I’m the last person to complain about roughness when I’m watching a hockey game between two teams that obviously don’t like each other. The Blues need new rivalry blood in the division, and they have since the Red Wings shifted to the Eastern Conference. No one really gets worked up about Dallas, or Colorado, or Winnipeg - but the Blues’ rivals five hours to the north or four and a half hours to the south? Yes, please. Give me more hatred.
Extra-curriculars and shoving are fine and a part of the game. I don’t like them when it’s done in lieu of playing an effective game, but it’s a bunch of adult men on the ice playing a physical sport - extra-curriculars happen.