Downie must be reprimanded
Posted 1:32 PM ET | Comments 0
Ive been unhappy about a lot of calls going against the Flyers this season, and didnt agree with the Hartnell or Jones suspensions, but Flyers fans lets face it; Downie is a goon.
Scrums like the one that occurred in the game against Toronto happen often. Sometimes punches are thrown after the whistle resulting in penalties which I feel is an appropriate repercussion. Is a suspension necessary? I would say no to most cases because its usually harmless pushes and shoves, but Downie landed a direct shot at a players face. Blake was left with a pretty nice bruise.
Downie needs to be reprimanded. The Flyers organization needs to talk to him or punish him if the league doesnt, because hes going to get in some serious trouble in the future if nothing is said to him about his actions. Downie looked good during Torontos game, and it was great to see him record his first NHL goal, but I was on edge watching him all game. There were some slashes and interferences that the refs let slide, or may have not seen.
Whats a shame is Downie is ripe with talent. He can score goals, skate, and has good hands. For any of you youtube surfers, type in a Steve Downie search on youtube and watch some of the passes he makes. He has a decent eye for the game and an overall good hockey sense. In that same youtube search youll find videos of Downie fighting and hitting. Its great that Downie is a complete player and can lay big hits and drop the gloves, but he must learn the limits. One of the biggest flaws I find in his game is his short fuse. Half the time he receives a fighting major he punches the glass in the penalty box and talks back to the officials, or shows some sort of embellished displeasure. I saw one clip of him throwing debris onto the ice after being kicked out of a game. His behavior is over the top and unnecessary. He needs to be a big boy and sit in his time out chair, think about what he has done, and come back when he is ready and change what he did wrong.
Downie has 17 points in 21 games for the Phantoms this season. I would love to see this number rise instead of his PIM.
I could see a 3-5 game suspension coming, partly because of his history and also the Flyers are on thin ice. Something needs to happen with Downie, whether the league or the Flyers deal with it. Hopefully Downie will learn to keep his cool and think before he acts. If he can deal with his temper, he will become a much more effective player, and could have a permanent spot on the Flyers roster.
Scrums like the one that occurred in the game against Toronto happen often. Sometimes punches are thrown after the whistle resulting in penalties which I feel is an appropriate repercussion. Is a suspension necessary? I would say no to most cases because its usually harmless pushes and shoves, but Downie landed a direct shot at a players face. Blake was left with a pretty nice bruise.
Downie needs to be reprimanded. The Flyers organization needs to talk to him or punish him if the league doesnt, because hes going to get in some serious trouble in the future if nothing is said to him about his actions. Downie looked good during Torontos game, and it was great to see him record his first NHL goal, but I was on edge watching him all game. There were some slashes and interferences that the refs let slide, or may have not seen.
Whats a shame is Downie is ripe with talent. He can score goals, skate, and has good hands. For any of you youtube surfers, type in a Steve Downie search on youtube and watch some of the passes he makes. He has a decent eye for the game and an overall good hockey sense. In that same youtube search youll find videos of Downie fighting and hitting. Its great that Downie is a complete player and can lay big hits and drop the gloves, but he must learn the limits. One of the biggest flaws I find in his game is his short fuse. Half the time he receives a fighting major he punches the glass in the penalty box and talks back to the officials, or shows some sort of embellished displeasure. I saw one clip of him throwing debris onto the ice after being kicked out of a game. His behavior is over the top and unnecessary. He needs to be a big boy and sit in his time out chair, think about what he has done, and come back when he is ready and change what he did wrong.
Downie has 17 points in 21 games for the Phantoms this season. I would love to see this number rise instead of his PIM.
I could see a 3-5 game suspension coming, partly because of his history and also the Flyers are on thin ice. Something needs to happen with Downie, whether the league or the Flyers deal with it. Hopefully Downie will learn to keep his cool and think before he acts. If he can deal with his temper, he will become a much more effective player, and could have a permanent spot on the Flyers roster.