Steve Ott formally suspended one game; what about the Anaheim Ducks?

by Brandon Worley on Mar 2, 2009 1:25 PM CST in Dallas Stars News

Mike Heika is reporting that Steve Ott has formerly been suspended one game by league officials. The good news is that he already served his suspension by sitting out yesterday's game and will be free to play tomorrow against San Jose.

Here's what I want to know: Why haven't Travis Moen, J.S. Giguere and Randy Carlyle been disciplined as well?

I'm perfectly fine with Ott being suspended. If he gouged Moen in the eye, accidental or not, then he deserved to be suspended. But he would not have even been put into this situation if he had not been jumped by Moen and Giguere after the game was over.

Rule 47.2: A player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be both the instigator and aggressor of an altercation shall be assessed an instigating minor penalty, a major penalty for fighting, a ten-minute misconduct (instigator) and a game misconduct penalty (aggressor).

Rule 47.9: Players involved in fighting other than during the periods of the game shall be assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct. Should one player be deemed the instigator of the fight, the game misconduct shall not be assessed to his opponent.

Any player or goalkeeper who would be deemed to be an instigator pursuant to this rule at a time other than during the periods of the game shall be suspended pursuant to 47.20.

Rule 47.22: A player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five (5) minutes of regulation time or at anytime in overtime, shall automatically be suspended for one game. When the one-game suspension is imposed, the Coach shall be fined $10,000 – a fine that will double for each subsequent incident.

You cannot get anymore cut and dry than that. Travis Moen was freely swinging at at Ott who was doing his best to defend himself when he knew he couldn't swing back. That looks like fighting to me.

If the league does in fact suspend Moen and fine Carlyle then it call it even and we'll all move on. But if Ott is the only one punished for this incident then there is a GRAVE injustice being visited upon the Dallas Stars.

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who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation

I think that’s your answer right there — none of the Ducks got an instigator penalty, thus no suspension. Per the referees’ decision (and per my eyes), the Ducks involved were responding to a set of crosschecks to their captain, and no instigator was assigned.

Had they been given an instigator but then let off the hook, I think your question has more legs.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Mar 2, 2009 1:51 PM CST reply actions

That still doesn't negate the fact there was fight in the final five minutes of the game.

And I can kinda buy your take on instigating. It’s not like Ott was just standing still minding his own business. It happened fast, but when I see Moen charge across the ice and start pummeling Ott after the final whistle…then it gets iffy. The fact that the clueless officials didn’t get the penalties right doesn’t change the fact that the league needs to address the rules.

Defending Big D: A Dallas Stars blog on SBN: easy to use, free to join.

by Brandon Worley on Mar 2, 2009 2:04 PM CST up reply actions

But every rule you’ve cited coincides with an instigator penalty, which is not something that is typically determined by anyone except the on-ice referee. I’ve never heard of an instigator being retroactively assigned.

If the league did want to for some reason punish the Ducks, I think it would have to go outside of the rules you’ve listed. The specific prerequisite for these punishments (an instigator penalty) never happened, so these rules by specific definition do not apply.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Mar 2, 2009 2:10 PM CST up reply actions

Ok you got me there.

It’s true that the league won’t retroactively hand out instigator penalties, nor should they. So penalized a player or coach as such wouldn’t be right.

That doesn’t mean the officials on the ice handled this situation properly. Letting it even get this level of discussion is what bothers me the most.

And I’m guessing the league didn’t feel Ott intentionally gouged Moen’s eye, because I’m fairly certain if they had he would have been suspended at least three games. At least.

Defending Big D: A Dallas Stars blog on SBN: easy to use, free to join.

by Brandon Worley on Mar 2, 2009 2:29 PM CST up reply actions

I guess, but I’m still not sure I’d want the Ducks responding any differently. The cross-checking on a 2.5-seconds-left faceoff was excessive, and I’d hope that Niedermayer’s teammates would have responded similarly to the way that they did.

If your wish was that the linesmen could have stepped in and excused Ott from the response he incited, I guess that’s one way out of things. But if it were Corey Perry slashing away at Turco with 2.5 seconds left, I’d think you’d be happier if there was a player response instead of letting Perry hide behind a linesman for his actions.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Mar 2, 2009 2:38 PM CST up reply actions

Nope, I agree.

I’ve stated before, I really don’t fault any of the Ducks players or their actions. I would just rather have the punishments have been… a bit more even.

But hey, the eye gouge obviously wasn’t that bad else it would have been a bigger punishment. So perhaps the way it all went down turned out fair and square…..it just doesn’t feel that way.

Defending Big D: A Dallas Stars blog on SBN: easy to use, free to join.

by Brandon Worley on Mar 2, 2009 2:41 PM CST up reply actions

What that situation does...

…is prove just how stupid the instigator rule is.

In a perfect hockey world, I don’t think anybody has any issues with what Moen did. I certainly don’t.

And even though I’m loathe to the idea that checking somebody hard means you automatically have to drop the mitts and answer for your ‘transgression’, I don’t think Trevor Daley’s response to Brookbank’s hit on Eriksson merited Daley being sent off the ice for the next 17 minutes of the game.

It’s just stupid.

All your bench Sydor are belong to us TheStarsFans

by Brandon Bibb on Mar 2, 2009 4:40 PM CST up reply actions

Hard to explain

I’ve tried defending the game to my non-hockey-following friends…until now. Based on what I’ve seen and how the NHL has ruled, I’m done trying to sell the game. Ott did go overboard and got what he deserved, however, Giggi et al. (not Moen) over-reacted and went unpunished. The refs under-reacted with respect to Giggi et al. (not Moen). However, once Ott became defenseless (no thanks to his "teammates"), they severely under-reacted to Moen. Done trying to sell the game.

by garseman on Mar 2, 2009 10:02 PM CST up reply actions

Maybe, some history needs to be reminded as

On March 23, 1999, Roenick laid out Stars center Mike Modano with a high, clean hit in the corner. The Dallas players were incensed. In their next meeting, on April 14, Hatcher retaliated and broke Roenick’s jaw.

Who knows, they might retaliate at a point or another, but Modano’s comments don’t help any retaliation. It still doesn’t change the fact that you should stick for your team. Probably too much of a “pro” perspective and people stop having heart.

“It’s a matter of putting yourself in that situation to begin with,” Modano said. “The game is over and he and Niedermayer were still going at it for five or eight seconds, giving it to each other.
"The game is over. What is going to be accomplished after the buzzer is gone. I’m sure in the heat of the moment, he wanted to grab someone and try to give it to them. His situation is what it is. He’s on double secret probation with the league. Anything he tip-toes around he could be in trouble. He’s a diehard. He’s going to hang in there and do what he feels is right at the time. Now he’s looking at this situation.”

by Linkan on Mar 2, 2009 2:50 PM CST reply actions

wrong

i dont care if Ott cross checked him once after the whistle, i feel Moen came out of his way to instigate the fight and should be punished. he fought after the game and should be punished. Caryle should be fined because his players started a fight after the game. The Dallas Stars players on the ice should be suspended and fined for being pussies.

by Lifewish on Mar 2, 2009 4:26 PM CST reply actions