Chris Simon’s disciplinary hearing stemming from his stick-swinging attack on Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg Thursday night at the Coliseum is set for Saturday at the NHL offices in Manhattan. Normally, Simon would be required to appear at league headquarters in Toronto, but a source said Simon isn’t allowed to fly because he might have a concussion from the hit by Hollweg that drove him into the glass and prompted his retaliation.
Of course, Simon automatically was suspended without pay yesterday because of the match penalty he received for intent to injure Hollweg. The location of the hearing wasn’t determined until tonight. Simon was examined earlier today for symptoms of a concussion at ProHEALTH Care in Lake Success, but no official diagnosis was released by the team.
Hollweg also was checked for signs of a concussion but was cleared to suit up for the Rangers tomorrow afternoon in Pittsburgh. Simon’s place on the fourth line will be taken by Richard Zednik against Washington tomorrow night at the Coliseum.
Coach Ted Nolan and Islanders players generally declined to discuss specifics of the stick-swinging incident before the hearing but expressed support for their teammate. Simon took part in a team photo session before practice today but did not speak with reporters.
“I spoke to Chris a couple of times today,” Nolan said. “Obviously, he’s not feeling very good right now. But we’ll wait until later to get into more details.”
RYAN SMYTH RECOVERS FROM BLOW TO HIP: New Islanders forward Ryan Smyth said the hit he received from Rangers defenseman Marek Malik just before the final buzzer of the Isles’ 2-1 loss momentarily aggravated a right hip injury and left him unable to put weight on his right side as he left the ice. But Smyth skated in practice today and will play against the Capitals.
“I have a little bit of a hip flexor problem,” Smyth said. “I had my leg up in the air so I didn’t have any weight on it, and he just hit it and tweaked it a bit. I didn’t have any strength in my leg. I couldn’t put any pressure on it. But it’s okay.”
Asked if he had experienced that problem before, Smyth said, “Well, I haven’t been hit like that. But I’ve had a little bit of achiness in my leg. I wanted to get some feeling in there because, when he hit me, it was like a stinger down my leg.”
With 20.4 seconds left in the game, Smyth was battling in front of the net when Marc-Andre Bergeron’s right point shot hit Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and ricocheted off Smyth’s skate and appeared to cross the goal line before Lundqvist pulled it back. Referee Kevin Pollock ruled no-goal on the ice and was upheld by replay officials in Toronto, who deemed the videotape evidence inconclusive.
“I saw white,” Smyth said, referring to white ice between the puck, which was standing on its side, and the goal line. “I saw it cross the line. But they were talking about the puck being up on edge. Anyway, it’s past tense. But obviously, it’s a very intense rivalry against those guys. It’s like the Battle of Alberta, no question.”
Brendan Witt, who expressed his disagreement with the call by replay officials in harsh terms was equally strong today in his conviction the shot should have been ruled a goal. “What I don’t understand is, in this day and age when they can put cameras anywhere, why don’t they put them at every angle in the net? Especially in the posts. There’s got to be a way to put fiber optics in there. The league has had so many close calls over the years, and they still don’t do anything about changing the angles.”
Comments (21)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3vbPgu_eEM
and this just SUX!!!!!!!!!!
after watching this and thinking of what may have happened to hollweg, i think Big Cheif should be out of hockey all together so he can't "just miss" ending someones career, which he could have done to hollweg. as an islander and hockey fan i am pissed off.
I'm an Islander fan and I'm already tired of talking about Simon. Throw him out of hockey and let the Nassau DA convict him.
If you did that on the street you'd be in jail!
Now.... BACK TO THE PLAYOFF DRIVE... What a shame that we finally get to the exciting time of the year in the 7th spot and we have to spend the last 48 hours talking about some idiot who doesn't know how to control himself!!!
Cudos to Ranger fan I thought your comments were good. There actually are good ranger fans and islander fans (i really know two or three LOL)
I do think that people walk by MSG and say lets go in more than it would happen at the colliseum
You moron Isles fans! Simon had an impulsive, bad reaction to a hit. He's not a thug--he made a mistake and he'll pay for it. Do you have a problem with "intent to injure"? Well, whats fighting? When he smashes someones face in with his fists, I hear no complaints! You silly, whiny Long Island schmucks. Simon needs support now, and you are bailing. Ryan Smyth will be gone this summer, NO chance you survive the first round and Simon aint coming back. So, cry over that freaks! Greg--how do you read this drivel!
It is what it is...
A good thing Hollweg wasn't injured worse and the league will deal with Simon. Really disappointing to see Simon do that for me too as a Rangers fan.
The DA has no business in this fight at all!
What was most disturbing to me as an Islander fan was the timing. For as many years as Simon has been in the league, not to mention his age, he should know better. A 1 - 1 game destined (albeit not guaranteed) for overtime and at least 1 point throw away for personal retaliation (when every point at this juncture is imperative). I, for one, will not miss Simon. I love the physical presence has brings, but he just never seems to know what to do with the puck when he gets it. In my opinion, we bring Zednik back, play him with Satan and Kozlov, reunite Yashin and Blake and keep Smyth on that line, keep Sillinger, Hunter and Hillbert and drop Robitaille down with Asham and Park. Between Asham and Witt, we have all the toughness we need and a more skilled player now on the 4th. Gotta win tonight though!!
Simon has a history of "losing it". When the Isles signed him I was really disappointed. But since that point I have turned around and the guy has been a major contributor to the teams turn around.there is no excuse for what he did, but I hope campbell will look at the WHOLE game.
Avery's hit on Hill was viscious. He not only ran him, but punched him in the face when Hill wasn't even on the puck. Does Hill have to lay on the ice face down for a few minutes to make that a penalty.
I really don't care what Barry Melrose says, if Hollweg's hit was on Crosby he'd have been in the box. No whistle... WHY? Is that discrimination? Is it because he's 220 lbs, or maybe because of his heritage... Maybe the DA should look into THAT!
Maybe the refs can explain why the blind siding of Smyth at the end of the game with the puck 80 feet away is acceptable.
If anybody needs to be suspended it's the refs.
THEY WERE HORRIBLE.
And there is no defending Avery's SPEARING Witt earlier in the season. I guess the morons in Toronto haven't had a chance to see that one yet.
PLEASE REMOVE BETTMAN FROM HIS POSITION... NOTHING GOOD CAN HAPPEN WHILE THIS MORON RUNS THE LEAGUE.
John Spano
The saddest part about this whole situation...The Isles were playing great hockey, moving up in the standings, having exciting games at the coliseum...and hardly any media coverage. Now one of our players does something stupid, creates drama, and all of a sudden were on the front page of newsday.
ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOTE....
Everyone with HBO needs to watch the Ted Nolan story on Real Sports. This guy has some story and really is the man. It's no wonder everyone loves to play for him. Total inspiration...
Also, Simon has a big part in the story as well. He did not have a good upbringing and got his act together. It's a shame now that everyone is going to remember him for this incident when has made a good life for himself, coming from nowhere.
JP, as a Ranger fan, I've spent most of this year screaming at the refs myself. The calls and non-calls have been amazing, badly timed for the most part, and make all of the old "loan the umpire a pair of glasses" jokes from baseball come to life (Especially in a league where one of the ref's names is pronounced "Mcgoo"). The tag team of Bettman and Campbell are reaping what they sowed on this Simon incident, because if you've been watching, you've seen it building up to something this stupid all year. It's sad that this is the wake-up call.
What a joke! The Rags are a bunch of "angels" and "choirboys". Yea right! The league wants and encourages the fighting and dirty hits and then is outraged when something like this happens.How HYPOCRITICAL!!!If they really want to stop the fighting and dirty hits hold Gary Bettman and the league responsible.And it was a goal! We got hosed on that call. Rags won't make the playoffs. They suck!!GO ISLES!!!
15 reg season and 7 playoff game suspension. i'd say thats fair and now its time to put it behind us and move on. let's go islanders
Bags - where did you hear that?
15 & 7 for a 6 time offender is fair?...think again please...for the sake of the NHL...
ditto bags...
nassau DA office: isn't there something
more important to spend taxpayer dollars on?
tonight is a must win.. time for satan, kozlov, yashin, hill, witt to STEP IT UP!
GO ISLES!
22 games is fair....probably because the hit took place within 3 seconds of skallywags questionable check of simon..he snapped...he was wrong thank goodness the skallywags wasnt hurt..let's move on...nassau da please get a life and worry about the criminals who waste our tax dollars...
The NHL just sent an advisory out on the wires that the hearing was this morning but "a decision relative to that hearing has not yet been
made. Any report to the contrary is false."
hollweg just took a run at a guy on Pitt. it was just after the whistle and from the side, he also left his feet. no penalty, and not a mention from mickeletti or rosan. right after the hit some Pitt players went after him. just goes to show u hollweg hasn't learned to stop running guys in vulnerable positions. we'll see the cheif in the playoffs.
Ted Nolan should stop playing to the media by kissing Simon's butt and start to share some of his concern and interest with the other real team players. No matter how you try and paint it, no matter how you try and portray Simon as a real team player; the fact is the game has passed him by and there's no excuse for his actions. A real team player wouldn't have put his anger ahead of the team needs in a crucial game.
It's time for Nolan to focus on Flynn's horribly inept defence pairings and getting the right line combos in place before the playoffs.
Why do these people have to make everything so huge? Simon was cheapshotted, no doubt about that. That he retaliated should have been expected. Yes, he went overboard, but wouldn't you want to hit the guy too? He's been great all season. This is one little thing. I agree with "Hypocrites!". Nobody says anything when people get hurt fighting. Let's just get past this and focus on the playoffs.
Just back from the game ...
1) The trade for Bergeron is becoming bigger by the game ...9 points in 9 games. He makes the PP a legit threat and hasn't been the "D" liability that was advertized to be ...well done Snow
2) Brashear should have recieved more ...great quote by Nolan talking about the Ranjerk b!tch laying on the ice like he was dead
3) Great to see such a large crowd tonight ...
4) The Ranjizz are still g*y
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