Im turning 34 end of May. I been a hockey and Rangers Fan since I was 9.Point is, I played for a long time and I know how much of an emotinal sport it can be. We all have played with pulled groins or sore shoulders or pulled hamstrings.Take a couple aspirin and get your ass out there.
I know these NHL players play with there hearts on there sleeves.I understand its a tough, hard nosed,physical blue collar sport. I love the physicality,the fighting,the toughness of the sport.As much as i do the finese part.But i dont like dirty cheap shots or intentional plays to injury and Head shots and boarding /hitting from behind is 100% unnacceptable. These ******** jokes of a fine and 2-5 games suspension is ridiculous already. It should be an automatic fine and suspension even if no injury occurs( attempt to) and if injury occures fines and suspensions should be even higher..
Im talking10-20 game suspensions with fines of $10,000 and higher (upto $20,000 even $30,00)..this may sound a little dramatic.But apparently its still very common around the league and its still happens with very little change.So maybe its time to up fines and suspension.Maybe players will learn then.
Reason behind this thread is i just finished watching Rangers Rewind and saw the hit on McDonagh.i lost the whole game yesterday in my neighborhood when i lost power and was basically out all day afterwords.
Just curious to see what other people think. I may be sounding dramatic but i think what im saying should be done is 1005 acceptable.It is sickening to see plays like this.It is not what the sports about and its gives HOCKEy a bad rep.
Outside of that, Billy Coutu was banend from the NHL for life. That's one helluva suspension. Step up your game Shanny. Kick guy like Marchand out for 10+ games.
Unfortunately, I think it will take a terrible tragedy.
The NHL is too hesitant to send the strong message that needs to be sent.
There are still too many people in and around the NHL who look at what happened yesterday and call it "hockey" and not what it really is. Too worried about what they perceive to be the "soul" or "heart" of proper hockey.
You have to make it hurt very badly for the offender and his team. The NHL is unwilling. That's a formula for tragedy. One day somebody will not get up.
In reality its a tough thing i hate cheapshots and guys that do it often, even guys who hit others in vulnerable positions pisses me off. But by making the suspensions and fines to large the worry is guys will just stop playing physical in caution to not due the time and pay the fine. So to me i think eliminating the instigator rule in a brutal sport like hockey is prob the best solution to keep certain guys in line.
I completely agree that there needs to be harsher penalties handed out but its hard to do because some of these are hockey plays. Just look at what happened earlier in the game against boston. Someone on the rangers, I forget who, boarded Chara. There was no penalty called for whatever reason and Chara was not injured on the ice. Should there be a $20k 10 game suspension for that hit? I think its also up to the players who are getting hit to not put themselves in that much of a vulnerable position. Messier was asked about these kind of hits a couple years ago and said that he doesnt like the hits but then again he would never put himself in a defenseless position like that in the first place.
Isn't the max fine 2500? To increase that, the league would have to bargain with the NHLPA, and you know the union would be against it. I imagine they have more leeway in terms of suspensions, but if they all of a sudden start handing out 10 and 20 game suspensions where previously they were 3 and 5, that would end up being another fight with the NHLPA.
Anyone else think it's pathetic that Torts got a way bigger fine for talking bad about refs than any of these players?
Not really he's a coach and I'm sure that within his contract somewhere it notes he cannot accuse the league of conspiracies on a national stage. Players however are supposed to hit.
I've said it for year's..The NHL ranks just a .... hair above the WWE when it comes to the refferee's. This is why the NHL will never be considered an upper echelon sport. The refferee's are a flippen joke.The league claims they want this garbage out of the game but when the time comes to REALLY take a stance they run and hide. Unfortunetly i think it's going to take a death or someone getting paralyzed for Bettman and Shanny to pull their heads out of each others butt's.
What they need to do is get back to the good ole' days when the players Policed this crap themselve's. ..ssie's like Marchand, Cooke etc would think twice if they knew they might get ..ss pounded by someone like Domi, Probert-Kocur..
Careless plays hitting from behind can be hindered by implementing lengthier suspensions and fines, things like that is obvious. A majority of those plays can be avoided, but some players let their emotions get the best of them.
IMO the leagues failureto adapt to the "new NHL" actually causes many of these injuries in the league. The new rules that the league adopted post-lockout has made the game much faster than it was meant to be. Players are getting hurt and suspended because the game is just way too fast. It's hard to back away from a player to avoid boarding them or re-align your body to avoid contact to the head when the game is moving so fast. The players have such little time to react to dangerous situations, if anything, these insane amount of concussions and serious injuries are to be expected.
I may be biased because I prefer pre-lockout hockey to post-lockout, but I feel that the league will eventually take action in one of two ways. Either widening the rink to give more players more time to react to these dangerous players or go back to "clutch and grab" rules. The former seems like a more realistic option.
Don't get me wrong, some players are just reckless and completely disregard the health of others, but I feel that the league is more at fault.
