On the Islanders Beat

Not surprisingly, the Rangers called for Simon's suspension.
I guess in your view he dose not deserve one. Another black eye for hockey.

Greg-

Thanks for the updates; it's very much appreciated at this late hour. Keep on fighting the good fight.

To J Francis-
Mr. Logan said nothing about Simon not deserving a suspension as you imply with your comment. As a matter of fact, he even brought up the McSorley event. I'm sure that your comment wasn't supposed to be insulting, but Mr. Logan has done an unbelievable job at being impartial. I know that most Islanders fans will not try to defend Simon. I agree it was a black eye for hockey.

yes teh 2nd the thing happened people automatically started saying abd things about islander fans before we even had a chance to speak

i havent heard a fan yet support him islander or not

We got robbed by the hacks in Toronto!! I just watched video over and over trying to convince myself it wasn't in, but it clearly went over the line. There was at least two shots where you can see light between the puck and the goaline.

This is all attributed to the bonhead play of Simon. I will not defend him by any means, the guy cost us the game. I wonder what the hell made him snap like that? The guy must have some serious issues. I know in the past he was suspended for cross-checking/kneeing/racial remarks, but nothing remotley close to this. All year he'd been a model player and core guy for this team. I feel ill over this whole situation. His career with the isles is over.

The Isles can't sulk in this game and just move on to the next game, the Caps. It sucks though, what a turn of events. From playing so well and clicking before the trade deadline. To getting Smyth/Zednick/Yash, feeling pretty good. Blowing leads against the Flyers/Blues. Then losing two straight in the way we did, it really sux. We will now , faced with this type of adversity, find out exactly what kinda coach Nolan is and what type of team we have.

What Chris Simon did has no place in hockey period. But it's funny how when the guy was on the Rangers their players and fans loved the guy. But now, he's nothing more than a cheap shot artist and a thug.

see, what stinks here is that i like simon. it really pisses me off that he did what he did. the intent to injure was there, but i can't help but feel bad that he threw away his whole islander career like that.

Another black eye for hockey was how the league disallows goals simply to move the Rangers into a playoff spot...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/bcrt2000/nogoal1.jpg

that's the problem, the no goal is going to lose it's luster because of the simon chop.

I'm sickened by this tonight. The disappointment of the loss and the frustration regarding the review is plenty to be upset about. But the "incident" is much more upsetting. Events like these do serious damage to the game we all love and they always upset me for a variety of reasons. But I am ashamed even more tonight that the culprit this time wore the crest that I support. Regardless of what the league does, I hope the organization makes a clear statement that this is unacceptable.

The Isles got porked twice tonight. First Simon blows the game by completely losing his cool. Despicable.
Then the suits in Toronto porked them over. The fix was in, they were looking at how much the NHL stood to loose if the Rangers don't make the playoffs when they should have been looking at the replay of what was clearly a goal.
We were robbed.

Thanks for the update Greg... but seriously... you could have waited till the morning. Keep up the good work

If Cam Jansen got just a 3 game ban, Simon deserves maybe a 1 game. Hollweg shed a teaspoon of blood and got a couple stitches. THE REAL ISSUE TO THIS GAME IS THE BLATANT NON GOAL CALL. This is why the NHL gets no respect in the US. It doesnt deserve it at all.

thank you SEAN AVERY for doing your best BORAT impression, "I was in shock." what a moron.

Im getting healthy--bring me back.

Wow...what a game and what a series. It's good to see the normal people here and this topic really can set apart good fans and idiots. If you stick up for Simon and what he did and don't believe he should be gone for the rest of the year then you know exactly which one you are.

I see comments about how Ranger fans loved Simon when he was wearing the Ranger Jersey and now he's a thug...Well, Simon was a enforcer when he was here. Lucky to play 7 mins a night, he was not loved he was a necessary role player. Fast forward to this year up until last night, he was a much better player and played a ten times bigger role for the Islanders. Say what you want but, losing him will be a big shot to the team.

What went through his head? The check was weak...he jumped up on the boards real wierd. My last thought on that, the league gives him 20 to insure he does not play the rest of the season. (Yesterday was anniversary of Bertuzzi Cheap shot)

The NO GOAL call. That was a tough one. I could not be convinced either way form any replay and I think they made the right call. Every team faces a goal or two or five like that a year. We can argue all day GOAL! NO GOAL! But, to play that IT'S A FIX line is garbage! If the Rangers were so connected with the league they wouldn't be fighting for a playoff spot! Chris Simon blew that game NOBODY else!

The series was great on both ends. DP and Henrik were the two stars. Both teams played their butts off and for two days there the playoffs already started!

Obviously Hollweg did nothing to deserve this. It was completely unprovoked. He certainly was taking liberties on all of our players and cheapshot Simon (which was uncalled-shocker.) just before simon did it back.

The puck was on its' edge, and leaning over the line...that's why it looked in on one particular view....but it never made it completely across the line...the Goal Judge never turned on his light, and at the very least, it wasn't decisive enough to over-rule the call on the ice! And Simon deserves the book thrown at him...there's NO EXCUSE for what he did! It gives hockey another black eye in the eyes of the public.

simon came up 1 assist shy of a todd bertuzzi hat trick last night - goal, assist and a despicable on ice cheap shot.

Man, where do I start on this one? I'm still too ticked off to write a lot about it, even. I had to drive around for a couple hours after the game last night to cool off.

The game was again fairly closely contested, but I thought the Islanders had a worse showing last night than they did Monday night. Their skating was terrible--they are clearly losing steam at this point in the season, especially Sean Hill.

Chris Simon-can we get a big Dr. Phil "What were you thinking?!" here. That play is going to be shown over and over and over again on TV and compared to the Bertuzzi hit and the McSorley slash on Brashear--the comparison is ridiculous. Still, it was completely with a capital "C" uncalled for and I'm ticked that one of "our" players did it--that is NOT Islanders hockey and hopefully it won't reflect badly on the team--we have built up so much positivity over the past month and I fear Simon may have just ruined it all. Gary Bettman, go ahead and suspend him for the rest of the season. I don't really care to see him in blue and orange again, unless the crest says "OILERS".

WHY was he even in the lineup? You may remember I said yesterday he should be scratched. His goal aside, why Richard Zednik was not dressed for this game was beyond me. We needed skaters last night...Blake was covered like a Waffle House breakfast and Miro couldn't get through the traffic.

Definitely a blown call at the end, I think the angle looking at the lower left quadrant of the net pretty much summed it up. Clearly a goal and the ref blew it, he was right there. If you want conspiracies, I think the Simon incident had more to do with the no-goal than the fact the NHL wants the Rags in the postseason (and why, exactly? So they can play two home games and get swept by BUF or NJ?)

Christ on a cracker. This team needs to get it together and fast. Isles-Rags always distracts both teams and hopefully over the next few days the Islanders can figure out how to skate. They were helped by last night's scoreboard as much as the Rangers were, if not more. Basically, we're failing to gain ground, but we're not losing any...the very definition of a Pyrrhic victory there.

Random thoughts:

1) The NVMC ice was terrible last night, even though it was colder than a Ted Nolan stare outside.

2) Bergeron's 104-mph slap shot is nice, but not if he can't consistently get it on net.

3) Good job on faceoffs last night by Robitaille and Sillinger.

4) Richard Park is hardcore. That is all.

5) Historically, the Islanders have been the goon-ees (Hunter-Turgeon, Tucker-Peca, Roberts-Jonsson). Maybe that's why it was so shocking to see them be the goon-ers.

If Simon isn't suspended for the rest of the season I'm hoping the Isles suspend him the rest of the way. He blew that game for us last night. As far as the puck being over the line, the refs made the right call. You cound not tell, without a doubt, that the puck went completely over the line. Makes me wonder why there aren't a few high-def cameras pointing at the goal line just for these situations.

I'm dissapointed that veteran like Simon would do something so foolish.
In a game that close you CAN'T take such a stupid action...
I agree he deserves to get the book thrown at him.
That game should have gone into OT 1-1. Simon shanked it.

On the plus side, no one's talking about how bad Freddy Meyer is.

Get it together, Islanders...the cupcake Capitals are next. Must-have-two-points!

You people have to be kidding me. There is not a person(player, ref, fan, NHL official) who can tell for sure if that puck was in. Yes the flat part of the puck was in and there was daylight.. but FYI.. .the entire puck needs to be over the line not just the part touching the ice. Wake up and realize that there is no way to see if the part of the puck in the air was over the line or not. This is not football where it just has to break the plane. Move on and worry about the next game!

PS.. Give me a WOOOOOOO to keep the chicken dance!! WOOOO

Obviously Hollweg did nothing to deserve this. It was completely unprovoked. He certainly was taking liberties on all of our players and cheapshot Simon (which was uncalled-shocker.) just before simon did it back. by MG

Taking liberties? That is his game. If the Islanders couldn't counter it with out doing what Simon did whose fault is that? Hardly a cheap shot and a weak hit at that on Simon. He jumped upward in a attempt to draw a penalty and failed as he should have!

WHAT GAME WERE YOU WATCHING?

hollweg's a wus, he was afraid to fight us so he got the medicine he deserved. i think it was worth 1 loss to see that idiot laying there after all the cheap shots he's given out in his non-illustrious career. hey hollweg, next time drop the gloves like a man, you'd be better off. unfortunately, the rangers can't play the isles every game, where their lack of true talent is compensated for by the emotion. can this group of rag-tag scrubs play like this for the rest of the schedule? i think not! the isles will be in the playoffs and i have no preferece who they play, so once again, it was a great hit by simon against a real p***k, i wish it were avery also!!

Posted by: dave peters at March 9, 2007 08:59 AM

I was at the game and this was right in front of me... Simon was exhausted on this shift and couldn't get at Hollweg after he got borded because he was so gassed. So what did he do??? Smashed him with his stick, and threw away the game and his season...

I have said on this blog there is no way he should be playing when Yashin came back. The only reason he was in the lineup was that he was supposed to provide veteran leadership... ARE YOU KIDDING ME.... Great move slick...

And yes, i think that was goal but I am an Islander fan and know we NEVER get any breaks.... We should step back and look at the whole game now. There is NO WAY this chump filled Rags team should be able to beat us twice in a row. How are we only scoring 1 goal, two games in row against this Ranger defense??? That is why Islander fans should be upset right now. I hope Nolan has them on the ice early today and works their tails off. Besides DP and Bergeron, I don't think anyone else played well... They are a much better team then they showed the past two games...

I have the confidence that this was a wake up call....

Simply put, we scored two goals in two games because we were clearly outplayed. The Rangers played with spunk and the Isles didn't. The Rangers outskated and outhit us. Besides DP and Hunter I'm not happy with any Islander efforts. And as a side note, I'd like to fine DP for every time he plays the puck. Besides the occasional long pass that he makes, he gives the puck away much too often.

Anyone notice that if anyone touches Sean Avery they get a penalty? The guy got the same treatment Sidney Crosby gets last night.

There has been alot of wake up calls recently Andrew. 2 Ranger games, Flyers, St. Louis. When are they going to wake up?

Simon should be gone for the rest of the regular season. It was a terrible thing to do. Im glad there was not a more serious injury.

But to say, "Simon should not have been playing? Its his fault we lost?" I disagree. Simon had our only goal. The 4th line was the only line playing worth a nickle. You take him out of the line up and we lose anyway and get shut out. No way Zednik would have been on the doorstep there mucking for that goal.

We lost because the hacks in Toronto wanted the Rangers to win because it will help the league if they make the playoffs, or they are just incompentent. You're not sure the puck went in? Just look at the photo WT above has. I have seen other angles too. It was in. They have, or should have, all these angles. To deny it is to deny your own eyes. They either blew the call accidentally, or intentionally blew it. Whatever, the call was blown and we lost. Even that is not the reason though. We lost because we couldn't put up more then 1 legit goal in 2 games against the Rangers. We were 0-6 on the PP, with almost no good scoring chances. Blame the goal scorers and the coaching staff for not finding a way to adjust.

Andrew-

I couldn't have said it better myself. Let the record show he was 45 seconds into that shift when the chin music started playing. This after he had been sitting on the bench for half the period. The guy had 5:00 of ice time the entire game and he was tired? Again, why was he even out there? I think Zednik could have provided some speed last night that was clearly lacking among the Islanders.

And I have officially elevated Sean Avery to the Pantheon of Hated Rag$, alongside such luminaries as Crackhead Theo and Matthew Barnaby.

Bob-

Poti came to play last night, and so did Richard Park. Blake was invisible.

By the way, I know I'll get flak for this but, Ryan Smyth was terrible last night. He didn't skate hard, he did not check, his passes were all in the skates. He was not agressive, he nearly got Blake killed with a blind drop pass on the boards with a Ranger barreling in. He was terrible.

Yashin, 1st game back, you would have thought he would have played with alittle more fire?

"Yashin" and "play with fire" do not belong in the same sentence unfortunately...

Ah yes... the rangers have brought back the days of Barnaby, McArthy and Puriton... The blue shirt Hanson Brothers.
Avery brings a touch of class to any team he joins.
I'm sure when everybody sees this on ESPN they will start it with Simon in an upright position. They will have already cut the part where Holwig drives his head into the boards. They won't show Simon getting up, disoriented, looking for a call... and Holwig skating back to him... This is a case of a guy getting sucker punched and then picking up a beer bottle to defend himself.
I'm pretty sure Holwig would have taken advantage of Simon on queer street.
I'm not saying what he did was an act of heroism, but there are two sides to every story.
Simon has had issues in the past.
I thought bringing him in was a mistake (having watched him in DC). But I have admitted on this blog before that I was wholly wrong, and that Simon has brought nothing but class and leadership to the team.
I'm going to stand behind the guy now. He probably will get the rest of the season, but I'll say that 3 games would be more than fair.
Can somebody call Smitty to show DP how to keep Avery out of the crease.
I'd also like to make a plea for a roster change. Obviously, Zednik will be back in the lineup tomorrow. But can we please see if fata or rourke or anybody who knows how to skate backwards (maybe one of the ice girls) can do just a little better than Meyer. I may have this image so deeply engrained in my memory that it is super-imposed over reality, but every time I see him he is being pushed around, out of position, without a piece of equipment (stick in the defensive zone/glove in the ovffensive zone). Is there an overweight security guard at the coliseum who skated once when he was 5 that needs a job.
PLEASE!!!
Also, on the goal... I've looked at it many times looking for a better frame... I couldn't prove that it was a goal. They were jacked by the original call because there was no clear angle to overturn it.
A bigger question is why can't the NHL get a better angle. A minicam behind the crossbar would have been conclusive.
Why doesn't the NFL go to the league office in NY to decide whether a WR is inbounds... because the NFL isn't run by a moron...that's why.
Bettman has got to go.

Chris Simon deserves a lengthy suspension, as did Cam Jansen. It's a shame that the NHL disciplinary team is only going to do the right thing in the Simon case, solely because of the amount of publicity it's getting. ESPN didn't care about the Cam Jansen hit, so neither did Colin Campbell.

By no means am i a Freddy Meyer fan, but he played well last night. Case in point the diving play he made to save a goal in the 1st period. Simon's day as an Islander are over. On the goal, it just exposes the conspiracy going in the NHL now. The NHL wants the Rangers in the playoffs because they are a marquee team in the biggest market in the States, and they think that the Rangers playing in the playoffs will help to expose the game. The only thing exposed last night was the ability of the NHL to cheat one team out of at least a point in favor of handing 2 to another. Bullsh*t

JP, YOU ARE A CLOWN...
ALL THERE IS TO IT!
YOU CAN NOT STICK UP FOR WHAT SIMON DID AND BE ANYTHING BUT A CLOWN!

Where is Joel Bouchard??? I thought this guy was solid last year and I know he has been hurt all year. What happened to him and is he offically done this year?

Also, Greg, thanks for that info on Bergenheim. That is great news and I can't wait till this kid is on the team next year...

YOUR CONSPIRACY THEORY IS GREAT!

DID WE LAND ON THE MOON OR WAS THAT A FAKE? HOW MANY SHOOTERS WERE THERE WHEN JFK WAS SHOT?

YOU PEOPLE ARE A JOKE! SIMON BLEW HIS STACK AND THE GAME. KEEP THE EXCUSES COMING. BUT, THE LOWLY RANJERKS, RAG$ WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THEM BEAT YOU TWO GAMES IN A ROW AND YOU HELPED THEM GET TO THAT PLAYOFF SPOT. SO NOW RANGER FANS CAN ACT LIKE ISLANDERS FANS AND THINK WE HAVE A SHOT TOO!

I WILL LOVE IT IF RANGERS CONTINUE TO CLIMB. ISLES FALL OUT AND YOU CAN ALL CRY ABOUT SIMON FOR THE NEXT 20 YRS!

YOU LOST GET OVER IT!
GOOD LUCK WITH THE CAPS!

PITTS OR BUST!

Islander fans, did you not see the first period? We came out hard, the Rangers made mistakes in their own end, we had several scoring opportunities and just couldn't finish--in large part due to solid play by Lundqvist.

To me, the turning point was not Simon's horrific cheap shot--it was Sean Hill being a cry-baby and taking three shots to Avery's head after they got tangled up in front of the net. At the time, the Isles had the lead and were playing well--but the Rangers got the game tying goal on a stupid penalty and built momentum that carried the play for a while. Anyone watching the game and Hill could not help but say, "What the *** are you doing," after just the second hit on Avery.

For all the good, aggressive plays Hill makes--he takes a lot of stupid roughing-like penalties that have cost us on numerous occasions. Once again, I expect more from a veteran. It was like watching the Jints' Whitfield head-butting someone every game for 15 yards. If a rookie did what Hill did, he would have been benched for the rest of the period.

"How are we only scoring 1 goal, two games in row against this Ranger defense???"

The Rangers have allowed the fewest goals per game in the NHL the past two months. So that statement is a pretty ignorant one.

This whole game disturbed me. Isles came out great in the first two periods. They had plenty of chances and Lundqvist just shut the door. Isles looked very tentative in the 3rd period. DP had another outstanding game. He needs to play the puck more, when Meyer is on the ice, to get it out of his hands. The officiating sucked in this game. The refs missed several cheap hits/punches by Avery, and then called marginal stuff against the Isles. I am still trying to figure out why the Isles have the least power play chances of any NHL team this season (277). Pittsburgh has 382 and the only other team under 300 is Florida. When will they get some respect with the damned officials in this league? And another thing, while I'm rambling... the nhl is so cheap that a stinking water bottle gets in the way of the camera showing the game tying goal with 25 seconds left in the 3rd period! How hard is it to install a small camera in the goal? Each rink can do it for under $200 for crying out loud.

JP:

I always enjoy responding to your posts; you are definitely detail-oriented. The Simon incident and the ensuing GWG rattled me so much that I forgot about Freddy Meyer's yard sale. Guy can't catch a break, although he did make a couple of heady plays. BUT--he's just one of the problems that have surfaced over the last 4 games.

Against Washington, shake the lines up. Do something. Give DP the day off.

Yes, Simon was facing the boards, and yes, Hollweg had been running Islanders all game, but you can't take a swing up high like that. Go grab Hollweg and start a fight--Simon is a veteran and should have known better than to goon it up like that, especially with 6:00 left in a tie game.

I tried to explain to my horrified fiancee (a Devils fan, somehow) that composite sticks are much lighter than wood sticks, but still, as you mentioned, it's a bad-looking highlight for the Islanders.

I will admit that there is a small side of me that enjoyed it, however, and wished it had been Sean Avery eating that stick.

Fourcups:

I thought Yashin did all right. He only was out there for about 10:00 total, which is less than I was expecting. Smytty was bad, but so was everyone.

Hollweg's hit was a boarding penalty, plain and simple. He should have got 2 minutes there...what happened next doesn't erase it, but get the calles right. Even if they tacked on 2 more to Simon's penalty to offset it, it was the right thing.

Glad Avery was on hand to run his mouth. Maybe he should have just kept quiet and happy about getting away with sucker-punching Hill and then drawing the retaliatory penalty that led to their first goal. The refs missed calls all night.

As an Islanders fan, the standard will always begin and end with Dale Hunter's gutless attack on Turgeon in 1993. If that was 20 games, Simon's is no more than 10. Sorry, can't see it any other way.

And that was a goal. The refs blew it but they had a tough angle. The guys in Toronto are wasting our time. Not like Sam "The Homer" Rosen would ever say what's actually happening without a Rangers bias.

CLEAN HIT!!!
CLEAN HIT!!!
CLEAN HIT!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht6RyAI9370&mode=related&search=

CLOWNS, You are right.. But, don't get your hopes up either. Your team one both games on emotion and thats it. Rude wake up call in store from the Penguins in store for your low life fans and orangization.

Your defense isn't taking you anywhere....

Ranger fans will continue to be uneducated and angry bunch for a few more years...

More clowns,

by my count the season series is still at 4-2 with 2 games remaining at the coliseum, and the isles are still 3 points ahead, so just relax. As you can balatantly see from the picture above and below, the puck is obviously over the red line with white between the puck and the line. How can you possibly say this is not a goal. If you do your lying to yourself. Go over to the Rags blog and contribute something there. Its funny, the isles blog is filled with comments all the time yet the rags blog has maybe 7 comments per post. More intrigued by the Isles? no that cant be it. Its that the rags fans only care about their team when its convenient. That or youre probably too busy picking up your suits to gain entry into the garden, not watching games until mid-March, and staring up at the isles in the standings.

THATS GOOD LOOK AT TODAYS POSTS HERE AND CALL US UNEDUCATED AND ANGRY!

PLAYOFFS ARE EMOTION WINS AND THE ISLANDERS CANT COME UP WITH THEM...

MY HOPES ARE UP 4-0-1 IN THE LAST FIVE

GOAL

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b362/bcrt2000/nogoal1.jpg

DW,

2 MORE WINS FOR THE RANGERS THIS SERIES ENDS 4-4 YOU WATCH! IF IT WAS THAT EASY THE GOAL WOULD HAVE STOOD. BUT, ITS A CONSPIRACY THE NHL IS OUT TO GET THE ISLANDERS...I KNOW.

ITS MORE FUN OVER HERE, EITHER WAY BOTH ARE FULL OF BIAS WRITINGS FROM THE REPORTERS THAT RUN THEM AND MILDLY RETARDED FANS THAT HAVE NO HOCKEY KNOWLEDGE, AT LEAST I KNOW I AM HERE FOR A GOOD LAUGH.

SUITS? BUDDY I AM AT EVERY RANGER GAME. MY SEATS COST AS MUCH AS A TANK OF GAS, YET IN THE COLISEUM THE EQUIVALENT OF MY SEAT COST $60...GO FIGURE!

STILL A CLEAN HIT..NOPE HASNT CHANGED! YEP, CLEAN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht6RyAI9370&mode=related&search=

The Isles definitely got hosed on the no-goal call. But no one will care thanks to Simon and his cheap shot antics. I hope he's gone for the season and part of next year too. Stupid and selfish.

Hey Clown,

Emotion you guys only show when playing the Islanders... And we are still 4-2 vs your team this year....

I am glad you have high hopes. It will make it even sweeter for me when you lose

THE HOLLWEG HIT: It was illegal. It was a hit from behind and it was with enough force that Simon's face hit the glass hard. Anyone who thinks that Simon intentionally jumped into the boards and smashed his own face into the glass is a bigger idiot than Simon was for swinging his stick at Hollweg's face.

THE SIMON SWING: What can you say? Inexcusable. A black mark for the sport. But it's also incredibly sad, considering that it came from a guy who both on and off the ice has been such a great leader this year. Yes he has a checkered past, but the guy is genuinely a good person. So let's ask all the self righteous ranger fans and anyone else who wants to disingenuously use the word "shocked" in this situation look at this for what it really was. It was a cheap shot relaliation for a cheap shot. The difference was his intent to injure. But if was as "shocking" as some experts are saying, wouldn't a shot like that, even to the chin, have caused more damage? Broken jaw? Concussion? Profuse blood loss? Certainly yes. Which leds one to the conclusion that, although there was intent to injure, Simon actually consciously held back, in a misguided attempt to deliver what he felt was an equivalent hit. "I'm shocked", said Sean Avery. SHUT UP. As Justice for Pierre said, Hunter's hit is the standard on this one. No more than 20 games.

THE NON-GOAL: It was a goal. C'mon. The pictures are out there. Look at them! Yes the puck is on edge, but the part of the puck thats touching the ice is the part that's closest to the goal line. Hence, the other part that's off the ice is also OVER THE LINE. Look at the pictures. It's an easy call.

FINALLY, THE GAME: As much as I hate to say this... because of their stupid penalties and because of their temtative center ice play and inability to stand up at their own blue line AND because of their inability to bury the puck when they had the chance... the Isles didn't play well enough to win this one. And something has to be done about the Campoli-Meyer combo.

Cincy, I agree with everything you just said...

The only thing is that I think there is no excuse for what Simon did. I mean he really could have hurt the guy. I agree, he might of held up a tiny bit but you still can't do that.

Hunter got so lucky for getting only 20 games in 94. We can't compare that.... Simon will be lucky if he gets under 20..

One more thing. I'm an Islander fan, but I don't hate the Rangers. I certainly participate in the rivalry 'trash-talk'. But I do so because it's fun to do so. I actually hope the Rangers make the playoffs behind the Isles. It's great for NY and it's great for hockey. But let's not let our rivalry-tainted eyes blind us to what really transpired last night. A non-call on an illegal hit that resulted in an inexcusable high stick with a measure of intent to cause injury to an opposing player that ultimately cost the offending player's team the game. End of story.

AVERY AN HOLLWEG DID THEIR JOBS! GOT UNDER THE SKIN! HILL, WITT AND SIMON COULDN'T HANDLE THEMSELVES!

THE HIT: READ SOME RULES AND WATCH THE HIT AGAIN. SHOULDER TO SHOULDER NEAR THE BOARDS IS NOT ILLEGAL. GIVE IT A REST!

THE SWING: I AGREE WITH YOU, SIMON IS DONE FOR YEAR AND I BET THE SUSPENSION COVERS PLAYOFFS TOO JUST IN CASE.

THE NON GOAL: ITS A CONSPIRACY!!!! LMAO! NO GOAL WAS THE CALL. ISLANDERS PROBLEMS WERE FAR BIGGER THEN THAT JUST LIEK YOU SAID

CINCY,

YOU WERE DOING GOOD TIL YOU RATIONALIZED.

CLOSE...

YOU WERE DOING GOOD: Please explain yourself (if you can).

ESPN.com is reporting an "indefinite" suspension for Simon, pending a hearing.

They're going to make an example of him, you've probably seen the last of him in an NHL uniform.

I hope he has the personal fortitude to deal with it. He hasn't had an easy life to this point.

YOU WERE RIGHT ON WITH MOST EVERYTHING YOU SAID TIL YOU RATIONALIZED THE HIT. THERE IS NO RATIONALIZING IT. THE HIT WAS NOT DIRTY. LOOK AT IT!

GO HAVE A DRINK WITH HIM!

NEW YORK - New York Islanders forward Chris Simon has been suspended indefinitely without pay, pending a hearing, after being assessed a Match penalty for deliberate injury of New York Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg during NHL Game #1009 Thursday night.

The penalty was assessed at 13:29 of the third period.

A date for the hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Clown,
Tell me specifically what I said that was wrong. I watched the game live, and have seen the conveniently edited ESPN version.
I'm not going to argue whether Holwig's hit was legal, but I have a bookshelf full of DVD's with Hamrlik getting 2mins EVERY GAME for a lot less.
I also saw Simon get up looking like he'd just been hit by a truck and holwig coming back at him. Unlike Hunter and Bertuzzi he didn't go chasing anybody down.
The action itself was indefensible, but given his possible state, I, as an islander fan, am not going to throw him under the bus.
Obviously this blog is read by a lot of soccer moms.
You know badminton is a sport too... no contact, no violence, no controversy... don't screw with hockey...
I am a little surprised at some of the fans who can't stand behind a guy who made a mistake, in a difficult circumstance... especially when you have witnessed what a stand up guy he's been all year.
SHAME ON YOU!

YOU WERE DOING GOOD:

Fact- Simon's back was to the play.
Fact- Simon was not in the process of turning his back to the play as the hit was delivered.
Fact- according to NHL rules, a hit from behind is illegal, as it has the potential to cause serious injury.

C'mon, face the facts. Simon's hit was indefenseable, but don't fall into the self-righteous trap of trying to further embellish the seriousness of it by denying the circumstances that precipitated it.

JP AND CINCY BOTH,

SINCE WHEN DOES A GUY LIKE SIMON GET THROWN FROM HIS FEET AND SMASH THE GLASS WITH HIS FACE BY A GUY THE SIZE OF HOLLWEG?

HE EMBELLISHED, IT DIDN'T WORK AND THEN HE ACTED LIKE A GOON!

ALL THERE IS TO IT...

HAVE A GOOD DAY LADIES

Cincy, I agree whole-heartedly with you...I can't and won't attempt to rationalize Simon's despicable act, but some people are blowing this way out of proportion.

This was NOT:

- A premeditated attack, like Bertuzzi's horrific hit on Steve Moore
- Unprovoked, a la McSorley and Dale Hunter

If you read EJ Hradek's blog on ESPN, even he admits that, while Simon's hit can't be defended, Hollweg's original hit was a penalty. Hollweg appears to leave his feat and hits Simon head-first into the boards; I'd say that's a pretty textbook definition of boarding. I think the NHL is right to suspend Simon and make an example out of him, but other factors are at play here as far as I'm concerned:

FIRST, this is a perfect example of why the instigator penalty needs to go. If fighting were a little more encouraged in the league, maybe Simon would've challenged Hollweg to a fight instead of that disgusting display we all witnessed.

SECOND, I honestly believe that Simon's stupidity cost us in the goal replay..It was borderline, but even most of my Rangers fan friends admit it was a goal. The NHL was doubtlessly less willing to give us the benefit of the doubt after everything that went down earlier, and it was called no-goal as a result.

The team needs to pull together and not allow this to become a circus show...big one against Washington on Saturday, so let's rally around our team.

Also, as a technology guy, I think the NHL needs to put RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags across the goal lines and on the puck...this way, the puck can activate a little signal when it's wholly over the line and we don't have to rely on judgment calls. At very least something like that could've erased all doubts about whether or not it was a goal.

The NHL is seriously considering this, from what I hear, and I think it needs to happen.

Too bad Hollweg won't even learn a lesson for this...a typical undersized Ranger punk who can skate and draw hockey penalties but cannot remotely perform any other hockey-related skill.

Of all the possible ways to get back at a guy like that, a slash to the face (or upper body, it's hard to tell from the replay whether the stick was straight to the face or caught him in the shoulder pads and then the chin) is probably the last option. Simon should have challenged him to fight like a man rather than hit while the back is turned.

Of course, Simon's going to have a long time now to think about more effective retaliations.

Anyone expect the Ranger$ to retaliate next game?

GOOD ONE, CAN WE PUT THEM ON STICK BLADES AND HELMETS TOO. THAT WAY WE CAN SEE IF THE BLADE OF THE STICK ACTUALLY HIT HOLLWEGS FACE...

TOOO MUCH, YOU PEOPLE ARE!
KEEPING GRASPING FOR A REASON...OR BE A MAN AND SAY MY TEAM LOST LAST NIGHT.

NO NEED TO RETALIATE.

GOING TO SEE IF ME AN AVERY CANT GET ASHAM, WITT OR HILL TO DO THE SAME THING SIMON DID.

Folks, I believe in intellectual honesty--and both the Hollweg hit and the disputed goal can be argued both ways.

The original Hollweg hit was right in front of me in the corner--and I thought nothing of it when it happened. The puck was moving in that direction and Hollweg went somewhat to the side of Simon in playing the puck and did not him square in the back. Could somehting have been called? Sure, but the same with several other hits each game.

After the hit, the puck came up the same way--Hollweg played his position up the sidebaords, and Simon simply ignored the puck and looked for Hollweg to clock him. It was blatant, it looked worse in person when it happened, and hurt his team. Any notion that he held back simply doesn't fly in my book. Had he swung harder, it would have been a crime to be prosecuted.

It's sad. Chris Simon has actually been less of a goon than I anticipated and I like him. So, while I don't want to throw him under the bus, he has to accept the consequences of his actions--and he's fortunate Hollweg was not severly hurt.

As for the goal--the ref called "no goal" and it was too inconclusive to overturn. Simple as that. I suggest those of you pointing to the conclusive photo should do the following: take a ruler along the back edge of the red line and run it all the way along the line from where it is clearly visible to the left of the post through goal area. What you'll get is the ruler slightly crossing the puck where it is supposedly "over" the line. Is this conclusive? No. Do angles come into play? Yes. But the bottom line is it's certainly not conclusive enough to overrule the on- ice decision. End of story.
Tough break? Yes. Conspiracy? No--just as there's no league conspiracy against Jagr (which makes no sense if you think the League wants the Rangers to get in).

And lastly, don't forget the chintzy call against the Rangers in the last few minutes that gave us the last, but albeit short, power-play. That was a classic even-'em-up call if I've seen one.

Ted Nolan said after the game if the Isles play the way they did last night, they'll win their fair share. You may agree or disagree--but I think that's a fair assesssment of last night's game and it's time to go on to the next one.

IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A BIGGER MAN TO WRITE IN CAPS