Come on NHL, please get it right today! If you don't want hockey to be a joke, you're going to have to bite the bullet and give the biggest head shot offender a more painful suspension. Yep, Matt Cooke's been at it again: this time with an elbow to the head. I doubt they'll get it right, but obviously the piddly suspensions they've given him thus far haven't taught him anything. My vote: 20 games minimum.
If Mario Lemieux utters a word, he'll become a laughing stock. The only way he could redeem himself in my eyes is by sending Cooke down to the ECHL. Permanently.
As Stephen Butler pointed out, I've been pretty outspoken when it comes to headshots in the NHL. So how exactly do I feel about Zdeno Chara's hit on Max Pacioretty (which incidentally wasn't a "head shot" per se, but did result in a player sustaining a concussion)?
I'm trying to look at this from an objective stand point (and not as a Boston Bruins fan), but the thing that makes this most difficult is remembering that Matt Cooke's hit on Marc Savard got him ZERO games. Even if there wasn't a rule specifically geared to head shots, he still should have gotten something. I don't want to always use this as a reference point, but I can't bring myself to forgive Colin Campbell for not coming down hard on him. Anyhow, putting all that aside, I have come up with one sentence to sum up my feelings on the new, stronger NHL: Players need to be aware of their strength, regardless of the intention.
I don't believe there was malice behind the hit; it just occurred in the worst possible place on the ice. The partition is known to be dangerous, but as per usual, the NHL hasn't done anything to fix it (why am I not surprised?). The NHL seems to wait until after the fact to do something. Personally, I'd suggest padding the partitions. It won't prevent all possible injuries, but it could lessen the blow. You can view the hit here:
Folks have pointed out that there may be a bit of a history between the pair. In my opinion, Zdeno is a solid, tough player. He definitely finishes his checks. But at the same time, he definitely doesn't play dirty. He's the captain of the Boston Bruins, and he's a player that leads by example. Also, look at it this way: if the partition wasn't there, Pacioretty may have ended up on the bench, but that's about it. No concussion, no serious injury. The NHL needs to wake up and figure out how to keep the players safe from something similar happening again.
Hopefully Chara's good standing will come into play when he talks to NHL vice-president of hockey operations Mike Murphy in about an hour. I wouldn't be surprised if he got a handful of games, but I'd be very surprised (and disappointed) if they came down hard on him. Anything more than four games will obviously suck for the Bruins chances at catching up to the Flyers in first place.
Lastly, huge slops to the Montreal Canadiens fans who were more concerned with starting a "F*** YOU CHARA!" chant, than giving Max silence. Absolutely classless reaction. They should be ashamed.
Starting to get ready for Fantasy Baseball! Yep, it's that time again, already. Last season I participated in a keeper league for the first time. I've been combing through baseball sites trying to decide who to keep from last year's roster.
I was pretty happy with my end result last year, placing fifth out of 12. The team I inherited was in a bit of a disarray, finishing 11th out of 12th in 2009. I had a pretty decent draft, grabbed some young guys, and kept my fingers crossed! This year I'm shooting for fourth place or better, which may be a lofty goal.
The rules are pretty easy in this league. Managers can keep 15 players from last year's team. Other than that, the only stipulation is that three players have to be young. One of each of the following must be kept: a player with three or less years in the majors; a player with two or less years in the majors; and a player with one or less years in the majors.
So my roster last year was:
Andre Ethier Buster Posey Colby Rasmus Michael Young Carlos Quentin Kelly Johnson Jimmy Rollins Juan Pierre Aubrey Huff Aaron Hill Franklin Gutiérrez Erick Aybar Jonny Gomes Chris Iannetta Ryan Ludwick Logan Morrison
CC Sabathia David Price Tim Hudson Jeremy Hellickson Jonathan Sánchez Huston Street Madison Bumgarner Ryan Dempster Daniel Hudson Sean Marshall Joe Nathan Dallas Braden Taylor Buchholz Mitch Talbot Andy Pettitte
Obviously Pettitte is out. Still undecided on Joe Nathan. I hung onto him all least year through his injury... but I don't think he's going to make the cut. Will see how spring training keeps him. I know it's early on still...
Here's my preliminary keep list:
Andre Ethier Buster Posey Carlos Quentin CC Sabathia Colby Rasmus David Price Huston Street Jeremy Hellickson Jimmy Rollins Jonathan Sánchez Kelly Johnson Madison Bumgarner Michael Young Ryan Dempster Tim Hudson
Tim Hudson is still a maybe. He's underrated in my opinion, and pretty solid. But he's also getting older. If you have any thoughts, feel free to comment!
