Wednesday, December 19, 2007

30 Games for Simple Simon

I've read a couple of people's comments on other boards that state something to the effect of "Well, the guy wasn't hurt. Simon should've just gotten two minutes."

Um...not the point, guys.

Whether the player was hurt or not is immaterial. The intent to injure was clearly there. The NHL or Colin Campbell (whom I have been very tough on in this blog, but his actions here go a small way towards earning my respect) cannot just punish the results of violent behavior. If they only dish out two games because the player wasn't hurt, how is that going to deter other acts of violence? If you wait until someone does get seriously hurt, it's a bit like closing the barn door after all the animals have escaped.

There is clearly something wrong with Chris Simon. He not only loses control of himself, he looks to seriously injure an opponent. I was outspoken last season after the Hollweg incident and I will repeat myself here: As a longtime fan of this team, I do not want (nor have I ever wanted) Chris Simon to be an Islander.

As a human being, I hope he gets the psychological help he needs so that he can, one day, be a productive and useful member of society.

As a hockey fan, I never want him to take the ice again.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I also write for e-sports, as a hockey writer. I agree Chris Simon does have a problem does he really does need to get help for. However, banning him from ever playing hockey again, no I cant agree with that.