Ongoing NHL Thread Part V minutes for fighting

[forty_three]

You mean don't take a page out of the Tim Erixon playbook?

Well, Tim Erixon didn't have his helmetless head slammed into the ice at great force, so who's the idiot now?

Checkmate.

 

[sbb122]

That book was one of the best I’ve ever read.

 

[dash]

That book was one of he best I’ve ever read.

Yes sir. I would put it right up there as one of the best movies adopted from a Stephen King novel as well.

 

[Comeds]

Maybe if the players did not wear helmets (or pads) they would respect each other more. NHL - Remove safety equipment for the sake for player safety!

 

[elocomotive]

When I read that earlier I thought damn I didn’t know @elocomotive was an NHL executive

They were talking about this on sports radio this morning and I think the message is basically this... while the NHL is going to curtail dangerous and reckless hits at high speed, they are reluctant to get involved in the behavior of players engaged in a fight. I think this is for two reasons...

(1) This goes against the "code" of self-regulation built into the culture of hockey (which is totally stupid and does not work imo).​

(2) It's hard to legislate actions in a fight - do they consider the size of the guys? Because a guy gets in 2-3 good punches is that crossing a line? What about once he's hit a guy 8-9 times? How do you decide intent in the inevitable takedown to the ice that occurs at some point?​

I think looking more at the video I see the bad faith in the hair pull and takedown, but in a sport where guys routinely try to knock each other out with upper cuts and jobs, it's hard for me to take seriously the outrage at Tom Wilson given that context. When you step in the tiger cage, you can't be surprised if you get clawed.

So until the NHL takes a harder line against fighting, you are going to have what happened on Monday night and unsatisfied answers on either side of the debate. I've said for years that SUBJECTIVE rules do NOT make for good enforcement. And no sport dabbles in subjective decisions as much as the NHL does. The NFL by contrast has moved more of their contact rules to more OBJECTIVE standards - this doesn't always seem fair in the moment when a quarterback barely gets nudged, but it does make the rules of the game clear to the players and makes the environment safer for the players. You don't have to judge the intent, the state of mind of the player, the physical differences, etc., simply whether or not the player violated that standard. Punching a player - not allowed,, auto suspension. Wearing your helmet unsecured and removing your helmet or another's helmet - not allowed, auto game misconduct.

So Tom Wilson can be your villain, and he's certainly deserving in many respects, but some of you are ALWAYS on Wilson regardless of the situation and not able to be intellectually honest about the structural issues and the context surrounding the situation. If he just came up and grabbed Panarin by the hair and slammed him down THAT would be Marty McSorley, but in the context of a large brawl in the midst of a fight, I don't think you can interpret actions the same way. Clearly the NHL followed that logic whether you agree or not.

 

[dash]

Nice.

 

[elocomotive]

Nice.

That's great the team is doing that.

Given the Tom Wilson situation, Oshie's dad passing, Kuzy and Samsonov getting into trouble and being suspended (AGAIN), and Ovechkin's uncertainty due to injury, the Caps are looking like a good team to draw in the East at the moment. Maybe TJ's dad can bring them all together.

I'm hopeful tonight that the Rangers send someone out to fight Wilson early, it happens, and then the game just moves on from there.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

 

[elocomotive]

Twitter...
"What Wilson did was barbaric and reprehensible! ...I hope they beat the shit out of him!"

 

[puckhead]

I'm honestly shocked that roenick ended up on this side of the debate

 

[obxyankeefan]

I'm honestly shocked that roenick ended up on this side of the debate

Who is this Adam that Roenick is referring to?

 

[dash]

I'm honestly shocked that roenick ended up on this side of the debate

Maybe not so surprising...

 

[dash]

Wow!!

 

[obxyankeefan]

Wow!!

Let me guess those two wrote that letter about the player discipline?

 

[KennyBanyeah]

Wow!!

Just saw this. I thought they were right on track in their rebuild.

Weird timing at the very least.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

So those two wrote the letter, Bettman bitched to Dipstick Dolan and they got canned?

 

[forty_three]

Wonder if JD has sold his house here yet?

 

[jstewismybastardson]

 

[forty_three]

Maybe not that they wrote it, but that they didn't stop it.

Edit: shakes fist at jstew

 

[dash]

Wonder if JD has sold his house here yet?

I say bring the former Calgary Centennial back to his junior hockey home. Pack your bags Brad.