Suspended: Spezza 6 games (Reduced to 4 games) | Pionk 2 games

[JayfromNB1219]

Check out their career stats before you determine the skilled player from the "goon".

Spezza vs Pionk...really? "check their stats"

 

[Bellefour20]

- shut down our facilities in the summer, meanwhile they were open to any league player

- over the top fines/suspensions handed out to leaf players

- lack of disciplinary action against leaf players

- when’s the last draft, ASG, or even a gimmick outdoor game in TOR? I genuinely am curious about these things.

nah man, even Steven.

When the Leafs reached 100 years in the league, the NHL instead decided to honour the teams which reached the much more prestigious mark of...checks notes...50 years. The Habs reached the century mark and were handed literally every event, while we got:

It is pretty clear the Leafs are regarded as little more than a cash cow to the league while also despised for it. They know this market will put up with anything so they have no incentive to be accommodating in any way. Just hand over the revenue and don't ask questions.

 

[cookie]

Outrageous the length of this suspension!

Especially when the guy did not even miss a shift.

Spezza just got fed up and did it!

Gotta say, not even Kadri did something like that, try to knee someone in the head at full speed.

Stupid refs, when they lose control of a game then this is inevitable.

If the refs do not protect the players, the players will take matters into their own hands.

The refs have to settle it, if they don't, the players will.

Point I haven't seen enough is how the Jets organization sidestepped any punishment in the incident: how does a player, who is now in concussion protocol, play the rest of a game after a headshot? Why is it that the in-game level of care for concussions much lower than afterwards? I'd argue, even the Leafs should have been critiqued with how they continued to have their goalies stay on the ice after being visibly kneed by opposing forwards... didn't even go to the dark room.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

What would you prefer happen after the Pionk hit? ? A 5 minute major and kicked from the game? Or no pp or game misconduct, but 2 game suspension?

da correct call - 5 minutes and a game - then a Poink suspension until Sandin gets back plus an additional game .. this is FAIR .. players will respect .. and BS knee on knee targets will stop .. guys can't go a whole year without pay .. it stops this BRUTAL attempt to injure in its tracks .. a dead stop immediately .. it completely eliminates human error on league decisions with DOPS

 

[Craigo85]

Maybe Rogers and Bell need to get together and discuss what the discount should be on future TV contracts as long as the NHL treats the Leafs (and other Canadian teams, everybody remembers the shit Vancouver went through) as unfairly as they do.

Maybe 15% less on their next bids, 20-25%? who knows. But if Bettman won't play fair, MLSE's owners should play dirty too. Hell, maybe its not even dirty and reflects how much less the TV rights should be.

 

[ACC1224]

da correct call - 5 minutes and a game - then a Poink suspension until Sandin gets back plus an additional game .. this is FAIR .. players will respect .. and BS knee on knee targets will stop .. guys can't go a whole year without pay .. it stops this BRUTAL attempt to injure in its tracks .. a dead stop immediately .. it completely eliminates human error on league decisions with DOPS

Players would never go for that.

 

[therealkoho]

The issue with this dumb appeal process is Bettman just wastes time.

Tom Wilson got a 20 game suspension. He appealed to Bettman because you have to, who waited like 10 games and said I stand by my collegue. Conflict of interests much?

Then, it went to an independent arbitrator who reduced it to 14 games, but 16 games had already been served at that point.

So the appeal process took 16 games because you have to go through Bettman. I can see Spezza doing it on principle but he'll probably be playing again by the time it goes to an arbitrator, if it does. Makes 0 sense.

The league should be punished if the player is forced to sit out more games than the final verdict. Wilson missed an extra 2 games for no reason and the league didn't suffer. So Bettman always wastes time to make the process as redundant as possible.

What the appeal really does is get the players money back. Let's say that a player is suspended 8 games, and the player sits all 8 while the appeals process plays out. This also means that the players pay for those games is forfeited into the fund controlled by the league and the PA set up for retired players. If the player wins his appeal and has the suspension reduced to 2 games, then he would get the equivalent of 6 games pay back less the normal deductions.

 

[ACC1224]

What the appeal really does is get the players money back. Let's say that a player is suspended 8 games, and the player sits all 8 while the appeals process plays out. This also means that the players pay for those games is forfeited into the fund controlled by the league and the PA set up for retired players. If the player wins his appeal and has the suspension reduced to 2 games, then he would get the equivalent of 6 games pay back less the normal deductions.

Could an appeal process really take that long?

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Players would never go for that.

Back in my day you are 100% correct .. but today these kids are soft and I am talking about my own kids .. da days on going to bars after game with guy you just traded blows with are over .. da days of multiple concussions and working it through on your own in a hotel room are over .. da days of bag skates 1 hour after games on ice where you laid an egg are over .. da days of guys challenging bench and donnybrooks are over .. da days where you could take your stick and reef a guy without penalty are over .. da days where you could ride a guy into boards and take his head and smash into into glass for a 2 minute minor are over .. it is a much faster game now and guys who can't skate are virtually OUT of game now .. I asked my kids what they would do about knee on knee hits and I think it is going around social media now but they said not 1 friend of theirs still playing wants it in game anymore .. they want it out of game completely .. I think this is direction league will go too .. things have got progressive more legal in hockey now for last 20 years .. but I would be with you as it brings some element of nastiness to game still .. but these kids don't want it .. much like fighting is now virtually out of OHL .. when you and I know 25+ years ago as a rook at rook camp it was fight city to determine who made main camp .. it was Bert hockey everywhere

 

[Pinto]

Could an appeal process really take that long?

I could be wrong but when Tom Wilson had his lengthy suspension reduced a couple years ago I think it was already too late by the time it was decided.

 

[ACC1224]

I could be wrong but when Tom Wilson had his lengthy suspension reduced a couple years ago I think it was already too late by the time it was decided.

You would think they would have a way to expedite something like that. It shouldn't take weeks.

 

[Pinto]

You would think they would have a way to expedite something like that. It shouldn't take weeks.

You would think so. Like I said though I could be wrong, I remember someone posting that somewhere a few days ago, I’m not sure if that’s what actually happened.

 

[wingman75]

Sorry, I may have missed this in the thread... during the appeal, is Jason allowed to play? I assume no?

I remember that Wilson ordeal. The league is a bit of a joke when it comes to these things.

I find it funny that the league disagrees that Spezz would have hit Pionk even if he didn't fall... they have to take hypothecicals out of the equation all together imo.

6 games is ridiculous. Anywhere from 2-4 I probably would have not blinked an eye. That being said, I would expect Jason to do the exact same thing 10 out ot 10 times. No one is pushing this Leafs team around anymore.

 

[Lahey]

6 games is insane

 

[al secord]

6 games is insane

Way she goes.

 

[Lahey]

Way she goes.

mowin the air rand.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Sorry, I may have missed this in the thread... during the appeal, is Jason allowed to play? I assume no?

I remember that Wilson ordeal. The league is a bit of a joke when it comes to these things.

I find it funny that the league disagrees that Spezz would have hit Pionk even if he didn't fall... they have to take hypothecicals out of the equation all together imo.

6 games is ridiculous. Anywhere from 2-4 I probably would have not blinked an eye. That being said, I would expect Jason to do the exact same thing 10 out ot 10 times. No one is pushing this Leafs team around anymore.

Well it will be interesting Spezz has both Leafs and NHLPA behind him now and they are all saying there should be NO suspension only da MAX fine allowable .. folks it is Larry vs Jacobs on this one .. Gary will fall in behind Jacobs here .. I am guessing everyone will agree on 2 games and call it a day as this is a 1st time offender here and a league VET

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Well it will be interesting Spezz has both Leafs and NHLPA behind him now and they are all saying there should be NO suspension only da MAX fine allowable .. folks it is Larry vs Jacobs on this one .. Gary will fall in behind Jacobs here .. I am guessing everyone will agree on 2 games and call it a day as this is a 1st time offender here and a league VET

Also guess it will be negotiated today or tomorrow as both guys in Florida with Gary .. then play out quickly with Gary mtg with spezz and announcement .. this won't be normal Gary slow play as Leafs are p*ssed and it goes beyond this Spezz incident to ref in charge of game and his future in NHL

 

[HamiltonNHL]

To save face,

I can’t see this being shorter than 4.

You need to make everyone look good.

Zero reduction is most probable.

“we wanna take vigilante justice out of the game”.

Id make Spezza stay out as long as Pionk’s concussion.

 

[Niagara Bill]

Something is wrong with Parros. There is an agenda going on.
The refs caused this reaction by a great veteran player by not dealing with Poink.
The league cannot justify this 6 games, or IMHO, this was no different play than Folino in the crease against a defenseless goalie.
The only real issue is Poink is lucky it was Spezza and not a nut case player like Marchant who could put a stick blade through his rib cage.

 

[Jmo89]

Also guess it will be negotiated today or tomorrow as both guys in Florida with Gary .. then play out quickly with Gary mtg with spezz and announcement .. this won't be normal Gary slow play as Leafs are p*ssed and it goes beyond this Spezz incident to ref in charge of game and his future in NHL

When I found out they were the same refs as the ones from that Boston game I just laughed.

 

[29Potvin]

To save face,

I can’t see this being shorter than 4.

You need to make everyone look good.

Zero reduction is most probable.

“we wanna take vigilante justice out of the game”.

Id make Spezza stay out as long as Pionk’s concussion.

Not sure that you want to set that precedent... What happens if say McDavid does something similar do you think they would have the face of the NHL sitting out while some guy recovers from an injury?? Hell you have teams putting guys on ltir for the season..thats a slippery slope that neither the PA or NHL would jump on.

Spezza should have 3-4 games at max. we are not talking about a PK or Marchand who are skating around kicking guys legs out from under them on the weekly here.

 

[supermann_98]

Tim and Friends had an Instagram poll asking people to vote for Canada's athlete of the year. Damian Warner was getting the most votes obviously but Spezza was like 2nd

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Not sure that you want to set that precedent... What happens if say McDavid does something similar do you think they would have the face of the NHL sitting out while some guy recovers from an injury?? Hell you have teams putting guys on ltir for the season..thats a slippery slope that neither the PA or NHL would jump on.

Spezza should have 3-4 games at max. we are not talking about a PK or Marchand who are skating around kicking guys legs out from under them on the weekly here.

McJesus one of those kids who wants to take kneeing out of game .. da kid never even thinks or talks like that EVER .. a lot of these kids want to see guy sit out for as long as victim is out + something .. and teams luv to put guys on LTIR as helps them build a better playoff roster as per CBA rules (another pretty stupid past of collective) .. Kuch could have played in April last year but had to sit out until playoffs started due to this collective agreement --- Tampa, NHL and PA could care less .. everyone got paid and it was only fans who missed out on watching Kuch for a couple months

 

[29Potvin]

McJesus one of those kids who wants to take kneeing out of game .. da kid never even thinks or talks like that EVER .. a lot of these kids want to see guy sit out for as long as victim is out + something .. and teams luv to put guys on LTIR as helps them build a better playoff roster as per CBA rules (another pretty stupid past of collective) .. Kuch could have played in April last year but had to sit out until playoffs started due to this collective agreement --- Tampa, NHL and PA could care less .. everyone got paid and it was only fans who missed out on watching Kuch for a couple months

He's also that kid that just got tossed from a game for a questionable hit...Its a fast game and things happen the NHL/PA would never risk having a star player suspended long term based off a players recovery time.