Connelly Chimes in on Hockey Violence

Boys Gone Wild
By Jim Connelly • USCHO

Is it me or is the college hockey world being overcome by incident after incident that leaves the average fan shaking their head. After a season that’s had a rash of problems for players both on and off the ice, last week saw one of the top scoring players in the nation head to the NHL after some sort of off-ice incident followed by one of the longest brawls that college hockey has seen.

Things began on Thursday when it was announced that Denver’s top scorer, Brock Trotter, had signed an NHL contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Simple, though somewhat strange to happen mid-season, the signing followed Denver head coach George Gwozdecky benching Trotter for a two-game series a week earlier at Minnesota State.

Gwozdecky and Denver had no comment on Trotter being left out of the lineup and never made any official announcement of a suspension. That won’t be necessary now that Trotter has departed the program, but there certainly remains what seems like some unanswered questions.

While that drama spun off the ice, Canisius and RIT engaged in a donny-brook of fights on Saturday night that resulted in 239 penalties combined in the 4-1 RIT victory. Honestly, after watching this amateur video of the altercation, I’m surprised that there weren’t more penalties assessed. It will be interesting to see if the league imposes any additional suspension.

These are two in a long list of incidents both on and off the ice that have drawn attention this season. Boston College, Boston University, Maine, Vermont, Colorado College, North Dakota, New Hampshire and Michigan all have suspended or dismissed players for off-ice incidents. Out in the WCHA, North Dakota has twice been involved in brawls and head coach Dave Hakstol has has his share of problems, getting into a verbal tussle with Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves earlier in the season before recently being suspended for “flipping the bird” at an official during a series with Minnesota.

So the question at hand is what the heck if going on?

The answer may be difficult to find. In terms of off-ice issues, I personally believe that there have been problem similar to these occuring within teams for years. Before the era of real-time media, I think that most of these problems could be swept under the carpet.

As for the on-ice altercations, in essence everything that has happened is part of the game. There will be brawls at times. What will curb these incidents is how the league reacts. AHA commissioner Bob DeGregorio has the chance to send a message that behavior such as what was witnessed on Saturday night isn’t acceptable. There were some automatic suspensions associated with the penalties that were handed out, but there when you have players leaving the penalty box, goaltenders skating the length of the ice to start fights and players beating other players with helmets, supplemental discipline is certainly warranted.

Abondoning teammates for $ signs

It's official, DU's Brock Trotter has left his team in the stretch run and signed with the Montreal Canadians of the bribing NHL. This follows on the heels of Minnesota's Kyle Okposo bailing for Long Island earlier this season. If you're unfamiliar with the situations, Mike Chamber's has a good article dealing with the NHL playing on greed. Apparently he thought he was too good and should be treated as the best player ever to walk through the doors a Magness. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly crying over the fact that DU is without a big scoring threat coming down the wire, but I love college hockey and something like this damages the game. The NHL is struggling while college hockey has a strong niche following and doesn't suffer from the hyper-commercialization that plagues NCAA basketball and football. It lets us fans really feel like we are part of the team. Oh, and we don't have hideous jerseys we are forced to stare at (the sole reason I don't watch the Avs anymore, those stripes make me go crazy!) I'm hoping either the NCAA or the WCHA sets up new rules next season to prevent this mid-season treason from happening. The WCHA should be concerned, having the most talent in the NCAA.
One of the best commentaries I have ever read came from an unlikely source, the Gazette, today that detailed this whole situation. David Ramsey hit the who the nail right on the head.

NHL should not raid college hockey during the season
By David Ramsey
THE GAZETTE
February 10, 2008 - 5:15PM

The NHL is doing a terrific job of attacking a fast, wonderful game. The league axed the 2004-05 season while owners and players engaged in a civil war.

And now, just when hockey fans are beginning to forgive the foolishness, NHL clubs are raiding college teams, swiping key players and enraging fans.

On Thursday, the University of Denver announced redshirt sophomore Brock Trotter had signed with the Montreal Canadiens. Trotter will soon play for the Canadiens’ top minor-league team in Hamilton, Ontario.

Trotter apparently tumbled into still-mysterious disciplinary troubles at DU. Ah, but the NHL offered a convenient, lucrative escape route. He left his teammates and bolted into the Canadiens’ open arms.

Wade Arnott, Trotter’s agent, defended his client.

“He didn’t walk away from his team,” Arnott told Canadian Press.

Hate to disagree, Wade, but that’s exactly what Trotter did.

Trotter’s departure follows Kyle Okposo skipping away from coach Don Lucia and the Minnesota Golden Gophers in December.

Okposo fled to the New York Islanders, saying he was unhappy with his “development” in Minnesota. Translation: The ultra-talented Okposo didn’t think he was being coddled enough. He now plays for the Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ minor-league team, in Bridgeport, Conn.
Colorado College coach Scott Owens doesn’t see the trend invading Colorado Springs, but he’s still uneasy.

“Is it wrong?” he asked, standing in the hallway Saturday after CC’s 4-2 loss to St. Cloud State. “Yeah, it’s wrong. It’s wrong because you’re abandoning your teammates.”

The NHL’s recklessness is a recipe for disaster. Swiping college players in midseason is about as wise as seeking nourishment by gnawing on your foot.

Showing disrespect to thousands of college hockey fans in Minneapolis and Denver is a great way to chip away at the NHL’s popularity, which is teetering anyway. The NHL can’t afford to be so ruthless, or clueless.

The league set a record — a dubious one — during Game 3 of last season’s Stanley Cup Finals. The game delivered the lowest prime-time ratings in NBC’s history.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should ban midseason college robberies. Today would be the ideal time to make such a proclamation.

Otherwise, gifted college players will be tempted. If they’re uncomfortable with their coach or playing time or teammates or campus girlfriend, they can skip away to an NHL paycheck.

Bettman hasn’t exactly shown strong leadership in this area. In December, a few days after the Okposo move, he said, “Nobody makes somebody leave college.”

Wake up, Gary. Please, wake up.

These middle-of-the-season exits will devastate the college game, but they’ll also slowly drain support for the NHL. It’s bad for both versions.

Bill Sweatt, CC’s sophomore star, isn’t sure of all the details in the Trotter and Okposo cases, but he does know he has no interest in his own quick exit.

“I would never leave my team during the season because you would be leaving your team behind,” he said. “I’m not a believer in doing something halfway.”

That’s the right attitude, but here’s the problem. Not everyone is so dedicated to his teammates. The NHL temptation shouldn’t be there for college malcontents and rule breakers.

Players can’t bolt in football or basketball and expect a fat paycheck as a reward. The powers who direct the NBA and NFL have their faults, but they don’t create collegiate chaos in the middle of a season. The NBA and NFL decline to dabble in self-destruction.

The NHL must close a door that never should have been left open.