The 2010-2011 Suspension Thread

[Chadd 916]

Personally, I thought the Keith one was far worse, in everything but the result.

I agree completely

[EBondo 233]

Per Bob McKenzie. Hjalmarsson gets two games.

This league's disciplinary system is a f-ing joke.

[shotty 7]

you dont have to go far to find sean avery sexual preference rumors. if he is in fact bi/gay and players/nhl execs are in the know, this could end up far worse than anyone expects. it hits on a whole other level.

not that sean has great karma when it comes to stuff like this or anything, but still.

edit: wisniewski got two games for the gesture.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I like that they have both been suspended. I don't like that they got the same time. 2 games each (as per TSN). I think the minimum for a head shot should be 5. No questions asked. Start at 5 and work up based on severity, injury, intent...whatever you want to do from there. Give the gesture 2, fine...but there has to be a "sticks and stones" metality. Flip a guy off - 2 games...ram his head into the wall - 2 games. Doesn't seem right!

[EBondo 233]

Exactly what made me say the league's disciplinary system is a joke. Stuff like that.

[goaliemanshark 6]

Please nailing someone in the numbers and giving them a concussion when they dont have the puck and a roman sculptor are equally bad.

Pathetic, both the players actions and league's attempt at a disciplinary action.

[camhockey16 5]

i like how tsn interviewed matthew barnaby about the obscene gesture - cause he was no angel either

http://watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip359691#clip359691

[Steve_v3 289]

i like how tsn interviewed matthew barnaby about the obscene gesture - cause he was no angel either

http://watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip359691#clip359691

That was pretty funny.

[RadioGaGa 162]

i like how tsn interviewed matthew barnaby about the obscene gesture - cause he was no angel either

http://watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip359691#clip359691

I actually like how candid Barnaby is about what a dick he was when he played. He rarely apologizes, but he does acknowledge that in his role as an agitator he (often) crossed the line.

[vek 0]

So, in summary to date for 2010:

Keith - intent to injure - no games.

Cammelleri - intent to injure- 1 game.

Hjallmerson - reckless hit - 2 games.

Wisniewski - obscene gesture - 2 games.

Yup, looks like vintage colin campbell to me. 3 ugly incidents and an immature twit, and apparently the most egregious is the latter.

I honestly believe that an NHL player is either going to be paralyzed or put in a coma sooner than later, and it is specifically due to the mixed signals being sent by CC over the last 3 seasons- where the marketability and optics of the NHL is far more important than player safety.

[BenderHockey 127]

you dont have to go far to find sean avery sexual preference rumors. if he is in fact bi/gay and players/nhl execs are in the know, this could end up far worse than anyone expects. it hits on a whole other level.

not that sean has great karma when it comes to stuff like this or anything, but still.

edit: wisniewski got two games for the gesture.

So what would it matter if Avery IS gay/bi/tranny/whatever? Would that mean he deserves any abuse he would get because of it?

[team50 20]

I actually like how candid Barnaby is about what a dick he was when he played. He rarely apologizes, but he does acknowledge that in his role as an agitator he (often) crossed the line.

I think he said that there was no line.

So what would it matter if Avery IS gay/bi/tranny/whatever? Would that mean he deserves any abuse he would get because of it?

Not that he deserves any abuse, but I think he is saying that it would become a slur based on sexual preference, which is an aggravating factor.

[shotty 7]

So what would it matter if Avery IS gay/bi/tranny/whatever? Would that mean he deserves any abuse he would get because of it?

no, absolutely not, and i clearly wasn't going in that direction. what i stated was that if his rumored sexual preference becomes a focal point for taunting, it can be treated on an entirely different level than your typical "throat slash" gestures or whatever because you're directly taunting someone who is a minority. its discrimination, and thats why he was wisniewski was suspended.

the fact that its sean avery adds an entirely different spin on the whole situation because of his history of being a pest in the exact same fashion. hence the "karma" comment.

i have no problem with GLBTQ, unfortunately it's still a bit of a touchy subject in sports, and i hope one day that it can be accepted, and disregarded as taboo subject.

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

Not that he deserves any abuse, but I think he is saying that it would become a slur based on sexual preference, which is an aggravating factor.

Not trying to get too much into this because its sometimes a touchy subject, but what would his sexual preference have to do with anything? For one, hes not an openly gay man, and secondly, if you were to tell a straight man that he sleeps with women... would that be a slur based on sexual preference? Personally, I don't get it. And insult is and insult. Thats as deep as it goes.

I don't mind Wiz getting 2 games, but I do have a problem with Hjalmersson getting the same amount for a far worse offence. Like someone else said, start at 5 and work your way up.

[chippa13 1844]

Straight men aren't exactly stigmatized, telling a guy he sleeps with women wouldn't exactly be a slur. Now, openly mocking a gay man, that is a whole different story.

[eric42434224 1]

Straight men aren't exactly stigmatized, telling a guy he sleeps with women wouldn't exactly be a slur. Now, openly mocking a gay man, that is a whole different story.

Taunting is one thing, but when you get into the areas of protected classes (ie - sexual orientation, race, disability) I think it takes on an extra level of significance. Though I dont believe that taunting on the basis of a protected class is something that is actionable in the law, it is obviously something that the NHL would want to stop...especially if it includes offensive actions and gestures that are broadcast.

We may never know if someone tells Avery that he likes to run through cornfields backwards, as it may not be heard or recorded.....but the popsicle gesture was just too obvious to ignore.

[lampliter87 8]

You guys can't tell me you haven't heard a myriad of sexist/racist/homophobic/whatever comments in your playing days, and I would be shocked if a competitive hockey player told me he had never once chirped another player or talked trash to some extent. Why do you thing there's such a role as an agitator? I think it's just as much of a part of the game as fighting is. Listen to what Barnaby had to say. The only thing with this incident is that it was instantly recognizable, i.e., it was a gesture that was caught on tape and not a comment that the audience couldn't hear. The NHL is just covering it's ass because an obscene gesture was all over SportsCenter and casts a negative image on the league/game.

[chippa13 1844]

The one time I heard about a racist chirp, the story ended with the chirper getting destroyed by one of the teammates of the guy he chirped at. Rarely is heard the homophobic chirp, they are more along the lines of calling a guy the other word for cat or telling some tough guy to "lose the cage if you wanna play like that" or some comment about the guy's ability or lack thereof.

And you are right, the NHL is protecting its image. There isn't a professional sports league that wouldn't do the same thing. Baseball pitchers have been suspended for flipping off the crowd, football players have been fined for essentially mooning fans, etc. etc.

[Speedz98 15]

Patrik Kaleta headbutt any one?

Which leads me to wonder, are headbutts suspendable? I mean Travis Zajac didn't get hurt which seems to be part of the requirements for any suspension.

[EBondo 233]

Since one of the dirtiest plays got two games, set the over/under at 2. Under because it's Downie? Or over because it's Lapierre?

It's sad that the season is a week old, and we're already on Page 7.

[Chadd 916]

I say zero and not just because of my dislike for Downie. It was boarding, but not head first or directly from behind. I just don't see a suspension there, though it was a dangerous play.

[Krev 86]

I'm going to say one, maybe two. On that third replay you can cleary see Lapierre crosscheck Downie into the boards and his head was the first thing that hit the boards, square on the face.

[Law Goalie 147]

The one time I heard about a racist chirp, the story ended with the chirper getting destroyed by one of the teammates of the guy he chirped at. Rarely is heard the homophobic chirp, they are more along the lines of calling a guy the other word for cat or telling some tough guy to "lose the cage if you wanna play like that" or some comment about the guy's ability or lack thereof.

Ditto on the racism. The French and Irish slurs are around a bit, but tend just to get ignored, and they're nowhere near as commonplace as they used to be. Frankly, the homophobic stuff doesn't work as a taunt if the guy actually is openly gay, because he'll play right back at the the mouthpiece.

Patrik Kaleta headbutt any one?

Which leads me to wonder, are headbutts suspendable? I mean Travis Zajac didn't get hurt which seems to be part of the requirements for any suspension.

A headbutt is an automatic match, I believe, which would in turn mean a suspension pending review.

[hamstercaster 2]

I just like how Zajac just threw Kaleta down after the headbutt and yes I think he deserves a suspension. Same for Lapierre. Eventually, he will have to answer for his actions on the ice though. He always has an excuse for not dropping the gloves which seems to be the case for most agitators out there like Kaleta, Cooke, Avery etc. unless they have a guy like Kovalchuk or Gaborik standing in front of them.

[Law Goalie 147]

Or Evander Kane...

God that was beautiful.