By Steven Lienert
The Phanatic Magazine
What Chris Simon did on Thursday night was just about as bad as anything Todd Bertuzzi ever did.
Eerily, it was exactly three years ago to the day, on March 8th, that Bertuzzi ended Steve Moore's career.
In case you live in a cave, Simon, who used to skate for the NY Islanders, attempted to behead New York Rangers center Ryan Hollweg.
Hollweg legally checked Simon into the boards and, after Simon got up slowly, he saw Hollweg skating right back at him.
Simon then decided to swing his stick at Hollweg's head.
Somewhere, Saddam Hussein is smiling.
What the hell was that? I'm all for violence in hockey. The checking, the fighting, the bleeding -- it's awesome. But that crossed the line, even for a knuckle-dragging neanderthal like myself.
To his credit, Hollweg got up and didn't ask for retribution. He asked his teammates to score on the power play, and they obliged. Well done.
So Simon is suspended indefinitely. That's a fair judgement.
Henceforth, however, Simon will be branded and shunned. Rightfully so.
But if he's really lucky, he'll become Bertuzzi.
Bertuzzi ended the career of Steve Moore in 2004. In the third period of a game on March 8, 2004 between the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche, Bertuzzi grabbed Moore from behind, punched him in the back of the head and drove him face-first into the ice.
Moore broke three vertebrae in his neck and suffered a concussion, among other injuries. He hasn't played since.
Meanwhile, Bertuzzi, after sitting through a 17-month suspension (including the NHL lockout where he wasn't allowed to play overseas), was charged with assault. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation and community service.
After that, though, he was selected for the Canadian Olympic team in 2006 and is currently earning a living skating for the Detroit Red Wings, who have a legitimate chance of winning their fourth Stanley Cup in eight years.
Moore has filed a civil suit against Bertuzzi in which he is seeking $19 million. Bertuzzi gets to skate for the Cup; Moore, who has never forgiven Bertuzzi, gets to skate alone in a rink.
Which brings us back to Simon. Sure, he didn't break Hollweg's neck. And because he's a hockey player, Hollweg got stitched up and went back out on the ice. He should be fine.
After the game, Simon seemed honestly contrite about his actions. But that doesn't change the fact that it happened.
The NHL cannot allow players to use their sticks as weapons. Simon should have dropped the stick, and his gloves, and took Hollweg out like a man.
Swinging your stick at someone is just plain cowardice. And it may have cost the 35-year-old Simon the rest of his career.
Lienert leads with his helmet at slienert@phanaticmag.com
1 comment:
what a shocking revelation, the NHL shouldn't allow players to use their sticks as weapons.
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