Steve Downie suspended for 20 games

[habsfan1]

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=269889&lid...s=headlines_nhl

Steve Downie is in trouble again.

The AHL has suspended the Norfolk Admirals' forward 20 games for deliberately striking an official with his stick.

Late in the third period of the Admirals' game against the Hershey Bears on February 28, Downie slashed linesman Mike Hamilton before a face-off. Downie was given a game misconduct at the time, and the AHL announced Thursday he was being suspended.

21-year-old Downie has developed a reputation for aggressive behaviour in his young career.

In 2007, before he even played his first regular season NHL game, Downie was suspended 20 games for elbowing Ottawa Senator Dean McAmmond in the head in a pre-season tilt.

This is not the first time the pesky forward has been suspended by the AHL either, having sat out three games for hitting an opponent from behind earlier this season.

He has already served three games of the current suspension, and should be eligible to return on April 11.

Downie was drafted 29th overall by the Flyers in 2005.

In 29 NHL games with the Flyers and the Lightning this season, Downie has three goals and three assists.

[Viper]

Someone get this guy out of the NHL!

Well, technically Downie is out of the NHL.

[BrySmalls]

Someone get this guy out of the NHL!

Well, technically Downie is out of the NHL.

Then get him out of hockey!

[Neon_Matrix]

Read a more recent article on it. There is debate that the incident was not reviewed before he was handed the suspension.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor...&id=3964289

2. What should we make of the latest Steve Downie episode?

This one is very interesting. As you know, Downie's career has been marked by a number of on- and off-ice transgressions and blowouts, including a 20-game suspension during the 2007-08 season for his from-behind hit on then-Ottawa Senators forward Dean McAmmond during a preseason game.

Last week, Downie, currently with the AHL's Norfolk Admirals, was suspended a whopping 20 games for allegedly slashing linesman Mike Hamilton in the shin or foot. Well, we've looked at the YouTube clip many times, and while you can never tell everything from a snippet of video, it looks like Downie merely took a wild swing at the puck off a draw at center ice.

We asked to talk to AHL commissioner Dave Andrews, who is a thoughtful, classy man, but he declined pending Tuesday's appeal hearing by Downie's team. The Admirals are being supported in this appeal by Downie's NHL club, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who acquired Downie in a deal for defenseman Matt Carle earlier in the season.

What seems puzzling in this case is the video doesn't appear to show any kind of confrontation or retaliation against the officials. Further, sources tell ESPN.com Downie was never interviewed before the suspension. Makes you wonder whether this is a rush to judgment of a player with a long history of transgressions and whether this is a suspension based on who he is, not what he did.

Don't be so quick to judge before you know ALL the details. I still stand by the guy... he may have problems, but he definitely knows how to play hockey.

[JQK]

Sounds like a man's reputation preceding him, and so any percieved transgression will appear to be a dirty move or cheap shot, even when it is not.

[habsfan1]

Read a more recent article on it. There is debate that the incident was not reviewed before he was handed the suspension.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor...&id=3964289

...

Don't be so quick to judge before you know ALL the details. I still stand by the guy... he may have problems, but he definitely knows how to play hockey.

My goodness, you might be right.

is the clip from youtube. My first impression after seeing it once was that he was going for the puck during that faceoff. He did take a pretty strong whack at it, so yeah, it's debatable. It's not necessarely that I didn't real all the details, but TSN's article wrote the whole thing as if it was clearly intentional.

[speedy]

It honestly looks like he was trying to get a beat on the puck hitting the ice, and swatted at it in mid air. Clearly he hit the referee, but this looks like nothing more than a face-off gone wrong.

[Neon_Matrix]

Read a more recent article on it. There is debate that the incident was not reviewed before he was handed the suspension.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor...&id=3964289

...

Don't be so quick to judge before you know ALL the details. I still stand by the guy... he may have problems, but he definitely knows how to play hockey.

My goodness, you might be right.

is the clip from youtube. My first impression after seeing it once was that he was going for the puck during that faceoff. He did take a pretty strong whack at it, so yeah, it's debatable. It's not necessarely that I didn't real all the details, but TSN's article wrote the whole thing as if it was clearly intentional.

It is also older. No worries. I am just glad I could change your mind on the matter.

[Shumway]

I was actually at that game. Downie was jawing with the refs the entire game, so I think they were quick to jump the assumption that it was intentional. From where I sat (5th row in the corner), I couldn't tell what happened. The ref went off to the side and hunched over in pain for probably a minute. Then, a few seconds later, Downie just left the rink. It was really strange. I assumed he slashed the ref, but I honestly didn't see it happen.

[pollux]

That sure is an interesting way to take a faceoff. You usually try to beat the guy quickly, not by taking a backswing and then trying to hit the puck in the air.

I can understand why referees may have thought this was intentional, although the video doesn't show much.

[DelayedPenalty]

Looks incidental from the video, just a very unorthidox style of taking a faceoff. Might want to work on that in practice.

[Burning River]

Hmmm doesn't look intentional. I guess I would like to compare this face-off with a different face-off from an earlier game. If that was not his "normal" face-off approach... then it may have been intentional.

[Neon_Matrix]

Hmmm doesn't look intentional. I guess I would like to compare this face-off with a different face-off from an earlier game. If that was not his "normal" face-off approach... then it may have been intentional.

People don't have "one set way" to take a faceoff. Depending on desperation, you may hold the stick differently or if you are trying to send it back in a specific direction you will have to hit it differently. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt.

[CC97]

The whole faceoff seemed odd... look at how the opposing player did it -- he tried poking it towards the other team while Downie tried to slapshot it to the boards. Was there like 1.2 seconds remaining or something when this draw was taken?

[Milo Meningocele]

Don't be so quick to judge before you know ALL the details. I still stand by the guy... he may have problems, but he definitely knows how to play hockey.

First, let me say that I agree that it looked totally unintentional.

However, I still take issue with Neon's comment, and similar statements of support that I've heard for other athletes who have been trouble-magnets. If a guy is a chronic danger to anyone on the ice (or any other kind of serious distraction or black mark to his team or league), then it's irrelevant that he can play the game. Some things, you gotta put above what a guy can do for your team on the ice, field or court--especially when those things constantly keep him sidelined with suspensions.

[Wheelhouse]

I don't know. The video doesn't really make the case for me either way, but I'm thinking when you're taking a faceoff you should be at least vaguely aware of how far away the ref is when he's dropping the puck. You're responsible for your stick at all times, and maybe he didn't hit the ref on purpose but he wasn't exactly holding back either. Maybe he was trying to make it look unintentional. Either way, the guy's already got a bad rep and if he's going back and forth with the officials the entire game as Shumway said, he's gotta make sure he doesn't accidentally (or not) clip them with his stick. I don't feel bad for him.

[Shumway]

The whole faceoff seemed odd... look at how the opposing player did it -- he tried poking it towards the other team while Downie tried to slapshot it to the boards. Was there like 1.2 seconds remaining or something when this draw was taken?

I don't quite recall how much time was left, but there wasn't a lot. Hershey had just scored the go-ahead goal. It might've been under a minute, but I'm honestly don't sure.

Edit: I just remembered that it wasn't the go-ahead goal right before the Downie slash. It was an empty netter, and a strange one at that. Hershey blocked a shot, getting a breakaway on the open net. Someone on Norfolk(not Downie...might've been Konopka) grabbed the Bears' player and took them down. I guess since there's no real point to a penalty shot on an open net, Hershey was just rewarded a goal.

[The_Admiral]

That happened in an NHL game or two last year, fouled on an empty net breakaway = automatic goal. I think it was Chris Pronger on Patrick Sharp.

[zer0dotcom]

I think it's in part too to the reputation that Downie has garnered for himself. If he is playing that style of hockey, and doing the kinds of things he is doing, the refs are going to treat him a certain way. I feel bad for him getting that reputation, but hey, he's the one in charge of himself. You jaw at the ref, he's going to keep his eye on you all game, and not in a good way.

When I first heard last week, I wasn't surprised at all. Granted I watched him play in the OHL, but he's built his reputation, he has to live with it the rest of his career. Or at least what's left of it. Hey, Avery can make a comeback, so nothing is impossible.