Neal and Thornton incidents

[Andy007]

Thornton won't be punished as harshly as Bertuzzi because of that and because he was responding to an incident from the same game rather than from an earlier game, but, he should still receive a lengthy suspension. Things like this have no place in professional sports. I'd give him 20 games, at least.

I'd have no problem with suspending him the rest of the season, including playoffs. 20 games isn't enough imo.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

So Neal will have a phone hearing and Thornton gets an in-person hearing. Means Neal will get 5 or less and Thornton 6 or more.

While I agree that Thornton should get 5 or more, there's no reason whatsoever that Neal shouldn't get a good solid 10 game suspension from that idiotic play. Jesus NHL, you're trying to show that you care about concussions and you have a lawsuit coming up but when a player clearly knees a guy directly in the noggin you drop the ball.....again.

 

[Stickytape]

I cringed through a lot of what PJ Stock said about the incident, but he's right about at least one thing: the players don't care about the money.  And for goons, a few missed games don't even amount to much.

Honestly, when things like this occur, seasons and careers need to be at risk.

 

[nutman]

I think they both should get at least 10 games. As for Thornton, if the guy wont fight then he should have let it go. a fight in Hockey is great, but only if both guys are into it. give him 10. Neal.... well that is just plain stupid on his part, and it looked like he aimed. I would say more then 10, maybe 15.
what ever happened to the good old days when players would just solve there issues with a few fights, oh ya there taking fighting out of the game, so players are getting there frustrations out other ways.

 

[Bullfrog]

In what way imaginable were last night's actions a result of "them" taking fighting out of the game?

And in what way are they taking fighting out of the game?

 

[nutman]

In what way imaginable were last night's actions a result of "them" taking fighting out of the game?

And in what way are they taking fighting out of the game?

If they let players fight, then that crap would not happen.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

In what way imaginable were last night's actions a result of "them" taking fighting out of the game?

And in what way are they taking fighting out of the game?

If they let players fight, then that crap would not happen.

Er, last time I checked players can fight and that still happened.

 

[Andy007]

In what way imaginable were last night's actions a result of "them" taking fighting out of the game?

And in what way are they taking fighting out of the game?

If they let players fight, then that crap would not happen.

But players can fight. In fact, based on how the league handled the Emery debacle, you can even be forced to fight against your will with no reprecussions. This kind of crap happens because the consequences for acting like a brain dead psycho are very light.

 

[nutman]

I am in favor of fighting, but not the goons that are there for nothing but.

 

[bustaheims]

If they let players fight, then that crap would not happen.

Except, you know, players are still allowed to fight and it tends to be the guys that fight a lot getting involved in these types of incidents - not the guys they're supposedly out there to "intimidate."

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

Well ok, sure, but then so too does the Neal play and countless plays throughout the whole season.

Regardless of whether or not that's true, and I don't think it is, one bad act doesn't excuse another. There's nothing justifiable about what Thornton did.

You don't think Neal's cheap shot came from a place of bad rationalization? Other plays in the season where players are injured etc.?

 

[OldTimeHockey]

I think they both should get at least 10 games. As for Thornton, if the guy wont fight then he should have let it go. a fight in Hockey is great, but only if both guys are into it. give him 10. Neal.... well that is just plain stupid on his part, and it looked like he aimed. I would say more then 10, maybe 15.
what ever happened to the good old days when players would just solve there issues with a few fights, oh ya there taking fighting out of the game, so players are getting there frustrations out other ways.

PJ? Is that you?

 

[lamajama]

So Neal will have a phone hearing and Thornton gets an in-person hearing. Means Neal will get 5 or less and Thornton 6 or more.

While I agree that Thornton should get 5 or more, there's no reason whatsoever that Neal shouldn't get a good solid 10 game suspension from that idiotic play. Jesus NHL, you're trying to show that you care about concussions and you have a lawsuit coming up but when a player clearly knees a guy directly in the noggin you drop the ball.....again.

This ^^^^ is bang on. It's so logical it's a joke that the NHL is going with <5 games. Even the reason for the meeting with Thornton - the "aggressor" rule??  Where the heck was this with Ray Emery's crap?

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

My guess is because one is obviously intentional and the other, while most likely intentional, leaves SOME room to argue it wasn't.

 

[Kin]

Well ok, sure, but then so too does the Neal play and countless plays throughout the whole season.

Regardless of whether or not that's true, and I don't think it is, one bad act doesn't excuse another. There's nothing justifiable about what Thornton did.

You don't think Neal's cheap shot came from a place of bad rationalization? Other plays in the season where players are injured etc.?

If you go back and look at our conversation to what you're responding to is me disagreeing that what Neal did comes from the same bad rationalization as what Thornton/Bertuzzi did and I would stand by that because, again, however dirty you might think it to be it wasn't coming from the same "He hit Star Player X on my team, therefore I'm justified in attacking him" rationalization which is problematic because people defend it. James Neal shouldn't have done what he did, no qualifiers and no people like PJ Stock saying it's ok because Orpik didn't want to fight after a clean hit.

 

[TML fan]

Thornton should be gone for the season. Neal should get 10 games minimum. This insanity has to stop.

 

[dappleganger]

5 games for Neal. Wasn't premeditated. Made a really dumb move.

Thornton 25 games. Just, for one second, imagine he did to Crosby what he did to Orpik. He'd be banned for life.

 

[Bullfrog]

Agreed, and for the same reasoning.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I can understand people wanting Thornton to get 20+ games, but nobody really thinks the NHL will actually give him that, right?

 

[OldTimeHockey]

I can understand people wanting Thornton to get 20+ games, but nobody really thinks the NHL will actually give him that, right?

I don't. I say he gets 10 games.

As for Neal being premeditated.....as in, did he think that he want to knee Marchand in the head before the game? I'm pretty sure just about every player in the league has thought about kneeing Marchand in the head at some point.

For the simple fact he's not having a face 2 face meeting, he's not getting any more than 5. I think it's ridiculous and I think both Thornton's and Neal's incidents should receive equal punishments.