Brad Marchand vs. The NHL

Brad Marchand-a small yet ever so aggressive and feisty hockey player- is constantly facing the criticism of the National Hockey League and fans of it alike. Over the years, Marchand has created a tarnished reflection of his status as a player. As a Boston Bruins fan, it is undeniable that Brad Marchand constantly plays his own game, which is fast-paced, extremely aggressive, and very competitive. Many people, however, who do not support the Bruins especially, constantly title Marchand as a “dirty player”. Yes, Marchand has had some not clean hits throughout his career, however, as a whole, most of the calls against him are a result of a false image and reputation that has been kindled by the social media of supporters of other NHL teams.

Earlier this season, Brad Marchand faced a five-game suspension against him due to an elbowing into the head on Marcus Johansson, who is a member of the New Jersey Devils. Although the elbow had gone flying into Johansson’s head, it seemed to be an accident or an unintentional hit due to an aggressive net presence. However, the league, as per usual, thought differently and so did the Devil’s fan base. Since this particular hit, it seems like the NHL and referees watch Marchand with a careful eye and restrict him on a short leash.

To many this may not seem like a huge ordeal, but as a fan you come to understand that all of Marchand’s goals come from his aggressiveness and hounding of the puck. While the regular season is coming to a close, Bruins fans are anxiously sitting on the edges of their seats as they watch games, waiting for a call against Marchand that is sure to be called or reviewed out of context. All fans are worrying over the same thing: is Marchand’s game as an aggressive player going to have to change for the playoffs to solidify the fact that he will be able to compete when his team needs him most?

Watch the five-game suspension call on your own and choose if you think it was righteous or not:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GaJUlUzaZD0

USA Women’s Hockey Team Wins Gold Again

Since 1998, the extraordinary United States of America’s Women’s Hockey Team has been trying to redeem themselves of the Olympic gold medal. While coming up short for a few years, truly remarkable history was made again this past weekend.

The USA Women’s Hockey Team won gold this past weekend against Canada, who was highly favorited due to their outstanding gold medal streak in the Olympics these past years. Incredible players and role models like Hilary Knight have been waiting for this moment for years on end and to finally have attained it is a great feeling. “I don’t even believe it’s true. It’s been a dream,” said Hilary, when asked what it is like to be known as an Olympic gold medalist by a reporter.

This win is more than just an honor to the country itself and a kudos to the team for their hard work over these past four years in preparation for the 2018 Olympics. This win helps further prove the capability of this particular team to win and achieve big.

This past year the women’s team went on a strike in regards to the unfair pay range between the men’s team and the women’s team. This strike happened just days before the World Cup Championships back in 2017; however, the out-of-the blue qualities of this strike left the National Hockey League in a very tight situation: either give the girls what they rightfully deserve or all the United States to take a loss at the World Cup due to the team’s absence. With the support of other major leagues like the MLB, NHL, and NFL and other athletes and celebrities, the women’s team made history again by getting their pay to be raised. Not only did this strike inspire many girls around the world, but it was also very brave and courageous of them.

The game went into a nail biting overtime that was very up and down; however, the game ended in an almost unbelievable shootout with a phenomenal goal by Jocelyne Lamoureux and a great save by the United State’s goaltender Maddie Rooney.

As the women’s team basks in the glory of what winning a gold medal for your country after a serious drought of gold feels like, in the back of their minds they still are foreshadowing the win of another gold medal at the 2022 Olympics.

 

Check out Jocelyne’s goal here:

Jack the Ripper: Lurker of the Streets of London

Murder is no unfamiliar aspect to our everyday lives. Murders have been occurring in every state, country, and continent for centuries on end, yet there is one murderer whose name is known by many: Jack the Ripper.

“Jack the Ripper”, a serial killer whose victims were usually women, came into play in 1888 in London. The notorious name Jack the Ripper originated from a letter sent to the police station after one of London’s most gruesome murders. The letter was signed by “Jack the Ripper” with gory details about how he had murdered one of his first victims.

The amount of victims is unknown to society, as many people do believe Jack the Ripper is responsible for 11 murders that occurred in London at the time; however, Jack is definitely affiliated with 5 murders. These 5 murders, all happening within a few months of each other and each eerie in their own way, is widely referred to as the “Canonical 5”; the victim’s names were Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. All 5 of these murders were of prostitutes, seemingly a repetitive attack motive for Jack. Three of the five women had their internal organs like the womb and kidney removed by Jack, giving the police one first semi-clue; the murderer had to have knowledge of anatomy to know where and how to cut out the women’s internal organs.

Although all of the murders occurred around the same area in the same condition, the murderer was never determined. Two of the murders even occurred within 30 minutes of each other, only a few blocks away from each other.

There have been many suspects, but there was never a strong incline towards one person. However, the description of Jack the Ripper has never wavered among eyewitnesses. Jack was a tall and skinny man, who wore a large hat and had a creepy mustache. Without a doubt, he is also known as one of the most evil men in the history of the world.

 

David “Pasta” Pastrnak

David Pastrnak, a Boston Bruins right-winger, has come a long way in his hockey career and from his home country of the Czech Republic. After being drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and then signing for three years, David Pastrnak is currently signed to a six-year contract under the Bruins, amounting to a whopping total of 6.7 million dollars annually.

David Pastrnak was born on May 25, 1996, making him 21 years old. He always played hockey since he was little and was encouraged by his father to play it for as long as he could. Unfortunately, after a long battle of cancer, David’s father died. David credits his father for his passion for the game, aging that the only reason he worked so hard to play in the NHL was because of his dad.

David did have a successful career in the Czech Republic for an under-18 league, but he quickly signed to the Bruins soon after. Not only is David always one of the top goal scorers due to his unreal “hands” and amazing shot, but he is also one of the top players for playing time. His usual linemates for the Boston Bruins being Canadian-born Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron

Although the Bruins 2017-2018 season has merely begun, David Pastrnak is currently leading the team in goals with 12. He is also credited for 9 assists, thus’ amounting to him having a total of 21 points.

 

Feb 11, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his game winning goal during the third period against the Vancouver Canucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak during the third period of the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins in an NHL hockey game in Boston Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Whether you are a fan of the Boston Bruins are not, many can agree that David “Pasta” Pastrnak is one of the youngest and best players in the NHL this season and will continue to stand out in point standings for the Bruins and the NHL as a whole.

To see some of David’s best NHL moments check out the video below:

WHAT IS TO COME IN THE FUTURE FOR DACA HOLDERS?

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, otherwise known for short as ‘DACA’, has been protecting young adults that arrived illegally in the United States of America before the age of 16 since 2012. President Barack Obama implemented this program to protect young immigrants from being deported from the U.S. and gave them the opportunity to live the American dream. In addition of being under the age of 16, people who are attending school or have a high school diploma and/or GED and have no criminal record can apply for DACA. With the protection of DACA, people can get jobs, buy homes, start families, and stop living in fear of being deported and separated from their families.

Towards the end of his term, President Barack Obama proposed the idea of extending the olive branch of protection to older immigrants and to parents of children with DACA. However, these proposals never went through due to 26 states who were strongly opposed to this policy. Now that we know the background of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, we begin to wonder why this is still being brought up in the daily news; the answer being Republicans.
Knowing the background of DACA, seemingly a very positive program, the question of who is trying to remove it is raised by many. President Donald Trump, after being threatened to be sued by states due to not following through with his promise of revoking DACA, officially stated on September 5, 2017 that he would begin slowly deteriorating the program; which then lead to the decision by Republican state officials to not allow any new people to join the program and that people who are currently being protected will lose their protection on March 6, 2018. However, Congress is standing as the last line of defense for these 800,000 DACA members, who refer to themselves as ‘Dreamers’ (name originating from the Dream Act), currently living in fear of being deported and losing everything they have already worked towards here in what they call their home, the United States of America.
Most people wanting DACA to be ended argue that illegal immigrants are causing the most crimes in our country; however, anyone who is under the protection of DACA cannot commit any type of offense. If someone in this country who is being protected from not being deported by DACA gets arrested or commits a crime, they immediately lose their protection and will (most likely) be deported. Contrary to popular belief, President Donald Trump actually sympathizes for these Dreamers via a series of tweets:

Tweet via @realDonaldTrump on Twitter.

Tweet via @realDonaldTrump on Twitter.

Supporters of DACA are wondering one common question that is still unanswered to the public: If President Donald Trump says he has empathy for the Dreamers, why is he revoking DACA?
In conclusion, I think that people should try and put themselves in these people’s shoes. No matter how hard it is for you to understand what it must be like for these people, it is important you try and understand. Many people flee to our amazing country everyday illegally: some in hopes for a better future and others not. But just because there are some negative intentions in these immigrants journey to our country, does not mean the rest who are here with good intentions don’t hold any value. Many DACA recipients serve our country in various forms and bring so much to our American culture. It’s time to decide once and for all who we are really trying to protect: the Dreamers or our fearful selves.

To furtherly understand DACA and the current situation with it, watch this clip via “Vox” on YouTube:

 

Written by: Marina DiBiasio