DELET
- Bearintheforest

Tilting back on grand daddy's cough syrup, are ya?

James Neal is a the biggest dirt bag in the league...Shanahan needs to make an example of that pathetic piece of garbage. No class whatsoever...but I guess what else is expected from the Pens organization
- keatondixon

Hey you are so right. You are the one who should fairly judge all the hearings. I think you should apply for the job!

Man, I am just happy none of the Sabres, i.e. Kaleta and Scott, are involved this time!!!
Phewwwwww
- Sabresfan88

I think a couple canadians should be looked at. how many elbows did the sabres take lastnite? the one on dagastini comes to mind.

Man, I am just happy none of the Sabres, i.e. Kaleta and Scott, are involved this time!!!
Phewwwwww
- Sabresfan88

Sabres should trade Scott to Pens (you know for nothing in return) and trade Kaleta to Boston (for you know a bag of used pucks) .. That way Scott could beat the tar out of (again) and Kaleta can blast Oneil ( his mentor hahaha) in the back with a face full of boards. That is letting the players figure it out!

When I saw that last night I couldn't believe my eyes. I've never seen justice served so swiftly. Marchand is a lifelong poopbird. I cant believe anyone feels bad for him. Orpik is another douche. He's hardly a man. How long can you go on not answering the bell before someone just grabs you and punches you out? Well we found out.


Don't fall for all this modern bleeding heart bullpoop. These guys are pro hockey players and millionaires. They don't need protection or pitty from the media or the league. They are fine.

Well, here's my two cents on the events of last night:

I loved the hit Orpik had on Eriksson. Orpik had good position, didn't leave his feet, and caught him square in the chest. If Eriksson had his head up, Orpiks shoulder wouldnt have grazed his chin. I didn't think it was predatory or intentional. Keep your head up out there Loui.

As for Neal's knee, yes I believe it was intentional, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Neal was under the circle near the half boards when he saw Marchand lying on the ice. He started skating towards center ice, when he shifted his weight and the angle he was skating changed slightly so his knee lined up with Marchand's head. So yes, there was definitely kneeing, and imo it was intentional. The reason I said it wasn't as bad as it could have been was that Neal wasnt skating full speed when his knee hit Marchand, he was coasting a little bit. That said its still a dirty play, and with his previous history (forget the NHL's dumb 18 month rule about repeat offenders) I'd give him 7-10 games off. Dirty play, bit not nearly as dirty as Thorntons actions.

What Thornton did absolutely despicable. You just can't slewfoot a guy, and then proceed to hit him in the face while he's down on the ice defenseless. I know some will argue, like the homer Bruins announcers, that if Orpik had fought Thornton earlier, this wouldn't have happened. That's some bullpoop right there. If you want revenge, either hit Orpik with big, clean check in game. Or go out and score a (frank)ing goal. Get your revenge during the game, in a way that'll help your team. But I digress. After Orpik was slewfooted, it looks, to me at least, that Thorntons first punch misses him, and Thornton's forearm/elbow comes down full force on Orpik's chin. Then he landed another punch square to the jaw of Orpik, and with him down on the ice, there was no where else for the energy of those hits to go so his head took the full brunt of it. That said, if it was up to me, I'd suspend Thornton 25 games or more.

If the NHL is serious about cracking down on head shots, they need to be serious about the punishment they hand out. You can't allow players to go around kneeing defenseless players on the ice, or straight up attacking players. So 7-10 for Neal, and 25+ for Thornton is what I would I do.

Well, here's my two cents on the events of last night:

I loved the hit Orpik had on Eriksson. Orpik had good position, didn't leave his feet, and caught him square in the chest. If Eriksson had his head up, Orpiks shoulder wouldnt have grazed his chin. I didn't think it was predatory or intentional. Keep your head up out there Loui.

As for Neal's knee, yes I believe it was intentional, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Neal was under the circle near the half boards when he saw Marchand lying on the ice. He started skating towards center ice, when he shifted his weight and the angle he was skating changed slightly so his knee lined up with Marchand's head. So yes, there was definitely kneeing, and imo it was intentional. The reason I said it wasn't as bad as it could have been was that Neal wasnt skating full speed when his knee hit Marchand, he was coasting a little bit. That said its still a dirty play, and with his previous history (forget the NHL's dumb 18 month rule about repeat offenders) I'd give him 7-10 games off. Dirty play, bit not nearly as dirty as Thorntons actions.

What Thornton did absolutely despicable. You just can't slewfoot a guy, and then proceed to hit him in the face while he's down on the ice defenseless. I know some will argue, like the homer Bruins announcers, that if Orpik had fought Thornton earlier, this wouldn't have happened. That's some bullpoop right there. If you want revenge, either hit Orpik with big, clean check in game. Or go out and score a (frank)ing goal. Get your revenge during the game, in a way that'll help your team. But I digress. After Orpik was slewfooted, it looks, to me at least, that Thorntons first punch misses him, and Thornton's forearm/elbow comes down full force on Orpik's chin. Then he landed another punch square to the jaw of Orpik, and with him down on the ice, there was no where else for the energy of those hits to go so his head took the full brunt of it. That said, if it was up to me, I'd suspend Thornton 25 games or more.

If the NHL is serious about cracking down on head shots, they need to be serious about the punishment they hand out. You can't allow players to go around kneeing defenseless players on the ice, or straight up attacking players. So 7-10 for Neal, and 25+ for Thornton is what I would I do.
- fecondo

No that's not true. If your going to make the big boy hits you have to deal with the heat after. If I piss a guy off at the rink, the mall, a bar or the line at the DMV, I cant just turn my head and pretend the guy doesn't exist. I have to deal with him before he just grabs me and punches me out! Orpik is going to ruin it for everybody.

No that's not true. If your going to make the big boy hits you have to deal with the heat after. If I piss a guy off at the rink, the mall, a bar or the line at the DMV, I cant just turn my head and pretend the guy doesn't exist. I have to deal with him before he just grabs me and punches me out! Orpik is going to ruin it for everybody.
- Buffalo-Sabres

Right, so its Orpiks fault he landed a big clean hit and Thornton took exception to it? Like I said in my previous post, if he is that upset, you don't pummel a guys face while he is down. Land a hard clean hit on Orpik, and see if that fires him up to fight. If not, then skate away. It was a chickenpoop move by Thornton no matter how you try and spin it.

Well, here's my two cents on the events of last night:

I loved the hit Orpik had on Eriksson. Orpik had good position, didn't leave his feet, and caught him square in the chest. If Eriksson had his head up, Orpiks shoulder wouldnt have grazed his chin. I didn't think it was predatory or intentional. Keep your head up out there Loui.

As for Neal's knee, yes I believe it was intentional, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Neal was under the circle near the half boards when he saw Marchand lying on the ice. He started skating towards center ice, when he shifted his weight and the angle he was skating changed slightly so his knee lined up with Marchand's head. So yes, there was definitely kneeing, and imo it was intentional. The reason I said it wasn't as bad as it could have been was that Neal wasnt skating full speed when his knee hit Marchand, he was coasting a little bit. That said its still a dirty play, and with his previous history (forget the NHL's dumb 18 month rule about repeat offenders) I'd give him 7-10 games off. Dirty play, bit not nearly as dirty as Thorntons actions.

What Thornton did absolutely despicable. You just can't slewfoot a guy, and then proceed to hit him in the face while he's down on the ice defenseless. I know some will argue, like the homer Bruins announcers, that if Orpik had fought Thornton earlier, this wouldn't have happened. That's some bullpoop right there. If you want revenge, either hit Orpik with big, clean check in game. Or go out and score a (frank)ing goal. Get your revenge during the game, in a way that'll help your team. But I digress. After Orpik was slewfooted, it looks, to me at least, that Thorntons first punch misses him, and Thornton's forearm/elbow comes down full force on Orpik's chin. Then he landed another punch square to the jaw of Orpik, and with him down on the ice, there was no where else for the energy of those hits to go so his head took the full brunt of it. That said, if it was up to me, I'd suspend Thornton 25 games or more.

If the NHL is serious about cracking down on head shots, they need to be serious about the punishment they hand out. You can't allow players to go around kneeing defenseless players on the ice, or straight up attacking players. So 7-10 for Neal, and 25+ for Thornton is what I would I do.
- fecondo

Very fair post.

no I corrected myself afterwards
his actions didn't justify what happened to his teammate.
- puckhead17

Okay I didn't see that.

I find it odd that people are giving gunner a hard time over this blog... it was one of his best ones. The plug of a fellow hockey hurts writer was a bit much... and backing up the suspension system that would have neal serve 30 games was over the top, this blog wasn't bad... neal deserves to be suspended and decently... 5 games minimum. Gunner does have a bit of an ego and makes a few to many concrete statements of arguably arguable points, but that makes the blog more fun... I couldn't stand Cloutier when he blogged for the oilers but his blogs were fun to read and react to. Ultimately gunner's job isn't to put on a skirt and cheerlead, but to write about the team and generally he does a decent job... this blog included. and there wasn't even any fenclose mumbo jumbo!
- ChrisMS

The minute Ryan starts making up ridiculous trade rumors that make no sense will be the day I stop reading his blog lol.

Not that it happens much on this site.

Well, here's my two cents on the events of last night:

I loved the hit Orpik had on Eriksson. Orpik had good position, didn't leave his feet, and caught him square in the chest. If Eriksson had his head up, Orpiks shoulder wouldnt have grazed his chin. I didn't think it was predatory or intentional. Keep your head up out there Loui.

As for Neal's knee, yes I believe it was intentional, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Neal was under the circle near the half boards when he saw Marchand lying on the ice. He started skating towards center ice, when he shifted his weight and the angle he was skating changed slightly so his knee lined up with Marchand's head. So yes, there was definitely kneeing, and imo it was intentional. The reason I said it wasn't as bad as it could have been was that Neal wasnt skating full speed when his knee hit Marchand, he was coasting a little bit. That said its still a dirty play, and with his previous history (forget the NHL's dumb 18 month rule about repeat offenders) I'd give him 7-10 games off. Dirty play, bit not nearly as dirty as Thorntons actions.

What Thornton did absolutely despicable. You just can't slewfoot a guy, and then proceed to hit him in the face while he's down on the ice defenseless. I know some will argue, like the homer Bruins announcers, that if Orpik had fought Thornton earlier, this wouldn't have happened. That's some bullpoop right there. If you want revenge, either hit Orpik with big, clean check in game. Or go out and score a (frank)ing goal. Get your revenge during the game, in a way that'll help your team. But I digress. After Orpik was slewfooted, it looks, to me at least, that Thorntons first punch misses him, and Thornton's forearm/elbow comes down full force on Orpik's chin. Then he landed another punch square to the jaw of Orpik, and with him down on the ice, there was no where else for the energy of those hits to go so his head took the full brunt of it. That said, if it was up to me, I'd suspend Thornton 25 games or more.

If the NHL is serious about cracking down on head shots, they need to be serious about the punishment they hand out. You can't allow players to go around kneeing defenseless players on the ice, or straight up attacking players. So 7-10 for Neal, and 25+ for Thornton is what I would I do.
- fecondo

i agree , both players actions are deplorable , Neal has a history so he should get more than what's typical for that hit , Thorton should be made an example of, I'm guessing shanahan won't give a long enough penalty for either player.

"I mean, what do you want me to say? That I was trying to hit him? No, I'm going by him. I don't get out of the way, like I said. I need to be more careful and I guess get my knee out of the way, but I'm not trying to hit him in the head or injure him or anything like that."

- James Neal

What a bunch of garbage this response is. Watch the replay. He knows damn well what he's doing.

Thornton is going to get crucified for his actions but least he's man enough to come out and look himself in the mirror in front of everyone.

Right, so its Orpiks fault he landed a big clean hit and Thornton took exception to it? Like I said in my previous post, if he is that upset, you don't pummel a guys face while he is down. Land a hard clean hit on Orpik, and see if that fires him up to fight. If not, then skate away. It was a chickenpoop move by Thornton no matter how you try and spin it.
- fecondo

Clean hit yes, but If your going to throw the big boy hits, you have to answer the bell.

Im a Sabres fan so my best examples are with the Sabres.

06 playoffs Campbell destroys Umberger on a clean hit(by 2013 standards would land him 10 games). The whole Flyers teams jumps Campbell as they should. Campbell stands up to it and turns it into a jersey grappling match. No one gets hurt.



Next time they meet when Umberger is healthy. Campbell who never fights, answers the bell. No one gets hurt.



Just like when Lucic destroyed Miller, next time the Sabres met, Gaustad challenges Lucic and he obliged. It had to be done. No one got hurt.

Orpik kept shying away, and he got hurt. Orpik is going to ruin it for everybody.

No that's not true. If your going to make the big boy hits you have to deal with the heat after. If I piss a guy off at the rink, the mall, a bar or the line at the DMV, I cant just turn my head and pretend the guy doesn't exist. I have to deal with him before he just grabs me and punches me out! Orpik is going to ruin it for everybody.
- Buffalo-Sabres

To an extent, I agree with some of the mentality in your post. If somebody hits Crosby or any of our stars, even with a clean check I would expect that person to have to answer for it. Where I take issue is when answering the bell becomes getting slew-footed, and pummeled on the ice. The league had their chance to do something about suspending players aggression towards guys who didn't want to fight when Emery attacked Holtby. The only reason they will have a chance of getting the discipline right this time is because Orpik got carted off on a stretcher.

Hold on Im still trying to catch my breath from laughing at the guy who says no one would get hurt if they just agreed to a fight.

@JoshYohe_Trib: Asked 15 Pens last year if fighting should be banned from hockey. Only one said yes: Brooks Orpik. Doesn't want to be a vegetable someday.

Can you blame the guy? Its downright scary whats going on in retirement with players

Well, here's my two cents on the events of last night:

I loved the hit Orpik had on Eriksson. Orpik had good position, didn't leave his feet, and caught him square in the chest. If Eriksson had his head up, Orpiks shoulder wouldnt have grazed his chin. I didn't think it was predatory or intentional. Keep your head up out there Loui.

As for Neal's knee, yes I believe it was intentional, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Neal was under the circle near the half boards when he saw Marchand lying on the ice. He started skating towards center ice, when he shifted his weight and the angle he was skating changed slightly so his knee lined up with Marchand's head. So yes, there was definitely kneeing, and imo it was intentional. The reason I said it wasn't as bad as it could have been was that Neal wasnt skating full speed when his knee hit Marchand, he was coasting a little bit. That said its still a dirty play, and with his previous history (forget the NHL's dumb 18 month rule about repeat offenders) I'd give him 7-10 games off. Dirty play, bit not nearly as dirty as Thorntons actions.

What Thornton did absolutely despicable. You just can't slewfoot a guy, and then proceed to hit him in the face while he's down on the ice defenseless. I know some will argue, like the homer Bruins announcers, that if Orpik had fought Thornton earlier, this wouldn't have happened. That's some bullpoop right there. If you want revenge, either hit Orpik with big, clean check in game. Or go out and score a (frank)ing goal. Get your revenge during the game, in a way that'll help your team. But I digress. After Orpik was slewfooted, it looks, to me at least, that Thorntons first punch misses him, and Thornton's forearm/elbow comes down full force on Orpik's chin. Then he landed another punch square to the jaw of Orpik, and with him down on the ice, there was no where else for the energy of those hits to go so his head took the full brunt of it. That said, if it was up to me, I'd suspend Thornton 25 games or more.

If the NHL is serious about cracking down on head shots, they need to be serious about the punishment they hand out. You can't allow players to go around kneeing defenseless players on the ice, or straight up attacking players. So 7-10 for Neal, and 25+ for Thornton is what I would I do.
- fecondo

I think this is a pretty good summary of what actually happened. I also think the real damage to Orpik was via an elbow by Thornton, maybe or maybe not intentional.

Shanahan needs to start making examples out of some guys, if the league's suspensions are ever to be taken seriously. Thornton deserves 20 and Neal 10.

Hold on Im still trying to catch my breath from laughing at the guy who says no one would get hurt if they just agreed to a fight.
- Deadstar

Me too

To an extent, I agree with some of the mentality in your post. If somebody hits Crosby or any of our stars, even with a clean check I would expect that person to have to answer for it. Where I take issue is when answering the bell becomes getting slew-footed, and pummeled on the ice. The league had their chance to do something about suspending players aggression towards guys who didn't want to fight when Emery attacked Holtby. The only reason they will have a chance of getting the discipline right this time is because Orpik got carted off on a stretcher.
- Rawdog9755

Thanks to women like Orpik soon the nhl will be a league where a fight is an automatic 20 game suspension. Just like the instigator rule, then the real dirty poop starts going down.

Thanks to women like Orpik soon the nhl will be a league where a fight is an automatic 20 game suspension. Just like the instigator rule, then the real dirty poop starts going down.
- Buffalo-Sabres

Why would he fight? He's basically their best defenseman right now, why would he take himself off of the ice for 5 minutes. Soon after the incident Engelland and Lucid fought, isn't that enough?

Clean hit yes, but If your going to throw the big boy hits, you have to answer the bell.

Im a Sabres fan so my best examples are with the Sabres.

06 playoffs Campbell destroys Umberger on a clean hit(by 2013 standards would land him 10 games). The whole Flyers teams jumps Campbell as they should. Campbell stands up to it and turns it into a jersey grappling match. No one gets hurt.



Next time they meet when Umberger is healthy. Campbell who never fights, answers the bell. No one gets hurt.



Just like when Lucic destroyed Miller, next time the Sabres met, Gaustad challenges Lucic and he obliged. It had to be done. No one got hurt.

Orpik kept shying away, and he got hurt. Orpik is going to ruin it for everybody.
- Buffalo-Sabres

Yeah, HE'S the problem. Such an asinine comment but then again reading your nonsense it doesn't surprise me. I do find one thing funny about your poor examples. Each one of the fights came the NEXT time the teams face. So which is it? Should he have fought last night or in the next game in which your examples show?

Why would he fight? He's basically their best defenseman right now, why would he take himself off of the ice for 5 minutes. Soon after the incident Engelland and Lucid fought, isn't that enough?
- fecondo

It's stupid, pointless logic on his part trying to justify what happened. If Chara leveled Kunitz with a clean hit, should he be required to fight Tanner Glass? No, it would never happen. Your best defender, on an already injury delpleted team, doesn't need to fight a 4th line role player. If Orpik's hit had been dirty, I'd be all for him answering, but that was a clean hit.

Why would he fight? He's basically their best defenseman right now, why would he take himself off of the ice for 5 minutes. Soon after the incident Engelland and Lucid fought, isn't that enough?
- fecondo

Thornton made it clear he wanted a piece of him. You can't turn your back like that. You have to be aware of who is on the ice. This isn't Orpiks first go round like this. When poop like this happens everyone jumps
I their bleeding heart high horse. Like I said, we can't thank the actions of guys like Orpik when fighting is "removed" from the game and results in insane suspensions.

Thornton made it clear he wanted a piece of him. You can't turn your back like that. You have to be aware of who is on the ice. This isn't Orpiks first go round like this. When poop like this happens everyone jumps
I their bleeding heart high horse. Like I said, we can't thank the actions of guys like Orpik when fighting is "removed" from the game and results in insane suspensions.
- Buffalo-Sabres

So, every time someone lands a clean hit, they should fight? You make no sense, if it was a cheap hit and illegal, I can understand answering the bell to fight. If you catch someone clean and clear with a big hit, you shouldn't be forced to fight someone. I've been hit and I've hit...clean, not so clean....I never wanted to fight someone for hitting me clean...ever. Was i pissed, yes...did I go out of my way to make sure I hit that guy every chance I could, sure...did I give little cheap shots when I could..of course...but I never wanted to fight the dude. If people fought after every clean hard hit, no one would be left on the ice to play the game.