Chris Simon's been suspended again, this time for 30 games. In the next logical step for a man with his level of restraint, Simon used his skated foot to chop at the foot of Pittsburgh Penguins player Jarkko Ruutu. Of course, we all remember Simon from this incident, and his numerous other infractions, including calling a half-black player a "nigger."

By all accounts, Simon is a "good guy" off the ice who has trouble dealing with his aggression in the heat of a hockey game. Hey, I get it. Hockey, like football, is a brutally physical sport. In the trenches, it's a constant struggle played by men that are unbelievable physical specimens. Those situations kind of beg for some sort of egregious behavior by some player that gets overzealous. Those players are dealt with and removed for a bit and (hopefully) show enough remorse that they don't engage in that behavior habitually.

Simon's been doing this for years. To this point, he's been lucky enough that one of his vicious attacks on someone hasn't resulted in the end of a career (or worse). What happens when he finally does critically injure someone? Is that what it's going to take before the just get him out of the game?

I guess Colin Campbell's willing to take that chance. I know that I wouldn't be.

Labels: hockey

First things first, Ryan Hollweg is lucky to be alive.

When Chris Simon took his stick and swung it like a baseball bat at Ryan Hollweg and Hollweg hit the ice, I was pretty sure his career was over, or at the very least his seasoin. He lay there motionless for a couple of minutes, while the Rangers trainer Jim "Rammer" Ramsey attended to him. But he was fine. A couple of stitches to the chin and he's probably ready to go for Saturday's game in Pittsburgh.

But if he got hit a couple of inches lower and the stick broke his windpipe, he'd be dead. And if it was a little higher, he'd have lost an eye or had serious head damage. As it turns out, Hollweg lost all of his 2002-3 season in juniors because of a head injury (something I didn't know until I read E.J. Hradek's column on ESPN.com today [Insider access required]), and this really could have cost him his career, but also the quality of the rest of his life.

The hit was bad. If you haven't seen it, click this link. Simon's been a goon his entire career, so it's not surprising that he'd follow Hollweg's clean check with a stick chop to Hollweg's face. Simon's been suspended five times before, four time for excessive violence and once for allegedly calling a half black player a "nigger." He's a class act.

But I think the classiest part of the whole thing is the Nassau Coliseum's reaction to the hit as Simon was being escorted off the ice. They were applauding! Cheering Simon for his vicious, dirty attack. Islanders fans have always been a pretty classless group, but this was a new low. To see people cheering the injury of a fellow person just because they wear another sweater. It's horrible and by far the worst part of the whole incident.

Labels: hockey, Long Island, New York Rangers

Did anyone catch the game last night? The Rangers are flying lately. I love the Cullen-Ortmeyer-Dupuis line. That's some serious speed there. And Marcel Hossa is playing like he's channeling his brother's scoring prowess.

For years, it seemed like Glen Sather was sleeping at the wheel, but you have to give him credit for the two latest acquisitions. He acquired a second line winger (Sean Avery) and a third line winge (Pascal Dupuis) for almost nothing. A couple of a prospects and a draft pick to LA for Avery and an ineffective, underperforming Adam Hall to Minnesota for Dupuis. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but those are two extremely savvy moves for a guy that hadn't made one since 1990.

There's work to be done. They're still 3 points out of a playoff spot, but they've got games in hand on the teams in front of them and if they keep playing with this passion, it'll be a fun stretch run. I'm looking forward to Sunday's game against the Blackhawks at the Garden.

Labels: hockey, New York Rangers