[Same intro that has been used for last 20 seasons]

[Thunderous applause, random yells and whistles]

James: Thank you, Thank you, Welcome to Vancouver Fight Club, I'm your host James Jones Jr and today we are here to look back at Vancouver's season so far.

And what a season it has been so far, we are 30 games in and Vancouver players have already taken part on six fight. Tonight we will be looking at every one of them, but before that we need to get our quest on stage so please welcome none other than Vancouver's alternate captain Bobby Bobcalf @nubbedindaribs.

[More applause]

Ok, who has messed with the prompter? What? You wanted actually good player to join us? Get this idiot fired. What do you mean you are my boss?

...

God damn it, behind those doors is another alternate captain, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Bjööörn Leppänen.

[Little bit more confused applause]

Björn: Good evening everyone, it is and great honor to join you in this show, it has been one of my favorites since I arrived to Vancouver.

James: So they don't show Vancouver Fight Club in Finland?

Björn: Well, we never had a satellite-TV when I was growing up so I can't say for certain but at least it is not commonly available.

James: Oh, they are missing so much. But great to have you here, take a seat.

To get these mandatory hockey questions out of the way, how do you think season has been for you and the team so far?

Björn: Thinking about what I expected from this season it has not really gone like I would have wanted, I'm playing lots with Mikas Bieksa @ontanis and it feels great but specially first half of season our offensive contributions were almost zero, my passes or his shots were neither finding their target. Defensively I think I have done what I could and our team currently has one of better penalty kill percentages of league so I'm happy for that.

James: But as Vancouver currently sits at 9th place you sure cannot be happy for that?

Björn: Sure this season has not really been too good for us. We have had lots of close games but in the end it barely matters if you lose 4-0 or 4-3, it is still a loss. It is going to be challenge to climb out of first round playoffs spot but we still have 18 games left so I think we can do it and I'm hopeful we get kind of fresh start when playoffs begin so you can expect lot more from us then.

James: Just what I love to hear, but you are here also as you are currently leading SMJHL in number of fights and fights won. Last season you had one fight during regulation and one during playoffs what has changed since then?

Björn: I think one of more important things is my time on ice has increased so now that I'm on ice more often some of the fuckers get what they were asking for. And playing my second season here as most of my focus isn't on just getting used to new league with smaller rink and almost daily games.

James: Playing almost every day sure sounds like you need to be in top shape, but at least fans have lot of hockey to watch.

But to move on with the show, lets go back to beginning of the season and look Vancouver's first fight of the season.

Game #53 of the season, 2-3 shootout loss in a Colorado, during second period Bo Kane @NONAME and Stracimir Petrovic @"AtlasHunter" have fight at 11:24, what you think about this?

Björn: It seems like quite typical fight for a rookie, after Bo Kane loses his face-off to Petrovic he lets his frustration out on Dombrowski by checking him at Whalers zone and while Jensen recovers puck Petrovic sees his opportunity as he has 60 pounds and 6 inches on Kane, what he lacks is and experience of fighting more veteran opponents. Being too confident that size will give him an edge in fight he lets his guard down and takes few hard punches from Kane and it his first fight is over for him faster than he expected.

It is not all bad as it was good learning experience so I'll rate it at 2 out of 5.

And after they both head to bench we score about minute and half later while Colorado is playing with mixed lines because their first line center is not available. That goal ties the game and got us a point.

James: To me it looks like Petrovic never expected Kane to even reach that high, but sure he learned his lesson as we move on to Whaler's next fight of the season.

And it just happens to be next game you played, Game #56 of the season where Whalers lost 2-0 in Carolina but you did't go down without fight, as you opened fighting season yourself and Petrovic was eager to give it another shot.

So you had you fight at end of second period, how did it feel to fight Michael Fitted @Fitted2106 who you played with in team Finland during WJC?

Björn: We actually had already clashed once before during season 48 Kummola cup play-offs but when playing for national team we both can be professionals and put our differences aside, in the end we are both there to win, in every game no matter the cost. But he had been annoying all game so when he intercepted my pass I decided to get that puck back, but what was meant to be a check soon turned into a fight.

As we have fought before he was expecting it a bit and we are both around same size so he was able to keep me at bay until referees came back to break the fight. As you can see he got few good punches at me but had to pay for them with bleeding nose.

There was potential in this fight but refs breaking it up early drops it to 3 out of 5.

James: So next let's take a look at our next fight that was in same game just around half way through third period. Stracimir Petrovic takes on Phineas Gold @Z0REM.

Björn: It looks to me that he has a thing on fighting first line centers who happen to be smaller than him, but to be honest quite many hockey players are smaller than him.

You can see the frustration of a rookie here, we are down by one goal and time is running out and what worked last time? Taking their first line center to box.

But looking at this I have to say he is lot less reckless than in his first fight, almost being able to push Gold to ice, but in this fight there isn't too many punches as it is more like wrestle. Still a good fight from both parties, another solid 3 out of 5.

James: Soon we jump over few games and take a look at fourth fight of the season, but before that we have word from our sponsor.

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[Back to studio]

James: What an great offer, I have been privlidged to test out Brawler and it sure works like a charm.

But now to our next fight. Game #72, 2-1 victory over Lethbridge at Vancouver, where you already had 6 penalty minutes during first 2 periods and then 7 minutes before third's end you drop the gloves with Jack Wilson @jtwilson1214.

Björn: Well those Lions had been diving whole game so when once again my pass was intercepted I was going to get it back, maybe Wilson was aware what went down last time and stopped me before I could even get going. He really did not leave me with many options.

I got off first punch quite well and thought he might drop but there are no signs of that as he takes few quick ones on me but keeping my guard up he isn't able to get clean hits. As I grab him by shoulder and take jab at him he is also able to find soft spot on my side.

We wrestle for a moment before he can connect punch to my face that drops me on my knees and then he just falls on me to pin me to ice while referees come to interrupt.

So trying to be as unbiased as I can I'd say it was shit of a fight, 1 out of 10.

James: Our scale is actually from 1 to 5.

Björn: Negative 2 out of 5, that is last I'm going to say about that.

James: I get the feeling that you really don't like losing?

Björn: I don't mind really, just want to move into next one.

James: We will count that as 1. But next fight is also yours, one with Stavros Halkias @Bongo during game #91, 3-0 loss at Anchorage. Just after halfway mark of second period you drop him quite fast but how do you see it?

Björn: As you said, it was over pretty quickly. It was pretty similar to my fight during last playoffs as when I'm shut down on neutral ice with puck I start clearing my way with fists. Looking back to it now I have say I got bit lucky with my first punches that ended up dropping Stavros to ice as he was not really expecting me to be so furious but I had to start winning these fights sooner or later.

Member of Whalers management who has some ties to Anchorage was not too happy about seeing his old friend being bashed so badly but I feel like it had to be done.

For being shorter than Petrovic's first fight I need to take a point away, so solid 4 out of 5.

James: Hard to argue with reasoning like that. So are you ready to take a look at your Whalers most resent fight that was actually team effort.

Game #143 where you are victorious at home versus Halifax, 1-3, about five minutes left in a second period walk us through what happens.

Björn: Well this is the one I could not figure out without seeing the recording multiple times. But I think it starts as Marcus Ohlsson's @CleverPin pass is intercepted by Sydney Mahoney, as Ohlsson tries to get puck back he makes some penalty worth hooking on Mahoney even after he already passes the puck to Atlas Rush @Rublic who gets shut down Jean-Paul Boivin @Nokazoa but not before trying to elbow him out of his way and when JPB throws Rush down to ice referees focus on that too much and I get chance to stop Partario Scarangella @PartarioScarangella on his tracks as he is trying to go help Rush.

While referees get Boivin from top of Rush I already have overpowered Scarangella onto ice and keep beating him up until linesmen can get hold on me. What a hectic mess that was, just like I like it, totally a team effort, classic to be reviewed again and again, 5 out of 5.

James: Could not have said it better myself. But that was all fights of the season so far, do you still have it in you to beat up some more people before Four Star Cup heads back to Vancouver?

Björn: I'd say in the end it is more up to opponents, play dirty and you have no place to hide.

James: Just what we want to hear, hopefully we meet again during next season.

Next week we will have real Captain of the Whalers, Jean-Paul Boivin, and we are going to figure out how he still hasn't had a fight with all the checking he is doing, signing everything as Captain of the Whalers should also help with geting into fights. Also we should have video of Björn fighting a bear with a chainsaw, that should be recorded next monday, so make sure not to miss next episode of Vancouver Fight Club.

I have been your host James Jones Jr, see you next week, keep fighting.

[Outro]

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