Monday, December 03, 2007
Yet Another Suspension
I'm I the only sick of the act of the Philadelphia Flyers?
Riley Cote (Ever heard of him? Me neither) was suspended three games for elbowing Dallas Stars' rookie Matt Niskanen in the head on Saturday.
So let's tally up all the games that players of the Philadelphia Flyers have been suspended:
1. 20 games for Steve Downie's hit on Dean McAmmond
2. 25 games for Jesse Boulerice's cross check on Ryan Kesler
3. 2 games for Randy Jones' head shot on Patrice Bergeron
4. 2 games for Scott Hartnell's hit on Andrew Albert
And now 3 more games for Cote.
I like to watch the TSN show Off the Record where they bring in current and former pro athletes to offer their opinions on a variety of topics. And every time when they discuss a suspension for one of these intent-to-injure hits, 95% of the old-timers usually blame the player for "admiring his pass" or "looking the other way" or "not protecting himself." I forget who it was, but when the panel of retired players was asked if Downie should change up his game, they all said no: He shouldn't change a thing.
I guess launching yourself like a scud missile at someone's head, where charging, elbowing and leaving your feet are illegal, is "okay" because it shows you play with an edge.
I'm sick of seeing the stretchers. I am not entertained by these mediocre players with no skill purposely hurting other players because they don't know how to score goals.
So is it a coincidence these five suspensions are all handed out to the Philadelphia Flyers? Absolutely not. There's a culture there, ingrained by the likes of Bobby Clarke (he's no longer GM, but he's still employed by the team) that thinks it's okay to run around the league like this and play dirty. I'm sick of it, and I think the Flyers as an organization should somehow be held accountable for the actions of their players.
Riley Cote (Ever heard of him? Me neither) was suspended three games for elbowing Dallas Stars' rookie Matt Niskanen in the head on Saturday.
So let's tally up all the games that players of the Philadelphia Flyers have been suspended:
1. 20 games for Steve Downie's hit on Dean McAmmond
2. 25 games for Jesse Boulerice's cross check on Ryan Kesler
3. 2 games for Randy Jones' head shot on Patrice Bergeron
4. 2 games for Scott Hartnell's hit on Andrew Albert
And now 3 more games for Cote.
I like to watch the TSN show Off the Record where they bring in current and former pro athletes to offer their opinions on a variety of topics. And every time when they discuss a suspension for one of these intent-to-injure hits, 95% of the old-timers usually blame the player for "admiring his pass" or "looking the other way" or "not protecting himself." I forget who it was, but when the panel of retired players was asked if Downie should change up his game, they all said no: He shouldn't change a thing.
I guess launching yourself like a scud missile at someone's head, where charging, elbowing and leaving your feet are illegal, is "okay" because it shows you play with an edge.
I'm sick of seeing the stretchers. I am not entertained by these mediocre players with no skill purposely hurting other players because they don't know how to score goals.
So is it a coincidence these five suspensions are all handed out to the Philadelphia Flyers? Absolutely not. There's a culture there, ingrained by the likes of Bobby Clarke (he's no longer GM, but he's still employed by the team) that thinks it's okay to run around the league like this and play dirty. I'm sick of it, and I think the Flyers as an organization should somehow be held accountable for the actions of their players.
Comments:
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So... Bettman's basically saying "6 strikes and you're out". Tough stance. Almost as tough as their drug policy.
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