A real solution

A few months after the NHL handed down one of the harshest suspensions in NHL history, (to chris Simon) Steve Downie injures McCammond and is suspended 20 games. A few weeks later we’re now wondering what the NHL will do with Jesse Boulerice.

So, Colin Campell hands down two 20+ game suspensions and all of a sudden its happening more??? Its obvious to everyong outside the NHL offices that the players dont care. Cam Janssen, Chris Simon, Jesse Boulerice, and most of the boneheads who occupy the leagues 4th lines today dont care about missing a quarter of a season. They go out and do their jobs. If someone gets hurt and they get suspended, who cares. They don’t, the team doesn’t….

The players wont stop. So the NHL needs to attack this issue at the root. In my mind, there are 3 good options.

1. Get rid of the 22 years old Boxers on skates. If you commit a serious on ice crime, and have less than 100 games NHL experience, you’re banned from the NHL for life. Players who have 100 games experience are suspended for the duration of the season. The Fear of never playing hockey in the NHL again should do the trick.

2. Punish the teams severely. Do something like take away 2 points, or give the team a 2 minute minor at the beggining of every game for the duration of the players suspension, or taking away a roster spot(so the team can only dress 19). Something needs to be done to stop teams from dressing these players.

3. Financially target the teams. Fine the Team 1 million dollars, and remove 1 million dollars from next seasons cap for that team.

All three of these solutions target the same thing. Getting these dirty players out of the NHL. Jesse Boulerice does not belong in the NHL. and the same can be said about 20 others guys in the League.

Its a sad day, when its a safe bet to say that another dirty incident like this will happen before christmas.


25 Responses to A real solution

  1. habsrock99 says:

    I agree that these incidents need to stop but honestly do the teams deserve to be punished? I am by no means a Philly fan, frankly, I hope they miss the play-offs and finish last again (not likely but it's a hope lol). Teams go out, play 60 minutes sometimes 60+ minutes to earn 2 points and if one stupid moron on the team does something retarded like taking a leap of faith to try and injure a player or cross-check a player in the face and expect for him to get up and fight you, shouldn't cost the other 18-19 players a hard earned 2 points.

    As for banning someone for life, that could potentially work but what happens if say John Tavares hits someone, doesn't intend to injure that player but that player ends up suffering a major concussion in the process? Does Tavares get banned from the NHL? What if Crosby or Ovechkin hits someone (I know, it's a stretch to see Crosby hit someone) and they end up injured? Will the NHL seriously suspend them the year?

    Financially attacking a team would eliminate the NHL's cheap-shot problem but in the process, eliminate hitting and fighting in the NHL, finally doing what Bettman's been trying to do since he's been at the NHL's helm, turn the North American game into a European game.

    What I believe should happen is suspend players in a way that eliminates them from playing anywhere. Sort of take the Todd Bertuzzi incident approach. During the lock-out, the NHL barred Bertuzzi from playing hockey in Europe, the AHL and any other pro league, which is why his suspension was only 20 or so games, they felt he was punished enough after missing the previous years play-offs and another year on top of that.

    Take every cheap shot, suspend that particular player One year, without pay and that player is not allowed to play any type of professional hockey for the duration of his suspension. And, say a team much like Philly has 2 major incidents happen within weeks of each other, take your idea and take a roster spot away from the team.

  2. Rico71 says:

    Man…

    The Flyers have some nice goons on the roster. That was an ugly hit and I hope this sucker gets a MINIMUM of 20 games for it. It was a planned assault on a guy who stood up to him during the game.

    Boulerice showed how stupid he can be when he played in the OHL. He smashed some guy in the face by swinging his stick like a baseball bat. I know OHL incidents don't have a say in the NHL…but hell. This guy has a track record for losing it. Same thing, to a lesser degree with Downie.

    These untalented goons need to be banned from hockey. They have no place in this game. Let them play in some garage league.

  3. flyav says:

    That play by Boulerice was sooo stupid.  I have no idea what he was thinking and in my opinion that was far worse than the Downie hit.  I mean Downie's feet did leave the ice but he led with his shoulder and to me his suspenison still seems to harsh.  Boulerice on the other hand cross checked someone in the face, when the Flyers were up 6-2, plain and simple it was retarted.  I think he really does deserve a 15-20 game suspension.

    However your ideas for how to stop these incidents from happening in the future are just plain ridiculous.  Trust me if you are a proffesional hockey player and you getting suspended for 1/4 of the season it matters a lot.  Plus when you come back the coach is going to be a lot more relucant to play you because he knows there is always the chance you are going to take a dumb 5 minute penalty.

    On your first idea about getting rid of the fighters, if you don't like fights watch soccer.  Fighting is a big part of the game.  It swings the momentum of the game and protects the star players from these "serious ice crimes" by adding accountability.  Plus I like the majority of the fans find fights to be extremly entertaining and since it helps to prevent one player from swinging thier stick at another its a win-win.   

    As for your ideas about punishing the team, that doesn't make any sense. No coach sends out a guy to take a 5 minute penalty unless they like losing every game.  To strip the team of a win would be ridiculous, I mean take the NFL for example the Patriots definetly cheated against the Jets but they didn't get stripped of a win.

  4. MR40 says:

    I love it. Those are brilliant idea's.

    You aboslutly cannot not ever do something like that on the ice, ecspecialy when your winning 8-2.

    The player's don't understand how serious these incident's are.

    Okay so let's just think of it this way. You, and a guy who you barely know are mad at each other. You guy's are swaring at each. The next day you go up to this guy and hit him in the face with a baseball bat. You could go to jail for that. That is would be VERY serious. A 20 game suspension is nothing. 

  5. Rico420 says:

    This kind of Bullshit has been typical of Flyers players for going on 40 years now and it's about damned time that the league cracks down seriously on this.

    I seriously love the idea of seeing the teams hit finacially for it, I know that where I work if I'm caught not wearing the appropriate safety gear that I receive a fine, my manager receives twice my fine and my employer receives 10 times my fine – so if the league were to suspend Mr. Bowlofrice for say 25 games (which should be the standard after Chris Simon) he forfeits say 75 thousand dollars of his salary, leaving John Stevens on the hook for 150 grand and the Flyers on the hook for 1.5 million, which I'm pretty sure if I cost my employer over a million dollars for a bonehead move I'm unemployed.

  6. RIP_Dimebag says:

    I hope Kesler gets brutal revenge on Jesse Boulerice if he is ever on the same ice surface as him ever again.

  7. UsedandAbused says:

    It was a stupid hit! No doubt and he should be punished for it. However! The Flyers are NOT the only team at fault. Other teams do it to. Neil for Ottawa is a dirty player yet I don't hear Canadians complaining about him.

    I don't think Steve Downie's hit was that bad. I don't think he should have gotten 20 games, however I want to see EVERYONE held to the same standard as they set with Downie's suspension, not just the hated American Big Market Teams like the Flyers and Rangers.

    Jesse Boulerice hit was worse then Downie's in my opinion and he should get a hefty suspension, but they better hold everyone to the SAME standard all year, including Canadian teams! 

  8. Rico71 says:

    I WILL complain if canadian players on a canadian team do it.

    These attacks have no place in the NHL. Boulerice was simply waiting for the guy. Pure and simple.

    If my favorite player (Higgins…though Plekanec is a close 2nd) on my team (The Habs) did something like this…I'd jump on the bandwagon to have his butt banned for 20+ games.

    This is not about nationality…it's about the viciousness of the attack. Same goes for the Downie/Simon/or anybody else.

    Ban his dumb ass.

  9. eron says:

    Nice to see the pitchforks out.

    Nothing a player or coach does on the ice should effect their salary or win/loss record.  Period.  Lets get that out of the way.  Do you really want to see an astrix on every record for these?  Flyers: 23-50-5-3 (lost three games due to dirty goons).

    Say its 81 games into the season.  Nashville is 2 points ahead of Los Angeles for the final playoff spot in the West.  LA loses in overtime, meaning they lose out on their playoff changes.  HOWEVER, Owner of the Kings pays Jordin Tootoo in the 82nd Nashville game to javelin dart his hockey stick at an opposing player.  Predators lose the game and as punishment, the NHL takes 2 points away.  Los Angeles Kings make the playoffs.

    Don't think it wouldn't happen.

  10. flyav says:

    I agree with everything you said.
    I can recall dirty plays by Darcy Tucker and Havlat (while on the Sens) that went without any suspension.  I think the Downie suspension was excessive, but now that there is a precedent they better stick with it for everyone on every team.  
    Im not saying that there is a canadian bias becuase if you look at last years playoffs where were the hefty suspensions for Colby Armstrong or Pronger, for slamming a guys head into the glass. 

  11. MR40 says:

    That was really bad example.

    Unless they give Tootoo A LOT of money, like I mean a lot of money, then he wouldn't get his own team eliminated from the playoffs on purpose

  12. senators101 says:

    I don't think they are targeting American teams, otherwise Chris Pronger would have been busted in the finals last year.  I think the league is only targeting the people that don't really affect the success of a team and THAT has to change.  Target everyone, not just bums.

  13. turdfergusson says:

     Crazy season so far. The broad st. bullies are back man.  However there's no room for stuff like that in the NHL. They  were at each other for awhile and  the overgrown baby just lost his temper. It's not that hard to fire up a mental midget like that. You could even see his teamates kinda shake their heads a little… I don't think he deserves anything that crazy but in all likleyhood C.C. will make an example out of him because after all it is what it is. A stick to the mind. 

    1. Are these incidents a bi-product of the "instigator" rule?

    2. If u took all the violent incidents of years gone by and calculated an average, would recent years show an increase in that average?

    3. Can you eliminate these types of plays by targeting a certain type of player? 

    4. The end result of these incidents are always  the same with a player lying on the ice badly hurt. Do the victims ( not neccessarily in this case)  take advantage of rules that are there for their benifit.? See 1.

      I consider myself a purist when it comes to hockey and though the players may be bigger and faster the game itself regardless of rule changes (good or bad) is roughly the same. A player is gonna do what a player is gonna do. This is simillar to Simon's incident in a few ways. One could say that maybe their intention was more to send a message than to harm as Hollweg and Kessler respectivley didn't sustain any kind of major head trauma.

      Again, what a crazy season so far.  It's going to be a great year.

     
     

  14. eron says:

    The amount of money a team makes by just making the playoffs and getting eliminated in four games, compared to exiting in the season, is huge.  If Tootoo was on his last year, toss him a few million (which would take him several years to make) and he'd be fine. 

    It could work with pretty much anyone.  Try a guy *like* Jesse Boulerice, who won't ever regularly crack an NHL lineup, so its doubtful he'll make a million in his career.  $3 Mil later, hes rich, one guy has a career injury, and his team is out of the playoffs.

    Never give cheaters opportunities to cheat.

  15. UsedandAbused says:

    I make no excuses for Boulerice. I agree he should be suspended. Even as a Flyers fan that hit pissed me off. It was completely idiotic.

    "This is not about nationality…"

    I am not the only American who feels there is some bias when it comes to these things. I believe in the past these suspensions have been inconsistent. All I want to see is the NHL to be consistent with these suspensions.

  16. UsedandAbused says:

    I agree with you. I just want to see consistency.

  17. hatterson says:

    In my opinion the root cause of this is the fact that the teams don't have to face any penalties.  Players like Boulerice, Janssen and Downey don't care about missing games.  Marginal players who play only 3-4 minutes a night can go out and headhunt top players in the league (note, I'm not calling Kessler a top player, but he easily could have easily hit Naslund or one of the Sedins) and the team faces no penalty.  They don't even really miss the player as he hasn't had an impact in any game he's played (grand total of 10 points and a -15).

    Start punishing the teams (fines, cap hits, roster spots) and they will think twice before they put a guy like this on the ice in the first place.  The type of player may never go away, but at least we could keep them from playing.

  18. hatterson says:

    He wasn't saying get rid of the fighters he was saying get rid of the guys that are nothing more than muscles on skates.  In the past goons has respect (go watch any of the rock em sock em videos). Now you have young guys who have no real skill except being able to stand on skates while throwing punches.

  19. senators101 says:

    So do I.  There could have been a HUGE difference in the result of the Stanley Cup Final for Ottawa if Pronger was given more than a 1 game suspension for his 2nd act in the playoff. Its bullshit.

  20. simplyhabby says:

    I like the ideas and to increase the punsihment should deter the crime but ironically, in the US where states have the death penalty, the homicide rate is higher then states that don't have the death penalty.

    Yes apples to oranges but you get the point.

    TO an NHL player, 20 games is a lot.  its 1/4 of pay and for most, they thrive on the game. 

    Players play with such adrelinin some dont' realize what they have done until it is too late.  (not excusing the incident, just an attempt to rationalize it).

    It comes down to two things whihc one of them was discussed on OTR (Off the Record) yesterday.

    1)  Rich Sutter and I totally agree with him said to get rid  the instigator penalty.  Yes, it does reduce the talent with boxers on skates but nothing beats on ice justice which is a better punishment any suspension can give.  Oddly in the 80's scoring was up.
     or

    2) Give these guyys the suspensions and a psych assessment to determine if these guys are a risk to reoffend and if so, to particpate in various counselling anf behaviorial training.

    You are right though, the current suspension alone is not enough.

  21. nonhl2005 says:

    Grow up

  22. nonhl2005 says:

    If that's your arguement then Perezhogin wouldn't be playing right now.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwPfuLnYwBc

  23. nonhl2005 says:

    I think these incidents are more a by-product of the current cap system in the NHL. Until this cap system levels itself out you are going to see guys like Boulerice playing on the big clubs when guys like Ryan Potulny stay in the minors because of the cap. Plain and simple, in the pre cap days Jesse Boulerice ( aprox 500K ) would not be playing on the Flyers, it would have been Ryan Potulny's ( about 1 Mil ) spot. But now they can't bring up the best guy for the team, it has to be the guy that fits into the pay structure, STUPID.

  24. UsedandAbused says:

    Honestly. I didn't think that was a real dirty hit. Though the league found him guilty and suspended him, so yes you are correct. He should have been suspended for more then 1 game in his 2nd act.

    The bottom line is this… The NHL has shown ZERO consistency in these matters. I see players get away with dirty hits all the time. The amount of suspension depends on who you are, who you hit, how much media attention it gets, and finally when the game is (playoffs ect).

    I am fine with both of these suspensions, but I am concerned that later in the year people are going to be getting away with these hits. I doubt the NHL will hold to the standards they set.

  25. turdfergusson says:

    Interesting angle

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