Quit complaining...sheesh.

Is violence in the league a problem? No, and it may seem like every other day we turn around and there is another incident where a guy gets hurt and people are complaining. But, this is hockey, not ice dancing. Hockey is a tough game it’s never been a game for the weak of heart. You get hit, you get punched, you get pucks in the face, and you have to deal with that it’s your job. Now, I’m not trying to say that what Chris Simon did was ok…because it wasn’t. There are certain times that the league does need to come in and send a message and I think the suspension did that. 25 games is a perfect way to send a message because it does go into the playoffs and it does tell everyone that using the stick, as a weapon is wrong. I do believe though that it wasn’t pre-meditated and it was just his instinct to get back at the guy. However, how he did it was wrong. It would have been ok for him to drop the gloves and beat the guy.

I don’t think that there should be any legal repercussions because in my opinion it’s your job…you know this is a possibility going in…and well Hollweg is not even hurt. So why would he take legal action? It’s just stupid. That’s my little take on it…I don’t really care a lot about these suspensions because Colin Campbell is a joke in my opinion…not a big fan...even though he got it right with Simon.

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Bumps, Bruises and a Whole Lot More

While I'm all for checks and fights in hockey -- although there are exceptions, such as the planned "fights" in Orlando-Jax games (who fights :12 into the first after the first whistle?) -- there are certain things that are just plain vicious in hockey. Bertuzzi's hit on Moore comes to mind. But I don't think that Simon's 1.000 batting average was really all that bad. Yes he did swing his stick at Hollweg's throat. Yes, that is a bad idea and he should get penalized for it. But was that any worse than some of the late hits that have gone on around the league this year? Hits that are deliberately bad, aimed to at least take the player out of the game, if not more time. There maybe more of a backstory to this incident, we just don't know it. Maybe this comes from other late hits, and finally Simon snapped and lashed out at him. Maybe there was some kind of exchange of words between them on Hollweg's hit and Simon snapped and swung at his throat. Hollweg isn't exactly in the running for the Lady Byng trophy this season (or any season), so I think there could have been some sort of rational -- at least in Chris Simon's head -- that justified getting pissed and pretending to be a baseball player. I would have liked to see his suspension shortened, 25 games is excessive for this incident. Bertuzzi didn't lose 25 games for a premeditated hit (yeah, yeah he lost the lockout year but if the NHL really wanted to punish him with the year suspension they could have ruled that the 2004-5 season didn't count as his year and so he couldn't play in 2005-6), why should Simon lose at least 25 games for a hit that was pretty clearly at the very least a reactionary event?

As far as legal action, I'm hoping that the DA's office in New York doesn't pursue this case. Why should they? Yes it was a vicious incident, but so are fights in hockey and no one is ever brought before a jury on charges of aggravated assault (yay for criminal justice classes -- I actually learned something in a class (= ) because they gave someone a black eye or stiches in a hockey fight. Hollweg did not suffer a career-ending injury. He didn't even miss any games. What is the purpose of going after a hockey player for something that, in all honestly, he is paid to do (although not the hitting-throat-with-stick part)?

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No More Drama

Except for the minor, minute detail that Chris Simon's vicious slash to the throat/face of Ryan Hollweg has resulted in more drama for the NHL, which is already dealing with the Pittsburgh fiasco AND the Ted Saskin email scandal. (Note: As someone from Saskatchewan, the email scandals I'm used to all involve male high school teachers and young female students so this one is a bit of a shock for me)

My first 10 thoughts, immediately after the incident"

1. Who the hell is Ryan Hollweg?
2. Isn't Chris Simon that guy who was accused of uttering a racial slur at Mike Grier (who had apparently uttered one first because Simon is like, Aboriginal or some shit?)
3. Dude, who the hell is Ryan Hollweg?
4. Shit, that was a dirty check.
5. Man he went Perezhogin on his ass.
6. I wonder if McSorley and Perezhogin are proud of him.
7. I would be.
8. Colin whatever the hell is name is' head is going to explode.
9. Hey, I bet hockey will make ESPN tonight.
10. No, really, who the hell is Ryan Hollweg?

Now, I offer my lack of knowledge of the participants as one of the primary arguments AGAINST expansion (though everyone in hockey knows its going to happen) however, this is just proof of a diluted talent pool.

So after wondering who the hell Ryan Hollweg was, I decided to make use, not of Google, but of Wikipedia, because its cooler.

Here's what I learned:

1. He's American (so that's why I have no clue who he is)
2. He's from California (well it makes even more sense that I don't know who he is)
3. He played in the BCHL (and since I'm from Saskatchewan the only Junior A league that matters is the SJHL)
4. He played for Medicine Hat in the Dub (how the hell do I not know the name?)
5. He amassed 239 PIM in Hartford in the AHL last season (Hartford? They still have a hockey team?)

I then spent the next several days watching anxiously as the NHL disciplinarians heads explod- I mean, they took time to meet with all involved parties and judiciously spin the wheel of just- I mean, come to a decision.

Personally, just in case I wasn't clear with the "he went Perezhogin on his ass" comment, I think this incident is more like my darling Perezhogin's then McSorley's. First and foremost, Hollweg hit him from behind. Perezhogin was slashed, tripped and basically given a beat down in front of the net before he snapped.

So to me, the act was NOT premeditated. It was a reaction. Not a good reaction. In fact, it was a ridiculously STUPID reaction if you ask me, but he didn't plan to do it, and to me that weighs heavily on the suspension.

See, McSorley planned it - he deserved the year long suspension. Bertuzzi's hit on Steve Moore was also premeditated. He'd been trying to get Moore to drop the gloves all night (of course, if you ask me, Moore pussied out when he wouldn't drop the mits with Bert - but he didn't deserve what happened to him). Bert was suspended for 22 games.

So when the 25 game suspension came down, I looked at the two harshest prior suspensions in league history. To me, a spur of the moment attack (even if it is with a stick) does NOT deserve the same kind of suspension as a premeditated attack of any kind. You can argue all you like that Bert was banned from playing during the lockout, so his suspension was really longer then those 22 NHL games that he missed, but he only forfeited 22 games of salary.

You see, the NHL is like any professional sports league, and they want to hit the players where it hurts - the wallet.

Sure it kills a player to not be out on the ice if they could be helping their team, but this was enforcer on enforcer. So really who the hell cares? Hollweg wasn't hurt nearly as badly as Moore was, he didn't miss any game action.

So I think the suspension was too long.

The fact is, suspending players is an ineffective method of preventing further inappropriate stick incidents. It's like the death penalty doesn't stop people from committing murder. A long suspension isn't going to stop a player from reacting - sometimes stupidly.

What does stop the players? Officials making the right call the first time.

So I suggest that NHL begin fining officials who miss calls. I mean I know refs don't make coach or player money, but fine your officials. Maybe some of the old blind ones will start to retire when they're losing money for missing calls (and we all know who they are).

As for whether or not Simon should face legal repercussions, I think the DA in that county or whatever the hell you Americans divide that stuff into should take a long, hard look at it... and then leave what happens on the ice to be dealt with by the league.

When players leave the field of play (a la Ron Artest in Detroit) and hit fans that's another story entirely, but in the end, what happens on the ice, stays on the ice as far as I'm concerned.

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The Simonizing of Ryan Hollweg

This is what popped up when I google-imaged Chris Simon

I've had a few days to cool off from the Isles-Rangers game in which Chris Simon played Casey at Bat with the head of Ryan Hollweg. Fortunately, Simon connected only slightly better than the hero of the classic poem, not enough to do serious, greivous damage to his victim. I am still horrified that the incident even took place. It is inexcusable. But upon further review, I fear I may have been a little too harsh on Simon. As one of the most celebrated Islanders fans/apologists in the metropolitan area, I have been asked by the thousands of SportSquee and hlog fans to weigh in on the tomahawk chop and here is the breakdown as I can make sense of the whole thing.

Why did Chris Simon do it?
At first glance, it looked like a gut-reaction to getting hit. Like Simon just got over-emotional in the heat of getting checked into the boards, a talent upon which Simon himself built his career. As I noted previously, it seemed like he was being a brat, or a Havlat, if you will. But upon ad nauseum reviews of the play, Simon clearly looks out of it. On the igniting play, Hollweg's arm is buried deep in Simon's numbers, making for a dangerous boarding. Simon went face/neck first into the glass, hard. I don't point this out to excuse Simon in the least, but I think it should be noted that he now has a serious concussion as a result of the play. Now, if I, a pacifist and vegan, have a concussion, and kick you in the face, I'm still an asshole for kicking you in the face. But at least you have an explanation for why I was out of it enough to do something like that. Even in the post-game locker room interview, Simon's eyes are dilated and roving hither and yon as he tries to back pedal for the press. Beyond sounding emotionally rocked, he looked sick. And if you've ever gotten overly randy at a Neil Diamond concert and bailed down the mezzanine stairs at MSG, you'll recognize that dazed, slow look.

Did Ryan Hollweg deserve it?
No. Ryan Hollweg is a douche. Let's get that out of the way. I say this not as a noted Ranger-hater, but as a person who read about the time he pissed all over some girl's flip-flopped feet at a Memorial Day barbecue, and was horrified. The pest is one of the trickiest roles in hockey. It's easy to love a pest when he's on your team, and it's easier to loathe him when he's on the other team. I like pests and the energy they bring to the game. But a lot of them are dirty. And none, besides Sean Avery, are as dirty as Hollweg. To his (sort of) credit, Hollweg, unlike a lot of pests who don't entertain the idea of backing up their chippiness because of their comparatively small size, will drop it like it's hot if someone seeks retaliation. But like most pests, he gets away with murder, and calls it drawing penalties. All that said, no one, outside of the American political system, deserves to take the business end of a composite to the chin. Not even someone who has no compunction about relieving himself on the feet of an unsuspecting partygoer.

Was the punishment fair?
Absolutely. Simon's career is finished, whether the NHL banned him or not. Ted Nolan was likely the only person willing to give Simon a chance at this stage of his career. And likely the only person who could elicit solid production from Simon. Their personal relationship is well-known. Nolan helped him through teenage alcoholism while in junior, according to legend. And his affection for Simon was evident to anyone who saw his brief tenure as a linemate of Alexei Yashin and St. Jason Blake earlier this season. Because, what else could explain the logic of having a slow-as-molasses-in-January winger with little offensive upside on a line with a strong but unmotivated playmaker and a vision-blurring angel on skates? Especially when you have speedy hard-hitters on the team like Trent Hunter. After this, however, I don't think that having Nolan in his corner is going to be enough to salvage Simon's career. Although the Islanders have become an Island of Misfit Toys recently, I doubt that even Charles Wang will opt to re-sign him. It's fitting for the crime that he's going to be deprived of playing the rest of what could've been a Cinderella season and possibly the playoffs. But the real punishment is that his name, along with Marty McSorley and maybe Todd Bertuzzi, is going to be shorthand for unfortunate incidents of hockey violence. He'll be the new "everything that's wrong with the game" for the NHL.

How does the loss of Simon affect the Islanders?
Losing the play of Simon doesn't affect the Islanders terribly. They are anemic in the scoring department with or without him. And even in Simon's past role as an enforcer they won't miss him. As I have complained about on many occasions, Simon has been disturbingly quiet on that end, deferring the fighting duties to the already-spread-thin Brendan Witt, the diminutive and tooth-sacrificing Richard Park, and Arron Asham, who has morphed into a clutch scorer and probably shouldn't do any damage to the hands that produce the Isles' best slap shot. Not to sound like a mouth-breather, but you don't bring in Chris Simon unless you bring him into fight, and he wasn't serving in that capacity. He was producing in streaks though. But goals are just jimmies on the sundae with a player like Simon. He's meant for security. Security he didn't really provide this season. On a mental level though, this is going to have a serious effect on the Isles season. The bad blood generated by the incident is going to cast a long shadow over the little team that could. Watching that scene on TV (or YouTube) was hard enough. Imagine having a front row seat. Even if the Isles have a stronger constitution for violence than I do (which is likely, since they play hockey and don't cry when they walk past the butcher section of the corner Gristedes), than the loss of the veteran presence and rah-rah team guy could have detrimental consequences. The majority of the Islanders defensive corps has only recently begun to shave. So any steadying guidance is welcome. And Simon's history of interesting hair choice will also take some of the heat off of Brendan Witt and his perm.

Cross-posted at SportSquee

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Anything makes a weapon!

(disclaimer: Everyone's opinions are great, valid and probably better thought out than mine. This is purely an attempt to be humourous and later we can all go out for milkshake okay?)

Thanks James Thurber - you were so ahead of your time.

So it seems that we should shouldn't would've could've done a lot of things. Hockey is such a dangerous sport isn't it? How can we keep it family friendly? And how can we avoid cheap thuggery/unfortunate accidents/"I just went to the toilet and when I came back he was lying there I swear"?

First the equipment is flimsy. I mean why was the helmet wasn't put on right? Why do players play without visors? I suggest we throw out the new NHL "slimming" jerseys and we wrap the guys in bubblewrap. I work at a post office, I know. You want something secure? Head to toe in bubblewrap. Maybe add some airbags around the delicates to keep it cushioned. They're a breeze to play in! And when it comes to fighting, just think of all those bubbles you can pop.

Foam sticks are a necessity. This incident has clearly shown that those wooden sticks have to go. Not to mention it'll be a joy to be creative with and cross ice passes will never be the same again. Besides, if living in a prison has taught you anything (a pre-requisite if you ever want to be a HLOG-ger), soap and a sock can make an easy weapon. Anything's a weapon nowadays. Why endanger your players to weapons like those dangerous sticks!?

And what about those skates? They're a disgrace in terms of safety, what they need is a nice pair of thick explorer socks. It'll stop them from spraying ice in the goalie's face - not that it'd matter since he'd be bubblewraped like heaven.

And the puck should just be a rubber duck. It rhymes see?

Now before you all go out and start being mean to Chris Simon, think of what the NHL has done for THEM. They gave them weapons to be killers, why would you do that to a poor NHL confused child player?

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Here we go again... sigh.

It would be nice to go one season without a Todd Bertuzzi incident, a Marty McSorley one ... and now we have to add a Chris Simon one to the list.

I've always believed that hockey is a physical game without being a truly violent one. I don't think we can deny that the violence we see (and which gets aired so prominently during the highlights) is a part of the game, but at the same time, it's not what the game is about. Make sense?

That said, there's been too many "isolated incidents" for those who don't get the game to avoid jumping to certain conclusions. I'm very uncomfortable of this offhanded dismissal of hockey as a goon's sport, a sport where it's-ok-if-they-fight-because-they're-all-white-men-not-like-the-NBA.

What I think is problematic is that for players, there's a lack of good options these days in response to a cheap hit or play. Can't pick a fight anymore with the same kind of impunity as before - that'll get you an instigator, that'll cost you a couple of days of pay, that'll cost your team. Can't rely on the officals to hand out a proper penalty - some things never change. And when players get frustrated, when they have to keep on bottling-up that ohhhhhh-I-hate-that-pest-and-I-want-back emotion, they're only human. Eventually even they will boil over. They're professionals, they're not saints.

As for the Simon case specifically? I like Chris Simon. He was a fan favourite during his time in Calgary, and even now, none of his ex-teammates or coaches, or even the local media have been anything but supportive of him. A guy like that might not be perfect (not with his career PIMs and previous suspensions, he's not), but he also deserves to have his story considered as well.

I don't like the suspension. I don't dispute that it was deserved, but I don't like that it's so long. Yes, it was a dangerous and stupid move on Simon's part, but Hollweg walked away from the entire thing and was able to (nervously) laugh about it afterwards. This is not a Steve Moore by any means, lucky for Simon. I can think of players who get put out for weeks, with their assailants getting only the rest of the night off, tops. This is the league making an example out of Simon. This is all about optics.

I would be happier with his punishment if there was some acknowledgement that Hollweg's hit on him wasn't entirely kosher. I'm not familar with Hollweg particularly, but listening to the players around the league talk about the incident, you can hear the subtext...here's a guy who's a superpest who now gets to bother other players without fear, without any brakes. Here's a guy who could be dangerous, take things too far, and be on the receiving end of a suspension himself if somebody doesn't stand up to him on the ice. So Simon got the 10 min intent to injure.... let's see Hollweg get at least a two-minute token unsportsmanlike. It's not like he's going to be skating for those two minutes, anyways.

If the league wants to curb violence in the game, be it players lashing out at each other, or outright brawling, then they have to make the players who are making the dirty plays and the dirty hits accountable for their actions. I don't care if it's a penalty on the ice, or punitive fines after. Our guys aren't perfect, we shouldn't expect them to be, and hell, that's the way I like them.

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Hit Somebody...?

I had started jotting some thoughts about all the questionable hits lately at work today before even seeing the weekly challenge posted so evidently we have a Hlog mind-meld going on. I will admit up front that this will most likely be very long and a little jumbled. I started it while surrounded by miserable 6th graders and finished it at 1:15 in the morning so it's probably not the most sensical thing I've ever written...

So Chris Simon got 25 games, including the post-season, for his attempted decapitation of Ryan Hollweg. Bravo, NHL for finally getting your collective head out of your collective ass and handing out more than the standard 3 games. I applaud you and while there is more than a little sarcasm involved here, I'm mostly relieved.

I'm not really convinced that Simon's offense was 23 games worse than Cam Janssen's hit on Tomas Kaberle. (Note: Despite being one of the Sabres' reps around here - or maybe because of it - I'm going to mostly put Chris Neil's hit on Chris Drury to the side. While I personally had some problems with both the hit (tough to watch the play in front of you and the guy coming up behind you) and some of the aftermath (a player's helmet being done up incorrectly doesn't excuse a guy from making a questionable hit), I do think Neil's hit is a little more debatable than Janssen's and Simon's.) I understand that Simon used his stick as a weapon which is a huge no-no, but Janssen, in my opinion, was clearly using his body as a weapon when he hit Kaberle. He hit him extremely late, he hit him way behind the play, he hit him in the head while jumping into it. He put Kaberle out of the game and possibly out for the season. If a player hits an opponent in the face with a stick it's an automatic penalty, regardless of intent. If a player draws blood with his stick, it's an automatic double minor, again regardless of intent. It's understood that a player is expected to be in control of his stick. So why shouldn't a player be expected to use his body responsibly as well? I would even go as far as to say I can atleast kind of sort of understand where Simon was coming from. He thought he was the victim of a bad hit and it pissed him off. He completely lost his temper. It doesn't excuse his reaction but I'm not going to pretend I've never wanted to slug someone during a heated moment in competition before. Janssen's hit seemed more premeditated - he was in complete control of himself the entire time.

I read an editorial about the three recent situations (Neil on Drury, Janssen on Kaberle, Simon on Hollweg) that quoted a 2004 essay by Ken Dryden. (For anyone unfamiliar with Ken Dryden he's a former Canadiens goalie, former president of the Maple Leafs, and considered by many to be one of the most respected and articulate former players.) Dryden denounced blindside hits and hits to the head and tossed aside the oft-quoted idea of "finishing your check." He opined that hitting a player after he's released the puck has the potential to cause too many dangerous injuries. Dryden also considers it a handicap for players smart enough and quick enough to move the puck before being hit and a reward for players too slow to get to a puck carrier while he still has the puck. (I don't know if I agree entirely with that but it is an interesting point. In two of the three recent situations it was the more skilled player who ended up leaving the game.) Dryden's essay helped inspire some rule changes in the Ontario Hockey League. This season all hits to the head - elbow, shoulder, intentional or not - were outlawed and called for a penalty.

Former players seem unhappy about the idea of taking any more physicality out of the game. Brett Hull recently said, "It's a physical game and finishing your check is how you make a guy give up a puck." But there also seems to be a strong feeling that players today don't respect each other on the ice the way they used to. To the above comments, Hull added that he would warn players that he was behind them when he chased them into the corners. Rob Ray does intermission and postgame commentary for the Sabres' broadcasts. In his playing days he would hit anything that moved but he was really upset by Janssen's hit on Kaberle, calling it unnecessary and stating that it showed a tremendous lack of respect for Kaberle's well-being. But how do you make a guy respect other people? Is that even possible?

I don't know. There's a lot to think about, a lot of different layers. But as a fan, I'm a little scared. I'm a little scared that it's just a matter of time before a player hits the ice and doesn't get up whether it's because of paralysis or death. Maybe I'm overreacting, maybe I'm being "girly" but it's true. If I were in charge of the league, here's what I would do:

1. Take a close look at equipment.
I think it's clear that shoulder pads in particular can be lethal. The equipment needs to be safe for the person wearing it AND the person playing against him. And as much as I hate that many people responded to Neil's hit on Drury by blaming Drury for his helmet coming off, there are way too many guys wearing their chinstraps halfway down their chests. I don't know how you go about doing it, but make those boys tighten those up. I'm afraid the hockey community has gotten a little immune to concussions because they've become so common, but geez, they can be serious! If they're bad enough, then we're not just talking about a player's on-ice future. We're talking about his quality of life long after his hockey career is over.

2. Illegalize all hits to the head.
I don't care if it's an elbow, a shoulder, or a knee, if you hit a guy in the head you should be penalized. I'm at the point now where I would probably support a policy something like the OHL is using. If you hit a guy in the head, intentional or not, a penalty is called. All hits penalized are then later reviewed to see if more serious discipline needs to follow. If guys aren't going to respect each other on the ice by choice then something else has to be done to make them think about what they're doing out there.

3. Set up a firm, consistent policy for headshots.
I hate the way league discipline leaves us all scratching our heads. When fans are seriously talking about the guy in charge of discipline spinning a wheel and going with whatever the wheel lands on, you have a problem. The player's name shouldn't be a factor - big stars and little grinders should be punished the same way. Past offenses should be a factor. If someone is being suspended for hitting a guy in the head for the third time, by all means crank up the level of punishment. Where some people seem to disagree is whether the severity of injury should be factored in. I don't think it should. Just because Ryan Hollweg walked away in one piece, it doesn't mean the next guy will. If you're not throwing the book at people, there IS going to be a next time.

4. Fire Gary Bettam and Colin Campbell.
Hey, it's what I'D do.

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Weekly Topic: March 12 - 18, 2007

All right, HG let me borrow the Topic Whip this week so for this week, what we really want to know is...

With the NHL world in a tizzy over Chris Simon doing his best Derek Jeter impression, is violence in the League a problem? Do you think Simon's suspension of minimum 25 games enough? Do you think it sets enough of a precedent to curb the violence or do you think there's a deeper issue to be addressed? OR alternatively, do you think that there isn't a problem at all and that it was just one special case that got out of hand? Do you think there should be other legal repercussions towards Simon?

Discuss!

Creative Challenge - The season is winding down to an end but if you could build your very own perfect fantasy team, who would be on it?

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