I don't get it. Apparently, a clean check from Brooks Orpik plus a poor one from James Neal was enough to send Shawn Thornton overboard and knock Orpik unconscious with blindside punches. However, a full culmination of Sean Avery's career and he didn't have to answer to anyone? How does this make any sense?
Because the major difference between Sean Avery running his mouth, diving and turtling is alot different than playing a very physical brand of hockey and a dirty style of hockey. Say what you want about Sean Avery. He's never really hit anyone the way Orpik has in his career. Orpik also came close to concussing Kreider late in a game we were clearly losiing. He's crosses the line often (clean or not to me there is no difference) enough that he should be "talked to" Neal is also starting to play a dangerous brand of hockey as evidenced not by the knee to Marchands head, but what he did in the PO's against the Flyers a few years ago. These guys do this and nothing happens, the do it again, next time a little harder/dirtier, then a little harder and dirtier.
Fine, let's use Steve Ott. On April 6th, 2008, Jody Shelley, one of the biggest heavyweights of the last decade, had enough of Ott's **** and instigated a fight with Ott. He got kicked out of the game for it and sent the message you're so keen on here. On February 19th, 2009, Steve Ott interfered with an Oielrs player and Ethan Moreau instigated a fight against him. Pretty much a week later, Ott pulled his **** again, got an attempt to injure penalty and Travis Moen went after him, kicking his ass. On October 29th, 2009. Ott kneed a player and B.J. Crombeen, and experienced fighter and bigger player than Ott, instigated vs him. On January 7th, 2012. Steve Ott HEADBUTTED a player and Josh Green dropped the gloves, beating him decidedly. On January 25th, 2013, Steve Ott elbowed a player and Tim Gleason made him respond and kicked his ass.
Some of these guys are middleweights. Some are heavyweights. In any case, the pattern is pretty clear. Steve Ott does reckless ****. Players instigate against him, many times kicking his ass. Steve Ott still continues to do reckless ****. Now please explain how all this fighting and instigating has forced Steve Ott to tame himself.
There are going to be exceptions to every rule. Ott seems to be one. If I was an opposing player, not only would I target one of Ott's more talented teammates, I would tell him exactly why i am going after him. These guys talk all the time, and you can bet your last dollar that Richards or Benn (assuming Ott was in Dallas when you make these references) would have asked Ott to tone down the recklessness. When your actions start putting your more talented teammates physical well being in jeopardy, guys, the more rationale guys tend to tone that stuff down.
So your point here is what, exactly? Donald Brashear answered the bell whenever someone challenged him, and therefore sucker punching Aaron Ward, breaking Blair Betts' jaw with an awful blindside interference, and all the other reckless **** did in his career is perfectly okay? Aside from it being morally questionable, it does not explain how the game was safer.
Again ties into the Brashear thing. Your assertion is that fighting "polices the game" and makes it safer for everyone. Players will think twice about doing reckless crap because they'll be afraid of someone who will challenge them and make them answer for it. Clearly, this does not apply to Brashear, Hunter, or Stevens, all of whom despite the hundreds of times you cite them having to answer the bell, still doing whatever the hell they wanted. Scott Stevens having to answer the bell doesn't make the game safer if he's perfectly willing to answer. Dale Hunter will do whatever the **** he wants to Pierre Turgeon because he doesn't care who will come after him. I'm waiting for you to explain how this serves to prove that fighting served as a deterrent from Brashear or Hunter or Stevens from playing the brutal game, sometimes illegal game they did.
sarcasm
