Dan Carcillo on TSN's 'Off the Record'

Editor's Note: Added photo and some quotes, linked to the video, and promoted to the front page.

TSN, the Canadian sports cable network counterpart to ESPN, featured Dan Carcillo today on its supper time 30 minute sports celebrity talk show called 'Off the Record'.  Carcillo was the opening guest in a segment called 'Up Front', and the focus here of course was on his involvement Thursday night with Marian Gaborik. 

Use this link to watch the episode or click the image above. They cover the incident for just about the entire show, and the linked video works in the States as well. Here are some Carcillo quotes from the first segment of the show...

Q: Daniel, if he had not dropped his gloves, would you have fought him?

A: No, no. It was basically a shoving match, I thought that's all it was going to be. You know, I don't know if he lost his glove on purpose or what he was doing but it looked like he was ready to fight, so...

Q: Do you think someone else should have stepped in?

A: Yeah, I mean, I don't know which one of his linemates really could've done much. [Brandon] Dubinsky, we've fought before, he could've jumped in, and then I think it was Prospal, so. It happened pretty fast, we were battling at the net. Like I said, I'm still a little shocked that it happened, but you know, fights happen in a game and just because he's their best player doesn't mean he can't fight.

Q: Prospal called you gutless.

A: Oh did he? *smile* Wow. Um, I don't know. *laughs" I don't know what to say to that. I mean, it's a fight, you know. He dropped his gloves, he came at me. You can watch the video, you can see. He's basically telling me he wants to fight and I'm pretty willing to fight anyone. Even though he's Marian Gaborik I'm still going to fight him.

Q: Dan, in the East in less than a year you've got the Penguins, the Capitals, the Bruins, the Leafs and now the Rangers pissed off. Is that what you're supposed to do? Is the ideal thing for you to say 'every team hates me'?

A: I don't know. I think when teams are saying that I'm probably doing my job pretty well. I don't mind when teams are worried about me because it gives other guys a bit more room to play. It's part of my job to do what I do -- to fight, to be physical. Maybe some other stuff that I do isn't exactly in between the lines all the time, but I'm not gutless, I'm not dishonorable. I play the game pretty hard and I'm an honest player.

Q: You're a tough guy who fights. I'm not a heavyweight. So if I were there and I said 'that is one of the worse mustaches ever', what would you do?

A: *laughs* I don't know, I'd probably just laugh at you.

Q: Would you agree with me?

A: *laughs more* It's pretty bad. It's not the best thing going right now.

Last night's Flyers-Rangers tilt was also the lead topic on the guest panel portion which follows. Interestingly enough, several of the guests (including former Flyer and Leaf Rick Nattress) echo Travis' defense of Carcillo and one panelist, a former NHL scout goes so far as to say, in contrast to Tortorella's and MSG's take on the game, that Carcillo is actually one of the more honourable players in the league.  This panelist also takes a swipe at the New York hockey media.

Carcillo returns for the end of show segment called 'Next Question' where the host asks a string of questions on a wide variety of topics to a single guest.  There are a few classic Carcillo responses there too, like 'you should do the show Tortellini.' It might make a good fan poll to speculate on what it is that Carcillo is planning to do during the Olympic Break that he won't talk about.

The 'Up Front'  segment is approx. the first 6 minutes and the next 4 or 5 minutes discuss last night's game.  Then the final "Next Question" segment is the last 2 and a half minutes or so.

Does Dan get any calls to be an ambassador for the NHL after this show? Is his first stop New York? And while I have no problem with what Carcillo brings to the game, I have to admit as I watched the highlights from last night's games, that I couldn't help but notice Upshall notched his first hat trick...