This is a conversation that keeps coming up, though. It reminds me, in parallel of the people who mocked the idea of putting up nets around the glass in hockey after that girl, Brittanie Cecil, died in Columbus. So many people felt it was unnecessary. If we were just paying attention this stuff wouldn't happen. It was somehow _her_ fault that she had died in a way that any number of people could have - but now that the nets are up, it seems to make a lot of sense that it was done.

Similarly, we argue that players should "fight back"; that players shouldn't be pushed around. The rules clearly state what you can and can't do. There is literally no reason for Matthews or McDavid or Gretzky or Lemieux or Crosby or, or, or . . . to have to fight back. The Goddamned rules are there for a reason. When a referee stands there are doesn't do their job at all, the lack of accountability and the sheer incompetent lack of response from the NHL in the way it treats it star players and allows its officials to blatantly ignore doing their jobs is deafening. There will come a day when all of this bullpoop is changed. There will come a day when they finally stop all of this idiocy, and we will look back at statements like, "McDavid should just fight back and not let someone push him around," and realize how dumb of a statement it was.

And it will make a lot of sense that things were changed.

Until then, the dissenting voices that say, "He should have fought back," when he didn't have to are the reason the rules aren't changing the way they should.
- Monkeypunk

Leafs should appeal the 2 game suspension on Pionk

Good luck with #1...
Lol
- Fakepartofme

Can we get the definition of kneeing one time? I mean a head shot isn't a head shot as long as you hit another body part first...

Lowering Spezza's suspension on appeal a couple games is going to be in the NHL's best interest, because we all know the Trouba hit last night was worse and he's not getting more than 6 games.

Probably don't want to send the message that it's preferred to hit a guy square in the face, knock him out cold and put him on a stretcher.... As long as it doesn't appear to be retaliatory.

This is a conversation that keeps coming up, though. It reminds me, in parallel of the people who mocked the idea of putting up nets around the glass in hockey after that girl, Brittanie Cecil, died in Columbus. So many people felt it was unnecessary. If we were just paying attention this stuff wouldn't happen. It was somehow _her_ fault that she had died in a way that any number of people could have - but now that the nets are up, it seems to make a lot of sense that it was done.

Similarly, we argue that players should "fight back"; that players shouldn't be pushed around. The rules clearly state what you can and can't do. There is literally no reason for Matthews or McDavid or Gretzky or Lemieux or Crosby or, or, or . . . to have to fight back. The Goddamned rules are there for a reason. When a referee stands there are doesn't do their job at all, the lack of accountability and the sheer incompetent lack of response from the NHL in the way it treats it star players and allows its officials to blatantly ignore doing their jobs is deafening. There will come a day when all of this bullpoop is changed. There will come a day when they finally stop all of this idiocy, and we will look back at statements like, "McDavid should just fight back and not let someone push him around," and realize how dumb of a statement it was.

And it will make a lot of sense that things were changed.

Until then, the dissenting voices that say, "He should have fought back," when he didn't have to are the reason the rules aren't changing the way they should.
- Monkeypunk

Can we get the definition of kneeing one time? I mean a head shot isn't a head shot as long as you hit another body part first...

Lowering Spezza's suspension on appeal a couple games is going to be in the NHL's best interest, because we all know the Trouba hit last night was worse and he's not getting more than 6 games.

Probably don't want to send the message that it's preferred to hit a guy square in the face, knock him out cold and put him on a stretcher.... As long as it doesn't appear to be retaliatory.
- joel878

Trouba will get a fine. Spezza will get another 4 games added to his suspension. Kadri 3 games for existing.

Trouba will get a fine. Spezza will get another 4 games added to his suspension. Kadri 3 games for existing.
- AdamFrench

We're already living in a world where a goon like Wilson can try to put a star player like Panarin through the ice and get less games than Spezza, so none of this surprises me.

My headaches hurt worse than all the other headaches in the world.
- Canada Cup

The problem is that he may not be entirely wrong. Here are the suspensions doled out this year:

Coleman boards Harkins in retaliation for a missed trip; 2 games (1 preseason game): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUQx7QuXi2g

McIlrath hits Fogarty in the head; 4 games (2 preseason): https://youtu.be/nba0Ep4BJyA?t=62

Landeskog hits a downed Dach into the boards (2 games): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPsfsPp4qvk

Larkin sucker punches Joseph in retaliation for a hit (1 game): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo6YRVr4APU

Tucker Poolman retaliates for a hit with a stick wing to the head of Kiefer Sherwood (2 games): https://youtu.be/sQSKcFd71RI?t=14

Marchand gets 3 games for slew foot on OEL: https://youtu.be/vnAD6pR-DnY?t=28


Everyone is going to have their take on these, but there are retaliation hits in here which they claim is why Spezza was so heavily suspended. There are head hits in here. There are hits to guys in vulnerable positions.

None of these are 6 games. None of these are even 4 regular season games.

It's an unfair term based on precedent and player history.

For the record, as much as I don't like him, that 3 game suspension on Marchand is also bullpoop. Somewhere along the way, Vancouver's crybaby ways have won over the heart of the DoPS.

Can we get the definition of kneeing one time? I mean a head shot isn't a head shot as long as you hit another body part first...

Lowering Spezza's suspension on appeal a couple games is going to be in the NHL's best interest, because we all know the Trouba hit last night was worse and he's not getting more than 6 games.

Probably don't want to send the message that it's preferred to hit a guy square in the face, knock him out cold and put him on a stretcher.... As long as it doesn't appear to be retaliatory.
- joel878

There is actually a precendent. Scott Steven hit Lindros with a similar hit - one that both hurt and shortened his career. Stevens received no suspension - not even a game. Trouba gets between 0 and 2 games IMO. Is it fair or just? Probably not, but the system is poorly run and corrupt. In addition those running it are incompetent.

There is actually a precendent. Scott Steven hit Lindros with a similar hit - one that both hurt and shortened his career. Stevens received no suspension - not even a game. Trouba gets between 0 and 2 games IMO. Is it fair or just? Probably not, but the system is poorly run and corrupt. In addition those running it are incompetent.
- winsix

Well, yes. But also no. No one is comparing an incident today to something 25 years ago. Different standard, different rules, different era. Things have at least evolved a little...

Trouba will get a fine. Spezza will get another 4 games added to his suspension. Kadri 3 games for existing.
- AdamFrench

Maurice gets tickets to the Superbowl, Dubois gets a case of Remy Martin Louis XIII

Are the Leafs going to challenge DOP ruling on Spezza suspension?

Well, yes. But also no. No one is comparing an incident today to something 25 years ago. Different standard, different rules, different era. Things have at least evolved a little...
- joel878

Hard to agree, the nepotism both positive and negative is as great as it has ever been.

There is actually a precendent. Scott Steven hit Lindros with a similar hit - one that both hurt and shortened his career. Stevens received no suspension - not even a game. Trouba gets between 0 and 2 games IMO. Is it fair or just? Probably not, but the system is poorly run and corrupt. In addition those running it are incompetent.
- winsix

Hits to the head were legal at the time.

Maurice gets tickets to the Superbowl, Dubois gets a case of Remy Martin Louis XIII



- winsix

Dubois strikes me more as a Labatt Maximum Ice kind of guy.

Are the Leafs going to challenge DOP ruling on Spezza suspension?
- zazzle

They've appealed - and if they lose again (Gary's decision) and they will, they can appeal a second time and an independent arbitrator would likely reduce the suspension IMO.

There is actually a precendent. Scott Steven hit Lindros with a similar hit - one that both hurt and shortened his career. Stevens received no suspension - not even a game. Trouba gets between 0 and 2 games IMO. Is it fair or just? Probably not, but the system is poorly run and corrupt. In addition those running it are incompetent.
- winsix

That's not precedent because the rule of headshots didn't exist then. It does now. Trouba should probably get nailed. Not his first suspension rodeo, but the last time it happened was in 2017: https://youtu.be/hAJZc8AMT8E?t=22; he received 2 games.

This is a conversation that keeps coming up, though. It reminds me, in parallel of the people who mocked the idea of putting up nets around the glass in hockey after that girl, Brittanie Cecil, died in Columbus. So many people felt it was unnecessary. If we were just paying attention this stuff wouldn't happen. It was somehow _her_ fault that she had died in a way that any number of people could have - but now that the nets are up, it seems to make a lot of sense that it was done.

Similarly, we argue that players should "fight back"; that players shouldn't be pushed around. The rules clearly state what you can and can't do. There is literally no reason for Matthews or McDavid or Gretzky or Lemieux or Crosby or, or, or . . . to have to fight back. The Goddamned rules are there for a reason. When a referee stands there are doesn't do their job at all, the lack of accountability and the sheer incompetent lack of response from the NHL in the way it treats it star players and allows its officials to blatantly ignore doing their jobs is deafening. There will come a day when all of this bullpoop is changed. There will come a day when they finally stop all of this idiocy, and we will look back at statements like, "McDavid should just fight back and not let someone push him around," and realize how dumb of a statement it was.

And it will make a lot of sense that things were changed.

Until then, the dissenting voices that say, "He should have fought back," when he didn't have to are the reason the rules aren't changing the way they should.
- Monkeypunk

Sure.

But back to reality, this is the NHL.

Dubois strikes me more as a Labatt Maximum Ice kind of guy.
- AdamFrench

Agree, but he can sell the cognac and get a truckload of Maximum Ice.

The problem is that he may not be entirely wrong. Here are the suspensions doled out this year:

Coleman boards Harkins in retaliation for a missed trip; 2 games (1 preseason game): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUQx7QuXi2g

McIlrath hits Fogarty in the head; 4 games (2 preseason): https://youtu.be/nba0Ep4BJyA?t=62

Landeskog hits a downed Dach into the boards (2 games): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPsfsPp4qvk

Larkin sucker punches Joseph in retaliation for a hit (1 game): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo6YRVr4APU

Tucker Poolman retaliates for a hit with a stick wing to the head of Kiefer Sherwood (2 games): https://youtu.be/sQSKcFd71RI?t=14

Marchand gets 3 games for slew foot on OEL: https://youtu.be/vnAD6pR-DnY?t=28


Everyone is going to have their take on these, but there are retaliation hits in here which they claim is why Spezza was so heavily suspended. There are head hits in here. There are hits to guys in vulnerable positions.

None of these are 6 games. None of these are even 4 regular season games.

It's an unfair term based on precedent and player history.

For the record, as much as I don't like him, that 3 game suspension on Marchand is also bullpoop. Somewhere along the way, Vancouver's crybaby ways have won over the heart of the DoPS.
- Monkeypunk

There’s a difference between arguing over the specifics of Spezza’s suspension and crying that the NHL is meaner to the Leafs than anybody in the league.

I’ve never heard an explanation of why the League and Gary has it in for the Leafs that is any better than I heard from my kids when they were teenagers that I was always picking on them. Why exactly does Gary want to screw the Leafs?

That's not precedent because the rule of headshots didn't exist then. It does now. Trouba should probably get nailed. Not his first suspension rodeo, but the last time it happened was in 2017: https://youtu.be/hAJZc8AMT8E?t=22; he received 2 games.
- Monkeypunk

He will.

They've appealed - and if they lose again (Gary's decision) and they will, they can appeal a second time and an independent arbitrator would likely reduce the suspension IMO.
- winsix

All it will do is give Spezza some money back. By the time that process completes, Spezza will have served the 6 games.

There is no way the appeal goes to Bettman, he has his sham hearing, then he renders his predetermined verdict, the Leafs appeal to an independent arbitrator who schedules that hearing and then renders their verdict - all before December 19th.

Dubois strikes me more as a Labatt Maximum Ice kind of guy.
- AdamFrench

nutrl vodka, but he tries really hard cover up the label.

Sure.

But back to reality, this is the NHL.
- Fakepartofme

"back to reality" is the mantra of people unwilling to force change.

Agree, but he can sell the cognac and get a truckload of Maximum Ice.
- winsix

That's not precedent because the rule of headshots didn't exist then. It does now. Trouba should probably get nailed. Not his first suspension rodeo, but the last time it happened was in 2017: https://youtu.be/hAJZc8AMT8E?t=22; he received 2 games.
- Monkeypunk

Predators rarely get max suspensions. Especially if they play for favoured teams. NYR, Boston, Chicago, Philly or Buffalo. It's naive to think there is no nepotism in hockey - the history is consistent and clear.

https://www.thesportster....nt-unpunished-in-the-nhl/

They've appealed - and if they lose again (Gary's decision) and they will, they can appeal a second time and an independent arbitrator would likely reduce the suspension IMO.
- winsix

his suspension would be done by then.
hope Bettman reduces it to 4 games.