New York Islanders left wing Chris Simon shares an unenviable job with the likes of Mike Grier, Donald Brashear, Andrew Peters and others: that of enforcer. These men are there for a simple reason; they protect the stars and drop the gloves to defend teammates.
I don't have any problem with fighting in hockey. It can be a highly emotional game and tempers flare. Retribution for a cheap hit, or inspiration for teammates seems like reasonable reason to me for a mid-game bout.
Unfortunately every once in a while a player will give enforcers a bad reputation and give the media a reason to sensationalize the acts of a few and make generalizations. Arguably the most notable of which are Marty McSorley for his attack of Donald Brashear, and of course Todd Bertuzzi's ambush of Steve Moore. More recently Chris Simon's actions have caused him his second suspension in under a year.
Last season, Chris Simon smacked Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick following a hard but clean check into the boards by Hollweg on Simon. For this malicious retaliation, Simon was suspended for 25 games, which carried into the first 5 games of this season. He hasn't learned his lesson yet as demonstrated by his recent actions on December 15th.
If you missed it, Jarko Ruutu was having a few words with Islanders forward Tim Jackman between the player benches when Simon tripped him from behind, then proceeded to step on his skate as he went to the bench (Videos are all over youtube, if there's a different perspective you'd like to share, feel free to comment).
The Islanders organization has made an important first step in giving Simon a leave of absence to seek counselling. I look forward to the league's decision on this matter. If he is suspended (and he damn well should be) it will be for the 8th time in his career. Hopefully for the safety of the other players it will be for the entire season.
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