UNRULY PLAYERS MUST PAY PRICE : THE PENALTY BOX.Byline: Tim Trepany News item: A St. Louis jury awards a former minor-league goalie $175,000 from the St. Louis Blues after he successfully argues a concussion he suffered in a collision with one of their players during a game negatively impacted his career. New item 2: Brian Burke For the hockey executive, see . Brian Thomas Burke (born in Perth, 25 February 1947) was premier of Western Australia from 25 February 1983 until his resignation on 25 February 1988. In 1994, Burke was imprisoned for seven months after being convicted of rorting travel expenses. , the NHL's alleged disciplinarian dis·ci·pli·nar·i·an n. One that enforces or believes in strict discipline. adj. Disciplinary. disciplinarian Noun a person who practises strict discipline Noun 1. , decides last week not to suspend Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional men's ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). enforcer Bob Probert Robert Probert (born June 5, 1965 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. even though he swung his stick at Matt Johnson of the Kings. Unrelated incidents Unrelated Incidents is a series of poems by Tom Leonard. One of the more well-known of this series is "The Six o'clock news" where the poem takes the form of a Glaswegian reading the news autocue like a BBC newsreader. for now. But in a courtroom in the future, maybe not. Imagine this scene: A player loses control, just as Probert did, but instead of missing when he swings his stick, he connects, knocking out an eye or inflicting some other serious injury. Think an attorney would be able to successfully argue the league did not take proper action to try to prevent such incidents, citing the Probert case as an example of the league's history of negligence? Yes. Burke deserves credit for becoming more even-handed in his rulings. The wide-held belief throughout the league was that superstars weren't punished as severely as average players. But, considering Mark Messier Not to be confused with Marc Messier, an actor from Quebec. Mark John Douglas Messier (born January 18, 1961, in Edmonton, Alberta) is a former ice hockey centreman of the National Hockey League. is among the players who've been suspended this year, that perception is slowly changing. But Burke's decision regarding the Blackhawks-Kings brawl near the end of their game Sunday at the United Center is puzzling to say the least. Kings coach Larry Robinson For U.S. basketball player, see Larry Robinson (basketball). Larry Clark Robinson (born June 2 1951, in Winchester, Ontario, Canada) was a star player and a coach in the National Hockey League. He is currently an assistant coach of the New Jersey Devils. sent out his usual checking line of Ian Laperriere Ian Laperrière (born January 19, 1974 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is an ice hockey player in the NHL. He played in the QMJHL 1990-1993 and was drafted by the St. Louis Blues of the NHL in the 7th round and pick number 158 in the 1992 draft. , Dan Bylsma and Johnson with defensemen Philippe Boucher and Mattias Norstrom for a face-off in the closing seconds of a 4-2 Kings victory. Johnson is the only fighter in the bunch, but Chicago coach Craig Hartsburg decided to use an all-brawlers line of Probert, out of position at center, Jim Cummins and Ken McRae. In the melee that ensued, Probert cross-checked Laperriere as soon as the puck dropped, then swung his stick at Johnson, even holding it out like a sword at one point and jabbing it at Johnson. In Burke's infinite wisdom, he decided to fine the teams $5,000 apiece, saying each coach's choice of players enhanced the chances of a fight. Fine, if that's what he truly believes. But not suspending Probert is inexcusable. Probert could have caused serious injury to Johnson. Fortunately, the 20-year-old backed off and avoided being struck. The only penalty Probert received was having to sit out the final 24 seconds of a game that was already decided and paying the $100 fine that automatically comes with a game misconduct. It's hardly the type of punishment that deters future deviant behavior, by Probert or any player in the league. It's only a matter of time before a player injures another player, and a lawyer puts two and two together in a court of law. In the Blues' case, Steve McKichan sued the team because Tony Twist was its property six years ago when Twist skated into him and knocked him unconscious. Although the Blues argued that McKichan had a history of concussions, had suffered no permanent damage and that he wasn't an NHL-caliber player, the jury decided otherwise. ``I would anticipate other cases coming to the surface,'' Blues coach/general manager Mike Keenan said. ``This case is 6 years old. Who know how far it will go? ``Maybe Lou Fontinato is going to come in here and sue Eddie Shack for swinging his stick at him in 1928, or 1948, or 1958, whatever it was.'' Well, actually, there is a statute of limitations A type of federal or state law that restricts the time within which legal proceedings may be brought. Statutes of limitations, which date back to early Roman Law, are a fundamental part of European and U.S. law. . But Keenan does have a point. If an NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there team can be found liable for an on-ice accident, where does it end? That's just one more reason - along with player safety and marketing the game to broader audiences - that the league and Burke must get tougher with players who have obviously been influenced by the film ``Slap Shot.'' Inspection time: Beginning Dec. 15, goalies might start appearing thinner. That's when the league said it will begin random checks on their equipment. Leg pads can't be more than 12 inches wide and blockers are reqIuired to be 8 inches by 16 inches. Anyone caught with oversized o·ver·size n. 1. A size that is larger than usual. 2. An oversize article or object. adj. o·ver·size also o·ver·sized Larger in size than usual or necessary. equipment will be suspended for one game and fined. Opponents have grumbled about the size of Patrick Roy's pads, but he insists his will pass inspection. ``I had them checked last week and they were 11.86 (inches),'' he said. ``I laugh at what people say.'' He admits, however, that wearing regulation-sized blockers might be a problem. He says that his 7-year-old son Jonathan wears blockers that are a quarter-inch wider than the NHL allows. ``I can hardly see a guy in the NHL with that size blocker when kids 7 years old are playing with ones wider,'' Roy said. ``There are no guys in the league with an 8-inch blocker. That's pee-wee size. It makes no sense with the quality and power of shots in this league.'' Added Florida goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, ``We'll have to do some liposuction Liposuction Definition Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty or suction-assisted lipectomy, is cosmetic surgery performed to remove unwanted deposits of fat from under the skin. to get ready.'' Surf's up: Rick Tabaracci became the odd-man out in the Calgary Flames' logjam log·jam n. 1. An immovable mass of floating logs crowded together. 2. A deadlock, as in negotiations; an impasse. Noun 1. at goalie, but he didn't mind. On the day he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning is a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida, USA. It is a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). last week, Calgary was experiencing a bitterly cold day even by its standards. Temperatures were subzero with blowing snow and a biting wind. In Tampa, it was 73 degrees and sunny. When asked if he had packed, he said, ``Let's see, gaudy Hawaiian shirts, Ray-bans, sunscreen sunscreen /sun·screen/ (-skren) a substance applied to the skin to protect it from the effects of the sun's rays. sun·screen n. and bathing trunks. Did I forget anything?'' Funeral march?: The New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York, U.S.A. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). have had plenty of company on this current road trip. Six writers have made the six-game, 13-day trip, the team's longest in five years, but that's only because of coach Colin Campbell's uncertain job status. ``Lately I've been browsing the Internet and there apparently are seven coaches just waiting to be fired,'' he said. ``I guess we all got awful dumb in the last one-and-a-half months. With all due respect, that means there are seven guys not working who got smarter every day.'' Campbell should be smart enough to know that being six games under .500 with a team that has the league'Is highest payroll (almost $40 million) is a dumb thing to do. New York Rangers: They have Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky and the highest payroll in the league at just under $40 million, but they are only 7-13-4. Yet general manager Neil Smith revealed that he has the OK to spend more money to improve the team. Maybe $50 million will get them to .500. PLAYER WATCH Jeremy Roenick, Phoenix Coyotes: He signed late and now he's out again. This time it is because of a sprained right knee, suffered in a third-period collision Saturday with New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, a hamlet located on Long Island in Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. wing Brent Hughes. Roenick will be sidelined up to three weeks. SAY WHAT ``Hey, anybody got any peanut brittle?'' New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Devils have won the Stanley Cup three times, in 1995, 2000, and 2003. defenseman Ken Daney after being hit by Russ Courtnall and losing six teeth and undergoing a root canal root canal n. 1. The chamber of the dental pulp lying within the root portion of a tooth. Also called pulp canal. 2. . TOP 10 AND NO. 26 1. Florida 2. Colorado 3. Dallas 4. Detroit 5. Philadelphia 6. Washington 7. Vancouver 8. Hartford 9. New Jersey 10. St. Louis 26. Phoenix L.A. ON ICE KINGS Wednesday - at Edmonton Thursday - at Calgary Saturday - vs. Chicago Matt Johnson beware: They say Chicago's Bob Probert has started choking up and is using a lighter stick to improve his swing. MIGHTY DUCKS Wednesday - St. Louis Friday - Chicago Sunday - Edmonton They could climb out of the Western Conference cellar this week. CAPTION(S): Box Box: THE PENALTY BOX (see text) |
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