Ever wonder what tough guys talk about when they chat with the other team’s tough guy while stretching at centre during the pre-game warmup? Sometimes they socialize, sometimes they plan a scrap for later that night, and sometimes they do both. Take it away, Zenon Konopka. “Some of those chats can be pretty vulgar, and promoting for later in the night. When I was talking with (Shawn) Thornton in Boston, I knew he went to Turks and Caicos for the break and I was asking how the hotel was. We both know the owner. He says it was pretty nice. He had a real nice time. That was nice. When we played in Pittsburgh, I had a chat with (Matt) Cooke, then (Arron) Asham came over, and I fought Asham first shift. What happened (in the warmup) was, Cooke actually owes a buddy of mine a signed jersey, so I told him he better get it to him or there’s going to be juice, and the juice is running. Then Asham came over and said ‘Zee, what are you talking about?’ I told him and he said, ‘Oh, OK, cool. So are we going tonight?’ And I said, I’m willing if you are. So the first shift we go. Then we played Philadelphia, and I saw that Zac Rinaldo, and I just told him, we’re going tonight. And he’s like, ‘No we’re not.’ I said, that isn’t how it works. I’m the older player. When I was your age, I didn’t ask questions, I just dropped my gloves. We’re going tonight. And he said ‘OK, I guess,’ so later, we went.”

:fogatlan: