Good article about the instigator rule

[BuffalOhio]

This article applies not only to Cindy Crosby, but to the Sabres as well....

 

MoreFightingPlease

[sabregoats]

that guy has it righy on, the instigator rule is one of the worst rules in sports.

[Bmwolf21]

Good article. Saw part of the CBJ - Calgary game last week, and watched Warrener go after one of the guys who took a run at Iginla (I can't recall exactly - it might have been someone else.)

 

Anyway it was one of those situations that showed why I wish we could bring Warrener back - he knew what had to be done, he took care of it, and he got the guy who took the initial run, and not some designated tough guy - and did it knowing full well that he would get the instigator and extra 10-minute misconduct.

[niagara66]

"Sign Ogie Oglethorpe...." Love it! "This young man's had a trying rookie year..."

 

Seriously though...good insight to the instigator rule's impact on the game and why it sucks. I love the crack down on the clutching and grabbing that opens up the skating, but someone should be able to pound Ovechkin for running Danny B into into the boards, or similar situations, without fear of this rule. The unwritten code generally kept people physical, but polite.

[Goodfella25]

For years I have been an advocate of abolishing the instigator rule, so the more articles like this the better. Gary Bettman doesn't like fighting or physical play, because he is completely disconnected with the tradition of the game and what goes on out there on the ice. All he cares about is business, and I never believed for one second that he is a "hockey fan." So the writer is dead on when he says, "Even though Bettman dodges the issue when asked about his stance on fighting, those who follow hockey closely know that he'd love to see it disappear."

 

But 2 points I disagree with him on:

 

1)"It must be pointed that that every year, the NHL Players' Association pleads with the league to remove this rule and Bettman ignores them."

 

I think this has been embelished. Do you really think non-fighters are saying to Bettman "oh please get rid of that instigator rule so I can get jumped by the Laraques, Boogaards, Hordichuks of the league"??? Maybe some of the vets and more physical players are doing that, but to lump them all together and say the whole "association" pleads with Bettman is a stretch.

 

2)" People like Lapierre and Blake are free to chop at stars without having to worry about being accountable. Would either one of them have done what they did to Crosby if they thought for a second that next shift, they'd have to go toe to toe with someone like Derek Boogard or Georges Laraque?"

 

Look, there is more to the physical game than fighting. If a player like Laraque or Boogaard was actually talented enough to be able to SKATE with a Blake or Lapierre, then they could throw a sweet bodycheck and knock them into next week. So why didn't anyone just do that? There's no rule against hits (although I'd argue the league is even starting to crack down on those). Because the rules won't change overnight, you have to work within them, so why didn't someone just level Blake or Lapierre in retaliation?

[Bmwolf21]

But 2 points I disagree with him on:

 

1)"It must be pointed that that every year, the NHL Players' Association pleads with the league to remove this rule and Bettman ignores them."

 

I think this has been embelished. Do you really think non-fighters are saying to Bettman "oh please get rid of that instigator rule so I can get jumped by the Laraques, Boogaards, Hordichuks of the league"??? Maybe some of the vets and more physical players are doing that, but to lump them all together and say the whole "association" pleads with Bettman is a stretch.

First, if he says the NHLPA is begging Bettman to do it, I'm sure he means the players' reps, who are probably much more in tune with what the players think about the state of the game & rules - much more than you or me, or even this writer. But that doesn't change the fact that I think he is right - I think the players want the ability to police themselves, rather than relying on the league's "strict" punitive system.

2)" People like Lapierre and Blake are free to chop at stars without having to worry about being accountable. Would either one of them have done what they did to Crosby if they thought for a second that next shift, they'd have to go toe to toe with someone like Derek Boogard or Georges Laraque?"

 

Look, there is more to the physical game than fighting. If a player like Laraque or Boogaard was actually talented enough to be able to SKATE with a Blake or Lapierre, then they could throw a sweet bodycheck and knock them into next week. So why didn't anyone just do that? There's no rule against hits (although I'd argue the league is even starting to crack down on those). Because the rules won't change overnight, you have to work within them, so why didn't someone just level Blake or Lapierre in retaliation?

So spearing someone = a body check. How will a stiff body check deter someone from slapping a solid two-hander across Briere's arms, or bringing up the stick in front of the net? In the sense of players policing themselves, that's about as effective as Ovechkin's $100 fine for hitting Danny from behind. The threat of a true ass-kicking, though - that would deter a lot of guys from jamming the blade into someone's midsection...

[Goodfella25]

First, if he says the NHLPA is begging Bettman to do it, I'm sure he means the players' reps, who are probably much more in tune with what the players think about the state of the game & rules - much more than you or me, or even this writer. But that doesn't change the fact that I think he is right - I think the players want the ability to police themselves, rather than relying on the league's "strict" punitive system.

So spearing someone = a body check. How will a stiff body check deter someone from slapping a solid two-hander across Briere's arms, or bringing up the stick in front of the net? In the sense of players policing themselves, that's about as effective as Ovechkin's $100 fine for hitting Danny from behind. The threat of a true ass-kicking, though - that would deter a lot of guys from jamming the blade into someone's midsection...

 

I'm not going to argue against fighting...because I love it! Agreed that anyone who spears a player or hits from behind into the boards should be held accountable, no doubt about it. But in this column the writer was acting like no one could do anything about it...someone could have thrown a hit or even dropped the mits and fought the guy and got an instigator. That's the problem, obviously.

 

The only thing I would add is, look at what Sheldon Souray did last weekend. Colby Armstrong throws a completely legal body check on Koivu, who wasn't even injured by it. And what does he get for his effort? Souray jumps him and pummels him when he wasn't even ready to fight. To me, THAT is complete garbage and Souray deserved the instigator. So where do you draw the line? I am paraphrasing from someone else here, but in a sport that seems to pride itself on how tough its players are, there sure seems to be a lot of fighting going on after *clean* hits...comments??