Saturday, September 29

Oil 4, Vancouver 5 - Are you kidding me?


"My name is Rick Rypien, and I'm a douchebag."


Either Rick Rypien has been living in a cave (he does make the league minimum), or Colin Campbell didn't quite send the message he thought he did. Once again another fringe player (see 'bad') sends someone off on a stretcher. This time it was Oiler defenceman Mathieu Roy. I haven't seen the hit yet, and by all accounts it wasn't as bad as Downie's, but from what Tencer, Morley and Rod said, Rypien skated from his own blueline and buried Roy in a vulnerable position in the Oiler zone. As Tencer said, there was "just as much stupidity," in this hit. Rypien received a 5-minute major. I'm sure he'll have plenty of time to contemplate his NHL suspension while he's riding a bus in AHL.

Herein lies the problem with incidents like these. Are the Flyers ever going to call up Steve Downie knowing he can't play? When the Canucks need an injury call-up, why would Rypien get the call when he's carrying a suspension? In addition to suspensions, the NHL needs to hit these guys where it matters - in their wallets. Fine these morons wherever they play. Ridiculous - as if I needed another reason to hate the Canucks.

Alain Vigneault said it shouldn't have been a penalty. Okay fuckface, remember those words when someone puts one of your little Swedish girls head-first through the advertising. Even Rypien admitted it was a penalty. Shut your mouth and pray your goalie doesn't tear his groin, because your team is shit. Oh...is this thing on? Alright, anyway...

Is this what the pre-season is going to become? Are coaches going to be scared to play their established players for fear of some two-bit clown taking their head off?

From a hockey perspective, suddenly having 9 NHL defencemen on the roster isn't quite the burden it was 24 hours ago. Roy has had a history of concussions, and is certainly touch-and-go to start the season. MacT said he'll probably go on IR, meaning the other 8 guys will probably stick.

Other thoughts:

- Gagner and Cogliano were both very good again tonight, and I'm sure the focus now switches to trying to get Gagner signed before opening night.

- Oilers sent Jeff Deslauriers (G) down tonight, with other cuts coming later in the week. No comment on Anson Carter, which means MacT hasn't had time to tell him to pack his shit.

5 comments:

Alicia said...

Sweet Blog.
Love the recap. Pretty much did the game justice.
Here are my thoughts...
FYI - I am in no way, shape or form, defending what Fuckface Rypien, (or however you spell is dumb-ass name). It was a gutless, shit-for-brains play that he should be responsible for.
I agree with Rod that Roy made a wrong decision and turned the wrong way when he knew the hit was coming. Hockey is the fastest game on earth. There is no way that you can predict what the other guy is going to do.
By his interview, Rypien admitted that it was not a smart play and that he didn't mean to do it...
Yeah... sounds pretty familiar hey?
I think he used a quote from Steve Downie last week... God knows the whole f-ing world heard it 16 bazillion times in the past few days! No wonder the words sounded so familiar.
"I'm trying to make a place for myself on the team"
By sending guys off the ice on a stretcher???
Oh, that will get you in buddy. Keep smokin' the good stuff...
NHL players have just lost any ounce of respect that they may have had for you when you ploughed Matty's face into the advertising tonight. You have a place know pal... in the sin bin with Steve Downie and Chris Simon and all the other idiots of the NHL.

My only fear is that this is not going to get the attention it deserves. I think that it is going to be downplayed because everyone is thinking "Ahh... its just because the issue has been in the news lately"... "It wasn't so bad..." or "Not as bad as the Downie hit"
Ya know what I mean?
People are going to instantly compare it to the Downie hit. Sure he didn't leave his feet... but he sure as shit skated his ass off from this own blue line to line Mathieu Roy up for the hit! Is anyone going to pay attention to that minor detail?

I hope he too gets 20 games. And a big fine.

I agree with the statement about hitting these goons where it hurts. In the wallet. A hefty fine would definately send them a message.
I also think that since this is basically the third ugly incident in the last week that the league has to do some serious thinking.
I'm talking about slamming Rypien with a 10-15 game suspension (in either f-ing league he plays in -or maybe 10 games in each league??) As well as a big fine. Hit 'em big and hit 'em hard. Thats the only way the league is going to send a message. Because apparently Downie's 20 game suspension wasn't a clear enough message for some wet-behind-the-ears dipshit trying to make a name for himself named Rick Rypien.

Moose said...

Hey Microcat:

Thanks - Agree 100%, especially regarding the lack of attention this is likely to get. I'll go you one better. I bet he doesn't even get a suspension because of the "turn into the hit" BS. Of course he was turning he didn't want to get plastered! What's he supposed to do, stop? The dude skated full bore from his own blueline!

I hope I'm wrong but...

Sexy Randal said...

Video of the hit.

I have to disagree with you guys.

Had Roy not turned and continued moving behind the net, it would have just been a really hard hit. Harder than it should have been, since Rypien was flying down the ice pretty hard, but that's it.

But, Roy turned at the very last second. It's not just that he was facing the boards, but he pretty much stopped dead in his tracks completely. Rypien only had a split second to react to that. Was that even enough time to make a decision as to whether or not to stop or turn?

It took two people to fuck up this hit. Rypien for coming at Roy too fast, and Roy for basically stopping dead in his tracks and making the hit ten times worse.

Sexy Randal said...

Also, what's up with the plagiarism tags?

Moose said...

just poking fun at someone...