officials, he skated by White and gave him a shove that knocked him over. White might have sold it a little.

"He just skated by and gave me a push," White said.

That was what upset Peters most.

"There's a place in the game for fighting, but there's no place in the game for that," Peters said. "I had to do the same thing. I had to make a name for myself too coming up. There's a right way and a wrong way. I don't respect that. I respect all of the fighters in this league. It's a tough job. I don't respect that act."

Comments

[DH]

TG, how did the other two fights go?

[modnarm]

hahaha White.

[Jason]

How did PL3 do with Recker vs Peters with him? I think this is where Peters is a necessity, against giants like JR.

[95-00-03]

I think all the people that dislike Peters will cahnge their minds real soon.

I missed the live blog tonight but at least I had the Matt and Sherry audio.

Just wish they would have televised the game. 5 fights yowsa!

GO DEVILS!!!

[Maxwell]

Sherry was going on and on about how he should get a suspension. Will that guy even be playing in the NHL? I know nothing at all about the Islanders' depth chart.

[Jason]

I've seen JR a bunch at Bridgeport games. He is a young, hungry kid that knows his only place is as a fighter. He makes no bones about it, and doesn't try to do much else. That being said, he is a beast. If he ever gets himself some boxing lessons, he could be a problem. That being said, I don't think he makes the Isles big team just yet.

[Drew G,]

There were FIVE fights in the game. Peters fought twice, and Clarkson, PL3, and Salvador all fought as well.

[mor]

I was at the game, what Rechlicz did demonstrates that is not a NHL player.
The best fight was Clarkson who demolished his opponent. Islander were looking for it and they get it.

[Ryan T]

C'mon. Everyone knows hitting allowed in the NHL. But today's NHL, guys knows if you hit one of there best players with a clean hit, you're still going to get yapped at. If Sutton layed out Parise with a big, clean hit you don't think Peters wouldn't be yapping at Sutton if he was on the ice? The Islanders really don't have a legit enforcer. Rechlicz is only 22, and he still needs to grow as a player and a fighter. They're all going to stand up for each other. Even Comrie and Doug Weight dropped the gloves a few times last year.

[TG]

I thought Leblond did pretty well against Rechlicz. Their fight progressed pretty slowly. Leblond knocked off Rechlicz helmet with one punch. Rechlicz landed a couple of good punches too. It ended when both guys tired.

The first Rechlicz-Peters fight was pretty short. It looked like Rechlicz lost his balance and dropped to one knee. It wasn't like Peters landed a big punch to knock him down.

The second one wasn't great either. Peters landed and threw more punches, but ended up on the bottom when Rechlicz wrestled him down.

Bryce Salvador pounded Jeremy Reich down with three or four overhand rights in their fight, which also didn't last very long.

Clarkson snappeed Witt's head back with a strong right in their bout.

[skeeter]

I was there and how in the hell does Rechlicz not get an additional penalty for the shove on White? The group I was with all thought that deserved a game misconduct at the very least. Don't you get that for three fights in a game? All he got was 2 for roughing and 5 for fighting and the penalties evened out. Horribly officiated game all around tonight. Phantom calls on the Devils and blatant calls on the Islanders missed.

[TG]

He should have gotten an autmomatic game misconduct. They must have missed it for some reason. It will probably be added later. He was out of the game at that point anyway, so it's only a statistical thing.

[NeilS]

THAT is the Andrew Peters I've been waiting to see this whole preseason.

[Sergei]

White totally sold it well. I had no idea Peters was the same guy who fought ray emery a few years ago. He also fought his brother by accident in the minors

[NeilS]

Incidents exactly like this where Tavares gets hit, even cleanly, is why Rechlicz is actually pretty much a lock to make the Islanders as a 4th liner. Jeremy Reich, Tim Jackman and Nate Thompson aren't quite the same deterrent that Rechlicz is.

[slivedmb]

@ryan t

i remember two games where parise got laid out. one was a cheap shot and the other was, well, sort of a good hit but the elbow came up. im talking about the cheap shot by pronger and parise gettin wasted by greene from the kings. greene paid for his hit a couple shifts later. it was a borderline hit though. clean hits have always been accepted by the devils. its how it should be. the dirty ones get the retaliation. i wish i could have seen the hit on tavares though. i wanted white to get him at least once before the season and my wish came true.

[slivedmb]

last night is one of the reasons the league wants to ban fighting. when you have players challenging the bench, running around trying to fight people no matter who they are, and taking cheap liberties when the play is over, it deters from the game. hitting is a huge part of this game. the instigator rule is going to help this out a lot. hopefully they crack down on this. as much as i hate football because they celebrate every single play, i have to say the hitting in that game is one of the only reasons i can tollerate it. if they had a fight after every devastating hit, the game would be over. if the refs keep on this instigator thing, fighting will be allowed for a long time to come.

[Anthony]

Bring back the Instigator!!!!

[4 stanley cups]

i was at game and Wrecker did nothing wrong. He was standing up for his teammate. Did Semenko do that for Gretzky? I'm sorry Mr. John White, if you hit the future star Tavares then expect some punishment. As for Peters, isnt this the cheapshoit artist that got thrown out of Buffalo? I guess he should go back on the juice. If the fans didnt think Mr. John White didnt fall then maybe he should of opened his good eye before he took a dive. P.s. Hey Mr.John White how does it feel to have a dinosaur ( shanahan) stick up for you? ha ha You were punked by the Wrecker !! also why why Mr. John White skating towards Wrecker as he was heading to the penalty box ? he had no reason to cross his path. actually Mr. John White was the instigator.

[4 stanley cups]

skeeter isnt much of a homer is he ? ha ha if you were at the game then next time WATCH it. how can wrecker throw White down with a shove ? Bunch of homer Devil fans. Learn the game before you comment on it. Newark hockey at its best.

[TG]

For the most part, I agree that Rechlicz did what he should do. He's supposed to stand up for Tavares even when it's a clean hit. Otherwise, there's no point to him being on the Islanders. Although it's part of the game, you want to discourage the other team from hitting your franchise player.

Peters understood what Rechlicz was trying to do. He more objected to the way Rechlicz went about it.

[Stan Fischler's Beard]

Islanders fans still actually exist? After all these many years of losing? Yikes.

[ronmexico3]

Mr. John White?? am i missing something?

is the reference to Newark some sort of jab?

and to quote Homer, "D'oh!"

[Ruppamania]

I hope Rechlicz makes the Icelanders, he's one of the few guys on that roster that are watchable. When the Isles were tanking it at the end of the year, and Rechlicz got KO'd by Laraque in 0.03 seconds, that was good stuff!!!

[TG]

White's first name is John, but he goes by Colin (his middle name).