You wouldn’t like Todd Bertuzzi when he’s angry.
Then-Nashville Predators defenseman Shane O’Brien found that out the hard way during a matchup against the Detroit Red Wings on April 2, 2011 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The two went at it, with the bigger Bertuzzi landing the knockout blow and landing on top of O’Brien in the end:
You can bet O’Brien thought twice about trying that again.
BONUS CONTENT:
EX-RED WINGS COACH MIKE BABCOCK COMPARED TO PHIL JACKSON AND BILL BELICHICK BY NEW EMPLOYER
Former Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock has landed a new gig after eight months off after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs last November.
He’s taken a job as a volunteer advisor for the University of Vermont hockey program. And let’s just say they’re full of praise for him, especially head coach Todd Woodcroft, who compared him to two of the greatest coaches in history in their respective sports:
“He’s a Hall of Fame coach, he’s the equivalent of a Bill Belichick, the equivalent of a Phil Jackson. This is one of the top coaching minds who transcends any sport,” he said.
“At the end of day all I really care about is making these players better and giving them every chance of being a professional player,” he continued. “I talk to Mike about two, three times a week and all we talk about is UVM hockey. This guy is all in. He talks about the team as a we.”
Of course, nobody can knock the resume of Babcock, who served as Red Wings head coach from 2005 to 2015 before signing a record-breaking deal with Toronto later that summer. He’s 8th all time in NHL wins for a head coach, a Stanley Cup winner, and a two-time gold medal winner as head coach of Team Canada in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
