James Tanner: PLUS MINUS Salutes NHL Hero Evander Kane

A band surprisingly good at ambient is the melvins.

What did Kane say?

A band surprisingly good at ambient is the melvins.
- ChrisMS

The Melvins make excellent sounds.👌

What did Kane say?
- JetFuel

He said the truth, actually.

The league probably won't have a credible and consistent safety standard until the act of fighting is suspendable in itself. As long as fighting, which is inherently an intent to injure, remains an accepted part of the game we will not have a consistent form of punishment.

Once the league gives in that fighting is intent to injure and suspendable, everything else can be fit into a spectrum of severity. Right now they are intentionally creating a fuzzy line because the league knows if they make it definitive, fighting has to be suspended, but they don't want that yet.

So for now, we end up with weird decisions on all forms of violence in the game. No one ever knows what is guilty, or the approximate severity of it, until the punishment is unilaterally decided by the league. The muddy facade of uncertainty actually allows them to keep fighting in the game because most people lose sight of the core issue, Intent.

To a much lesser extent, I will agree that they probably don't have the right people heading the department.

He said the truth, actually.
- shoreorrpark

Evander is exactly right. He said it very well too. The DOPS has been a clown show from the start. Since Parros took over it's become even worse. The favoritism has to stop. Dart board justice is ridiculous.

Evander is exactly right. He said it very well too. The DOPS has been a clown show from the start. Since Parros took over it's become even worse. The favoritism has to stop. Dart board justice is ridiculous.
- gergeswillems

I am honestly surprised you didn't write an impassioned defense of Zach Kassian.

The league probably won't have a credible and consistent safety standard until the act of fighting is suspendable in itself. As long as fighting, which is inherently an intent to injure, remains an accepted part of the game we will not have a consistent form of punishment.

Once the league gives in that fighting is intent to injure and suspendable, everything else can be fit into a spectrum of severity. Right now they are intentionally creating a fuzzy line because the league knows if they make it definitive, fighting has to be suspended, but they don't want that yet.

So for now, we end up with weird decisions on all forms of violence in the game. No one ever knows what is guilty, or the approximate severity of it, until the punishment is unilaterally decided by the league. The muddy facade of uncertainty actually allows them to keep fighting in the game because most people lose sight of the core issue, Intent.

To a much lesser extent, I will agree that they probably don't have the right people heading the department.
- The_Journeyman

I see where you're coming from here, but I don't see how you can't have a zero tolerance on kicking people with the razor blades strapped to your feet.

Fighting should probably be banned, due to what we now know about CTE, but the fact is, it has nothing to do with the fact that kicking a guy with skates on should get you banned for more than seven games.

What did Kane say?
- JetFuel

He called the NHL and George Parros out for the horrible job their doing, questioned why his union ever agreed to this, and suggested a third party arbitrator for judging infractions.

Which makes sense, the league needs the Oilers and Connor McDavid in the playoffs, and only giving kassian seven games makes it pretty obvious that they can't be objective in balancing morality and their finances.

I am honestly surprised you didn't write an impassioned defense of Zach Kassian.
- James_Tanner

I'm honestly surprised you finally spelled "Kassian" correctly. But who's Zedeno Chara?

Actually if they want to make the league safer, remove the instigator penalty. The league has proven that they can't effectively police the league. Let the players do it.

Actually if they want to make the league safer, remove the instigator penalty. The league has proven that they can't effectively police the league. Let the players do it.
- MJL

That's how it was before the Instigator Rule. Guys like Marchand would be alot less "brave."

That's how it was before the Instigator Rule. Guys like Marchand would be alot less "brave."
- gergeswillems

I remember a story that Keith Jones told about what Craig Berube did one game. I forget who they were playing but a tough guy on the opposition was out taking runs at the Flyers skill guys. Berube went to their bench and told them if they don't get him to knock it off, he was going to jump their star player and beat the crap out of him. It stopped.

I remember a story that Keith Jones told about what Craig Berube did one game. I forget who they were playing but a tough guy on the opposition was out taking runs at the Flyers skill guys. Berube went to their bench and told them if they don't get him to knock it off, he was going to jump their star player and beat the crap out of him. It stopped.
- MJL

I remember that.

Actually if they want to make the league safer, remove the instigator penalty. The league has proven that they can't effectively police the league. Let the players do it.
- MJL

Hahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahaha


I actually used to think this back in grade nine, but in light of the many suicides and massive drop of in quality of life that NHL enforcers suffer when their careers are done, as well as what we now know about CTE, the NHL should be banning fighting, not encouraging it.

I'm honestly surprised you finally spelled "Kassian" correctly. But who's Zedeno Chara?
- gergeswillems

Doesn’t matter cause zeds dead baby... zeds dead.

Hahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahaha


I actually used to think this back in grade nine, but in light of the many suicides and massive drop of in quality of life that NHL enforcers suffer when their careers are done, as well as what we now know about CTE, the NHL should be banning fighting, not encouraging it.
- James_Tanner

Who said anything about bringing enforcers back into the league? Fighting should not be banned.

Your response here has the intelligence level of below 9th grade. More like 3rd grade.

Who said anything about bringing enforcers back into the league? Fighting should not be banned.

Your response here has the intelligence level of below 9th grade. More like 3rd grade.
- MJL

Fighting is so dumb. It’s one of many things that are holding the league back from serious growth. And more importantly it’s boring.

1st fight should be an automatic 1 game suspension. 2nd 2 game suspension. And so on.

And coaches and gms and owners should be fined in cases of suspendable plays. Dirty players would cease to exist very quickly.

Ambient is where I landed when I started to become embarrassed to be listening to most lyrics.

Fighting is so dumb. It’s one of many things that are holding the league back from serious growth. And more importantly it’s boring.

1st fight should be an automatic 1 game suspension. 2nd 2 game suspension. And so on.

And coaches and gms and owners should be fined in cases of suspendable plays. Dirty players would cease to exist very quickly.
- ChrisMS

I disagree. Fighting just doesn't happen that much to have that big of an impact. The point is that the league is ineffective in policing the league. When a player like Marchand cheap shots someone, he should have to answer for it rather than being able to skate away cowardly.

Would love to hear how you think fighting is stopping the game from growing

I disagree. Fighting just doesn't happen that much to have that big of an impact. The point is that the league is ineffective in policing the league. When a player like Marchand cheap shots someone, he should have to answer for it rather than being able to skate away cowardly.
- MJL

The answer is better officiating and harsher punishments. We seem to agree that garbage occurs. Again... you start fining the coach for putting to d bag on the ice.... the gm for signing the d bag... the owner for paying them.... marchand cleans up or is gone. A player can still skate away without the instigator penalty. How’s that for a look for the league? A dude declining to fight and someone jumping him from behind. It’s not a valid solution

Would love to hear how you think fighting is stopping the game from growing
- ClaudeFather

Same way people like cherry were doing it. To most American fans (let’s face it, Canada doesn’t need game growth it sells itself there) they see that and it’s almost like the Benny hill theme is playing in the background. Not to be taken seriously

Would love to hear how you think fighting is stopping the game from growing
- ClaudeFather

Times have changed. Alot of parents would never enroll their kids in anything that involves fighting.
Bare knuckle fighting on skates has to be the most stupid thing still allowed in sports.