Sucker Punch
New member
So has Raffi Torres taken the title of biggest douchetard in the NHL from Matt Cooke?
3 Phoenix Coyotes vs 6 Chicago Blackhawks
- Thread starter Darryl
- Start date
ZBBM
Active member
Second article in 3 days in NYT on the "carnage":
http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/leading-off-what-will-it-take-to-stop-the-carnage/?hp
Citing Torres' "latest contribution to the NHL's brain-bashing thuggery."
This is the kind of bad PR that will eventually force Bettman and his associated troglodytes to finally do something significant.
EDIT: Aside from the article itself, which is scorches Bettman and Shanny, see the links to Litdke's and Cox's articles. The whole league is openly being called a joke, and deservedly so.
http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/leading-off-what-will-it-take-to-stop-the-carnage/?hp
Citing Torres' "latest contribution to the NHL's brain-bashing thuggery."
This is the kind of bad PR that will eventually force Bettman and his associated troglodytes to finally do something significant.
EDIT: Aside from the article itself, which is scorches Bettman and Shanny, see the links to Litdke's and Cox's articles. The whole league is openly being called a joke, and deservedly so.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
Not that people wouldn't be talking about these things, because ordinary fans obviously would, but I find it funny that the media writes and tweets endlessly about this stuff, and then keep writing about how it has everyone's attention.
Well obviously, that's all I am able to read about. I go on twitter and Mirtle is retweeting 100 times a day about people ripping the league.
I just find it funny that the media to a great degree determines the way a story goes, and then also writes about how much people are focusing on it.
Hope Torres gets a nice long suspension.
Well obviously, that's all I am able to read about. I go on twitter and Mirtle is retweeting 100 times a day about people ripping the league.
I just find it funny that the media to a great degree determines the way a story goes, and then also writes about how much people are focusing on it.
Hope Torres gets a nice long suspension.
Corn Flake
New member
Potvin29 said:
This.
Plus, the NHL is getting incredible ratings in the US right now. Their revenue has never been higher and as a whole I think popularity in the US is at an all time high. They aren't going to be too quick to stop the crazy.
It oversimplifies things a bit but Don Cherry was right... fans (in general) love it, players don't seem to mind, coaches don't mind... so who is all out of sorts about it? The media.
Hope Torres gets a nice long suspension too.
Corn Flake said:
Did the fans love it when Hossa was being wheeled off on a stretcher? They love tough, physical hockey, but too many times this postseason players have crossed the line and the NHL hasn't really done anything about it.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
Well I don't like the dirty stuff at all, but hopefully this is just some crazy week where the pressure of the playoffs just took over the players for some reason.
I don't enjoy reading the NHL getting dragged through the mud day after day. I've been really enjoying the games, although I've been intermittently watching due to exams, and I've seemed to miss all the bad stuff.
I don't enjoy reading the NHL getting dragged through the mud day after day. I've been really enjoying the games, although I've been intermittently watching due to exams, and I've seemed to miss all the bad stuff.
Derk said:
Torres was supposed to have his hearing today but he requested to move it to Friday. Since Phoenix plays on Thursday, he'll obviously have to sit out that game. Basically means that Torres will be suspended for at least 1 game.
Sucker Punch
New member
Yeah, indefinitely sounds like forever, but all it really means is he's not playing until they make a decision.
Corn Flake
New member
CarltonTheBear said:
I hear you. I do mean the highly physical play in general vs. some of the brutal head shots which are no good at all. That said, fans watching these games go nuts when those hits have happened until they realize the player is seriously hurt.
I don't think the suspensions being heavier or at least more consistent would change much with those anyway.
Corn Flake said:
Fair enough. I think that's a little like the discussion people had here about why Leafs fans were cheering at the end of the season when we won even though it cost us a draft pick. You can't help but cheer when you see the home team player make a big hit. It just bugs me when people like Cherry say things like the fans love physical hockey so there's no problem. He's completely missing the point. Nobody is complaining about physical hockey, they're complaining about illegal hits that could potentially damage someone's career and life.
Corn Flake said:
It's too bad we'll likely never find out
Kin
New member
Potvin29 said:
But I think that those two aspects of media coverage are coming from largely different places. The NHL is receiving increased attention these days and if someone is coming into this off-season without being deeply ingrained in the culture of the game the violence is going to be the immediate and obvious narrative. For people who do cover the sport regularly, it'd be impossible not to see the sport getting increased attention in places like the NYT and not see that most of the coverage is not what the NHL would want it to be. The media isn't a single, monolithic entity in this case.
I know a lot of people here are quick to dismiss the opinions of anyone who isn't a hockey lifer but more and more I think I'm starting to see people who are sort of being blinded by their proximity to the game and are sort of blindly accepting of what the "culture" of the game has evolved to be.
I was listening to a podcast the other day by some reporters who aren't particularly hockey focused but are pretty thoughtful and considered as far as covering sports goes and they were talking specifically about the Carkner incident and how ridiculous it would be in any other sport for someone to do what he did and be suspended for one game. I know the instinct of the hockey fan is to more or less accept that Carkner's punishment is in line with what we've seen come out of the league discipline-wise but I think we can also acknowledge that, looked at with fresh eyes, that's flipping crazy.
Chev-boyar-sky
New member
Was Torres assessed a penalty on the play? I didn't think he was, which makes this strange IMO.
I don't totally disagree with Burke. Can't say I'm crazy about the Neal hits but think the Asham suspension was a bit overblown.
He didn't really target Schenn's throat. He went in and crosschecked him in the chest and as Schenn moved his arms the stick slipped up into his neck/face.
Ultimately "playoff hockey" has been more physical with less penalties called than the regular season for as long as I can remember. Not everyone will agree about that being right, but I'd rather watch an extremely physical and passionate series like the Pens/Flyers any day of the week (especially when I don't care for either team).
I don't totally disagree with Burke. Can't say I'm crazy about the Neal hits but think the Asham suspension was a bit overblown.
He didn't really target Schenn's throat. He went in and crosschecked him in the chest and as Schenn moved his arms the stick slipped up into his neck/face.
Ultimately "playoff hockey" has been more physical with less penalties called than the regular season for as long as I can remember. Not everyone will agree about that being right, but I'd rather watch an extremely physical and passionate series like the Pens/Flyers any day of the week (especially when I don't care for either team).
LittleHockeyFan
Moderator
Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate said:
x2