Leo
For those who know about Chris Simon's past, this is nothing new. The 35-year old has served a total of six suspensions in his career already, all of which were the result from a horrible act he committed on unsuspecting opponents.
Previously, in my story about the Boulerice suspension, NHL Whackjobs! Hit Me Baby One More Time, I spoke in length about last year's infraction that Simon committed against New York Rangers' Ryan Hollweg.
Simon spent the first five games of the season serving out the remainder of his 25-game suspension, one of the league's longest suspensions in history. He's only been back on the ice for two months and is now facing another potential suspension when the league's disciplinarian, Colin Campbell, reviews the infraction against Ruutu.
Mind you, I am no fan of Ruutu. He is a bad boy, himself. His most legendary infraction occurred during the 2006 Winter Olympics when he did a powerful hit on Czech Republic's hero, Jaromir Jagr (a New York Ranger), which pushed Jagr's head between the boards and the glass, slicing open his head. It wasn't just the hit that angered fans. It was the smug look Ruutu had on his face when he sat down on the bench while Jagr lay on the ice bleeding profusely from his head. Luckily, Ruutu was ejected from the game.
Even though Ruutu is one of the bad guys in the NHL, it doesn't mean he deserved what Simon did to him. What Simon did was inexcusable.
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Comments
Re: Really...How Stupid Can You Be, Chris Simon?
By AeroCanuck, December 19, 2007 at 14:53He should quit the NHL...what has he got to offer anymore??????
Maybe he should look into UFC fighting.
Re: Really...How Stupid Can You Be, Chris Simon?
By Michelle Kenneth, December 17, 2007 at 20:50Yes, I totally agree.
I almost wonder if sending him to the minors would humble him a little.
Re: Really...How Stupid Can You Be, Chris Simon?
By luyen, December 17, 2007 at 20:01It was definitely a very disgusting move on his part, i've had the misfortune of watching it a few times - and it's just beyond words - and yes you're right counseling for him means stepping away from the game for a long long time... - and i'm not talking about hockey counseling, more like personal, psychological counseling...
I hope for his sake, he can come to terms with the root causes of his actions - i think in sports there's often that idea that if you've had success, then whatever the means are okay - no matter how vicious.
Re: Really...How Stupid Can You Be, Chris Simon?
By Michelle Kenneth, December 17, 2007 at 19:45I truly do not believe any counseling will benefit how he reacts on the ice this late in the game. It is evident that he does have anger issues and he could benefit from counseling in his own personal life...but he is 35 years old and on his way out of the NHL, so counseling as a player will do nothing for him. Seriously, what can counseling do in a short amount of time?
I find it very stupid of Simon to do what he did on the ice to Ruutu. I've watched the footage a few times already and the only thing that crosses my mind when I see it is asking Chris Simon, "Why in the world would you do that??? Especially, when you've just returned after a 25-game suspension???"
To me, I am in more disbelief than anything else. They were both on their way off the ice. Just watching the whole thing, Simon wasn't even looking at Ruutu when he did it. He tried to be dirty and sneaky about it, but it was completely caught on camera.
That moment was not heated like in the past. There is a difference in this situation. It was a stupid move on his part. It wasn't like his reaction to Hollweg (which was more severe).
Re: Really...How Stupid Can You Be, Chris Simon?
By luyen, December 17, 2007 at 19:24It's quite obvious that Chris Simon has some serious anger problems - and we can all testify from personal experience, that it's not an easy thing to overcome - when you're on the ice and things happen real fast, those emotions can take over very quickly.
I have no doubt, he's extremely remorseful - but who knows what other demons he might be battling with, and he's not the first NHL'er or athelete to go a bit psycho when emotions run high (i.e. Bertuzzi, Fleury, McSorley) not to mention all the other ones who have gotten away with dirty hits...
No, i don't think this is related to whether or not Chris Simon is smart or stupid, but rather to how well he's been able to handle his problems.