Tootoo KOs Robidas

[IgotachubbyforChubarov]

In case some of you havent seen it;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn05Q5yxmPY

Suspension's a'comin methinks. Repeat offender, and notoriously dirty. 3 games?

[supercanuck]

Another absolutely dirty play in the NHL!

Modanno also slashed Tootoo over the back with his stick (granted it was one handed).

I wonder if all these "incidents" would help in Bert's civil suit (i.e. this kind of stuff happens often in the NHL).

[tuzzi44]

yeah that sucker punch is brutal. i dont think he knew he was on skates there... looked like something that would go down in the bar! if you want to punch someone you gotta use the proper "tough guys" rules... push him, drop the gloves, and then go.... with all the suspensions and dirty play going on, he may get more than 3 games

and i also wonder what other "tough guys" around the league think of Tootoo... He fights alot and apparently plays dirty from time to time.... AND doesnt he wear a visor??

[gordorama]

geez, I think I saw this same fight in a bad movie last night.

The little guy gets into trouble at the Biker bar, pushes the Biker boss, other bikers come charging in, Little guy gets of a good punch before the pool cue gets broken over his back.

Looked like an instinct move by TooToo, but a very BAD instinct. He'll be sitting a few games, I'm sure.

Like this guy's spark plug style of play, but this BS will only shorten his career.

[Momesso]

I can't really stand this guy. He's a sparkplug, and maybe I'd have a softspot for him if he was a Canuck, but I wonder if he even knows there's a puck on the ice. He's no different than any other goon with no hockey sense.

And he goes after Modano too. I hope the book gets thrown at him.

[ClamRussel]

He should get 10 games for that imo. Enough is enough.

[Kikbutt_10]

First off I just want to say that I have NO problem with the hit on Modano, perfect, clean check, I don't have a problem with "star" players getting hit. As long as the hits are clean why can't they be subjected to what everyone else is??? The punch wasn't a sucker punch, Robidas wasn't skating over to give him a tongue lashing, he was going over to challenge him, sure it wasn't a clean or classy thing to do, but IMO it's not worth much more than a 3 or 4 game suspension. It's unfortunate that Robidas wasn't able to react to the punch, but he probably should be expecting Tootoo to throw something at him when he's going over to avenge the hit on Modano....

[tuzzi44]

Just heard it... hes gettin a 5 game suspension.... on 1040, they called it a "face to face cheap shot".... I also dont have a problem with the hit on modano, i dont think star players shouldnt get it. anyone who wants to get the puck better be prepared to get hit. period. however, ya hit a star player (clean or not), expect a hit from someone back. Robidas was commin in expecting to hit him and possibly have a confrontation, he clearly wasnt expecting a cheap shot to the face.

It seems like theres been alot of "cheap" shots since the tuzzi incident... or perhaps the media is just all over every little thing nowadays

[whistler]

I'm not a huge Tootoo fan other than thinking it's cool that a kid from Rankin Inlet found a way to become a professional NHL player.
He hasn't the skill set of franchise players but he brings what he's got every night.
I expect the Pred fans appreciate him the same way we appreciate Cookie and Ruutu.

So giving Tootoo a suspension without addressing Modano's slash or Robidas charge is a farce.

Take the Modano hit out of the equation.
It wasn't high; it wasn't late.
It was finishing a clean, legal check on a guy who had just gotten rid of the puck. That's hockey. It might make him rush the pass and cough up the puck next time.

So take the 'incident' as something that happened in isolation...

Robidas charged in at full speed, aiming to clock Tootoo in the head.with a two-handed shot as punishment . It's a manly game filled with unwritten rules.
Tootoo anticipated it and caught Robidas with a counterpunch.
Most of the energy of the punch was created by Robidas' charging attempt since Tootoo was still scrambling for balance.
If the 'victim' hadn't had his own hands up to take Tootoo's head off, he would have been leading with his shoulder, seen the punch coming and tucked his head, finishing his charge with a full body check, followed by a triumphant trip to the box with his team banging their sticks in approval. for taking a worthy, necessary penalty.
Or Tootoo might have turtled, been hurt, and Robidas would be facing the same kangaroo court today.

But perish the thought, we're all hockey fans and we know how it's supposed to go.

You hit our star... we knock you into next week...you get up and slowly go to the bench... we proudly go to the box...the game continues with increased intensity and everyone goes home satisfied.

Since the Modano hit was an allowed part of hockey, no court of law would convict Tootoo since he was 'arguably' just instinctively protecting himself from an unwarranted, illegal attack.

So the suspension has nothing to do with justice, nothing to do with cleaning up the game.

It is just optics.

It was an ugly incident. They suspended the guy that won.

When the league cracks down on 'all' hits to the head, I'll gain a little respect for it.

Until then, all I see are marketeers and spin doctors with no more integrity than WWF promoters.

I love the game.
I can't help but detest the head office.

EDIT: ...but from an entirely selfish perspective...I must admit to being happy Tootoo won't be on the ice against us.
We can't afford many more injuries this time of year.

[Jyrki21]

I can't see it that way, Whistler.

If Tootoo was merely protecting himself, he can put his arms up like everybody else, or drop his gloves or whatever. We can't really claim to know the intricate details of what Robidas was going to do (I certainly don't think he was "aiming to clock Tootoo in the head.with a two-handed shot as punishment", I imagine he was just going to shove him as always happens), and by pre-emtping that with a vicious blow, Tootoo has, in legal terms, "estopped" himself from arguing that it was self defense. The term for it is that "it doesn't lie in his mouth" to say what Robidas was about to do, as to why it was necessary to do that.

If I may make an analogy. Let's say I'm in a dark alley and a shady character comes up to me. "Oh crap," I think to myself, "it's a mugger!" So I whip out a weapon that I keep in my jacket (let's go with, I dunno, a bludgeon) and clock him upside the head, leaving him with permanent brain damage. Let's say I felt totally certain he was about to mug me, and that I was acting in self-defense. The law won't be on my side -- perhaps I was right, but we'll never be able to find out after my pre-emptive action. The circumstances would likely be considered in my sentencing, but my reaction was still pre-emptive and extreme.

[showtyme21]

I've been biting my tongue since my view is against what it seems most people think of this incident. I agree with Whistler and his comments. The way Robidas was skating towards Tootoo, that was going to be a serious shove, and had Tootoo not done what he did, he probably would have been the one injured today. He was right in that danger zone of about 3 or feet from the boards. While I don't condone his actions, I also didn't think it was a suspendable act. Robidas was coming to engage Tootoo in an altercation.

Jyrki, my only response to your analogy would be to say that the reaction would be much different if the mugger comes running up with an antagonistic (not sure if that's a word) look, and aggressive intentions. Before you say that Tootoo couldn't have known his intentions, that's BS.

He wasn't skating over to shake his hand, he was skating with aggressive intentions, and was getting ready to engage in a altercation. I believe that the law would call Tootoo's actions self defense.

The more I see the replay, I think Modano should receive some sort of suspension. He came up swinging his stick, and I believe the league needs to crack down on the stick swinging incidents. Simon was a start, let's continue to the discipline for those using the stick as a weapon.

[Entwonder]

It looks like Robidas was actually slowing down as he came up to Tootoo and his arms didn't come up until Tootoo was starting his punch.
Get a clue look at how players go after each other when they are around the net. Next time someone skates up to Pyatt after he takes a shot on goal, he should punch the D who tries to take him out.
A player skating up to you in a hockey game is not an assault, this had nothing to do with self defense.