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Lapierre Gets Off Easy

October 18, 2013, 7:27 PM ET [33 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Stop me if you've heard this one before.

A player with a checkered past and a disciplinary record tracks, then slams a vulnerable defenseman from behind, face first into the dasher boards.

The D man gets knocked unconscious after the violent and illegal check from behind. The forward saw the D-man's numbers yet chose to hammer his opponent with a high hit from behind any way. The D-man was taken off the ice on a stretcher and transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for overnight observation. The aggressor showed little remorse for his injured victim then proceeded to skate out to center ice to join an altercation.

The rat in question, Maxim Lapierre, only received a five game suspension for his act of cowardice on Dan Boyle. Lapierre isn't considered a repeat offender, however, he has a rap sheet that is growing by leaps and bounds.



For the umpteenth time in Lapierre's NHL career, he crossed the line and put himself ahead of the game. He injured an opponent on and marred an otherwise exceptional hockey game between two Western Conference powerhouses that was being beamed around the USA on national TV. Nice job Shanahan. Now every house hockey and travel hockey player from Saskatoon to Sarasota is going to look at Lapierre's wreckless actions and think that he can get away with similar conduct at his/her local rinks.


Per usual, Sketchy NHL justice.


Sabres winger Pat Kaleta makes contact with Jack Johnson's head on very routine hockey play, yet has the book thrown at him by the NHL in the form of a 10 game suspension,




Let me get this straight.

Kaleta's hit on Jack Johnson was considered more egregious and dangerous than Lapierre's hit on Boyle? In other words, Kaleta's act was twice as bad as Lapierre.

Kaleta was not penalized for his hit on Johnson, who was not injured by the hit.

Teammates of Boyle's said on the record after the Tuesday night incident that they heard firsthand Lapierre threatening to go after and injure Sharks player. Sounds like pre-meditation to me. Lapierre called his shot and delivered on his word. How is it that Shanahan neglected to include this circumstance in his ludicrous video verdict of Lapierre's gutless hit on the defenseless Boyle?

NHL justice is so sketchy, erratic, and infuriating.


Good on Kaleta for evoking his right to an appeal of his 10 game suspension. He's been unfairly targeted, profiled, tarred and feathered by the NHL. To say nothing of the dozens of media members, many of whom are former NHLers who cast aspersions on Kaleta. He's already served four games of his 10 game suspension. His appeal will be heard by Gary Nettman, who will undoubtedly back up the NHL Player Safety department's 10 game suspension. Kaleta will then have the opportunity to have his case heard by an independent, third party arbitrator. The conflict of interests inside the NHL is a disgrace to the game and its fans. Kaleta is not the predator that the prejudicial NHL has painted him to be. He's one of 725 members of the NHLPA. He;s getting jammed right now by Shanahan and the NHL for what? His reputation of being a hard nosed hockey player?

Better to be known as a hard nosed and fierce competitor than a back-stabbing coward.


Congratulations on your ineptitude, NHL.



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When life hands you a 1-7-1 record, just dance.

When your team has scored 11 goals and allowed 24, just dance.

When you lost 3-0 to the Vancouver Canucks the night before, just dance.

Sabres head coach Ron Rolston flipped the script, and had some fun with his rookies today. They just danced. Some better then others.


Thansk, sabres.com

Ryan Miller and the Sabres vets surely got a good chuckle out of the impromptu “Just dance” session after Friday’s rigorous practice.

Head Coach Ron Rolston said about the dance-off, "just trying to get some energy going, have some fun."

Rolston added:

“A lot of it is what we can bring, but a lot of it is what they bring within the room. We want them to have fun with it and right now, guys need a little bit of that.”


On Friday afternoon, rookie Zemgus Girgensons supported Rolston and his teammates when he tweeted:





The healing power of laughter and dance can pick even the most depressed people up out of their doldrums.

I like Z’s choice of the phrase “loosening up”.

Thats what the doctor ordered for the Sabres. Its good to see the guys smiling again instead of making saw dust from squeezing their sticks with the Kung-Fu Grip.

I'm told that Johan Larsson defeated Girgenson's in the Electric Boogaloo finals. Larsson opted to keep his clothes on. Z, not so much.

Cool way to cut the tension.

The Sabres better be on their toes when Patrick Roy and his Colorado Avalanche blow into Buffalo on Saturday night.


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Nikita Zadorov is one step closer to making his NHL debut for the Buffalo Sabres. Ron Rolston said that he’d like to get Zadorov into a game. Asked when Zadorov would get his chance, Rolston answered:
"Anytime is possible," he said.
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Super rookie Zemgus Girgensons, returned to the practice ice wearing a full face shield, will likely return to the Buffalo when Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and the Colorado Avalanche roll into town on Saturday night.


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Cody McCormick was not on the ice on Friday. He blocked a shot with his foot on Thursday night against Vancouver.



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I’m curious to know how Patrick Roy would choose to use Mikhail Grigorenko, were the head coach of the Sabres. Roy knows Girgo better than any coach in North America, having coached him for two highly productive seasons in juniors in Quebec City.
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