Colorado Avalanche forward Cody McLeod is considered an annoying player. One might even call him an instigator. However, Anaheim Ducks forward Cory Perry is no slouch in that area either. Both are gingers with an attitude. But which forward is more annoying?
Corey Perry
Corey Perry is that kid on the playground who pulls your ponytail then laughs at your anger. He’s also the kid that probably spends half his time in the principal’s office. Corey Perry’s 29 years old — if he’s still that kind of troublemaker, it’s unlikely he’s going to mature as he ages.
Case in point. In a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina forward Alex Semin is sitting up on the boards getting ready to enter play. He’s minding his own business. Perry, meanwhile, is skating toward his own bench. As he skates by Semin, he just casually grabs Semin’s stick out of his hand.
That’s pretty childish, stealing a guy’s stick as he’s innocently sitting on the boards. Hilarious, but childish.
Speaking of hilarious but childish, how about that time in the playoffs Perry squirted water in LA Kings forward Jeff Carter’s glove?
I mean, really, are we 12? Pretty annoying.
Cody McLeod
Cody McLeod doesn’t resort to childish pranks. However, he’s known for being one of the best trash talkers in the NHL. Apparently he can chirp raunchily enough to make color analyst — and former hockey pro — Peter McNab blush.
Unfortunately, McNab has never shared even the G-rated version of McLeod’s best chirps. However, here’s an example of how McLeod can irritate players even when he’s the one in an embarrassing situation:
I don’t know what he said or did as he was down behind the boards, but he seems to have scandalized and incensed the Tampa Bay Lightning bench.
Of course, Cody McLeod is more renowned for his fighting abilities. He’s participated in more than 100 fights in the NHL. He’s even engaged in two fights in a single game.
My personal favorite was during a Dallas Stars game — McLeod fought twice, got ejected from the game and was named first star of the night. His second fight came after he jabbed Dallas defenseman Jason Demers in the face. Demers took exception to that, but did nothing right away. Instead, he skated off, holding his face as if mortally wounded — apparently a cut on his lip had been re-opened.
McLeod skated to the bench, propped an elbow on the boards, and chatted with teammate Nathan MacKinnon. Demers decided to seek justice, sucker punching McLeod. Cody took extreme umbrage, but the referee restrained him, essentially allowing Demers to sucker punch him a couple more times.
Stars forward Ryan Garbutt tried to lay a restraining hand on McLeod, but Cody responded with lightning fast jabs in his head area. He was kicking butt in all directions. And so he got tossed.
Yeah, McLeod was pretty well-hated by the Dallas Stars.
Interestingly, both Perry and McLeod are alternate captains on their respective teams. Naturally, Perry is on the top line with captain Ryan Getzlaf while McLeod is a fourth line forward. They both contribute to their team, though — and part of that contribution is their instigation play. They get under the other teams’ skin.
As far as who is more annoying… I’m going to go with Perry, but only because he does annoying things to the Avalanche, like chirp head coach Patrick Roy. Both men are effective, though, at being irritating.
Next: Cody McLeod Busy vs Dallas Stars
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