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Chris Pronger steps on a guy's boot and he gets eight games. Chris Simon does it and he gets 30. Hard to buy the argument that there is not a double-standard when it comes to handing out discipline in the NHL.

The argument that Simon was a repeat offender and therefore earned himself a longer suspension is crap. Pronger has spent as much time as anyone in Colin Campbell's principal's office.

Islanders Trade Chris Simon

In his Newsday blog, Greg Logan reports that Chris Simon has been sent to Minnesota for a 6th rounder.

Jeff Tambellini has been recalled from Bridgeport to take Simon's roster spot.

Logan also reports that Rob Davison is expected to arrive in Pittsburgh in time to be in the lineup tonight.

Chris Simon; Devils today; Trent signs for 5 years!

BREAKING NEWS: Trent Hunter signs a 5-year deal for ten million bucks. We are very excited for Trent, who is one of our favorite Islanders. The moves sends a good message to the other guys in the room that the organization wants to take care of their own core.

Well, I guess the Islanders brass was a bit surprised at the welcome afforded Chris Simon the other night against the Lightning.

I wasn't.

You see, while the Islanders like to promote themselves as a family organization, the truth is that sometimes, people in your family screw up royally and it pisses you off. Pisses you off or worse, embarrasses you. While Simon's troubles in and out of hockey have been documented to the point of making you want to skip over it all and forget about it, he still is a man who is trying to deal with his issues. For that, you have to give him respect; however begrudging that respect may be.

The question begs that if he had not had this personal relationship with Ted Nolan, would he enjoy these many second chances. Charles Wang has shown that he tries to run a compassionate organization, but to be fooled twice puts everyone on edge. That's why we boo.

Devils this afternoon. We'll post if we can. Isles going for seven in a row!

That Night in Toronto; Chris Simon to return

According to many reports, Islanders winger Chris Simon was on the ice practicing with the Islanders yesterday. It was his first practice since he tried to chop off Pittsburgh Jarkko Ruutu's ankle on December 15. For his actions, if you remember, Simon was hit with a thirty-game suspension. He's eligible to return to the lineup beginning on February 21 against Tampa Bay.

In other Islander news, defensemen Brendan Witt and Bruno Gervais are out with injuries. Aaron Johnson will dress and play tonight in Toronto.

Witt suffered a sprained knee Tuesday night against Philadelphia. According to Newsday. he'll be out for seven to ten days.

Gervais missed the Flyer game with a strained oblique muscle.

The Leafs are coming off another loss last night in Buffalo. Toronto is going through another one of their spells where the media is all over the organization for another Cupless winter. Trade winds are (as they will) circling and everyone is wondering whether or not the Leafs will trade captain Mats Sundin or not and whether interim GM Cliff Fletcher can do anything to revitalize the franchise.

Fletcher is, as interim GM, a Band-aid at best. The removal of former GM John Ferguson, Jr. was something that the fanbase was clamoring for and by hiring the ancient Fletcher, the (alleged) braintrust of the Leafs is trying to placate the paying customers by bringing the GM from the last time the team was Cup-competitive.

Just to show you how messed up the whole thing is, one part of management actually met with none other than Scotty Bowman about coming in the run the operation. Then, they never got back to him. So they tried again. Bowman took the high road and said that he was pleased with his current position as a consultant for the Red Wings and excused himself from the whole mess.

Let me say this once more in case you missed it: the Leafs met with a man who has won fifty Stanley Cups and wanted to hire him to turn the bus around...only the guy who met with him couldn't actually hire him because he may or may not actually have the power to do so. Then the other hand of Leafs management--the one that doesn't know what the other is doing--refused to try and get Bowman on board because the other guy had talked to Bowman first.

Like I said, it's a mess. The fans and media want to blow up the roster and are rumor-mongering every player from the team to new homes throughout the NHL. Even the classy captain, Sundin, is part of the plot. He has a no-trade clause--as does Bryan McCabe, who they speculate could be sent to the Islanders all the time--but everyone expects Sundin to go to a magic contending team that will sprinkle fairy dust and replenish the team's pool of prospects.

So, you know, the Isles are looking like quite the stable franchise these days compared to the all-mighty and uber-important Maple Leafs. The Isles have 57 points in 57 games. The Leafs, for all of their payroll and all of their headlines, have 55 in 58 games.

Stupid

Some people are just stupid. They don't get it now and they never will.

Some people make stupid mistakes. They learn from the mistake and are better for the experience. They move forward, ever mindful of their error and don't want it to happen again.

Some people are Chris Simon. Chris Simon never learns.

If you missed it, Simon tried to slice one of the Penguins on Saturday night by deliberately stepping down on his boot. You know, Simon was wearing skates? And he tried to Chef Tony his way through the foot of Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu.

The video clearly shows Simon pulling Ruutu's leg out from underneath him with 5:54 left to play. The players were by their respective benches when Simon stepped down onto on the back of Ruutu's leg.

Not only was it a clear intent to injure an opponent, but the five minute penalty meant that the Islanders would be playing shorthanded for the majority of the game while they were down by only one goal with, like I said, 5:54 to play.

Not only is this a slap in the face of the Islanders team itself, but this remarkably bone-headed and dangerous play is twice as bad to Ted Nolan. Nolan and the organization stood by Chris Simon after last year's stick-swinging incident with the Rangers' Ryan Hollweg. They helped him alibi for his actions with the concussion story and brought the guy back after the 25 game suspension that was handed down by the NHL Dean of Boys, Colin Campbell.

It's time to cut the cord and get rid of the guy. He probably has exhausted his popularity in the locker room with this obvious disregard for his opponent and he has embarrassed the Islanders and Ted Nolan, who stood by him when the times got tough last year. Anyone can forgive one incident as being a brain fart. It happens. But what doesn't just happen is a calculated move that is intended to do harm to someone. Simon showed a blatant disregard for Jarkko Ruutu Saturday night.

It's simply time for him to go.

Carolina tomorrow night...and your official Soundtigers Update!

It seems like forever since we last had an Islander game to watch...and it has been. Let's not forget to OT thriller last Saturday night against the Devils when Bill Guerin scored with less than 4 seconds left in the extra period.

This week has probably been a difficult one for the coaches and players.

Sure, it has given guys like Brendan Witt some time off from blocking
shots every which way so hopefully he is feeling a bit better. Bryan
Berard, too, may have caught a break. If he's expected to miss anywhere from 2-4 weeks with the injured groin, well, he sure didn't have to worry about missing too much time since the boys have been off for a week.

The boys on the Bridge have been off to a bit of an even steven start;
sitting at 3-3 after 6 games. The Soundtigers are heavy on toughness
this year (thanks, Kip Brennan!) and now that Darryl Bootland has been
sent back to Bridgeport, he should be able to chip in here and there and play many more minutes a night than he's been seeing with the big club.

Veteran defenseman (and former Wolfpack-er) Joe Rullier was signed to a
25 game PTO this week by the Tigers, who are boasting a veteran
leadership core of AHL vets like captain Mark Wotton and Tim Jackman.
AHL rules permit only five "veterans" of over 320 AHL games can play per game so once Rullier is ready to contribute, according to my math,
they'll be right on the limit.

I think it is safe to say that Bootland was sent to Bridgeport because
Shawn Bates is almost ready to play. He's been practicing some and has
traveled with the team at times, according to Newsday. Where Bates fits in is hard to determine. We've seen that coach Ted Nolan is real big on working your way into the lineup so Bates will have to prove himself in practice before he'll dress for a game. Bates last played in January, which was a heck of a long time ago if you have the same calendar that I have.

In other Islander-related news, Freddy Meyer was dropped by the Coyotes
and cleared waivers. Also, it looks like every Islander fan's favorite
villain, Darcy Tucker, has a partial tear in his ACL and is going to try and wear a brace to keep pushing on through the season. Wow. I mean, I am no fan of Tucker's but in this case, you have to admire his
tenacity--even if it is expected to blow up in his face. A guy with
that kind of injury who plays the style of hockey that Tucker does is
going to have a hard time playing up to his own standards.

Don't forget about the SI story about Chris Simon. It's about what you
would expect in the situation but a good read besides.

ISLANDERS RE-SIGN CHRIS SIMON

from newyorkislanders.com

The New York Islanders have re-signed left wing Chris Simon to a one-year contract. Entering his 15th year in the NHL in 2007-08, Simon played in 67 games for the Islanders in 2006-07 and had ten goals with 17 assists for 27 points.

Top Five Questions on the Board--Here are one guy's answers.

The Islanders head into the off-season with the potential to be sporting a much different lineup when the team reconvenes for training camp in September. While the season very much showed promise and a change in the culture surrounding the Islanders, the summer is going to be the time where we as fans find out whether this is a team ready to make the next step or whether the team will backslide like it did in 2002.

With that in mind, there are five key questions the team needs to answer as we head into the summer. I'll take a look at the questions over the next week or so with different posts each time.

Question #5: What to do about the suspended Islanders.

This is a very interesting question. Both Chris Simon and Sean Hill were important role players who added to the leadership core. Simon was a guy who made the opponents accountable when they took liberties with his teammates. Hill was, quite simply, a rock on the backline. Both men signed bargain contracts just before training camp last fall; which made their contributions to the Islanders so very cost effective.

I am thinking that Chris Simon will be back. Regarding The Incident of Which We Will Not Speak, it was unfortunate as hell and probably can be labeled as the tipping point where the promising season began taking on such a strange tone. He will only have to serve a handful of games of the suspension in the next season and his prior relationship being mentored by Ted Nolan leads me to speculate about his return. Plus, while it can be argued that Simon's reaction on the ice was selfish, he has always been known as a great teammate who sticks up for the guys in the room.

With Sean Hill, the situation is problematic. He has to serve a full twenty game-suspension before he can play next season. A bargain at 600K, my guess is that he will have suitors next season who are willing to pay him a pro-rated salary of the same rate.

The real question is what kind of advantage did this banned substance give Sean Hill? He sure played a lot of minutes down the stretch, so was it something that boosted his endurance? Was it something that helped with those nagging injuries? I mean, the guy is 37 years old and was super-resilient over the past few weeks of the season. Something like human growth hormone would help cure those aches and pains a lot faster than even sitting out would have.

This one is a tough call. I bet if you polled the players themselves that they'd want to have Sean Hill back on the team next season. All of the quotes about Sean Hill lead you to think that the boys all like and admire him a whole heck of a lot. I think that the fans admire(d) Hill this season, too. I know that I did. What the whole situation is going to boil down to is whether or not Hill is going to be accused of "cheating" and whether or not the Islanders Braintrust has any reason to believe in his guilt or innocence.

We'll be back with a look at Question #4 later this week.

A STATEMENT FROM CHRIS SIMON

from newyorkislanders.com


After watching the tape the morning after Thursday's game, I was disgusted. There is absolutely no place in hockey for what I did.

I want to apologize to Ryan Hollweg. I was grateful to learn that Ryan is okay and that he returned to the game. My hope is to reach out to him in the near future.

I want to apologize to my team and Islanders fans everywhere. My actions Thursday night played a major part in our team losing a crucial game. I also want to apologize to the National Hockey League for the damage I have caused this great game of ours.

What you saw Thursday is not the person, player and competitor that I am. I know my teammates and opponents over my 14 years in the NHL understand that.

I do not remember much about Thursday's incident. When I saw the tape on Friday morning, it explained a lot to me when I saw the look on my face after being hit into the boards. I was completely out of it. When I met with the media about 30 minutes later, I still was not feeling well.

I met with our medical staff briefly Thursday night and underwent a series of tests on Friday afternoon. They have told me that I suffered a concussion when I hit the boards. Because I was not cleared by our doctors to travel, I would like to thank Colin Campbell for traveling to New York for today's hearing.

I need to make clear that this is not justification for the danger I put Ryan Hollweg in and the damage I have caused the game. I understand disciplinary action will be taken.

Since Ryan is thankfully okay, what hurts the most is knowing my actions will result in me losing the privilege of being in the Islanders lineup.

Finally, I want to thank my Islanders teammates for their support throughout this process. It means everything to me.


CHRIS SIMON
March 10, 2007

Chris Simon

I can't believe it, but Sean Avery is the voice of reason. Here is what he said to the New York Daily News:

"That's bleeping embarrassing - I think that's just as bad as what Marty McSorley did to (Donald) Brashear," Rangers winger Sean Avery said, referring to the infamous clubbing from Feb.21, 2000, that drew a rest-of-that-season (23-game) suspension and an assault conviction. "You can't just two-hand a guy in the face with your stick."

Yep, the hit last night on Ryan Hollweg by Chris Simon was not only dangerous, but embarrassing. In a fit of blinding anger, Simon embarrassed the team, his coach, the organization, and himself. He's brought a much needed element to the Islanders this year--that of accountability on the ice--but now, you have to think he is going to be lost for the rest of the regular season at least.

I hate hate hate when this stuff happens because it gives the haters something to hang their hat on. Expect it to be played over and over and over while talking heads who know nothing about the sport debate the merits of hockey-playing "meatheads". I saw the replay this morning on Early Today before work and I've been told that it was discussed on ESPN radio during drive time. How sad is that? We had to have something indefensible like this incident to make Mike and Mike stop talking incessantly about college basketball.

Intent to injure is, as I said, damn near indefensible. The (ahem) brain trust in Toronto has been incredibly lenient this year regarding suspensions--Cam Janssen getting 3 games for hitting Tomas Kaberle three days after he got rid of the puck is a joke--but you can bet your bottom dollar that they'll be playing make-up on this one. Simon deserves nothing less than ten games, in my book. Not only is Simon lucky that Hollweg wasn't seriously injured, but his penalty is directly responsible for the Islanders losing the game last night because they scored on the ensuing power play!

Regarding the "goal that wasn't a goal", the War Room in TO totally blew a chance to make it right. The officials live missed it but the video replays showed some white area between the edge of the puck and the goal line. Now, the fact that the puck was on edge made it tricky, for sure, but you have to have the feeling that we were robbed on that one.

I think the most troubling aspect of the game for the Islanders (aside from the hit) was the fact that Ryan Smyth obviously could not put any weight on his right foot as he skated off at the end of the game. All of the reports that I have read today have not had any information about the injury but it sure did not look good. I guess we need to wait and see what happens to see if the Islanders make any statements about his status later today.