Sean Avery And Colin Campbell - New Rule Change

I remember growing up and when I was playing anything outside with my friends there was one major rule ... No making up rules as you go along. Not in Colin Campbell's game though, apparently he can just make up rules and "interpretations" as he sees fit, depending on who is affected.

Lets keep in mind the Simon / Pronger incident when reading this story! Here is what happened last night that is causing quite a stir in the NHL offices:



I am sure my interpretation of this maneuver by Sean Avery is going to be argued relentlessly. I think there is nothing wrong with what Avery is doing here. He is not in the crease, he is not coming into contact with Marty, he is doing his job and that is to distract and help his team score a goal. What difference would it make if Sean's back had been to Marty and he was doing those same movements trying to distract him? My other question is directed at Paul Martin who stands 2 feet away from Sean and does nothing for a good 10 seconds, and then he tries to give him a cross check that is ineffective.

Was anyone surprised to learn this today from NHL.com - NHL reacts quickly to Avery's antics, amends unsportsmanlike conduct rule

According to Marin Brodeur "I've played for 15 years in this league. I've been watching games for 33 years. I had never seen that in my life, I don't think that kind of behavior should be done in front of the net, but there is no rule for it." Well since Marty is not fond of it, don't worry, Colin will fix that for you sir.

The NHL moved quickly this morning by making an "on-the-fly rule interpretation." Seriously, that's what it says in the article ... along with this - "An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play," Colin Campbell, the NHL director of hockey operations said in a statement.

"That's not something that anyone writing the rule book has anticipated, and I don't think that we view that as part of our game," said Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford, an NHL goalie for 13 seasons. "With that being said, Sean Avery didn't do anything to break any rules. "With every rule that is written, or how we try to change the game, somebody gets creative. Sean has gone beyond being a little bit creative on this one."

That is exactly what you get from Avery, a talented player always looking for ways to push the envelope. He rarely stops talking on the ice or the bench, whether it's to opponents, teammates, officials or anyone who will listen. Once again folks, Mr Campbell shows us how easy it is to re-write the rules for this great sport. I find it interesting that they filed this under unsportsmanlike conduct instead of interference since the "interpretation" of the movement is intended to interfere with the goaltenders job of keeping the puck out of the net.

I guess that was overlooked when they decided to make this "on-the-fly" rule change ... good job Colin Campbell ... thank you for making this sport "better." *insert sarcastic "yeah, Right" here!*

Chris Pronger Suspended 8 Games

Chris Pronger will miss 8 of the last 9 regular season games for the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks. The league re-evaluated the stomping incident when new footage surfaced that gave a clearer view of his actions and over-ruled the original decision that Pronger wouldn't receive any kind of punishment. Honestly, the new footage doesn't show anything the original didn't but it made it impossible for the league to hide from the event and avoid handing down a suspension. Of course, it's not a surprise that he won't miss a single playoff game as eight games was about the safest number they could possibly impose.

Chris Pronger, Super-Players And Bob McKenzie

When the NHL would not discipline Chris Pronger for his actions toward Ryan Kesler ... We at Ice Junkies were surprised, Vancouver fans were surprised and Bob McKenzie thought we were all just silly and needed "more evidence!" In his first story - "More evidence needed to suspend Pronger" Mr McKenzie goes on to say "whether it had malicious intent or was just part of Pronger trying to break free, well, the Zapruder film was better quality than this video." I am not sure how far away from the screen Bob was sitting, but on my tv - I saw it clear as day ... Chris Pronger made a "stomping" motion on Ryan Kesler's leg.

That story from Bob McKenzie broke on March 13th at 7:05pm ... fast forward to March 14th, at 8:50am (yes - 13 hours and 45 minutes later) and Bobby is back with his - "Upon Further Review" post on his blog (not where his original story was posted). Now he is saying "the same thing cannot be said after watching Pronger deliver a "stomp" on Kesler that is much clearer on the second generation of video that became available." I watched both videos, in both videos I saw the same thing - the same thing we all saw! Then McKenzie goes on to say "This wasn't nearly as flagrant or obvious or malicious as Chris Simon's stomp on Jarko Ruutu..." - Wait ... so if he was not obvious or malicious it would be ok? This makes no sense - if you purposely step on a mans leg while wearing a razor sharp blade on your foot ... Its Malicious!

Lets take this another direction ... What If Ryan sustained an injury to his leg? What If Prongers skate cut into his skin? How many games would he be suspended then? It is sad to watch the NHL pass down their suspensions based on the outcome of the event rather than on the actual infraction. Forget motivation, forget "the rap-sheet" as Bob McKenzie likes to call Prongers history ... Chris Simon is out for 30 games because he made a "stomping" motion onto the leg of Jarkko Ruutu, the same exact "stomping" motion made by Chris Pronger! This inconsistency in discipline should not be tolerated. Greg Wyshynski did a piece on this issue ... "Revealing the Secrets of Suspensions" ... I personally like how the NHL keeps its Standards, Practices and Politics of Suspensions a SECRET! Check out Mike Heika's piece on that - "Fans Left In The Dark"

It appears that the NHL is going to re-review their review of the Pronger stomp ... Chris has waived his "in person" review and has accepted the "on the phone" review with the league. With Chris being the Super Player that he is ... I am guessing he will be handed a hot steaming bowl of "no more than a 5 game suspension!"

In case you have not seen it and would like to see "The Original" - Check out the 19 second mark ... and Bob McKenzie needed MORE evidence? You can also read Clint's take on the whole matter by scrolling down 4 posts to his "Pronger Stomp" post - there you'll find a nice collection of video's to compare.

The Pronger Stomp

In last night's game against the Vancouver Canucks, Chris Pronger, an all star defenseman for the Anaheim Ducks, intentionally stomped on Ryan Kesler's leg. Today, in typical NHL fashion, it was announced that he will not face disciplinary action. Of course, Chris Pronger is no stranger to suspensions after receiving two seperate suspensions, one game each, during last year's run to the Stanley Cup. He is, however, a stranger to real suspensions that send a message to the player and the league. Instead, he's always received PR-style reprimands that are only designed to appease an irate audience. This time, however, it's actually quite shocking that not only will he not receive a lengthy suspension, but he won't receive any kind of disciplinary action at all. Frankly, it's absolutely ridiculous and I wonder how this situation might be different had Kesler been injured. Just a few months back Chris Simon was suspended for 30 games when he stomped on Jarko Ruutu's leg in a game between the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, the incidents appeared to be very similar, if not identical, in nature so how can the NHL excuse one and not the other? While I agree that Pronger's was not as violent, I can't help but feel like you have to punish the act regardless. I think 5-10 games would have sufficed. I've included links to the videos below for your review.

Chris Pronger - No Suspension


Chris Simon - 30 games




To take this analysis a little further I present exhibit B:

Chris Pronger - Suspended one game


Steve Downie - Suspended 20 games


While these hits are not as similar to one another as "the stomps" the drastic difference in the length of the suspension seems a bit absurd. It's also important to note that Dean McAmmond either has the worst luck ever or did something very bad in a previous existence.

Nathan Paetsch Nearly Taken Off the Ice On a Stretcher

Nathan Paetsch, who got caught in a bad position and launched backwards into the boards by Sean Avery on Monday, took another nasty shot tonight at the hands, or elbows I should say, if Georges Laraque. Paetsch had what appeared to be typical outlet play where he moved the puck up to the wing and only seconds later found himself waking up on the ice surrounded by medical staff. Laraque skated up to Paetsch well after the puck was gone, elbow ready to fly and tried to throw a late shot but he seemed to catch Paetsch right on the chin. Paetsch immediately fell to the ice and did not move for quite some time. It was clear that was he was completely unconscious and it was a scary scene as they wheeled out the stretcher. Luckily, just as they were preparing the stretcher Paetsch was able to stand up with the support of the staff. Laraque was given a 5 minute penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct, and it deserves a suspension from Colin Campbell. If Steve Ott's suspension for the shot to the head of Jordan Leopold is any indication, 3 games would be about right.

Update: Georges Laraque has been suspended three games for his elbow on Nathan Paetsch. Paetsch is out indefinitely with what was clearly a concussion.

On another front, an example of how much Pittsburgh loves Colby Armstrong was just shown in the form of a commercial featuring the tough winger, which I'd seen during previous game. This time, however, the car dealership acknowledged his trade to Atlanta and wished him the best. He will clearly be missed.

Come On Ride This Train

So - back to reality! Just spent a well deserved 3 days in Southern California enjoying the freezing weather and the Superbowl. Funny thing - I hit 11 out of 13 wagers ... it was, as Clint says, "REDICULOUS!" - and I would whole heartedly agree!!! Of course I chose the Giants with the generous 11 1/2 points that came with them ... along with the coin toss, who won the coin toss, who made the first penalty, if the first score would be a TD or a field goal ... silly prop bets like that ... and I hit 11 out of 13!!! AMAZING ... or Rediculous ... You be the judge!

So - plenty of choices on tap for tonight. I have 4 teams I am focused on ...

I am going out on an underdog limb tonight with the exception of Philly @ -130 ... Philly is 11-0-1 since December 2003 when playing the Thrashers. They are putting Antero Nittymaki in the net tonight to A. Give Biron a rest and B. To see if he can improve his 7-0-0 record against Atlanta (and thats at a 1.58 GAA)

Philly -130 Result: WIN ... very nice!

Heading North to Vancouver I am going to take Florida @ +125 ... Florida is looking for their 3rd in a row and get this ... they are 4th in the Southeast ... but 3 points away from 1st in the division and 3rd in the CONFERENCE!!! Florida's coach knows this and knows to get a berth in the playoffs ... they gotta win games. Vokun has shown some of his worth lately also ... should be interesting to see what Vancouver brings tonight (seeing how I have Luongo on my Fantasy Hockey team)!

Florida +125 Result: To call this a win is an understatement ... good job Florida!

The call of the week will be the Wild @ +120 ... its not a large underdog ... and with the way the Wild are playing and tonight they host Detroit. At a +120 its a pretty good risk ... even if I lose, I am positive this will be a powerful and physical game.

Wild +120 Result: This was painful to watch ... so close ... 1:45 left in the game ... wrister from the right and an overtime loss. The Wild gave them a good run!

To finish up my 4 some I am looking toward Ottawa @ +110 ... 1st place against 2nd place, 4 point swing in the balance. It will take a calm and cool Senator team to win this. Montreal is the top team in power plays, I think it will come down to Ottawa not taking penalties.

Ottawa +110 Result: Loss ... giving up 6 penalties allowed Motreal to convert 3 goals! Thats what did it.

The Horse Wasn't Quite Dead

I wanted to share this video as a follow-up to a post I made late last month about public perception of the Bertuzzi event. I discussed how I felt that Bertuzzi's punishment was deserved but also how I felt that the public had quickly disowned him based on the result of the act and not the act itself. The video below is a perfect example of how public perception is based on the outcome of a cheap shot and not the intent or danger of the act itself.



Bill mentioned that Bertuzzi's shot ended a player's career and thus needs to be judged accordingly. My only issue with that is that we punish and judge much like our broken law system. If someone drinks a fifth of Jack, jumps behind the wheel of a car and crashes into a family of four they can have two very different outcomes in terms of punishment. If anyone dies, then chances are they're going to prison. However, if they only shatter a few pelvises and possibly make it difficult for them to walk for the rest of their life then their punishment is much less severe. My question is, what role did they play in the outcome of that crash? If no one died, they got lucky and get a lighter punishment which makes no sense to me. By no fault of their own did someone NOT die. This applies directly to the NHL.

The video I included above shows exactly what I'm talking about. If I remember correctly, Bure was fined for this and not suspended. In today's NHL, he would definitely be suspended. He would most likely be suspended for both the elbow and the very high slash he delivers early in the video but that's not the point. The point is that this had a very serious impact on Shane Churla's career costing him a lot of games that season. Frankly, he was never quite the same for the Stars afterwards. However, this event was never on the TV, never on the radio and no one cared simply because Bure got lucky that Churla didn't break his neck or suffer a career ending injury. There are a million of these instances where players got lucky not to cause the same kind of injury that Bertuzzi did but that one moment sticks out in everyone's head and I can't help but comment on the fact that he ends up being the whipping boy. The fact of the matter is that Bure continued to be a celebrated player, and still is today, despite an action that was, frankly, more dangerous and nastier than Bertuzzi's punch. Of course, sports are all about judging for yourself.

Oh, and I promise that this will be my last post on the topic. I simply couldn't help but share the video. The horse is officially glue.

Preparing for the 2007/2008 NHL Season!

Its to early to start a countdown - that would just depress us! However - Free Agency starts in 4 days ... July 1!!! Are YOU ready?