FanPost

Preventing Violence

Some of us love the circus. Some of us love ice capades. Some of us love MMA. I'll tell you what I don't like though, the combination of the three. Watching clowns skate around in actions of semi-sanctioned violence is not my cup of tea. When I tune in to watch a hockey game, I expect physical play. Sometimes, I expect that physical play to go over the edge and border on the sort of stuff that I wouldn't want my children to watch if I had any. However, I certainly do not tune in to watch people without respect for themselves or their peers make a mockery of the game. We all know what I'm talking about. Here, take a look at it again just so that you get good and pissed off.

Rinaldo Hit to Letang

Five minutes and a game misconduct, ladies and gentlemen. Are you pleased? Did you get your money's worth if you paid for tickets and concessions at this game? Does the NHL even care?

Most of you know me a little bit by now. I'm "old school." Keep the fights in hockey. Bring out the big defensemen. Let's throw down. But, could we inject a little respect into the game though? It's not so much even the hit. Mistakes happen. Granted, this was no mistake, but if it were another player as the offender, it could have been. However, after delivering the blow, the offender had this jewel of an interview.

Rinaldo Comments After the Game

The most intriguing part comes at the end of the interview. To quote directly, "Yeah, I changed the whole game, man. Fuck, who knows what the game would have been like if uh... if I didn't do what I did." Let's set the whole f-bomb during an interview aside, because it was obviously the proper way to present one's self during media time. Forgive the sarcasm.

Anyway, there it is. Total lack of respect for himself, for other players, for the league, for the media, and for the fans. Folks, this guy (you'll notice I refrain from using his name because I'd like for him to disappear from history) can either go down as another black mark against the NHL... like nothing ever happened... just another 10 game suspension... as if a $7Mil asset with a history of concussion and stroke was not targeted by.... whatever he is... or he can become a trend-setter, a statement piece, if you will.

His hearing, which he so tastefully waived his opportunity to have in person, will be held Monday via telephone. I encourage the NHL and the Department of Player Safety to draw the line. It should have been drawn a long time ago. Just so the score is even, it could have been drawn when James Neal kneed Sean Couturier a couple years ago. Nobody is completely innocent here. Someone has to set a precedent and stop these incidents from occurring though.

So, this is where I encourage you, my fellow fans at Pensburgh, to come up with ideas for preventing this sort of side-show from happening again. If Rinaldo wants to put Letang out of the game, let him do it face to face instead of from the back while leaving his feet. Letang has dropped the gloves before. And if Letang refused, I am quite sure there would have been one or two other players willing to scrap. There is a right way and a wrong way, and we don't need religion or mysticism to see the two. Those sort of actions, from any player, have no place in the game. I'll be bluntly honest, if Rinaldo does not receive a 20 game suspension, similar to Raffi Torres, I will be extremely disappointed. A reduction of points has been suggested. Fines against the team. Loss of draft picks.

I want to hear what else you have in mind. And while we're brain-storming, let's try to refrain from using his name or a whole lot of emotion. I understand that we're angry. I'm pretty obviously angry. But, making suggestions and decisions based upon emotion will not prevent the violence, only encourage it. A straight-forward path with strict guidelines and tougher sanctions will curtail it though. Let's hope that we can be a small voice to start enacting some kind of change. You have until Monday afternoon.

The content expressed in fanposts does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff here at Pensburgh.com. FanPosts are opinions expressed by fans of various teams throughout the league but may be more Pittsburgh-centric for obvious reasons.