The Boogeyman Strikes Again

As the horrendously boring and hockeyless summer wears on, so does the (oftentimes equally boring) debate over fighting in the NHL.

Meanwhile, your and my favorite Hemsky-abuser (insert a few other slightly more unpleasant adjectives here) Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard and his little brother soon-to-be-Penguin Aaron, like many other NHL players, host a hockey camp over the summer. Unlike most of these hockey camps, however, this one focuses specifically on what Boogaard does best - beating people up.

About two dozen young players, age 12-18 pay $50 apiece to learn how to "how to leverage their strength when decking an opponent, protect themselves against punches from various angles and condition their bodies for the physical play that is the cause of, and solution to, the NHL's identity crisis." Despite criticism, Boogaard insists he's showing the kids how to protect themselves, not hurt one another. Because we all know Boogaard's out there to protect himself. Not wreck shoulders.

Now, you can argue for or against fighting in the NHL all you want, but outside of the fact that Boogaard in particular hosting this is just hilarious the event decided to go completely over the top with regard to what exactly comes with that $50 fee:

"The second "Derek Boogaard Fighting Camp," which includes T-shirts splotched with blood-red dye, was staged inside a stuffy miniature rink with boards, glass and plastic ice."

You'd all better make a note to let me know if anyone ever manages to pull one of those up on eBay. And hey Hannah - Willie Mitchell doesn't approve.