Behind the Mask

Kelly H. could have shortened his opinion quite a bit by saying: "nice guys are not necessarily smart guys"!

It will be interesting to see what Colin gives that other bully named chris, the next time he takes some one's head off with a elbow. Let me recall... oh yeah, 1 game the last time he did it and he only put the guy out for the rest of the playoffs. It was nice to see Ruutu skating so well last night! Colin's about as consistant as Kerry,Mick and Don. Need I say more!

I respect and admire your comments over the years but I think you are missing the mark on this one... for one moment - put yourself laying face down on the ice in the victims place - do you really care how NICE the guy is that is about to bring his razor sharp blade down on the unprotected part of your leg?
Punishment must be such as to change and stop behaviours such as this and to ensure others do not copy the violent uncontrolled actions as seen here. Someone like Chris - simlpy is not good for hockey - not good for the profession - not good for the kids that grow up admiring our national heros in hockey. You are too soft on this one!

"a skate blade as a weapon!A sharp peice steel.All the yrs of NHL "The blade" was considered sacred forusing on another,they thought the punishment would be so severe.Now it,s been used once.
Their are extremly vulnerable tendons & nerves in the back of the leg that lay just below the skin,severing them renders a man incapable of use of foot !00% again.
As for the future simple Simon cyah later.
Go play in Ireland.

Kelly's final sentence says it all. An outsider should make the final decision. Is that not what happens in the REAL WORLD? Professional sport apparently lives in another society. An assault is an assault.

Regarding, Chris being a nice guy, perhaps that is true. But his actions on the ice certainly does not prove that; a Dr. Jekyll-Mr Hyde syndrome. Extreme perhaps???

What is this, his eighth suspension not to mention his multiple suspensions in his last year in the (OHL?, CHL?)? Give me a break. He should be suspended indefinitely or kicked out. How many chances does a guy get? Get him some help, of course but didn't he already try going to an anger management course earlier in his career. I'd say he's had all the chances he should get. I don't care how nice you are outside the rink, your crap doesn't belong inside the arena. Sorry Chris, but you've gotta go.

if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.
plenty of smart and nice people have crossed the line and have found themselves embarrassed or in the crow bar hotel. just ask connie black or martha stewart. i'm sure chris simon would rather we ask o.j simpson or robert blake, but that's neither here nor there. i'm also sure that being caught on camera and having been reviewed a million times may have changed their futures as well.

Having loved playing 2 years of girls' hockey as a teenager in the bush leagues in small town Saskatchewan 35 years ago I cannot understand fighting during a game. If a player is actually PLAYING hockey, he will not have the time for fighting. I have no sympathy for goons. The media could help out by refusing to televise fights during a game; that is, black out the fight immediately. It might mean doing something similar in the rink too.

Hey Kelly, why don't you ask Mike Grier if he thinks Chris Simon is "a nice guy"?

I understand that players lose control in the heat of the moment, which is why I have a certain amount of forgiveness when the physical side of the game gets out of hand, but to my mind you have to think a certain way all the time for racial slurs to come popping out of your mouth when you're agitated. I wrote Chris Simon off after that suspension, forget about the two league records in a row that have come since.

Besides, I think the "sorry, and I'm getting help" bit is a line imposed on Simon by the Islanders as a condition for not getting turfed entirely. He told Roy MacGregor he doesn't think his punishment is fair - does that sound like someone who is sorry and understands what he did?

I'm sorry Kelly but in this case, you are wrong!
Chris Simon has had several suspensions and plenty of opportunities to learn from them - apprently he hasn't yet and I'm wondering just exactly what will have to happen before somebody figures that out. I also wonder what we'd be saying now if Simon had cut somebody with his skate and cost them their career after all those suspensions??
So after all is said and done, Simon should go - as should any other player that intentionally injures another during a game.

Some people just have it in them to control primal urges, and some people don't. Those who don't shouldn't put themselves in situations where they could be provoked, and if that means he can't play hockey, then so be it. He can get another job like the rest of us peons.

I don't disagree that people who "explode" can be nice guys almost the whole time. But he chooses to put himself in a situation, namely hockey, where he has lack of self control and he must face the consequences up to and including expulsion from the NHL. Being "nice" means he gets treatment for his issues: not that he dodges punishment.

Hey Kelly, What happens on the ice happened on the ice and what happens off the ice, happened off the ice. Ignorance, violance, un- sportsman like actions happen so much in hocky that the interest is being lost for some because of players, coaches, spectators and parents. What an example for those who seen this action by Chris Simon. Pass this along to the kids. A new generation of violence/penality: skate slashing - 30 games. Yuk - He has to go and everything about him should be retired.

Kelly,

You got it right. I sort of liked Simon. Especially during the Flames' last run. Role player, chipped in for a key goal or two. Decent interview.
He's far from evil. Obviously he's too unpredictable to play, so needs to get some help or whatever. He's pretty much finished his career, so it won't be a big deal. Kind of like the McSorley incident. Maybe the NHL needs some sort of anger management programs. Guys like Tootoo, Downey, etc.; straighten them out before they do something really stupid.

Kelly I could not help but notice nothing but praise and sympathy for Chris Simon. I understand you like this guy but I am confused. How did you talk about Bertuzzi after that situation until this day. To have such open hate for Bertuzzi for punching another player in the back of the head and then falling on him and none for Simon who two handed another player with his stick, tried to use his skate blade to intentionally hurt another player. I think you need to watch the Chris Simon videos of everything he's done and then watch the Bertuzzi incident again. I want an apology on air to Bertuzzi for every underhanded comment you have made. You are a commentator and you can't pick favorites. Chris Simon should never play another NHL game again. I would not feel comfortable playing against him.

Sorry-- but sociopaths know how to fake nice when their crimes catch up with them, and it's how they keep finding chances to hurt other people.

He should be banned from the game for life.

By all accounts of those who knew them, the following world figures were nice guys: Jack the Ripper, the Boston Strangler, Ghengis Khan and Atilla the Hun. What is this predilection for Canadians to revere and idolize criminals?

Laying down suspensions by dealing with each situation on its own merit has to be a difficult thing to do. It's tough on Colin Campbell simply because he has to decide an appropriate punishment knowing full well he'll hear about it from both sides. In addition both sides can't possibly be happy with any decision made. Not an enviable position at all for all parties concerned. One suggestion I have is to make up some sort of guideline or framework from which to work. A few years back the decision was made that a puck shot directly out of the rink would result in a 2 minute minor for delay of game. This took the pressure off the officials, and the players now understand that even though they don't intend to do it they fully understand they're gone for two minutes. Very little arguing results, the player serves his two minutes (or less), and the game goes on. Let's use a framework like this for suspensions that's similar to the drug policy suspensions in some sports. Just as an example, and these are simply hypothectical numbers, let's use 5 games for a 1st offence, 15 for the 2nd, 30 for a 3rd offence, and lifetime for a 4th. This way the player knows what the consequences will be ahead of time, AND he'll probably think twice about running someone if he knows he's going to miss a significant amount of money. In addition it takes the pressure off the league office to make a decision that none of the parties will be happy with. If we examine the Patrice Bergeron hit Randy Jones may have thought twice about running Mr. Bergeron if he knew he'd be losing his income for a few weeks.

Food for thought.

Our friend mr Simon lost his mind, also we don.t know what Ruttu did or said. I by no means condon what he did but live by the sword die by the sword. We all make bad decissions but there must be a repercussion for our decissions good bad or indifferent. for each action their is an equal and oppisite reaction. That is life

Chris Simon may be a nice guy and the NHL may give a player every opportunity to change negative behaviour, but he's run out of chances. As a matter of fact, he ran out of them much earlier than now, so he has to get turfed permanently. Nice guy or not, he's not good for the game.

Generally I think that the suspensions handed out for these type of incidents (elbows, hits to the head, etc.) are too severe. I do not think so in this case. I think that Simon should have been suspended for the rest of the season.
When you play hockey (especially in the NHL) you are consenting to being assaulted (body checking, having a frozen piece of rubber shot at you at 100 mph) the minute you step on the ice. In addition to this you know that the potential of being elbowed or hit in the head is a definite possibility. It is a risk of the game.
What should not be a risk of the game are the cheap shots that are becoming so frequent. Being kicked with a skate is not something that is a part of hockey. I wonder though, that by only handing down a 30 game suspension for the kick, is it now something that we should expect to see if we continue to watch the NHL?

To this Chris Simon stuff and the games he'll miss. Well He very lucky to even be playing in the NHL after last time. 30 games is fare and he should be removed if it happens again. There are many other young kids waiting for a chance to play and being held up for Chris Simon to be Stupid. Nice Guy or not Players safty comes first. Which Chris doesn't realy think of as you've seen!!!! thanks

In the 1972 series against the U.S.S.R, Boris Mikhalov was seen by millions deliberatley kicking Gerry Odrowski in the shin behind the Canadian net.
I've seen the Rutuu/Simon incident many times.
At no time did I see Mr. Simon stomp on the unprotected part of Mr. Rutuu's leg. Correct me if I am wrong, my point of view showed Mr. Simon stepping on the well protected foot of Mr. Rutuu.
I'm sure if Mr. Rutuu had been stomped on the unprotected part of his leg as reported by many, he would not have returned to finish the game and likely would have been on the shelf for a number of games as was the case with Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa when the unprotected part of his leg was accidently cut by an errant skate blade.
Mr. Simon's actions were deliberate.
The actions of many players are deliberate. One only has to ask the unprotected parts of a players body that has met many a slash or elbow.
Will a course in anger management help Mr. Simon?
I don't know.
What will the Trash-Talkers of the league learn?
I don't know that either.

Skates and sticks will break a few bones and maybe end a career, but Trash-Talkers will always be disrespected.

From the comments about Chris Simon, there is some disagreement. He either got what he deserved or didn't get enough time.

I remember in the '72 series there was a certain individual (Bob Clarke) who was directed by a certain coach (John Ferguson) to give a certain Russian (Kharlimov) 'a tap on the ankles'. Following the tap, Kharlimov's ankle was broken and he was not able to continue playing to his potential. But nobody in Canada was worried because, well, he was Russian and because he was so good, the ends justified the means. And we won the series. What suspension did Clarke receive for deliberately going out to injure?

My point is that Chris Simon's actions in this incident did not end in any injury where Rutuu could not play, i.e. he did not miss a game. Could he have inflicted a serious injury? Of course but he didn't.

As a result, it is my opinion that Chris and the Islanders action before Colin Campbell became involved was enough. A leave of absence where Chris could get the help he knew he needed.

Bob