For Isles fans, it is more than just a passing interest when they heard about the Pronger "stomp". For a star, Chris Pronger has a long a rap sheet as Chris Simon. Deliberate attempts to injure has been cited many times. And despite both situations being a bit different in how they happened, perhaps they are more entwined than you think. Simon, doing so with refs surrounding him and with more of a unbidden stomp. Pronger's occurred while the play was happening elsewhere, thus not the focus of the cameras.
Bob McKenzie, on TSN's Insider, cites that the video is inconclusive, despite that he does admit it looked as though Pronger did put his foot down in a motion that seemed a bit beyond just getting out. So, thus, not a stomp? But it does look like a deliberate STEP onto Kesler, who tied up Pronger purposely. Therefore, with a blade on his foot, that step OR stomp is STILL a deliberate attempt to injure, thus a suspensionable offense if ever I saw one. But don't blame Bob. He's calling it based on a murky video at a bad angle. We just come away with different opinions.
NHL VP Colin Campbell was very quick hand down nothing to Anaheim's captain, and GM Brian Burke's prized possession. It left many wondering about the inconsistencies in the message. How does one go from 0 to 30 on a skate, in essence?
Isles VP of Media Relations, Chris Botta, very quickly in his own blog seized upon the issues obvious allusion. But not to rip Pronger, just cite the chasm between the zero suspension time and the 30 that Simon got. And its a good question. Where is the line drawn?
How are they different. Shouldn't someone not just stop at an inconclusive video? Because there is another now making the rounds, at another angle. After all, there is more than one camera at these games.
A rumbling has come along with the new footage. The league MIGHT be taking another look.
As I sit here doing the final edits on my blog, I see that Bob McKenzie has already put up a blog this morning to say that this video is FAR more definitive. Evidently. he's an early-riser like me.
So the question has to be asked, shouldn't have the league made some effort to get that footage, to ask questions, and look deeper back before they let it be known that he wouldn't be suspended? Maybe the league should have sat him and INVESTIGATED it in less than a day? Shouldn't have someone who saw that footage, instead of judging it or calling it inconclusive, made attempts to see if there were more angles on it. Doesn't the attempt to injure, or the call by Kelser that it was indeed deliberate, make one want to investigate it, and not just review it simply because some new angles made rounds on Youtube????
Where was the league policing and desire to keep players safe?
To me, it says far more about a rush to judgment in lieu of grainy angles, and less desire to plumb the depths and seek truth. Maybe Pronger's ass should have sat while the league investigated further. Maybe a statement as such, to send a message to NHL players, fans and the media should have been to this effect. That would be the responsible line of thought.
So, did a name and a star have credence to a process? Or simply the lack of subtext to the process? Maybe even a lack of process? Who knows.
Just seems to me that it should happen a better way. And that Pronger should be suspended for a length of time. That no matter if a star, a captain, an enforcer, or on a Stanley Cup team . . . that the what is paramount, above anything else, is the safety of the players. I am someone who thought Simon's transgression was incorrigible, despite liking the guy and career. I think the same of Pronger. Hockey is not a kid's game, but it is something else entirely when a skate blade is involved.
A message should be sent. And it should be much more than "inconclusive".
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