Nichol's Sucker punch

[Bmwolf21]

I think we were all hot and would have liked to kick Nichol's ass. And since that "eggnog" tasted so damn good I think I'll let you have the last. :thumbsup:

Sounds good to me...as long as there are some beers left for Saturday night's game, its all good... :beer:

[shrader]

P.S. To Preds fans: It wasn't running up the score. It was a good PP practice for a unit that's been anemic for a month.

 

No, its a statement. We're going to take the high road and beat you on the score sheet instead of stooping to Nichol's level.

[Crestwood]

No, its a statement. We're going to take the high road and beat you on the score sheet instead of stooping to Nichol's level.

That too. :thumbsup:

[ExiledInIllinois]

That was effing disgusting. But I do think that we should have responded much more. Come playoff time people may be taking such cheap shots knowing we do nothing about it. Just a thought.

 

Eff 'em... Turn the other check and skate circles around the team...

 

Did you see how they responded?

 

Scoring a couple of goals... True late in a blowout... But maybe that will help them get out of their PP funk!

 

Play the saint and just win! That is the best way to stick it to 'em...

[sabre31_98]

Sounds good to me...as long as there are some beers left for Saturday night's game, its all good... :beer:

 

Well, I watch the Bills at Winking Lizard in Coventry so if you happen to be by, I'll buy you one! :w00t:

[ExiledInIllinois]

Both trainers attended to JS... That tells you something...

 

Sirius had the Nash broadcast...Again (as opposed to BFLO)... and they said: "It was the BEST one-time knockout punch... In a long while... You would have never known it was a "sucker punch".

 

WTF?

 

And ya... If it was the other way, I might chuckle... But, I would also be thinking what a stupid move he made for both him (Nichol) and HIS TEAM...

[Allan in MD]

Just my $0.02: The Nichol punch was despicable. Absolutely bush league. The NHL needs to make an example out of this type of brainless play since they declined to with the Bertuzzi situation. I'll leave the deciding up to Colin Campbell & Co., but I'm thinking double digits in games suspended. At least. Like Rob Ray said, the least Nichol could've done was to tap Spacek on the shoulder and let him turn around. I realize that Spacek took Nichol hard into the goal post, but there are many better ways of reacting to a hit than that.

 

P.S. To Preds fans: It wasn't running up the score. It was a good PP practice for a unit that's been anemic for a month.

The NHL is not into "examples." If they were, Ovechkin would still be sitting. Wait until someone gets crippled for life or killed out there. Than all the false piousness will emerge from the powers that be.

[Taro T]

My 2 cents in no particular order.

 

What Nichol did was incredibly stupid and he should get suspended for it. Roby and Ray were comparing it to Bertuzzi's actions. I didn't see it that way. It was heat of the moment, Bertuzzi's was him getting himself ticked because the guy wouldn't fight him. Bertuzzi, by the time he got to Moore, was trying to kill him - plain and simple. He absolutely lost his head, and for those 12 seconds or so, would have and could have killed Moore. Nichol deserves to be suspended, for several games, but it wasn't a Bertuzzi. (Bertuzzi should just now be applying for reinstatement into the league.) Could it have turned into a Bertuzzi, possibly, but it wasn't there the way it played out.

 

Had the Carmello Anthony thing not happened this past week, I think Nichol would get 3-5 games. Now, in an effort to not appear to condone thuggery more than the other league, he may get more.

 

I was real impressed with Marty trying to kick the crud out of Nichol. Like Ray said, next time lose the glove, you'll be able to really land some shots with the blocker.

 

I also was real impressed that the Sabres did try to score as often as possible on that powerplay. You do something as stupid as Nichol did, you should have to watch replays of your team getting spanked killing off your penalty as you sit your suspension.

 

I'm very disappointed in Pete Weber, if he didn't call the shot a sucker punch like it was. I lost a ton of respect for Brad May several years ago when he broke his thumb sucker punching a guy I couldn't stand (Ulfie). Pete's always been a standup guy in my book, but if he looked the other way on this one, as it sounds like he did, then he's definitely gone down a notch in my book.

 

Nichol should get 10-20 games, my gut feel is he gets 3 because Jaro is supposedly alright, but I'm hoping Stern's actions shame the NHL into giving him a lot more than that. Scotty Nichol being a 4th liner might result in him actually getting a real suspension.

 

And one last quick comment on the Preds' site. Yeah, it looks like there were 1-2 idiot Phlyer-phan like comments, but then some Sabres' fan jumped on the 1st guy and riled them all up. If the Sabres' fan doesn't go trolling in response, it probably stays 1-2 idiots. JMHO.

[Doohicksie]

From the Nashville forum (referring to the 7th goal):

 

And the Bills kick the extra point...

 

At least one guy had a sense of humor.

 

I don't blame Nichol for going after Spacek, but doing it from behind with no warning deserves a suspension. Spacek obviously saw the play as just another hit, cuz he didn't even glance at him after the hit. He had already dropped the subject (after dropping Nichol... heh).

 

Marty reacted well, Paetsch had the right idea, going in to help, but I thought he looked a little wimpy; toward the end, one other Predator (I forget who) was holding off both Marty and Nathan, one with each hand. Maybe Paetsch was smart for not going nuts; it would have been a pity if he had gotten a major penalty and the Sabres would have missed out on the PP fun at the end.

 

Personally, though, I didn't really see the game as a blowout until the PP goals at the end. Yeah, the Preds let this one get away (just as the Sabres did against Montreal), but neither game was a blowout (until the 6th and 7th goals were scored, that is.)

[Bmwolf21]

Well, I watch the Bills at Winking Lizard in Coventry so if you happen to be by, I'll buy you one! :w00t:

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Rochester and Niagara Falls for the holiday, so I'll have to take a raincheck. I am still kind of new to the area, so I am not sure where the Coventry location is - I have been to the Winking Lizard in Independence, but I know there are like 10 other locations...

My 2 cents in no particular order.

 

What Nichol did was incredibly stupid and he should get suspended for it. Roby and Ray were comparing it to Bertuzzi's actions. I didn't see it that way. It was heat of the moment, Bertuzzi's was him getting himself ticked because the guy wouldn't fight him. Bertuzzi, by the time he got to Moore, was trying to kill him - plain and simple. He absolutely lost his head, and for those 12 seconds or so, would have and could have killed Moore. Nichol deserves to be suspended, for several games, but it wasn't a Bertuzzi. (Bertuzzi should just now be applying for reinstatement into the league.) Could it have turned into a Bertuzzi, possibly, but it wasn't there the way it played out.

 

Had the Carmello Anthony thing not happened this past week, I think Nichol would get 3-5 games. Now, in an effort to not appear to condone thuggery more than the other league, he may get more.

 

I was real impressed with Marty trying to kick the crud out of Nichol. Like Ray said, next time lose the glove, you'll be able to really land some shots with the blocker.

 

I also was real impressed that the Sabres did try to score as often as possible on that powerplay. You do something as stupid as Nichol did, you should have to watch replays of your team getting spanked killing off your penalty as you sit your suspension.

 

I'm very disappointed in Pete Weber, if he didn't call the shot a sucker punch like it was. I lost a ton of respect for Brad May several years ago when he broke his thumb sucker punching a guy I couldn't stand (Ulfie). Pete's always been a standup guy in my book, but if he looked the other way on this one, as it sounds like he did, then he's definitely gone down a notch in my book.

 

Nichol should get 10-20 games, my gut feel is he gets 3 because Jaro is supposedly alright, but I'm hoping Stern's actions shame the NHL into giving him a lot more than that. Scotty Nichol being a 4th liner might result in him actually getting a real suspension.

 

And one last quick comment on the Preds' site. Yeah, it looks like there were 1-2 idiot Phlyer-phan like comments, but then some Sabres' fan jumped on the 1st guy and riled them all up. If the Sabres' fan doesn't go trolling in response, it probably stays 1-2 idiots. JMHO.

I called it "as bad as Bertuzzi" when it first happened, and after reflecting on it, I don't disagree with my original instinct. It's not quite as bad as the Bertuzzi attack, but only because Nichol didn't get the chance to chase Spacek around the ice and get more pissed in the process - he just snapped. But I don't think you can make the distinction between "I think Bertuzzi might have killed him there" and not have the same thought about Nichol. We don't know exactly what was going through his mind, but we do know he was so pissed at Spacek that he attacked him from behind, like an animal.

 

The only thing we know for sure is that an enraged Nichol reached around and punched a player in the face - a player who wasn't expecting to be hit and could have been seriously injured. IMO there is nothing that can be said to mitigate what he did - it is a cowardly act that deserves at least the 20 games Bertuzzi served, and as a 4th-line nobody, he might end up as the NHL's disciplinary example.

 

As for the Preds site, I agree with you about the trolls - but as I mentioned before, I went there when I was initially pissed and wanted to see if there were any reactions like that - and I didn't have to look far to find people applauding Nichol for "standing up for himself."

 

Terry Crisp and Weber were ridiculous - not only did they not call it what it was (a dangerous cheap shot that has no place in the game) - but Crisp tried to downplay it, initially saying Nichol "threw" Spacek to the ice.

 

Finally, to be completely honest, I am glad this is happening on the heels of the NBA fight. I really hope it does shame Bettman & co. into slapping Nichol with a long suspension, since national outrage seems to be the only thing that forces the NHL's hand.

[MajorMinotaur]

if you go to the preds site they are saying that spacek cheapshotted nichols and put him headfirst into the net. funny thing though, he actually hit the net with his quad on his leg. And anyone thats ever played hockey knows that there is a giant plastic plate there. Sure, im sure he felt it, but I'm not even totally positive it would count as "hurting".

[Taro T]

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Rochester and Niagara Falls for the holiday, so I'll have to take a raincheck. I am still kind of new to the area, so I am not sure where the Coventry location is - I have been to the Winking Lizard in Independence, but I know there are like 10 other locations...

 

I called it "as bad as Bertuzzi" when it first happened, and after reflecting on it, I don't disagree with my original instinct. It's not quite as bad as the Bertuzzi attack, but only because Nichol didn't get the chance to chase Spacek around the ice and get more pissed in the process - he just snapped. But I don't think you can make the distinction between "I think Bertuzzi might have killed him there" and not have the same thought about Nichol. We don't know exactly what was going through his mind, but we do know he was so pissed at Spacek that he attacked him from behind, like an animal.

 

The only thing we know for sure is that an enraged Nichol reached around and punched a player in the face - a player who wasn't expecting to be hit and could have been seriously injured. IMO there is nothing that can be said to mitigate what he did - it is a cowardly act that deserves at least the 20 games Bertuzzi served, and as a 4th-line nobody, he might end up as the NHL's disciplinary example.

 

As for the Preds site, I agree with you about the trolls - but as I mentioned before, I went there when I was initially pissed and wanted to see if there were any reactions like that - and I didn't have to look far to find people applauding Nichol for "standing up for himself."

 

Terry Crisp and Weber were ridiculous - not only did they not call it what it was (a dangerous cheap shot that has no place in the game) - but Crisp tried to downplay it, initially saying Nichol "threw" Spacek to the ice.

 

Finally, to be completely honest, I am glad this is happening on the heels of the NBA fight. I really hope it does shame Bettman & co. into slapping Nichol with a long suspension, since national outrage seems to be the only thing that forces the NHL's hand.

I think you and I will have to agree to disagree about the Nichol incident being another Bertuzzi. After Bertuzzi took his 1st shot at Moore (completely from behind, Nichol's was at least to the side), IIRC he grabbed him and drove his head into the ice, still from behind. Nichol appeared to try to spin Jaro around to hit him from the front after the 1st hit and actually kept Jaro's head from being the 1st thing to hit the ice (although that was purely accidental, again IMHO).

 

Because of the potential to remove some stupidity from the league, I hope Nichols gets 40-82 games, but I don't see it happening. I also honestly believe that the suspension for the act itself, taken totally in isolation, should be 10-20 games. I agree it was mindnumbingly stupid, but it wasn't "cowardly". Had Jaro been facing him, Nichol would have hit him directly in the face, I don't think he would have skated away nor skated around him to get him from the back. He didn't pull a Tucker and skate past the guy that hit him to find a smaller player. He also didn't skate 80 feet before hitting and grabbing the guy from behind like Bertuzzi did. It was pure heat of the moment reaction. It should be punished severely, but the only way it was similar to the Bertuzzi was it was initiated outside the victim's line of sight. Heck, watching it again just now on a highlight show, Nichol never got a second punch away. He grabbed Jaro on the ice, but didn't hit him. (That could very well have been due to Marty jumping on him, but Bertuzzi continued damaging Moore even after Avs were on him.)

 

if you go to the preds site they are saying that spacek cheapshotted nichols and put him headfirst into the net. funny thing though, he actually hit the net with his quad on his leg. And anyone thats ever played hockey knows that there is a giant plastic plate there. Sure, im sure he felt it, but I'm not even totally positive it would count as "hurting".

Rewatching the Jaro "hit" just now, it looks like Jaro gets his stick between Nichol's legs preventing Nichol from maneuvering away from the post. It's pretty clear that Jaro was trying to prevent Nichol from getting a scoring chance. It happens a few hundred times per season. Using the new rule interpretation, it was interference but it wasn't a cheap shot. Considering the way the league seems to be letting a bit more interference go this season, if Nichol doesn't go ape on Jaro, Jaro probably doesn't get called for what would have been a penalty last year.

 

But I also saw where Preds fans were claiming Jaro slew footed him, and that simply did not happen.

[inkman]

One game suspension at most, you heard it here. Did everyone forget this is the NHL? When was the last time any suspension the NHL has given deemed appropriate?

[eball]

I haven't read through this entire thread, but that was one of the most cowardly things I've ever seen on the ice. If Nichols was po'd about being run into the post, he should have confronted Jaro face-to-face. A sucker punch from the side is never acceptable. We're very lucky Jaro doesn't appear to have been seriously hurt. Nichols is a puss-catore.

[X. Benedict]

Using the new rule interpretation, it was interference but it wasn't a cheap shot. Considering the way the league seems to be letting a bit more interference go this season, if Nichol doesn't go ape on Jaro, Jaro probably doesn't get called for what would have been a penalty last year.

 

 

That's how I saw it. I am not sure when the interference call came but I thought it was well after the whistle.

[inkman]

Am I being a dick by suggesting that we need not another "Nichol is a cheap ass #%^$#!er" post? I think we get the point and are all in agreement.

[X. Benedict]

Am I being a dick by suggesting that we need not another "Nichol is a cheap ass #%^$#!er" post? I think we get the point and are all in agreement.

 

I don't know. I went to bed pretty pissed. I don't think I have ever seen a cheap shot that was so flagrant. If you want to fight, fine. But square up. I don't remember seeing anything like that in the 80's when fighting was a lot more prevalent.

 

The trouble is that I have no faith in the league to handle these kind of things.

[inkman]

The trouble is that I have no faith in the league to handle these kind of things.

I have extreme faith that the punishment will be in-line with what the league normally does.

[mrjsbu96]

jaro is ok from what i understand and if that is the case, IMO this will not result in anything more than 4 or 5 games. personally, i don't think it deserves the 10-20 range. yeah, it looked pretty bad on television, but considering jaro is ok nichol must either have a weak punch or maybe it deflected off spacek's shield. i'm not saying that makes it right - it pissed me off - but since spacek is fine than i'm personally ok with 4 or 5 games...

 

The intent was as clear as possible. He deserved a match penalty on top of everything else. The refs dropped the ball on that one. Hopefully the NHL doesn't do the same.

 

 

the sports network.com site says that he got a gross misconduct which is similar to a match in that it indicates 'intent to injure.' stay tuned!

[smith]

I have extreme faith that the punishment will be in-line with what the league normally does.

 

should've been taken off the ice in cuffs.

 

effin criminal, not a hockey player

[inkman]

...and when he gets a 1 game suspension or less everyone will cry about how unfair it is.

[Buffalo Wings]

I have extreme faith that the punishment will be in-line with what the league normally does.

Which is never really much of anything. Ovechkin's cheap-shot on Briere got nothing but a $1,000 donation to the NHL - and that was worse than Nichol's crap.

 

Nichol will get a fine, that's it. He's lucky Nashville doesn't come to Buffalo again this year.

[Alaska Darin]

What Nichol did was incredibly stupid and he should get suspended for it. Roby and Ray were comparing it to Bertuzzi's actions. I didn't see it that way. It was heat of the moment, Bertuzzi's was him getting himself ticked because the guy wouldn't fight him. Bertuzzi, by the time he got to Moore, was trying to kill him - plain and simple. He absolutely lost his head, and for those 12 seconds or so, would have and could have killed Moore. Nichol deserves to be suspended, for several games, but it wasn't a Bertuzzi. (Bertuzzi should just now be applying for reinstatement into the league.) Could it have turned into a Bertuzzi, possibly, but it wasn't there the way it played out.

I disagree. Nichol's action was just as bad. Bertuzzi at least attempted to get Moore to engage. The end result was much worse but it was exacerbated because both players were skating and Moore ended up coming down on his head with the 260 pound Bertuzzi driving him down. That's what caused the most serious injury. Jaro was really, really lucky because he had no idea what was coming.

 

I don't want to sound callous, but Moore was at least partially responsible for his situation because he could have just turned around and clinched up until the linesman showed up. I'm not absolving Bertuzzi in any way, either.

 

I was real impressed with Marty trying to kick the crud out of Nichol. Like Ray said, next time lose the glove, you'll be able to really land some shots with the blocker.

Marty is a great teammate. Always has been. Personally, I'm glad he didn't do much more. The last thing we needed was that to escalate further. I was really impressed with Paetch on the play, too. We really have a great group of guys, who obviously care about each other.

I also was real impressed that the Sabres did try to score as often as possible on that powerplay. You do something as stupid as Nichol did, you should have to watch replays of your team getting spanked killing off your penalty as you sit your suspension.

I was hoping to get another one or two. There's no better message to send.

I'm very disappointed in Pete Weber, if he didn't call the shot a sucker punch like it was. I lost a ton of respect for Brad May several years ago when he broke his thumb sucker punching a guy I couldn't stand (Ulfie). Pete's always been a standup guy in my book, but if he looked the other way on this one, as it sounds like he did, then he's definitely gone down a notch in my book.

Just more evidence of how society has changed. Broadcasters are smacked around repeatedly from every angle (teams, league, fans). They've all pretty much learned to stay far away from the truth on controversial things. If Notre Dame can fire Tony Roberts for no apparent reason, no broadcaster is safe.

Nichol should get 10-20 games, my gut feel is he gets 3 because Jaro is supposedly alright, but I'm hoping Stern's actions shame the NHL into giving him a lot more than that. Scotty Nichol being a 4th liner might result in him actually getting a real suspension.

I doubt he gets more than a couple. The NHL is a joke on this stuff.

[will]

nobody's got a yoube for this yet?

[Taro T]

nobody's got a yoube for this yet?

I didn't check that the link works, but over on TSW someone apparently posted an ESPN link to the clip.

 

Link