A Black day for the NHL

[Fred]

It seems to me league was on trial this weekend and it failed to make grade.

Between Asham, Neal, Hagelin, Boyle, Brown, Carkner, et al and what personally I found disturbing was the sight of Giroux and Henrik trying ot get themselves to the bench.

A line has been crossed between this being a sport to a lets go out and hurt the opposition as badly as we can. There's no sport in that. I can't compare it to another genuine sport but lump it with WWF, MMA or maybe roller derby. The game has become about vicious assaults rather than the "sport"

How players coaches, managers, owners, NHLPA and the NHL it's self allow this is beyond me. How can an owner make a profit at the expense of a players body/health, blood money? It's primitive and you can see why so many fans outside the game treat the game as a joke. No other sport allows, in fact condones this type of brutality in it's sport.

If there is any reaction from the NHL it will be minor and only to the irrelevant players

http://www.thestar.com/sports//hockey/n ... of-control

[clem]

The NHL is becoming as relevant to hockey as the WWE is to wrestling.

Wish there was an alternate league which provided similar skill, without the goonery and what appears to be officiating deceit (managing competitiveness).

I know things have been this bad in the (distant) past, but we seem to be digressing lately.

[donlever]

Yep, the league is a sad, sad joke.

As a few of my old cohorts from other realms know my personal interest in the game has been dwindling for the past 2 or 3 years.

Just about at my wits end with it really, although that description is perhaps poor as my care level has decreased dramatically to the point where I simply shrug my shoulders and smirk.

This from a guy (are you listening NHL) who, along with his family, are long, long time Canuck season ticket holders and have literally invested a number with 5 zeros behind it into the local team (and subsequently the league) during that period of time.

I can see moving on from hockey and finding something else to do with my time very clearly at the end of the tunnel.

Perhaps as soon as Wednesday evening around 10:30 local time....

[Fred]

What went through my mind all weekend is this My grandson is coming up to 4 and almost ready for sports and I'm tending to side with my daughter in law who doesn't want any part of hockey. I know it sounds lame but youngster can't help to believe this is the way the game should be played.

This last weekend was brutality before skill

[wafflecombine]

its very simple.

There are almost no consequences of note.
There is no respect
There is no consistency of reffing
There is no line but "the bottom line".

Enforce the rules. Head hit/dangerous plays start at 10 games plus 10% of YOUR salary.
Lesser stupidity = 1 to 9 games and 1 to 9% of your salary.

Fine teams on top of that and you'll see the culture clean itself up.

Even under our current system - say a multiple offender gets 3+5+8. that's 16% of your salary gone. For Shea Webber types thats 1.25 million in fines. For a plug at say a Lappierre rate of 1 mill, its 160k. Relatively less but proportionately hurtful.

Bottom line don't be a dick on the ice.

[Topper]

A far cry from the NFL's Monday morning justice, where the fines are handed out for the previous days hits.

This from Peter King's MMQB today.

e. Mike Florio on the abomination of the Flyers-Penguins fight fest Sunday afternoon: "So when do former hockey players start suing the NHL over the referees allowing the players to pound the crap out of each other?''

How can Gary Bettman allow that to stand? I don't care if it's the playoffs. The only way that crap is going to stop is with suspensions. Lots of them.

It ties in with King's earlier comment on the Saints

4. I think if you love the Saints (or you simply can't agree with the league coming down on them like a ton of bricks for the bounty scandal), know this: The number of players involved in concussion- or head-trauma-related lawsuits against the NFL now is 1,186. Someday those cases are going to get to a courtroom somewhere. And someday Roger Goodell is probably going to have to testify about what an attorney will say is the NFL's lax approach to player safety. Don't think those sanctions were made in a vacuum.

[donlever]

You couldn't possibly have it so cut and dried waffle.

I mean the league needs an out when one of it's Commissioners pets (Nashville) finally has a chance to win and it's star (Weber) does something suspension worthy. ($2500.00?? LMAO)

I mean how can Gary trumpet the leagues successes in small markets if his minions suspend one of their best players for 3 or 4 games and they lose?

Then a Swedish rookie gets 3 games for a similar indiscretion.

Hmmmn, maybe clem is on to something....

Dogsalmon as well.

[Cornuck]

I wonder if we would be seeing the extra ugliness if the Canucks had won game 7 last year?

Each year, the lemmings try to emulate the Cup winning team. Boston won, so now we have a bunch of teams trying out goon the Bruins?

If the Canucks had won the Cup, would we have seen a swing to more skill and puck possession?

[Mr.Miyagi]

I just posted in another thread that I won't put on a tin foil hat but then I read this thread. You might be on to something .....



There is definitely a problem throughout the league. Is it an epidemic? Last season I would have said no but this season I might be starting to think differently. Coming out of the lockout the game had never been better IMO. Slowly, over the last few seasons it has gotten progressively worse. Last season's Stanley Cup champs may have been or still are the worst example of all.

It is slowly turning into a bush league. I understand that emotions run high (especially this time of year) and things can happen but the frequency is way too often. Is there control within the league? Not really ... and that translates to no control on the ice.

BTW I am still pissed at Keith's hit on Daniel. Don't even get me started ... oh shit I already am.

[Island Nucklehead]

It is slowly turning into a bush league. I understand that emotions run high (especially this time of year) and things can happen but the frequency is way too often. Is there control within the league? Not really ... and that translates to no control on the ice.

BTW I am still pissed at Keith's hit on Daniel. Don't even get me started ... oh shit I already am.

Well we know how the Pens felt last year. Top goal scorer and ultimately half of the duo that makes this team run, taken out by a cheap shot, and a slap on the wrist to the offending player. The CBC pointed this out last night, that 1 game in the playoffs is like 2 regular season games. If that's the case, Hagelin (sp?) got the equivalent of 6 regular season games for his hardly injury-intending shot. The league is saying Keith would warrand a 2-3 game suspension for hitting Daniel like that in the playoffs??

I'd be curious to see the time difference between Brown's hit and Rome's from last season. Both clean hits. Both late. One was series-ending suspension worthy...

What do you think is worse, Carkner punching a guy like Boyle in the face, straight on... or Weber slamming Zetterbergs head from behind into the boards. Asham gets a (deserved) match penalty for intent to injure, lol where's that match penalty for Weber and James Neal?

The NHL is a laughable joke at best. They have NO idea what to call and the consistency is non-existent...

[donlever]

The NHL is a laughable joke at best.

100% agree.

Really, really unfortunate for such a great game.

They have NO idea what to call and the consistency is non-existent...

...and, to make it worse, they try to tell us that they are in complete control and know exactly what they are doing.

It's pretty offensive when we get down to the brass tacks....

[wafflecombine]

You couldn't possibly have it so cut and dried waffle.

I mean the league needs an out when one of it's Commissioners pets (Nashville) finally has a chance to win and it's star (Weber) does something suspension worthy. ($2500.00?? LMAO)

I mean how can Gary trumpet the leagues successes in small markets if his minions suspend one of their best players for 3 or 4 games and they lose?

Then a Swedish rookie gets 3 games for a similar indiscretion.

Hmmmn, maybe clem is on to something....

Dogsalmon as well.

I hear ya Don. I was just spit-balling an option. From my point of view, Shanny's idea that his group is about education and not justice is out of sync. I feel that the educational component of this scenario IS THE JUSTICE.

So if that's the case, the justice must be swift, firm and hurt like all hell. None of what Shanny has handed out this year hurt and we see the results - no lessons learned.... or maybe the wrong lessons cause the cost of the deed is worth the result.

20 games and 20% of your salary is simplistic (no argument from me) ... but you can bet it would get their attention.

[Island Nucklehead]

...and, to make it worse, they try to tell us that they are in complete control and know exactly what they are doing.

It's pretty offensive when we get down to the brass tacks....

It's like Cheney saying there's no conflict of interest while he doles out war profiteering contracts to Halliburton...

Yeah... okay Gary. Spin the punishment wheel. Make up a new rule. Decide which penalties to enforce this offseason/game/period.

[Fred]

Yep, the league is a sad, sad joke.

As a few of my old cohorts from other realms know my personal interest in the game has been dwindling for the past 2 or 3 years.

Just about at my wits end with it really, although that description is perhaps poor as my care level has decreased dramatically to the point where I simply shrug my shoulders and smirk.

This from a guy (are you listening NHL) who, along with his family, are long, long time Canuck season ticket holders and have literally invested a number with 5 zeros behind it into the local team (and subsequently the league) during that period of time.

I can see moving on from hockey and finding something else to do with my time very clearly at the end of the tunnel.

Perhaps as soon as Wednesday evening around 10:30 local time....

That's me you're describing. We have had season tickets since 1973 but the last two maybe three seasons the enthusiasim is deffinitley waning. Now maybe this is a natural cycle and the Canucks have a long list of future season ticket holder....BUT I recall the disenchantment of the eighties it happened quick and before you know it the Pacific Coluseum was only half full. I think this time it's more a case of the NHL rather than the team that i'm having doubts about

[Puck]

It's repulsive - no doubt. I agree with Lever (great alias, BTW, Lever was great), it's a shame that the game has to suffer this fate.

I'm sort of on the same page as Fred re: his grandson. My 5-yr-old had a serious concussion in 2010 that involved a couple nights in hospital and a pair of CT scans. He seems fine, but it sure makes you think twice about activities. If the NHL is going to promote this kind of behaviour by way of inaction, I don't like the possible trickle-down effect. Minor hockey is a bit of gong-show already, I don't want to see it get worse. Meanwhile, my wife and I both play hockey, so we would like our boys to learn to play the game because in some ways the best thing about hockey is playing in a rec league when you're older. Learn the game, play, have fun. You shouldn't have to worry about concussions.

We need T-shirts: "Love this team. Hate this League."