Tom Sestito claims Kellan Lain was the reason for the Flames/Canucks brawl

[HerrDrFunk]

I think it's fair to say that everyone who watched the January 18th, 2014 game against the Flames, which started with a line brawl, was left wondering "what the &^@# brought that on!?"

 

In an interview with Dan Murphy, Tom Sestito claims that having Kellan Lain in the line-up was the catalyst for the brawl:

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/murphys-mailbag-canucks-better-defensively-sutter-ferland/

 

Quote

Sestito: First off, I called myself an idiot. Great. Anyway, we were warming up and I don’t know what I ever did to McGrattan, but every game he wanted to fight me. So I’m stretching at the red line and he says, “are you starting tonight?” And I’m like, “starting? No. When do I ever start?” It got me thinking, and then Torts came in with the line-up and then I got it. So the Flames obviously knew before the game what was going to happen. And then it came out that Kellan Lain took a run at one of their prospects in the minors in Abbotsford. So I guess all of us had to pay for that.

 

Murphy: So that’s what it was all about?

 

Sestito: I guess. They wanted retribution for Kellan Lain taking one of their kids out. It was Lain’s first NHL game and his parents flew in. And naturally the only people who didn’t get kicked out after the line-brawl were me and McGrattan because the refs said our fight started first. They should have said it was Lain because the poor kid played just two seconds in his first NHL game. When we came in after the first period, Lain had the biggest smile on his face. I mean what a story to tell his kids, or anyone, that he got kicked out of his first NHL game right after the draw for fighting Kevin Westgarth. I mean that’s something I would love, maybe he doesn’t like it.

 

(Murphy: Since I had never heard about Lain being the reason for the line brawl, I did a little digging. Lain was no wilting flower. He had 129 PIMs in 63 AHL games that season. The Utica Comets did play the Abbotsford Heat four times early in the 2013-2014 season, prior to Lain’s call up with Vancouver.

 

October 30, 2013 in Utica: Lain got 2-5-10 for instigating a fight with Blair Jones, who just so happens to be one of the guys who was involved in the line brawl at Rogers Arena. Two nights later Lain was assessed a roughing penalty against the Heat. And then on November 30 in Abbotsford, Lain is listed as taking a slashing penalty. Obviously whatever he did may not have drawn a penalty, but those are the calls against him in the season series with the Heat.

 

I asked Kevin Bieksa if he had heard the Lain angle and Bieksa said no. He just remembers Tortorella coming into the room saying the Flames were starting their fourth line so the Canucks couldn’t match with the Sedin line. I reached out to Shane O’Brien, who was a member of the Flames that night and he doesn’t remember Hartley mentioning Lain. But he added that no one hardly ever talked to him in Calgary that whole year. Sestito is adamant, though, saying he is nearly 100 per cent certain about his recollection about the Lain tidbit.

 

If so, then it stands to reason Hartley started his fourth line in the hopes that the Canucks would do the same. Coaches are almost always aware of the opposition’s lines. So odds are Hartley knew Lain was centreing Vancouver’s fourth line that night.

 

I’ve never been able to get in touch with Lain. It would be nice to see if he could shine some light on the subject. That’s as far as my investigative journalism goes.)

 

Murphy: When did you catch wind of what Torts was doing in the hallway?

 

Sestito: Obviously there was a big commotion and we peeked out through a training room door and the first person I see is McGrattan at the door and I’m like ‘oh my god this guy is going to fight me again.’ But someone got Torts and we went back. It was a wild event. And I really respect what Torts did because he’s a guy that has your back and what they did was (expletive). There is no reason to have an all-out fight for something that happened in the AHL.

 

MORE SESTITO ON TORTORELLA

“It probably killed my career when he got fired. We got along great. I knew what to expect from him and he knew exactly what I was going to give and I think it would have extended my career a bit if he would have stayed one more year. He even put me on the power play with the Sedins. He told me “Tommy, if you think they need your help in the corner, they don’t. Stand in front and don’t move.”

I have no idea if Sestito's version of events is accurate but there you go. 

[Nuxfanabroad]

at least they got a hit song outa' it?..

[brownky]

7 minutes ago, HerrDrFunk said:

I think it's fair to say that everyone who watched the January 18th, 2014 game against the Flames, which started with a line brawl, was left wondering "what the &^@# brought that on!?"

 

In an interview with Dan Murphy, Tom Sestito claims that having Kellan Lain in the line-up was the catalyst for the brawl:

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/murphys-mailbag-canucks-better-defensively-sutter-ferland/

 

I have no idea if Sestito's version of events is accurate but there you go. 

"Tommy, if you think they need your help in the corner, they don’t. Stand in front and don’t move.” "

 

My favourite bit of that story.

 

Honestly if they had someone who could really cook it from the line or one of the circles and actually get it through it'd have been a real good powerplay.

[GB5]

Maybe the Oilers need to sign Lain before their rematch with the Flamers later this month.

[Down by the River]

I didn't know that Murph was doing blogs/articles now. Pretty great idea given his access to the team for so long and the fact that guys seem to like him. 

 

EDIT:

 

But maybe he is actually not a very good journalist... didn't take me long to find out what happened:

 

 

In that game, it looks like Lain responded to Blair Jones boarding a guy... so Lain didn't run anyone. Lain might have beat on Jones, but Jones was hardly a touted prospect. 6'3 215 and drafted in the 4th round in 2005 (8 years before the game in question... hardly even a prospect). 

 

Here's the fight:

 

 

 

 

And Jones was in the Calgary lineup the night in question:

 

https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/201401180VAN.html 

 

In fact, he was involved in one of the fights at the beginning of the game. Fought Dale Weise:

 

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/cgy-vs-van/2014/01/18/2013020735#game=2013020735,game_state=final

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2020 by Down by the River

[NewbieCanuckFan]

Meh.  Hartley was a $*$&*$*&$ coach who has about the same integrity as Keenan.

Edited January 16, 2020 by NewbieCanuckFan

[Tre Mac]

Hope it was worth it, you're now blackballed in the NHL Bob.

 

https://www.nhltraderumors.me/2019/04/report-bob-hartley-facing-4-year-doping.html

 

Quote

According to a report from Alvis Kalnins of Hockey Buzz, former Calgary Flames and current Avangard Omsk head coach Bob Hartley may be facing a 4-year doping ban from the KHL.

And this guy won a cup?  What a clown.

[Down by the River]

2 minutes ago, Tre Mac said:

Hope it was worth it, you're now blackballed in the NHL Bob.

 

https://www.nhltraderumors.me/2019/04/report-bob-hartley-facing-4-year-doping.html

 

And this guy won a cup?  What a clown.

I can't believe that the KHL actually tests for doping... they honestly must hate Hartley to hone in on him.

[coastal.view]

a classic

 

https://youtu.be/LprzxFAoH9w

 

only good thing to come from the torts era

 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

24 minutes ago, Tre Mac said:

Hope it was worth it, you're now blackballed in the NHL Bob.

 

https://www.nhltraderumors.me/2019/04/report-bob-hartley-facing-4-year-doping.html

 

And this guy won a cup?  What a clown.

Look at the stacked team he had.  Alf could’ve coached that team.

[apollo]

Great share. I'll always have a soft spot for Top Sixtito... he was all guts and glory for us.

 

Stood up for his team mates... my only regret is that he didn't knock out Jordan Nolan for the season when he went after Daniel or maybe it was Henrik

[Chickenspear]

58 minutes ago, HerrDrFunk said:

I think it's fair to say that everyone who watched the January 18th, 2014 game against the Flames, which started with a line brawl, was left wondering "what the &^@# brought that on!?"

 

In an interview with Dan Murphy, Tom Sestito claims that having Kellan Lain in the line-up was the catalyst for the brawl:

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/murphys-mailbag-canucks-better-defensively-sutter-ferland/

 

I have no idea if Sestito's version of events is accurate but there you go. 

Memory can be a tricky thing when you chuck knuckles for a living,,,

[Grape]

6 minutes ago, apollo said:

Great share. I'll always have a soft spot for Top Sixtito... he was all guts and glory for us.

 

Stood up for his team mates... my only regret is that he didn't knock out Jordan Nolan for the season when he went after Daniel or maybe it was Henrik

I don't know if many remember, but he had hands too. And he showed them off a couple of times. 

[riffraff]

Nice little read thanks @HerrDrFunk

[Grape]

48 minutes ago, Down by the River said:

I didn't know that Murph was doing blogs/articles now. Pretty great idea given his access to the team for so long and the fact that guys seem to like him. 

 

EDIT:

 

But maybe he is actually not a very good journalist... didn't take me long to find out what happened:

 

 

In that game, it looks like Lain responded to Blair Jones boarding a guy... so Lain didn't run anyone. Lain might have beat on Jones, but Jones was hardly a touted prospect. 6'3 215 and drafted in the 4th round in 2005 (8 years before the game in question... hardly even a prospect). 

 

Here's the fight:

 

 

 

 

And Jones was in the Calgary lineup the night in question:

 

https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/201401180VAN.html 

 

In fact, he was involved in one of the fights at the beginning of the game. Fought Dale Weise:

 

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/cgy-vs-van/2014/01/18/2013020735#game=2013020735,game_state=final

 

 

 

Well Murph does mention that penalty I believe. I think he just doesn't want to seem adamant that it's what started everything, especially given that Sestito said that he "took one of their guys out."

[Fanuck]

Flames.....

 

[Angry Goose]

The more I hear about Torts, the more I like him.  But Torts time in VAN was the beginning of the end really

 

Also, TG all the way

[lmm]

5 minutes ago, SILLY GOOSE said:

The more I hear about Torts, the more I like him.  But Torts time in VAN was the beginning of the end really

 

Also, TG all the way

the finals against Boston was the beginning of the end.

followed by 2 first round exits

AV firing

signing the sedins for way too long + many NMC NTC contracts

Torts was brought in to shake up the "Country Club ' atmosphere

He did that and went a little overboard

 

Sestito was right though, the Torts firing followed by Wonki'es hiring killed Sestito's time in vancouver

Edited January 16, 2020 by lmm

[Alflives]

41 minutes ago, coastal.view said:

a classic

 

https://youtu.be/LprzxFAoH9w

 

only good thing to come from the torts era

 

Torts was brutally honest, even though not as committed to us as he should have been.  Our core was old and stale.  

[10pavelbure96]

So Shane O'Brien says that nobody hardly talked to him for the whole season he was with Calgary.

 

Shows you the losers they had (and continue to have) in that organization