|
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Islanders forward Chris Simon was banned for 30 games Wednesday, drawing the longest suspension in NHL history again. The Islanders confirmed the suspension by the league for Simon's latest infraction — stepping on Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu with his skate during a game last weekend. "Several factors were considered in imposing the longest suspension in NHL history for an on-ice incident," said NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell. "While it was fortunate there was no serious injury to Mr. Ruutu as a result of Simon's action, the deliberate act of kicking an opponent with an exposed skate blade, especially where the opponent is in a vulnerable position, is and always has been a repugnant and totally unacceptable act in the game of hockey. "In addition, while the act itself was extremely dangerous, the fact that this is the eighth incident requiring the imposition of supplementary discipline on Simon compelled me to impose a very severe penalty in this case. When a player repeatedly evidences the lack of ability to control his actions and conducts himself in total disregard of the rules, as well the health and safety of other players on the ice, each subsequent incident is deserving of enhanced scrutiny and more severe discipline. This response serves not only the purpose of imposing appropriate punishment for the player involved, but also the purpose of deterring the player and all other players from engaging in similar conduct in the future — hopefully creating a safer long-term work environment for all NHL players." Simon missed the first five games of this season while completing a 25-game ban handed out in March. That was the previous record for an NHL suspension. This is the seventh time in Simon's career that he has been suspended. Isles' Simon draws NHL-record 30-game suspension
New York Islanders winger Chris Simon has now been suspended seven times in the regular season, plus one game in the 2000 playoffs for cross-checking Pittsburgh's Peter Popovic. A closer look at the regular-season suspensions (the team he was with at the time is in parentheses): Dec. 19, 2007 (Islanders): 30 games for tripping and stepping on Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu with his skate. March 8, 2007 (Islanders): 25 games for a two-handed slash to the face and neck of the New York Rangers' Ryan Hollweg. March 22, 2004 (Calgary Flames): Two games for kneeing Dallas Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov. Jan. 11, 2004 (N.Y. Rangers): Two games for cross-checking the Tampa Bay Lightning's Ruslan Fedotenko. April 5, 2001 (Washington Capitals): Two games for elbowing for Florida's Anders Eriksson. Nov. 8, 1997 (Capitals): Three games for a racial slur against the Edmonton Oilers' Mike Grier. Sept. 17, 1994 (Quebec Nordiques): Five games for slashing the Ottawa Senators' Dennis Vial.
|
I love the way this commentator clearly doubles as a boxing commentator in his spare time. You crazy North Americans... | ||
Pat Foley was the best Blackhawk announcer IMO, here again the Wirtz family thought his honesty wan't condusive to their organiZation, just like what happened to robin miller of speed Tv with him being fired by Champ Car for his critiques, so did Pat foley, he and Dale Tallon were one of the best next to Gary thorn and Bill clement. | ||
Hockey...a man's game. | ||
I'm always happy when anyone named Ruutu gets beat on. ;) But I wish you didn't post this Jeff. Simon should have been tossed out of the league a long time ago. There are missing synapses in his brain, and the guys belongs in an AA meeting, not on a hockey rink. It's really sad when the only time ESPN and the media talks about hockey is when stuff like this happens. They never talk about the real stories in the NHL. How amazing Toews and Kane are, or how Gagner and Hemsky nation are carrying Edmonton all by themselves when everyone thought they would be worse than the capitals. How Nabby is going it old school and on track to start all 84 games for the guppies. How Spezza has amassed almost as many points as Vinny L in like half the games. Or how in 2 games, Niedermania has already become the best player on the ice for the Ducks after missing 3 months. Meanwhile, they blabber on incessantly about stupid basketball and the All Felons League (also known as the NFL). I don't have the Center Ice package, but I watch the video highlights on NHL.com every night. And every night there are unbelievable acts of athleticism on display. It's ashame nobody knows about it. | ||
Simon, strange thing is, could actually skate and could actually score goals when he was w/ Colorado, not just discourage the taking of liberties. It is almost as if he's becoming, here we go reaching way back, John Kordic when was w/ Les Habitants and died shortly after leaving the NHL. Maybe Simon, like Kordic, is on the sauce. Simon has certainly been having a meltdown since leaving Colorado. Jerry, you're right. The heck of it is the game is less violent now than it was 15 to 20 years ago. The new rules have really let Crosby, he can be the next Gretz or Super Mario, etc show what they can do in time and space. That hardly ever makes it on the news. But it is a part of our game that attracts the most interest of the sports news viewer. | ||
I hate goons, I nearly had my knee ripped off by a defenseman who was too damn slow to catch me so he stuck his leg out while I was full stride, layed on the ice for 5-minutes trying to figure out if it was still attached, grade 1 tear, BTW...he was an ex-football player, then another idiot tripped me up at full stride 15 feet from the end boards and I braced myself well for the impact but a grade 2 separated shoulder was the net result. The NHL needs to rid themselves of the goons and as you said, allow the salanes, sakics, forsbergs, Jagrs to shine. This was more about the need for the NHL to clean themselves up. The Probert / Grissom clip is what retaliation used to be like, send your fighters out there to fight, stir the pot, not the stupid S#$t they are doing today. | ||
The funny part about Jeff's knee injury was that the opposing player was a former starting offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings. The guy was about 6'7", 280 lbs. | ||
|