By Justin Orlewicz (Hockey Writer) – Email
Concussions are an unavoidable risk in the game of hockey, but recent attention for making the game safer has Trevor Gilles in a tough spot.
However, before I say any more about that, I need to get something off my chest: Trade Deadline Day was more disappointing than Manon Rheaumes’ 1993 NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightening. Though, to be fair, Manon was very attractive and did go on to play pro in the ECHL and IHL for a handful of seasons (hell I had a poster of her on my wall, but for all the wrong reasons). Hats off to Manon, she was a real trail blazer and all that, but she was no Cassie Campbell. Seriously though, the trade deadline did suck. The Canucks got a little stronger by acquiring super-pest Maxim Lapierre and off the ice bad boy Christopher Higgens – that was pretty much it for deadline day.
Trevor Gillies is right back where he was nine games ago, when he got suspended for hitting someone in the head. After only three shifts and just over a minute back from his suspension, he decided to come to the aid of teammate Justin Dibenedetto, after Kyle Clutterbuck hit him hard into the boards. Gillies was immediately called to the head office in New York and was given a 10 game suspension for the hit. However, I am going to have to side with him on this one; the hit was shoulder to shoulder. Gillies might be a resurrected dinosaur from the 1970’s era, “the good old days, the all for nothing days,” the no helmet days. Now, I am not saying we should go back to the dark ages and stop wearing lids, but Gillies represents something from when the game was great and violent, when players had respect.
His intensity and fury to fight the way he does should be commended instead of punished, but once you earn that reputation as a second time offender, you’re in Colin Campbell’s bad books forever. Not to mention the majority of the media are buying into this “hockey needs to be safer” crap. Hockey is violent game, accept it, no one is holding a gun to these kids head and saying “play or I will kill you,” like they did in the old days of the Coliseum. These kids signed up to play a contact sport. Sometimes bad things happen in this game. It’s terrible, but I am glad that the league handled this properly and only gave him ten games; it sends a message and silences the media. I agree with Grapes on this one as usual, Gillies hit was shoulder to shoulder, and he should have just dropped the gloves with Clutterbuck instead of nailing him.
For the last time, if you want concussions to go down in numbers, take the instigator rule out. Concussions will always be part of the game, though: it’s unavoidable. In fact, I have one right now from a men’s league hockey game, yet you don’t see me supporting clean play in the NHL. We need more Trevor Gillies in the NHL, guys that have a glimmer of the glory days. For more inside info on the NHL and the AHL, follow me on Twitter @JustinOrly.
