Air Canada threatens to pull sponsorship from NHL over headshots

[Boston BROin]

I'm not a Canadiens fan. Head shots, all of them, are serious. They should be treated seriously. It's not just about the time players miss on the ice, it's about the long-term effects that these players endure. It may mean nothing to those of us sitting on our rumps watching the game on the tube.

Players make a lot of money, yes, but that doesn't remove their right to leave healthy, sane lives post sports.

It's a dangerous game. Players are even going to get injured on the cleanest of hits.

Should sponsors pull their advertising on all their favorite teams if someone from said team gets hurt?

The most sickening thing about this whole situation is corporations and politicians using it for political and financial gain. You think the Liberal party in Canada is doing anything else but vote pandering? No. You think Air Canada is doing anything else but advertising? No. Disgusting.

 

[Sega Dreamcast]

The punishment system needs to be fixed. Maybe a swift kick in the ass like this will wake the league up.

 

[HTFN]

Guess they just don't like hockey.
The hit wasn't anything special seriously.

Seriously. The amount of turnbuckle-to-head hits in that video without, I presume, any supplementary discipline should speak for itself. 2 minutes, interference, move on.

 

[jkrdevil]

Looks to me like a Montreal based company is jsut getting some shots in, I don't think anything will come of this.

Bingo, same with the politicos.

Had it been a Boston player (or had this happened in a game between two southeast division teams) hitting the stanchion I don't think we would be hearing a peep out of these people. It is all grandstanding. It is an empty threat.

It is unfortunate what happened. I don't know what short of just padding it more can be done to prevent guys from hitting that from time to time. The hit was interference, but I don't think it was that egregious. Nor do i think there was malice or intent.

 

[mrv52]

More importantly, if the NHL starts losing major corporative investments because of flawed officiating and bad judgement, how are they going to survive ? Read the article before commenting, they're not only condemning the Pacioretty hit...

The same way they made it this far...USA corporate sponsors, duh.

 

[Brodie]

Looks to me like a Montreal based company is jsut getting some shots in, I don't think anything will come of this.

Yeah... it's not like they're the only major national airline in Canada... they really need to grow their brand in the Montreal market with stupid publicity stunts.

Seriously, dude. This isn't the main board.

 

[kingsholygrail]

What the hell is Air Canada?

 

[Le Casque de Mats]

Quite unprofessional of Air Canada.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

 

[a pony]

How dare Air Canada refuse to have its name sullied by being associated with an organization as poorly run as the NHL.

 

[ReVeuF]

If Air Canada pull the plug = less money to the NHL = end of the Phoenix Coyotes saga and Gary Buttman = Winnipeg Jets come back sooner

DO IT !!!

 

[IcedCapp]

It's a dangerous game. Players are even going to get injured on the cleanest of hits.

Should sponsors pull their advertising on all their favorite teams if someone from said team gets hurt?

The most sickening thing about this whole situation is corporations and politicians using it for political and financial gain. You think the Liberal party in Canada is doing anything else but vote pandering? No. You think Air Canada is doing anything else but advertising? No. Disgusting.

if players are getting injured by "clean" hits to the head, you need to redefine what clean is. Please, educate yourself on the effects of head trauma. No one signs up for that kind of "life" 20 years later.

If you can sit there and yell that it's just a game and that these players need to toughen up and everyone that hates head shots are pansies, you're akin to those sitting in the coliseum cheering on someone's death.

You can have a physical, hard-played game, without ruining someone's quality of life.

 

[seanlinden]

There are a couple of logical reasons for Air Canada to write this.

1. With the speed and the strength of players today, concussions are becoming a major problem and hockey is seeming less and less like a family sport every year. You don't see Air Canada sponsoring the UFC. That of course doens't justify the timing.

2. The timing can be viewed as a pre-emptive move in social media. The last thing Air Canada wants is some idiotic habs fan suggesting that the city of Montreal boycotts Air Canada for sponsoring the NHL because of their failure to act. It's ridiculous to think that they'd have to do it, but habs fans have a reputation for the ridiculous.

 

[vezna*]

this is just blowing hot air. air canada isn't going to pull support from the only sport canada cares about

 

[btn]

More importantly, if the NHL starts losing major corporative investments because of flawed officiating and bad judgement, how are they going to survive ? Read the article before commenting, they're not only condemning the Pacioretty hit...

Funny how they didn't say a peep when Marc Savard got creamed, or Sidney Crosby.....or just about anyone else.

I understand Montreal fans are upset, but a major corporate sponsor based in Montreal behaving like a whiny child is not good for either party. Whoever is behind this press fiasco at Air Canada should be fired by the board of directors.

 

[LostMyGlasses*]

Air Canada receives subsidy and protectionism from the government and probably shouldn't be financially supporting anything but its own operations.

 

[Acesolid]

For all the handwringing over 'they have to fire Bettman for this' in the relocation threads ....

THIS issue right hear is one that could get Bettman shown the door. Air Canada has naming rights for an arena, sponsors all 6 Canadian teams, and I believe has deals with a few US teams as well. You might be talking about $100M+.

Exactly, I think it's mostly that Air Canada doesn't want the front page of every newspaper in the world to be that Player X of the Maple Leafs died in the Air Canada Center after Player Y ran him head first into the boards.

The NHL must do something before that happens!

 

[Mathradio]

Air Canada's HQ is in Montreal, and they do have sponsorship over an Arena too, and other promotions. Maybe others will jump on board too.

I'd predict Molson would do it as well. Together, these sponsors have some big money in the NHL. Don't the Molsons own both Molson and the Habs?

 

[GKJ]

Let's someone play Devil's Advocate.

The following entities have called for a league mandate on head-shots:

-fans
-media
-players
-coaches
-GM's and/or other front office personnel

Who would be in line to be next on that list?

 

[a pony]

Funny how they didn't say a peep when Marc Savard got creamed, or Sidney Crosby.....or just about anyone else.

I understand Montreal fans are upset, but a major corporate sponsor based in Montreal behaving like a whiny child is not good for either party. Whoever is behind this press fiasco at Air Canada should be fired by the board of directors.

Maybe they're taking their lead from Mario

 

[IcedCapp]

Funny how they didn't say a peep when Marc Savard got creamed, or Sidney Crosby.....or just about anyone else.

I understand Montreal fans are upset, but a major corporate sponsor based in Montreal behaving like a whiny child is not good for either party. Whoever is behind this press fiasco at Air Canada should be fired by the board of directors.

maybe the MaxPac situation is just the straw that broke the camels back? There have been Montreal players injured before, I don't think anyone has gone "crying" about it.

The response from people here to Air Canada's letter is quite disheartening.

 

[Snazzyduck27]

This is ****ing ridiculous. Seriously what do they want the NHL to do? I guess every time a player gets a concussion someone has to get kicked out of the league from now on? Would that be "serious" enough action for them?

Stupid. Just ****ing stupid.

 

[cupface52]

Canadien fans - write emails to Air Canada stating they'll no longer fly with them if they don't drop corporate sponsorship for the NHL.. because of the accidently injury by Chara that went unsuspended.
Air Canada - Writes email to NHL threatening to drop sponsership unless Chara gets suspended.

Guessing that's what happened...

Chara Pacioretty was once a year accidental incident that caused injury. If it was two different teams playing, this incident would go nearly unnoticed. But because it was Bruin on Hab... in Montreal..

 

[Boston BROin]

if players are getting injured by "clean" hits to the head, you need to redefine what clean is. Please, educate yourself on the effects of head trauma. No one signs up for that kind of "life" 20 years later.

If you can sit there and yell that it's just a game and that these players need to toughen up and everyone that hates head shots are pansies, you're akin to those sitting in the coliseum cheering on someone's death.

You can have a physical, hard-played game, without ruining someone's quality of life.

Are you saying it's impossible that players can get injured on clean checks? The Bruins' own Steve Kapfer received a concussion on a very clean hit. Marc Savard, this season, was knocked out by a clean hit from Hunwick. It's going to happen.

Do I like the current blindside rule? Yes. Very much so. It was needed in this game.

Anyways, anyone who agrees with this corporate opportunism is absolutely ignoring their ulterior motives. It's sickening that corporations and politicians are going to use the fact that a young man is in the hospital for their own gain. There aren't enough facepalm emoticons for that.

 

[MillerTime2181]

Funny how they didn't say a peep when Marc Savard got creamed, or Sidney Crosby.....or just about anyone else.

I understand Montreal fans are upset, but a major corporate sponsor based in Montreal behaving like a whiny child is not good for either party. Whoever is behind this press fiasco at Air Canada should be fired by the board of directors.

Exactly it's not the endeavor that should anger some but rather the timing. No uproar over the Crosby,Savard, or Richards hits. Yet a Canadian player on a Canadian team-the very teams the majority of the sponser's money go to- and we get this. Kudos for standing up to the hits and arguing for changes, but the timing seems off.

 

[Elganja]

This is bad IMO. Can't let ****ing commercial/advertising this openly affect the game.


The league does anything about this, I'm officially worried.

Agree