The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Some fans why there are so many injured players. Why there are so many cheap shots. And instances like the one that occurred between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres further the notion of the need for "enforcers", causing the circle of violence to continue without end.

Darcy Tucker had a problem with a Mike Grier CLEAN hit last night. You see, hockey is a contact sport. And when you are carrying the puck, it is perfectly legal to bodycheck your opponent to take the puck away from said carrier. You can't use your elbow, your stick or your fist to hit someone, but a clean check from the shoulder is perfectly acceptable and well within the rules.

Now, after Grier gave Tucker this legal hit, Tucker didn't take it to well. Now, do you think he went after Grier in retaliation for the legal maneuver? Of course not. Grier is bigger and stronger than Tucker. But he had to save face, I suppose. So he decided to go after someone a little more his weight class, with a little more skill, and the likelihood he won't get hit back by this chosen player.

Tucker decided to take a run at Jochen Hecht, one of Buffalo's more skilled forwards with 40+ points in 60 or so games. Tucker didn't use his shoulder, he used his elbow. And he went after his head, which is already a demonstrating an intent to injure; he also struck Hecht's knee. The Sabre forward is out for a minimum of two weeks. The coach of the Sabres, Lindy Ruff, demanded the NHL look at a possible suspension and fine. And what came of it?

Nothing.

Darcy Tucker already has a reputation of being a diver and a dirty player. He's the kind of character that undermines the integrity of the NHL and the game itself. By turning a blind eye towards the incident, where a player was not performing a "hockey" hit but rather just skating around taking an unsuspecting opponent off-guard by deliberately trying to hurt him, it is the epitome of what is wrong with hockey. It sends a message that this behaviour is condoned. And it further sends a message to the players that they have to look after each other through vigilante means, aka dropping the gloves and risking further injury to players. You can ask Zdeno Chara right now how that turned out for him.

Clean up your act NHL. It's in your power to do so.