The NHL Gets Serious?

Kudos to the league on the harsh suspension issued to Steve Downie for his hit on Dean McAmmond. I'm leery of giving them to much credit just yet however. As has been frequently pointed out, Downie is an easy target for them. The true test will be to see if they come down hard on a more significant player sometime later in the year when the games really count. What if Colby Armstrong or Chris Neil is to deliver a head shot in March as Pittsburgh or Ottawa are fighting for playoff positions. Will they see similar suspensions in the double digits for number of games? Until the NHL's tough stance remains somewhat suspect.

Hopefully this suspension will be good for Downie, forcing him to learn the importance of discipline. While it initially seemed that he was a perfect fit for the Flyers, it occurs to me reading some of the comments from his junior coaches that perhaps being drafted into Philadelphia was actually bad luck for the kid. It seems he would have probably benefited greatly from entering an organization that values discipline, a trait the Flyers have never been known for and certainly didn't demonstrate with him when Bobby Clarke invited him to travel with the team while he was suspended from the OHL for his involvement in the hazing incident in Windsor. Much has been made of the success he enjoyed at the World Juniors. That success probably demonstrates how much he can benefit from a strong presence guiding him as Brent Sutter is certainly never going to be noted for his leniency. It is also now incumbent on the Flyers to insure that he serves his NHL suspension by not sending him to the AHL and hiding him there. He should be kept on the roster for the first twenty games and then treated in whatever way the Flyers intended to treat him had the incident not happened.

On a non-sports note, I implore anyone who is a fan of witty and evocative lyrics and great twang-twinged, hooky rock to check out the new album from Winnipeg's The Weakerthans. Reunion Tour is everything that we dedicated followers have come to expect: emotionally-involving, character driven and unerringly listenable. If you aren't familiar with the band, they are one of Canada's hidden treasures, CBC darlings and beloved by a wide variety of music geeks from coast to coast. Plus they have a song remembering recently deceased goaltending great, Gump Worsley. It is not only an elegy for a great sports character, the kind who have been generally erased through media training and fitness requirements, but for a great time in sports, when the players were accessible and the league was intimate. The record is an incredibly worthwhile investment.