Payette

[Carpo]

And i'm not going to start anything, but it's worth pointing out that if Mr Gallace saw what's on the news fader at the moment, he could probably have the admin's of this site sued for libel.

Just a thought.

[King Rich]

Doubt it, but changed it to keep ya happy

[JP]

Payette seems to have calmed down a good bit over the last few games, good on him! He has proved that he's not afraid to fight with the best of them - now he can play hockey (obviously he'll drop 'em if they need to be dropped)

Everyone elses thoughts...

[Carpo]

King said:

Doubt it, but changed it to keep ya happy

No beef to me mate, it's just that exact same comment about a different player did result in a forum being shut down ;D

[blue3556]

As far as I can tell Payette really can play, he is just a little to fond of his hard man image and would rather fight and risk a penilty, than not which some times is a good thing, but some times not.
Especially when we are short benched anyway.

Andre is a quality player, I'll be happy when he has settled in some more and has a few more games for us under his belt.

[King Rich]

I think a certain Mr Bowen was quite fortunate last night to have the officials split him and Andre up, as it was clear that Andre had the upper hand from the start, in their early scuffle - Bowen's shirt was halfway over his head.

[naffer]

Covblaze16 said:

Payette seems to have calmed down a good bit over the last few games, good on him! He has proved that he's not afraid to fight with the best of them - now he can play hockey (obviously he'll drop 'em if they need to be dropped)

Everyone elses thoughts...

Second that we were crying out for a player like him last year now we have got one its helped his linemates immensely.
He can play and all three lines look like they can score .
Mel might be top fighter but after seeing him twice the rest of his game is below par by comparison.
Andre is clever enough to know when and where to Goon it up.
His weekly article in Game on is good as well.

[Claret & Blue Army]

The end of season awards could be interesting if it gets turned into a popularity contest as I think our hero could sweep the board

[PW]

Just to add further to Andre's popularity...this article from the Toledo Blade of 2 years ago...

He's what's known in hockey circles as a tough guy, a policeman. Those are his terms of endearment.

Not so nice are the other names that come with the inevitable engagements - goon and thug.

Andre Payette, from Cornwall, Ont., has spent much of his six-year professional career fighting, to make sure that opponents don't feel free to rough up his teammates.

But the injured Toledo Storm left wing spent this week battling for an animal that couldn't fight for itself.

His right hand wrapped and throbbing from a broken thumb suffered in the second of two fights Sunday against Cincinnati, Mr. Payette was driving to practice at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday when he saw what he thought was a dog lying near the intersection of Crabb and Telegraph roads in Temperance.

He continued for three or four minutes, then stopped and turned around.

"If it's an animal in trouble, I had to make sure for myself," said Mr. Payette, whose own dog was hit and killed by a car last year in Utica, N.Y. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't stop."

Mr. Payette found a collarless, black male pit bull whining and shaking in a pool of blood, its well-kept, 2-year-old body almost frozen to the ground.

Without a means of communication and with light snow falling, the 26-year-old stood by the side of the road next to the animal, one wounded battler watching another.

Twenty-five minutes and many cars passed as Mr. Payette and the dog shivered in the cold.

"I don't know if I looked imposing," Mr. Payette said. "Maybe people were scared of me."

Finally, a woman stopped and offered the stranger her cell phone.

Moments later, an electrical-utility truck pulled up and its driver bounded over to the 6-2, 219-pound hockey player.

His name was Troy, a 30-something father of two.

"I wish I knew his last name," Mr. Payette said. "He said, `Hey, you're Andre Payette. Hey, great game Sunday. You really gave it to that guy.'"

Troy is a Storm fan. He was at the Sports Arena when Mr. Payette scored a goal and broke the bone in his hand hammering Cincinnati's Bob Crummer.

Troy also loves animals, he told Mr. Payette. He has two dogs of his own.

"We wanted to move the dog, but because it was a pit bull, we were worried," Mr. Payette said. "Then he licked our hand."

The hockey player and his fan crossed the street to the utility truck for a blanket.

Sensing help, the pit bull began to stir, Mr. Payette said.

Despite what was later diagnosed as a broken pelvis and severe burns to the back of its hind legs, which apparently resulted from being hit and then dragged by a vehicle, the dog began dragging itself to the men across the road.

With cars buzzing around it, the animal fell down three times before reaching the pair.

"People weren't even waiting," Mr. Payette said. "But as frustrated as I was for people not stopping, there are good people out there too."

With the assistance of the woman with the cell phone and the hockey fan, Mr. Payette found more people who cared at a nearby animal hospital.

"My staff was very concerned about how concerned he was about the pet," said Penny Mitchell, the owner of Temperance Animal Hospital, 7375 Lewis Ave. "To be truthful, though, I'm sure the first thing they asked him was, `Do you want to take financial responsibility for the dog?' We would love to save all of them, but sometimes you just can't."

To help Mr. Payette, Troy offered to pay half of whatever it would cost for the vet to save the animal. It wasn't necessary.

When she found out what the hockey player had done and how concerned he was, Ms. Mitchell offered to waive the bill if Storm management would give her staff tickets to a game.

Done deal.

"The girls in the back have bonded with the pet, and with [Mr. Payette] because of how he is with the animal," Ms. Mitchell said. "He's a heartfelt man. Emotional paychecks are sometimes as good as regular paychecks for people who work in animal medicine."

Mr. Payette, his wife, and teammates make daily visits to see the dog, whom hospital workers have named Storm. Like the hockey player, the dog is expected to make a full recovery.

"The dog and I will get better together," said Mr. Payette, who is on the 30-day injured-reserve list. "My wife Stephanie and I are animal lovers, but with our life it's hard to keep a dog. We'll take him in, and then in five weeks maybe try to find someone to take him."

That won't happen, according to the hospital's owner.

"He'll never be able to give this dog up," Ms. Mitchell said. "When Andre leaves, the dog tries to get up with a broken pelvis and follow him.

"He's quite a man. I heard somebody refer to him as `the goon.' Just because you fight in a hockey rink doesn't mean you don't have a heart."

I wonder if Storm will be coming over with him, and whether he'll become an Oscar-figure...

[naffer]

Good story, he will be taking up knitting next.

[Claret & Blue Army]

Can't imagine the Mangler, Cornish or any of the other hard men doing the same can you?

In fact I heard Ewasko was rebuked for calling a giraffe shorty

[oneill]

Great news, ive a couple of dogs and if they ever got out and were knocked down id like something like this to happen to them,but sadly into days society most people would just drive by,thinking to themselves it's not my dog or il be late home if i stop.Mabe Payette really is a big softy after all.

[JP]

I can't believe this hasn't be posted already:

Well done Andre for getting us the match winning goal against the Bison last night and giving us the two points to secure our place in the Challenge Cup semi-finals. ;D

Andre is a legend-i don't care what anybody says (i hope he stays with the Blaze for a very long time)

[Claret & Blue Army]

Maybe towards the end of the season we can alter his song to "Andre must stay"

[JP]

B2P said:

Maybe towards the end of the season we can alter his song to "Andre must stay"

I'm up for that one!