| 09 March 2010
The hot topic in the league this week: what to do about blindside blows to the head. The debate, which has simmered all season long, came to a boil after the Penguins' Matt Cooke collided with the Bruins' Marc Savard, leading to stretcherization and an anticipated suspension.
We at MYFO are not smart enough to comment knowledgeably on this issue. But we bring our own brand of enlightenment in the form of a cable news-style "debate." Please welcome our two experts today: Former Philadelphia Flyer great Eric Lindros, and his much less talented younger brother Brett. Gentleman, welcome to the show.
Eric: Thanks. LeNoc. I'm. A. Big. Fan.
Brett: I don't want to go to Calgary, eh?
LeNoc: Now, I assume you've seen some of the footage of the Cooke/Savard play. Let me ask you, Eric: was that a dirty hit? Or an act of reprehensible thuggery?
Eric: Well. It's. Not. Easy. To. Tell. From. The. Video. Hockey. Is. Played. At. Tremendous. Speed. That. Being. Said. It. Didn't. Look. Good.
LeNoc: Brett? What about you? If you were Colin Campbell, would you suspend Cooke?
Brett: I like chocolate milk.
LeNoc: OK, moving on: right now, the NHL is taking an ad hoc approach to these hits. Penalties may or may not be called on the ice; supplemental discipline may or may not be imposed. Should the refs be making more calls? Do they need a new rule to make these calls? Brett--you're first.
Brett: Has anyone seen my Play-Doh? There was a pink one and a yellow one. I was going to make hot dogs with buns around them.
LeNoc: Eric, you've been there--what's your take?
Eric: The. League. Has. To. Protect. Its. Stars. Otherwise. You. End. Up. With. Prematurely. Shortened. Careers. I'm. In. Favor. Of. A. Specific. Penalty. For. A. Blow. To. The. Head.
LeNoc: Don't you run into a problem with an automatic call, though? Some guy is skating by, lowers his head to make a pass, and all of a sudden a defenseman is in the box for five minutes because some fancypants forward wasn't looking where he was going. Is that fair?
Eric: The. Alternative. Is. What. We've. Seen. With. Great. Players. Getting. Seriously. Hurt. Like. Marc. Savard. It. Even. Happened. To. M---
Brett: HERE COMES SCOTT STEVENS!
Eric: Aaaaaaaahhh! Runs off the set.
Brett: Hah! That gets him every time. You got any candy?
LeNoc: That's all the time we have. I'd like to thank Brett and Eric for lending us their expertise. Join us next week, when elfish former players Cliff Ronning and Curt Giles weigh in on whether a new blow-to-the-head rule would discriminate against tall players.
