OHL's Actions Dangerous For Future Of Hockey

The Ontario Hockey League, no stranger to watering down the physicality of the sport of hockey (severe punishments to hits to the head, suspensions for taking off a helmet prior to a fight, etc.) is at it again, this time acting on what might be their biggest overreaction yet.

On Friday, October 30th Erie Otters forward Michael Liambas delivered a crushing hit along the boards to Kitchener Rangers defender Ben Fanelli. Here's the video:




Liambas was issued a major for boarding and was ejected from the game, which I can understand, but where things get crazy is that Liambas was suspended on Wednesday for the remainder of the SEASON, including playoffs! That's right, the entire season, making it one of the biggest suspensions in OHL history.

Ouch.

The issue here is that the suspension is in no way, shape or form fitting for the crime. Granted, Liambas is a goon with a history of dirty hits, but I'll stand up and defend him on this instance; his hit wasn't that dirty this time.

Watch it again. Liambas came in hot but hit with all shoulder. He didn't leave his feet, he didn't use an elbow. Fanelli even had a couple inches of height on Liambas. The hit was only as devastating as it was because the rookie Fanelli turned into the boards at the worst possible time, something that all young defencemen are taught NOT to do.

Naturally, the injury to Fanelli is a real tragedy. I deeply feel for his friends and family and wish him the quickest of recoveries. But at the same time I cannot condone the OHL's suspension. I could understand five games, maybe ten, simply as a PR move because the injury was so serious, but the remainder of the season? For a clean hit that ended up in an unfortunate way? Absolutely insulting to the sport of hockey.

Yes, the OHL is trying to ensure the safety of it's players by sending this big message, but where will they draw the line? What if a player gets killed by blocking a hard slap shot; will the league ban players from blocking shots? What if a player gets punched cleanly in the face and rendered into a coma; will they ban fighting? What if another player gets seriously injured from a clean hit; will they eventually ban hitting?

The sport of hockey is incredibly physical and dangerous, but the players KNOW what they're getting into by playing the sport. Nobody gets to the OHL level and still isn't aware of the dangers of the sport, including Fanelli. I may be stepping out of my own bounds by saying this, but I doubt that even Fanelli would agree with the suspension that Liambas was handed.

The most annoying part about this whole incident is what would have happened if Fanelli wouldn't have been injured, but instead got up and skated away. Know what would have happened? Nothing, that's what. Liambas proably wouldn't have been called on a penalty, another player on the Rangers would have taken a punch or a slash at Liambas, and the players would have roughed it out like hockey is supposed to be played; policed by the players, not the league's front office.

If there was no injury then there would have been no suspension. The NHL is the same way. Leagues need to start punishing players for their ACTIONS, not the end results. Cue video evidence:



Former Kitchener forward Steve Downie only received a four game suspension for his meltdown, despite the fact that he was obviously trying to assault the other player, simply because the other player wasn't injured on the play. But Liambas makes a clean hit and gets a season suspension just because the other player got injured? That's absolutely baffling.

Even worse, in my opinion, is that if the hit would have been made by, say Taylor Hall, there is NO WAY, none, nada, zip, that the suspension would have been as bad. The OHL was out to get one of it's enforcers and would have never made such a drastic suspension with one of it's stars. The NHL does this all the time, but that's a whole different topic that I don't want to get into right now.

But instead, just because a player got unfortunately injured the OHL felt the need to cowardly defend itself from a PR nightmare and in effect demean the sport of hockey. If the rest of the CHL decides to follow the OHL's example and take such absurd stances on severe injuries that come from routine situations, where will the line be drawn? Will the AHL and the NHL take notice as well?

For a league that has grown and nutured some of the NHL's best players, most of which came from the 70's and 80's where games more closely resembled gang wars than hockey matches, who turned out fine, the OHL once again finds a way to set back the sport of hockey. If the OHL decides to continue it's trend of erasing all possibilities of injuries I can only shake my head at how watered down the sport will become, especially if other leagues start to take notice.

I, for one, hope that doesn't happen.