Every once in a while, you see an obvious innovation in a game that makes you wonder why it wasn't obvious to every single player. Rick Rypien of the Vancouver Canucks has brought one to NHL fighting: he actually protects his face while he's fighting. Most fighters in the NHL try to block head shots, but Rypien actually does a great job of it. The net result is that he dominates fighters who are way out of his weight class.
Gabe from Behind The Net takes a look at Rypien and included videos links for all his fights so far.
about 2 years ago
Yankee Canuck
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I dunno if RR is especially trying to “protect his face.”
To me, it’s more that he comes, as a good boxer should, short and sharp up the middle, and doesn’t waste his efforts trying to throw any of the kinds of looping haymakers that you see in movies and such.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
Glove up = a block, or protecting his face, IMO. I think he may have blocked over 3 punches against that Czech monster last night. That’s 3 less chances of getting his face broken :)
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 11, 2009 12:26 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah, but he who works the middle will naturally have his hands ready to block in time. Rypien blocks because he can, and he can because he’s dominating the middle.
He protects his face no more than anyone else would if they could, it’s instinctive, we all do it cuz no one wants to get hit there. It’s just that, by working the middle, he does it better than the other guys can, so much better that we think he “invented” protecting the face. No he didn’t, he’s just way better at it by virtue of superior technique.
Control the middle and your offense and defense are both strengthened. The instinct for a lotta guys is to land “one big one,” whereas Rypien knows to control the middle and soften his opponent up first. The guy’s relentless.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
RRumble
clearly keeps his hands up in a defensive boxing-style manner with his elbow straight out from his shoulder and forearm vertical, rarely if ever have I seen anyone do that in a hockey fight and he does it all the time.
However, I wouldn’t say that’s the only thing that results in his wins, he also punches like a boxer, quick, short jabs and powerful, leveraged crosses, hooks, uppercuts and even body blows, usually to set up the headshot once the opponent drops his hand to protect his rapidly soring ribs.
I’ve seen other hockey fighters use some of these techniques some of the time, but never so often, so effortlessly and so effectively, even against much bigger men than RRumble does.
The thing about Ripper which differentiates him is he is trying to keep that arm free. Almost any other fighters in that situation try to control that right arm by clutching the sleeve then trying to get a few pops in when they can.
He allows them to do what almost eveyone does – cock the right arm hor the haymaker. Then he has the freedom to go for his bread and butter – short left shots and back to defense before the bomb can get there. Allows him to throw a huge amount shots while the other guy is waiting to tee off. I think a lot of guys get confused fighting him because who else lets you dangle your dominant hand freely like that?
If it doesn’t work he’ll tie it up and go to rights, where the other player is forced to throw southpaw.
Listening to the TEAM 1040 guys today…learnt something I didn’t know at least. Ripper’s dad was a boxer…which explains how natural and effortless he is at it.
The was he pounced as soon as there was an opening and beat the big guy down to the ice was friggin’ awesome though…Snepish is right…
Maybe not the greatest man that ever lived…definitely one of the best pound for pound fighters in the NHL.
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
He wasn’t just a boxer. He was a Canadian golden gloves (?) champ
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 11, 2009 7:45 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah, you’re right. He hangs on at times, but then he lets the other guy’s right arm go free, then pokes him again and again in the nose while the guy tries to throw a big (slow, telegraphed) knockout punch. And he switches hands and makes the other guy try to throw a punch with his wrong hand, and most guys can’t throw a knockout punch that way, can’t deliver it as well as they’d like. And by the time they realize it, they’ve taken a bunch of shots in the face and it’s not ending and they give up.
Rypien is actually a very old-fashioned boxer, isn’t he? A darn good one.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
I couldn’t remember, so I went and looked again…
this one… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xp8V4_Q9pU
But then there is this one where he looks like fucking Sugar Ray in close…upper cuts, protecting his face like a boxer…just amazing how he has adapted those boxing moves to the ice.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrHLdtYxzmA
Yep…and the boy can play some too…6-9 on the faceoffs last night.
If he can score at a Wellwood level we might have something here!
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
It’s not just that a lot of guys can’t throw a knockout left. The big part is because it is so rare to get your right arm free in a fight theguy holds it way the hell behind him where he loses power and accuracy.
Instinctively you think the other guy is going to try and tie it up when he gets the chance, so you keep it hanging out there in the back forty-opening you up and throwing off your balance. It really is brilliant to watch.
Normally half of a fight is just getting an arm free while you’re controlling the opponent’s.
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