Comments on: Tootoo Suspended Five Games http://overtimecentral.ca/archives/2007/03/19/tootoo-suspended-five-games/ Official Home of Overtime Central Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:32:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Jon http://overtimecentral.ca/archives/2007/03/19/tootoo-suspended-five-games/comment-page-1/#comment-283 Jon Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:18:22 +0000 http://overtimecentral.ca/?p=141#comment-283 It seems that there always have been incidents, but frequency has increased and so has intent. McSorely and Bertuzzi were both pre-motivated attacks when some one refused to tango. Maybe that is what kooked means. Or is <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=yyGj9g2Y9nE" rel="nofollow">this</a> kooked? Alexander Perezhogin was suspended one year by the AHL, he went back to Russia and played a year as the IIHF didn't uphold the suspension, then came back to the AHL and now is in Montreal's lineup. So much for ruining two lives with one swing of the stick. Here's <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=DeqIU9NrMB8" rel="nofollow">the one they say started it all</a> (forget about anything pre-80's). Suspensions don't work as a deterrent, because no one thinks about it, no matter how pre-meditated it gets (see Bertuzzi) they never seem themselves acting any way but fighting honourably. Banning for life might show you are serious and get some people's attention, but it will never happen, the talent pool is too shallow to eliminate stars or well know players due to these incidents. The NHLPA has too many other problems than to preach respect and dole out discipline to its members. It seems that there always have been incidents, but frequency has increased and so has intent. McSorely and Bertuzzi were both pre-motivated attacks when some one refused to tango. Maybe that is what kooked means.

Or is this kooked? Alexander Perezhogin was suspended one year by the AHL, he went back to Russia and played a year as the IIHF didn’t uphold the suspension, then came back to the AHL and now is in Montreal’s lineup. So much for ruining two lives with one swing of the stick.

Here’s the one they say started it all (forget about anything pre-80′s).

Suspensions don’t work as a deterrent, because no one thinks about it, no matter how pre-meditated it gets (see Bertuzzi) they never seem themselves acting any way but fighting honourably. Banning for life might show you are serious and get some people’s attention, but it will never happen, the talent pool is too shallow to eliminate stars or well know players due to these incidents. The NHLPA has too many other problems than to preach respect and dole out discipline to its members.

]]> By: jim http://overtimecentral.ca/archives/2007/03/19/tootoo-suspended-five-games/comment-page-1/#comment-282 jim Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:24:25 +0000 http://overtimecentral.ca/?p=141#comment-282 I think the difference between the game today and that of yesteryear is twofold. Today the players are bigger, faster, stronger, and weigh more. Crazy stuff has always happened in hockey, going back decades, but there seems to be alot of guys getting kooked these days. Maybe we are just more knowledgable about concussions. Anyways, it's different today to get punched by a 210 pounder than it was before getting punched by a 160 pounder. The second difference is that there are just too many teams. More teams means more players which means more probability of bad incidents happening. Obviously the league will never turn back now, but it's not hard to imagine a much better game with half the number of teams. The top end players usually have a little more respect for each other and their careers. In this latest case, you've got Tootoo acting like a crazed dog. Not out of character for him at all. I don't have a problem with high end players getting hit. Part of the problem in the NHL is that some of these guys think that their skill level means they get to go on holiday all winter. What surprises me in watching the clip is the utter lack of hesitation he shows in punching Robidas. He didn't have time to see who was coming or why they were coming... he could have just as easily popped a referee if they had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The morons doing commentary on the youtube clip are arguing that Robidas is just coming in to finish his check. Who are these twits? Since when do you check a player that hasn't touched the puck all shift (or in Tootoo's case probably the whole game) after they've just finished a check themselves. No, Robidas was coming in to start something. Perhaps not a fight, but at the very least a shoving match. Robidas comes in as quickly as he can with his gloves up. This is the proper behavior in hockey when you want to start something. Come in fast, gloves up and give a shove. Tootoo should've put his gloves up and pushed back. Then if they both concur it can develop into more. This situation usually results in little more than a wrestling match. Instead, Tootoo keeps the upperhand by doing something that nobody expects. That's the easiest way to come out on top, but it's against the 'unspoken rules' of hockey and therefore he should be suspended. I would've given him more than five games but I guess what's the point, it's not like he'll learn anything from this. Anyways, regardless of all of this it seems that suspensions don't really work anyways. Going back to the McSorley thing, and Bertuzzi thing, and so on (as quite a list could be made), the message doesn't seem to get across. I'm all for tough hockey, but it just seems that there are way too many instances of unconscious players collapsing to the ice like freshly chopped down Christmas trees. In my view, it's just happening too much and it would be nice if the NHL could find a way to curb these types of injuries. I think the difference between the game today and that of yesteryear is twofold. Today the players are bigger, faster, stronger, and weigh more. Crazy stuff has always happened in hockey, going back decades, but there seems to be alot of guys getting kooked these days. Maybe we are just more knowledgable about concussions. Anyways, it’s different today to get punched by a 210 pounder than it was before getting punched by a 160 pounder.
The second difference is that there are just too many teams. More teams means more players which means more probability of bad incidents happening. Obviously the league will never turn back now, but it’s not hard to imagine a much better game with half the number of teams. The top end players usually have a little more respect for each other and their careers.
In this latest case, you’ve got Tootoo acting like a crazed dog. Not out of character for him at all. I don’t have a problem with high end players getting hit. Part of the problem in the NHL is that some of these guys think that their skill level means they get to go on holiday all winter. What surprises me in watching the clip is the utter lack of hesitation he shows in punching Robidas. He didn’t have time to see who was coming or why they were coming… he could have just as easily popped a referee if they had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The morons doing commentary on the youtube clip are arguing that Robidas is just coming in to finish his check. Who are these twits? Since when do you check a player that hasn’t touched the puck all shift (or in Tootoo’s case probably the whole game) after they’ve just finished a check themselves. No, Robidas was coming in to start something. Perhaps not a fight, but at the very least a shoving match. Robidas comes in as quickly as he can with his gloves up. This is the proper behavior in hockey when you want to start something. Come in fast, gloves up and give a shove. Tootoo should’ve put his gloves up and pushed back. Then if they both concur it can develop into more. This situation usually results in little more than a wrestling match.
Instead, Tootoo keeps the upperhand by doing something that nobody expects. That’s the easiest way to come out on top, but it’s against the ‘unspoken rules’ of hockey and therefore he should be suspended. I would’ve given him more than five games but I guess what’s the point, it’s not like he’ll learn anything from this.
Anyways, regardless of all of this it seems that suspensions don’t really work anyways. Going back to the McSorley thing, and Bertuzzi thing, and so on (as quite a list could be made), the message doesn’t seem to get across.
I’m all for tough hockey, but it just seems that there are way too many instances of unconscious players collapsing to the ice like freshly chopped down Christmas trees.
In my view, it’s just happening too much and it would be nice if the NHL could find a way to curb these types of injuries.

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