BOSTON -- On Wednesday night, Tim Gleason sat down for a radio show in Raleigh and promptly said that while he doesn't mind fighting, he had been told to refrain, if at all possible.
The defenseman was told he was too valuable, that the team needed him on the ice. And especially on the penalty kill.
So what does Gleason do in the opener? He never hesitated in going after the Flyers' Daniel Carcillo after Carcillo rammed the Canes' Ray Whitney from behind and was whistled for boarding at 12:49 of the first period.
"I was doing a job and I'd do it for anybody," Gleason said today. "And I'd do it again."
Gleason dropped the gloves, and Carcillo did the same. When the short fight was over, Gleason had two minutes for instigating, five minutes for fighting and 10 for misconduct. He wasn't available early in the second when the Flyers scored two power-play goals in the first 47 seconds of the period.
"I didn't think I was getting 17 minutes out of it," Gleason said today. "It is what it is. Obviously I don't wish for the 17 minutes but at the same time I was just doing a job.
"I don't intend on fighting much more. But once I say that, it always happens."
Who know, it could happen tonight. The Bruins are a tough, physical bunch and will be in an ornery mood after opening with a 4-1 home loss to the Washington Capitals. Then there's that playoff series that ended with a Game 7 loss at the Garden.
"I think they're going to be looking for a little payback," Gleason said. "We know they're going to come out hard. They're 0-1 and so are we, so we're both looking for our first win of the year and it's obviously a good place for us to get that first win."
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
Comments
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Sun, 10/04/2009 - 05:05 — esteban1949when the Canes were down...I'll give guys like Alberts, and Harisson their due...but they should have done it or tried to do it like Rosie did Chara...And aside from the 2 linesmen...I never heard of those 2 referees before...where did they come from, the OHL ?? Hope Cole's knee is ok ?
Go Canes !!
Gleason got screwed last night
Sat, 10/03/2009 - 16:02 — dsorokaHorrible message the NHL referees sent last night. Thug boards a Skill Player with a hit from behind and risks significant injury to skill player. Skill Player's Teammate stands up against Thug in a fight. Teammate gets more penalty minutes than Thug.
Sigh.
You can thank the Instigator Penalty for that...
Tue, 10/06/2009 - 14:59 — hockeyhickWorst rule is all of sports. Boarding and slashing/stick penalties have resulted in many more serious injuries than fighting.