I knew the suspension was coming down this morning…and yet I wasn’t surprised by what the league did. Thirty games for Chris Simon for not only slewfooting Jarkko Ruutu Saturday Night but then pulling his foot back to stomp on it after. The act was premeditated and that was bad enough. Add in the repeat offender history and the apparent lack of remorse Simon displayed after and you get more than eggroll here…you get a guy with a myriad of issues.
The look of someone with serious mental issues perhaps??
This is more than just the repeat offenses for Simon……7 suspensions in 15 years is one thing. However, it is the increasingly violent nature of these incidents and the premeditation that is very disconcerting. There is something not right there and I am surprised that no one has noticed it. Either that or they just simply worse…ignored it! The more and more I read into this…the more I get the sense that the latter happened. Nobody got this mess right…not the league…not the Islanders…not anyone!!
As a hockey fan and hockey player, I am more outraged that he is still in this league. The Flyers waived Boulerice…and other than a little junior hockey fiasco, he hadn’t really done anything in the NHL up to the incident that landed him in hot water. So with the Flyers on extra double secret probation…the league then goes and drops the ball here with Simon. Thank you Colin Campbell for proving indeed that incompetence can exist at the top. So if Gary Bettman is exhibit A then Campbell is exhibit B.
So what really needed to be done there was the following. Now maybe some of this wouldn’t work at all. But hey, I have to give it a shot here. A rest of the season ban….minimum….suspend him the last 50 odd games of the year. He doesn’t deserve to be playing in the NHL if he can’t at least play by the rules. I understand some of the rules are ridiculous but this was his second premeditated act in less than a year…an example has to be set somewhere…..example set!
Do not reinstate him until he gets adequate counseling from the NHL, the New York Islanders, and whatever psychological doctors or rehab this man needs. I will swear up and down that Simon needs rehab from alcohol abuse only because for someone to snap as quickly as he has….it is more than just an anger management issue. What really is a shame is that Garth Snow, Ted Nolan, or Charles Wang didn’t know this sooner and their statements are more troubling than they are helpful right now. This man needs help living life….forget about hockey right this second.
I am going to take a step back for a second. I have been a hockey player for almost 25 years….played at various level up to semi-pro (some juniors, prize leagues, etc.). Also, I have been diagnosed with a blood chemical imbalance which simply means there are times where I will simply just “lose it” and that my friends is more than an anger management issue even. Friends have told me they see a look that is rare in me….something that is worse than fire in the eyes and honestly, I believe them. Last night I had a bit of an argument with my wife….she pulled the plugs out of the dvd player and what I thought was the tv and cable. I saw red like real red!! As I jumped across the bed…something hit me…and before I even thought of laying a hand to touch her. I just had to leave…I knew I went too far. Yes I came back later, and it didn’t matter who was at fault, I knew what I did…it didn’t matter what she did. I should have known better.
Chris Simon still does not realize how far he went….neither does the NHL or the New York Islanders. For him to have a chance to play again this season is an insult to every hard working hockey player and fan. This hurts the sport. Instead of sending a tough message, of setting an example, the NHL just did enough. Sometimes, enough is far from enough.
