Friday, February 05, 2010
Enough's Enough
Are you tired of reading about a junior hockey player sending an opposing player to the hospital for an indeterminate period of time?
I know I am.
What will it take to get through to these guys?
This week, the latest person to be suspended indefinitely, pending an investigation, involves Marco Scandella from the QMJHL, a player who was also chosen to represent Canada at the recent World Juniors tournament.
Canada's best is also Canada's ugliest. Patrice Cormier will forever be linked to one of the ugliest elbows hockey has ever seen, when he took out a player named Mikael Tam without provocation and was sent to the hospital unconscious. Cormier's season is over, suspended for the rest of the season, playoffs included. I bring Cormier up because he was named the captain for Team Canada at that same World Juniors tourament, and it's quite embarrassing to be called Canadian when these images are shown. Is Canada so violent and thoughtless? I wonder what the rest of the world thinks.
This is about the sixth or so incident this year involving an intent to injure play in the junior ranks. These players may or may not make it to the NHL, but the scary part is it seems these kids think this is the sort of thing they are required to do to get noticed, to get the scouts looking in their direction, and ultimately to get drafted.
As long as the NHL continues to employ players like the Steve Downies of the world, these incidents aren't going to stop. In fact, I think they're going to continue.
A guy like Cormier may not like the fact he can't play his final year in junior anymore, but he already got drafted by the New Jersey Devils this past summer. He's pro career isn't threatened; he'll report to training camp later this year and try to make the team. If he doesn't, he'll likely be sent to their minor league affiliate and get called up when they think he's ready. The point being, his potential NHL career isn't threatened in any way.
If the hockey world is serious about cracking down on these dangerous hits that will one day kill somebody, maybe a route to take is to have a suspension jeopardize a chance to play in the pros. Maybe, for example, the Devils will tell Cormier he is not allowed to try out for their team until 2011. He has that time to think about the consequences of being a dirty player, and maybe he'll play a little more responsibly when he laces up the skates again.
Haven't been drafted yet? Maybe someone who gets suspended should have a year or two added to the year they're eligible for the NHL draft. Is leveling a player without the puck with my elbow worth the risk of staying at home an extra year or two while everyone else is competing to play in the NHL? Maybe it isn't.
Perhaps it will work, maybe not. But right now, despite these suspensions handed out, no one seems to be getting the message.
Something has to change.
I know I am.
What will it take to get through to these guys?
This week, the latest person to be suspended indefinitely, pending an investigation, involves Marco Scandella from the QMJHL, a player who was also chosen to represent Canada at the recent World Juniors tournament.
Canada's best is also Canada's ugliest. Patrice Cormier will forever be linked to one of the ugliest elbows hockey has ever seen, when he took out a player named Mikael Tam without provocation and was sent to the hospital unconscious. Cormier's season is over, suspended for the rest of the season, playoffs included. I bring Cormier up because he was named the captain for Team Canada at that same World Juniors tourament, and it's quite embarrassing to be called Canadian when these images are shown. Is Canada so violent and thoughtless? I wonder what the rest of the world thinks.
This is about the sixth or so incident this year involving an intent to injure play in the junior ranks. These players may or may not make it to the NHL, but the scary part is it seems these kids think this is the sort of thing they are required to do to get noticed, to get the scouts looking in their direction, and ultimately to get drafted.
As long as the NHL continues to employ players like the Steve Downies of the world, these incidents aren't going to stop. In fact, I think they're going to continue.
A guy like Cormier may not like the fact he can't play his final year in junior anymore, but he already got drafted by the New Jersey Devils this past summer. He's pro career isn't threatened; he'll report to training camp later this year and try to make the team. If he doesn't, he'll likely be sent to their minor league affiliate and get called up when they think he's ready. The point being, his potential NHL career isn't threatened in any way.
If the hockey world is serious about cracking down on these dangerous hits that will one day kill somebody, maybe a route to take is to have a suspension jeopardize a chance to play in the pros. Maybe, for example, the Devils will tell Cormier he is not allowed to try out for their team until 2011. He has that time to think about the consequences of being a dirty player, and maybe he'll play a little more responsibly when he laces up the skates again.
Haven't been drafted yet? Maybe someone who gets suspended should have a year or two added to the year they're eligible for the NHL draft. Is leveling a player without the puck with my elbow worth the risk of staying at home an extra year or two while everyone else is competing to play in the NHL? Maybe it isn't.
Perhaps it will work, maybe not. But right now, despite these suspensions handed out, no one seems to be getting the message.
Something has to change.
# posted by SBP : 5:42 PM
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