Jones.
Posted 1:11 AM ET | Comments 12
Randy Jones. Good. Young. Talented. Aggressive as any normal hockey player, not overly aggressive, but not afraid of contact either.
Now. What happened. Was this the same as Jesse Boulerice and Steve Downie. No. Not today and not any day. This did not have intent from what I saw. This was a bad hockey decision made in the flow of the game. The puck was near them both, Randy went in for a check and they got turned around and he still followed through. Do I condone it? NO WAY. Is it going to continue to happen - YES!
I hope that Colin Campbell and the NHL look at this differently than the Bouleridiot and Dumnie incidents that occurred earlier this year, because they are different. Very different. Boulerice and Downie clearly had intent to injure, while it does not appear from every angle that I have seen, that Jones had any intent other than to finish his check. This was not the Hatcher absolutely destroying JR's face after he told him he was gonna do it type of incident. This was an unfortunate hockey play that resulted in Bergeron being badly injured and knocked out.
How do they change this? How does the NHL make this type of play go away? Can they make it go away? The short answer is - they don't and they can't until the players try to hold up on those types of plays and make a conscious decision to not hit the guy. UH - Yeah - That'll happen!
There are some things they can do to reduce some of these issues.
1. Reduce the armor these guys wear. It's nuts. I know if I elbowed someone in the eye socket with my elbow pads I would be able to take their eye out easily because of the way they are designed and the fact that they are plastic.
2. Get rid of the touch-up icing. I like the touch-up icing and I am not really one to normally want to get rid of it, however, if they did get rid of it it might make guys think twice before going that hard after someone into the boards. (A stretch and a reach I know - but hey we are dreaming here aren't we?!)
3. Suspend the hitter as long as the recipient is out of commission. While I don't like that either because it brings up so many other questions and possible scenarios, it might be something to look at.
The NHL is about hitting, fighting, checking, banging and power. Nobody wants that changed, but what needs to be changed is how the players approach checks like the one that Jones did tonight. Should he be suspended? Yeah - I think he should. 20-25 games - NO. 5 games, maybe 10. Intent MUST play a part in the punishment and I do not believe he had intent.
Should Philly be fined at this point? Absolutely. (Just for the record - I am a Philly fan in case you missed that.) The clubs have to be responsible for teaching their guys to hold up in a situation like that if at all possible. 3 incidents in less that 10 games is absurd. Fine the club, suspend the kid a reasonable number of games and warn Philly and any other team that the fines will stiffen significantly if they don't change the way they train and mentor their kids and their veterans alike.
Long winded - sorry - but I needed to vent a bit.....
Now. What happened. Was this the same as Jesse Boulerice and Steve Downie. No. Not today and not any day. This did not have intent from what I saw. This was a bad hockey decision made in the flow of the game. The puck was near them both, Randy went in for a check and they got turned around and he still followed through. Do I condone it? NO WAY. Is it going to continue to happen - YES!
I hope that Colin Campbell and the NHL look at this differently than the Bouleridiot and Dumnie incidents that occurred earlier this year, because they are different. Very different. Boulerice and Downie clearly had intent to injure, while it does not appear from every angle that I have seen, that Jones had any intent other than to finish his check. This was not the Hatcher absolutely destroying JR's face after he told him he was gonna do it type of incident. This was an unfortunate hockey play that resulted in Bergeron being badly injured and knocked out.
How do they change this? How does the NHL make this type of play go away? Can they make it go away? The short answer is - they don't and they can't until the players try to hold up on those types of plays and make a conscious decision to not hit the guy. UH - Yeah - That'll happen!
There are some things they can do to reduce some of these issues.
1. Reduce the armor these guys wear. It's nuts. I know if I elbowed someone in the eye socket with my elbow pads I would be able to take their eye out easily because of the way they are designed and the fact that they are plastic.
2. Get rid of the touch-up icing. I like the touch-up icing and I am not really one to normally want to get rid of it, however, if they did get rid of it it might make guys think twice before going that hard after someone into the boards. (A stretch and a reach I know - but hey we are dreaming here aren't we?!)
3. Suspend the hitter as long as the recipient is out of commission. While I don't like that either because it brings up so many other questions and possible scenarios, it might be something to look at.
The NHL is about hitting, fighting, checking, banging and power. Nobody wants that changed, but what needs to be changed is how the players approach checks like the one that Jones did tonight. Should he be suspended? Yeah - I think he should. 20-25 games - NO. 5 games, maybe 10. Intent MUST play a part in the punishment and I do not believe he had intent.
Should Philly be fined at this point? Absolutely. (Just for the record - I am a Philly fan in case you missed that.) The clubs have to be responsible for teaching their guys to hold up in a situation like that if at all possible. 3 incidents in less that 10 games is absurd. Fine the club, suspend the kid a reasonable number of games and warn Philly and any other team that the fines will stiffen significantly if they don't change the way they train and mentor their kids and their veterans alike.
Long winded - sorry - but I needed to vent a bit.....
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28 Jones.
Well, let's see first if he even gets suspended before we talk about fining the team. According to Biron, the refs said the hit was not even dirty. The media that is jumping all over the Flyers for this would certainly look silly if nothing resulted from it.
I don't believe there will be a suspension. It was not a dirty hit. Bergeron had put himself into position to be injured. Had he not turned to face the boards before being hit, we would not be talking about this as he would have just skated away and joined the play. Funny, if it was a dirty hit, I think the referee would have whistled it immediately, but it was not until Bergeron lay motionless on the ice did they stop play. Jones does not have a history of playing dirty, so why would he start now, especially with the eyes of the world disecting every check dished out by Philly players. I'm not a Flyers fan, and I wish everyone would stop harping on them about being head hunters. This is a good hockey team. That's just my opinion, and there are those who can watch the same play and see something completely different. Let's not pick on the Flyers because of the actions of two of their players who did cross the line.
Well, sure, there may be some things the league can do to prevent these kind of injurues, and they should explore every possibility. BUT, the league needs to set forth the precedent in writing BEFORE suspending players and fining teams. Jones did what any other defenseman may have done in the exact same situation on any given night. The Volchenkov incident occured just a week ago, and a Canucks fan was saying the same thing happend in their first or second game of the season. Thanks Beleafer#1. This isnt about the Flyers, and people should lay off that. This isnt about the Downie or Boulerice hits. This is about a PROBLEM IN THE NHL, and its current policies and practices. Players also need to know to keep aware and keep their head up, esepcially around the boards, and especially with a defender on your tail....
for their own safety -- players need to know to keep aware and keep their heads up. Its hockey; its fast and its physical....
Are you guys f@cking blind?Jones left his feet, which makes it a dirty hit. Seriously, get a clue.You know, you can always tell who actually played, and who didn't in here!
Nice comment by a Bruins fan....Like your name....maybe you had too many of them...
Thats too funny bruinsbeer1969. Glad to see you have a sense of humor. especially, I am glad to hear Bergeron is okay, and I hope he gets back playing again soon for you guys. It was a very unfortunate situation. Hopefully, the league will come up with some precedents for trying to eliminate these kind of hits causing injuries. I think we are all in favor of that.
feelingthekettle -- what you said about the media is THE problem with the media. No one wants to see something like this happen, but then the media overreacts (or in some cases downplays and event). This then creates pressure for the league to do something. This is why I stress there needs to be clear cut, clearly defined, precedents for dealing with this stuff -- no exceptions. The media is effectively, controlling fan reaction and the league's actions when the league funtions without clearly defined precedents -- no exceptions.
It would be hypocritical for the NHL to suspend Jones for long. The Sens played the Panthers last week and this exact incident happened TWICE. Once to Nick Foligno (neck strain) and once to Booth of the Panthers. There was a 2 minute penalty assessed to Mezai (sp) for the hit on Foligno and 5 and a game for Volchenkov for Booth. Neither guy was suspended. The issue here is: how do we educate players on this area. On the one hand players NEED to finish their checks, on the other, they have to know when players are vulnerable. Huge gray area here, that needs to be ironed out - QUICKLY.
Jones absolutely did not leave his feet. Yo better watch the hit again, bruinsbeer1. It was a penalty. And the ref made the right call.
There will be no suspension. And if my guess is right, that will be the correct decision.
<< According to Biron, the refs said the hit was not even dirty >>Hmmm....if the hit wasn't dirty according to the referees, why did Jones get a 5 minute major and a game misconduct? Is there such a thing as a "clean" 5 minute boarding/hit from behind? Because I'd REALLY like to know.