My turn

Okay I missed Wednesday's game so I couldn't comment too much on the goings-on, save that they were terrible by all accounts. I did hear the hit on Kaleta on the radio, and have since seen the replay and man, that is SICK!

We all know the facts- Ruutu is a cheapshot, finger-chomping, classless player who gets away with too much. Kaleta is an extreme agitator who occasionally hovers on the line between frustrating and cheap but let's face it- they are both human beings, and no one wants to see a human being get smashed head first into the glass, especially when it looks intentional!

We all know how the league has mad double standards and NO consistency whatsoever. This is hardly news, but what really bugs me about this whole debacle is no only the fact that there was no suspension, but what Bob MacKenzie and others on TSN had to say about it.

I know that others have already commented on this, but I'll throw in my 2 cents.
-I don't care who he is, no one deserves to be smashed like that.
-Kaleta is clearly hurt and DID NOT PLAY the rest of the game.
-Yes, Kaleta is an agitator, he's very good at goading other players into stupid penalties. Does he turtle on occasion? Yes, but it gets his team the power play. That's not chicken, that's smart. He's a hard-nosed player who will step up when need be, and he is NOT a faker! Show me one time he's faked an injury?

But here's the kicker- when they start comparing Ruutu/Kaleta to Koci/Green. Both hits are nasty and with Kaleta they are like.. "well he has a reputation.. blah blah blah." With Green, it's all "He's a star player, Koci should be kicked out of the league! 5 games minimum!!"

HOLY DOUBLE STANDARD BATMAN!

I get that Green is a great player, he is. But you could argue that Kaleta's 6 goals and physical presence are just as valuable to the Sabres as Green's (lack of) defence and 32 points are to the Caps.

And I hate to go here, but I do have to wonder.. this debate was on TSN. I know it wasn't Don Cherry, with his Canada-centric ways, but if you take note of the fact that Kaleta is American and Green is Canadian.. might that come into play, even if not spoken? Just wondering if Kaleta had been some bread-and-butter kid from 100 Mile House, BC, instead of Angola, NY- would they be treating him differently? Would they be all-- "hard-nosed, take no crap Canadian kid deserves better treatment from the League, even if he isn't s superstar?"

Dunno, but it's worth a thought.

**Please note that I am in no way stating as fact that the bias is there, merely suggesting that it could be part of the discussion. I have nothing against Canada-- I think it's a wonderful place and I have many friends who live there. I'm just speculating on a very strange discussion that should have been totally clear but somehow got all muddled, and I'm wondering at all the angles of why it's not just an open and shut-he should be suspended, no questions asked case.

Thoughts?

I've got brains too- and more than just half of one

I read an interesting article in the Hockey News today about visor use.. it was just a commentary -(I do love Adam Proteau) but it certainly provided some interesting points about just how stupid professional athletes can be. This is the hockey article and it's not too bad, but it also links to an article about Major League Baseball players and the fact that they don't want to wear this new, safer helmet because it looks "dorky". Are you kidding me? That's so typical. So these guys are willing to risk their lives- AND Livelihood- because they don't want to look dorky wearing something that will protect their brains from a 100 mph fastball from 24 inches away? Nice.

It's like the hockey players who whine about wearing protective visors on their helmets. Dudes, get this- if you break your arm or your leg or pull a muscle or some such, all of that can heal with (usually) minimal complications. Eyes don't just grow back. It seems so obvious, yet many players refuse to don the visor, even with all sorts of horriffic stories about eye injuries that could have been prevented.

I love the fact that the minor leagues adopted a mandatory visor policy a few years ago, and I think that partially because of that, more players are sticking with it when they get the NHL. Because, remember that EVERY level of hockey until the NHL requires full or half- face protection. Oh yeah, that.

And you might have the people who say that wearing a helmet with a visor makes you a wuss- well look at Pat Kaleta. He's a tough kid, not afraid to mix it up with just about anyone-and oh wait, he protects his eyes! Smart, tough kid. :) Just do what the kids in the juniors do- toss the gloves, toss the helmet, square off and start fighting.

I've witnessed first hand (literally I was about 3 feet away) what it looks like when a player takes a puck to the eye. It was the grossest thing I've probably ever seen. That player never laced up his skates again, at least not competitively. Luckily for him, he had a fallback plan- he had a degree in Education and was planning to be a teacher anyway when he was done with hockey. I don't know that all players are so prepared.

Just my rambling commentary on an issue that should be common-sense simple. But somehow, it's not. What do you think?