Chris Simon about to be suspended a long time

[See Red]

Wow... that's bad.

It would appear, with how frequently these types of things have been happening, the NHL has a problem on it's hands.

To my knowledge, this is the worst thing that's happened since the Bertuzzi incident which was 3 years ago. Hardly frequent. (Although I think there was a similar incident to this in the AHL a couple years ago)

You must be thinking that late hits are serious offenses. That is child's play compared to this kind of stuff.

I mean in addition the those late hits, which, at least one of them looked like a perfect example of a guy head hunting and the play resulting in a dangerous cheap shot. He should be gone from the League for good. If that doesn't stop this from happening in the future then nothing will.

[STL FANATIC]

You guys remember when Marty McSorely swung and hit Donald Brashear on the side of the head and Brashear fell backwards and hit his head on the ice after his helmet fell off?

McSorely got a 23 game suspension (the rest of the year) and then had it extended to a full year from the incident.

It effectively ended his career.

What Simon did was WAY, WAY worse, slashing him in the throat/face. The player did not fall as bad as Brashear, but the act was far worse.

Simon has to be gone for at least the rest of the year after this. Probably should be longer.

[Nate15]

You know, I've been watching hockey all my life (which admittedly isn't all that long) and it seems like today it's different than it was even ten years ago. These guys run around with their sticks up constantly nowadays. Every time I see pushing and shoving after a whistle I see players on both sides go in there with their sticks up. That to me is completely unacceptable. Sticks should be on the ice, not up in the air around peoples' eyes. Just seems like it's becoming more and more acceptable to be irresponsible with their sticks.

Then you get the real idiots like Simon and McSorley a few years ago using their sticks as weapons to peoples' faces and you wonder why hockey players have a reputation for being lumberjacks on skates to non-hockey-fans. Did this kind of crap happen back thirty, forty years ago before helmets became the norm?

[Lee.]

It's always been around, just not to this extent. I remember a Bruins v Jets game back in 79 or 80, where Brad Park and Doug Lecuyer (!) got into a stick swinging fight, Park took it to Lecuyer, he got a 2- and a 5, Lecuyer got ejected (mainly due to Boston being in the league about 60 years longer then the Jets were).

There's simply no respect any more in the NHL. It also dosen't help that Colin Campbell gives the stupidest punishments and suspensions in league history.

[sean69]

Let's not forget the run by Hollwegg that started this!!!! Anyone who has played or watch the game would know that Hollwegg threw a dirty hit!!!! If Simon gets 10 then Hollwegg should get 5!!!

[OnWis97]

You guys remember when Marty McSorely swung and hit Donald Brashear on the side of the head and Brashear fell backwards and hit his head on the ice after his helmet fell off?

McSorely got a 23 game suspension (the rest of the year) and then had it extended to a full year from the incident.

It effectively ended his career.

What Simon did was WAY, WAY worse, slashing him in the throat/face. The player did not fall as bad as Brashear, but the act was far worse.

Simon has to be gone for at least the rest of the year after this. Probably should be longer.

When looking at intent, you are right that Simon's act was much worse. The intent to injure was more blatant.

It's funny that all of these things happen in the latter part of the year (McSorley, Bertuzzi, Simon) so they just get whatever the rest of the year is.

I totally forgot that McSorely had the extension to the full year. (And I agree with Greg that Bertuzzi would have gotten more if not for the work stoppage--I just think the NHL should not have factored that into the most dangerous/cowardly thing ever done in sports). So perhaps this should go into next year.

[Breakwood]

I hope he gets a huge suspension and big fine. There's no reason for this. It was much worse then Ray Emery's attempt to decapitate Maxim Lapierre, and for that I still woul've liked to see about a 10 game suspension.

[OnWis97]

Let's not forget the run by Hollwegg that started this!!!! Anyone who has played or watch the game would know that Hollwegg threw a dirty hit!!!! If Simon gets 10 then Hollwegg should get 5!!!

I love when people come on here and make jokes.

I am not the most knowledgeable hockey person around and when I saw the Hollwegg hit, I could not decide if it was legal. Even if it was not, it's a two minute penalty case closed.

This was battery with a weapon. A felony if it happens on the street. You don't get suspended for roughing or checking from behind. You do for swinging a stick at someone's head.

[Lee.]

Let's not forget the run by Hollwegg that started this!!!! Anyone who has played or watch the game would know that Hollwegg threw a dirty hit!!!! If Simon gets 10 then Hollwegg should get 5!!!

You're an idiot. Clean hit, all the way.

[spyboy1]

No takers on the Simon jersey then?

[Pat]

Anyone who attacks another like that should not be playing hockey. Period. Id kick him out of the league, there is no room for disgusting acts like that.

[budbowl77]

FREE CHRIS SIMON.

[Jigga]

Anyone who attacks another like that should not be playing hockey. Period. Id kick him out of the league, there is no room for disgusting acts like that.

After seeing this replay 75 times, I totally agree, Pat. He's got a history. He needs to go, for good. He's a punk with no respect for the game, his opponents, or his team even. There's no place in this game for a criminal like this.

[CC97]

Anyone who attacks another like that should not be playing hockey. Period. Id kick him out of the league, there is no room for disgusting acts like that.

After seeing this replay 75 times, I totally agree, Pat. He's got a history. He needs to go, for good. He's a punk with no respect for the game, his opponents, or his team even. There's no place in this game for a criminal like this.

The NHL wouldn't ban him for life for this... but I think they'll come down with a hard suspension.

I am expecting them to give him the rest of season + playoffs.

[EatSleepJeep]

No takers on the Simon jersey then?

Whatcha want for it?

I'll give you $5.

[-kj]

Anyone who attacks another like that should not be playing hockey. Period. Id kick him out of the league, there is no room for disgusting acts like that.

After seeing this replay 75 times, I totally agree, Pat. He's got a history. He needs to go, for good. He's a punk with no respect for the game, his opponents, or his team even. There's no place in this game for a criminal like this.

Couldn't you at least come up with a new line every time you post in one of these NHL threads, greggy?

Anyway, the initial hit was, in my opinion, from behind, and therefore a bit dirty. However, there is NO EXCUSE for Simon's actions. None whatsoever. No explanation will ever be satisfactory, no circumstances even remotely relevant. A good long suspension and hefty fine are in order here.

I still think Bertuzzi's was worse, because he didn't face the guy up. But this isn't far off.

[zer0dotcom]

No takers on the Simon jersey then?

Whatcha want for it?

I'll give you $5.

I'll give ya a pair of dirty underpnats, but I want one of that pair back. He ain't worth it all.

If he did this on a street he'd be in jail. Fighting is one thing, this is assault. I'd hand him a life suspension

[Jigga]

Anyone who attacks another like that should not be playing hockey. Period. Id kick him out of the league, there is no room for disgusting acts like that.

After seeing this replay 75 times, I totally agree, Pat. He's got a history. He needs to go, for good. He's a punk with no respect for the game, his opponents, or his team even. There's no place in this game for a criminal like this.

Couldn't you at least come up with a new line every time you post in one of these NHL threads, greggy?

Anyway, the initial hit was, in my opinion, from behind, and therefore a bit dirty. However, there is NO EXCUSE for Simon's actions. None whatsoever. No explanation will ever be satisfactory, no circumstances even remotely relevant. A good long suspension and hefty fine are in order here.

I still think Bertuzzi's was worse, because he didn't face the guy up. But this isn't far off.

I use the same line because it always fits. When they stop acting like punks with no respect for the game, I'll stop saying it. Deal. You choose to get all sensitive when I comment on stuff like this. That makes it a 'you' problem.

Anyway, I pretty much agree with you about the initial hit, it was dirty. At first, I thought Simon sitting for remainder of the season was enough...at first, but the more I saw that replay, the worse it looked. Simon used his stick as a weapon, in a much more vicious manner than Marty McSorely. I look at the 'intent' moreso than the result which is why IMO this is much worse than Bertuzzi's hit on Steve Moore and much, much worse that McSorely's hit on Brashear. Couple the intent to do serious f'in damage with Simon's history of thuggery, he's earned a permanent vacation in my opinion.

[-kj]

Ah, ok. I figured you were just serving up the usual line because all us puckheads hate the NBA.

[Lee.]

I disagree about the dirtiness of the original hit. Although he approached Simon from behind, it looks to me like he did everything he could to make it shoulder-to-shoulder (of course, I only saw the replay a couple of times, as I don't have the benefit of youtube at work.)

However, Simon needs to be punished hard. I'd give him the rest of the year, and at least 20 next year too. But Campbell won't, he's as gutless as Burke was.