rick@ucla-cs.UUCP (01/31/85)
<-he shoots, he SCORES->
According to the newspaper Billy Smith received a 6 games suspension for
his stick "incident" with Curt Fraser of the Black Hawks. I don't have the
article here with me but apparently the league officials agreed with
Smith that he was "protecting" his area of the crease and did not
deliberately attempt to injure. And then they turned around and gave him
a suspension for stick swinging. What a strange situation. The Black Hawk
management were upset at the length of the suspension thinking that it
should have been longer. The league's decision was based partly on Smith's
defense that Fraser had taken at least 3 runs at him during the game.
I really don't know what to say about any of this since I haven't seen a
replay or anything. I have been an Islander fan for about 13 years so I
have seen my share of Smith's antics - and been forced to defend him too
many times. He is a *good* goalie when he decides to play. Lots of teams
make the mistake of trying to get him riled up by taking runs at him, and
then he stones them the rest of the game. Sort of like in the old days when
people took runs at Frank Mahovelich ("the Big h'Em" as he was known in his
Montreal days) - they would wake up the sleeping giant. Maybe people should
just leave Smith alone ... and he will leave them alone.
--
Rick Gillespie
rick@ucla-cs
...!{cepu|ihnp4|sdcrdcf|ucbvax}!ucla-cs!rick
"She turned me into a newt! . . . I got better."cjsgro@watrose.UUCP (cjsgro) (02/03/85)
Sorry, Rick. If you would have seen any replays, you would have seen Smith
attempting to do a craniotomy on Fraser. Smith's stick swinging was, in my
eyes, a blatant attempt to show Fraser that "nobody messes with Billy the Kid
and walks away alive". He is a good goalie but he has a serious flaw in his
temperament that one day will create an incident like the Fraser incident
look like a harmless skirmish. Fraser's just lucky that he doesn't have any
brain or sight damage.
--
Carlo Sgro
...{ihnp4||allegra}!watmath!watrose!cjsgro
"I told you not to do that!"lake@alberta.UUCP (Robert Lake) (02/05/85)
I saw the replay of the "incident" with Curt Fraser, and, based on numerous other similar "incidents", I would have to concur with Don Cherry on HNIC last Saturday that this was one time a 30 game + playoff suspension was in order. I feel he should be slapped rather heavily because he uses the threat of serious injury to people to keep them away from the front of his net (and he doesn't seem to care whether or not they are trying to take a "run" at him). With the incident in question, Curt Fraser was pushed into the crease area by one of the Islander defencemen. People like Billy Smith are a danger to the league, because one of these times someone is going to have his career ended (and possibly end up with a permanent injury) from one of his free swinging sticks. As for "just leave Smith alone ... and he will leave them alone.", someone once asked Smith why he never had any run- ins with high scoring Kent Nilsson (who is well known for avoiding rough play) of the Calgary Flames. Smith's reply was along the lines that his stick wouldn't reach to center ice. Smith has also injured with his stick well known "aggressive" players such as Wayne Gretzky. Do you *really* think he will just leave them alone? Robert Lake (alberta!lake) University of Alberta
rick@ucla-cs.UUCP (02/08/85)
In article <399@alberta.UUCP> lake@alberta.UUCP (Robert Lake) writes: >I saw the replay of the "incident" with Curt Fraser, and, based on numerous >other similar "incidents", I would have to concur with Don Cherry on HNIC >last Saturday that this was one time a 30 game + playoff suspension was in >order. I admit that I am at a disadvantage since I haven't seen a replay (Los Angeles "sports reports" are frustrating that way - they will show some high school bozo throwing a prayer shot in basketball, but don't expect much more than the scores of hockey games). > People like Billy Smith >are a danger to the league, because one of these times someone is going to >have his career ended (and possibly end up with a permanent injury) from >one of his free swinging sticks. If by this Rob means let's get rid of players who use their sticks on each other then I'm all for it. If, on the other hand, he means "get rid of Smith" then I will just chalk it up to his well known (to me, anyway) dislike of Smith (and Potvin, and anyone else in an Islander sweater - except, perhaps, Kallur since Rob knows I *always* pick him in a hockey pool :-)). But I am getting tired of defending Smith's actions. Maybe Billy will retire soon. > Smith has also injured with his stick >well known "aggressive" players such as Wayne Gretzky. I can remember two incidents between Gretzky and Smith. The first was during a regular season game. Gretzky had the puck behind the net (does he own a condo back there or *what*) and was skating from one side to the other. Smith, as would ANY goalie I have ever seen, tried to knock the puck off Gretzky's stick with a sweep check. His stick bounced off Gretzky's blade, rode up the shaft of Gretzky's stick, and hit him somewhere in the arm. It was accidental (Smith *was* trying to just get the puck), but the Edmonton newspapers made it sound like World War III. The next incident was in the playoffs (in 1983, I think). Again Gretzky was skating behind the net, and Smith's stick swung around (I won't claim that he was aiming at the puck) and hit Gretzky in the leg. Gretzky took a couple more steps and then collapsed in the corner. When he realized the ref was not going to buy it and call a penalty he got up (neat trick for someone writhing in pain) and charged after Smith in the crease, waving his stick in Smith's face. The officials stepped in and broke it up. THEN the referee called a slashing penalty on Smith. The Edmonton press starting calling Smith "Public Enemy #1". I agree with getting rid of cheap stick swinging in the NHL. Every team has players who are brave with a stick in the other guy's face. Let's not pick on just one. -- Rick Gillespie rick@ucla-cs ...!{cepu|ihnp4|sdcrdcf|ucbvax}!ucla-cs!rick "She turned me into a newt! . . . I got better."