Penguins Owner Mario Lemieux Blasts NHL Brass

Added on Feb 14, 2011 by J Merrill in

NHL

Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux lashed out against the NHL brass because of their reaction to the New York Islanders after a fight filled game between them and the Penguins. Friday nights game, in which the Islanders won 9-3, also consisted of 346 penalty minutes, 10 ejections, 15 fighting majors and 20 misconducts.

Lemieux said in a released statement “Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn’t hockey. It was a travesty. It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that.” He continued “The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed. We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players. We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action.”

The NHL suspended New York forwards Trevor Gillies for nine games and Matt Martin for four and hit the team with a $100,000 fine late Saturday night, saying the Islanders “must bear some responsibility for their failure to control their players.”

The NHL stood by Collin Campbell’s decisions and punishments. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement “We are entirely comfortable with how Friday night’s events were handled. We have no other response to Mr. Lemieux’s statement.”

Pittsburgh forward Eric Godard was the only member of the Penguins’ organization to be punished by the NHL. He received an automatic 10-game suspension because he left the bench to join a fight between New York’s Micheal Haley and Penguins goalie Brent Johnson. This upset the brass at the Islanders as the Penguins even avoided the team fine for the game.

The General Manager of the Islanders Garth Snow “When I saw the suspensions on both sides and the fines, I was a little bit surprised it was just our club that got fined. You can ask the league about it. There’s nothing we can do about it but put it behind us and get ready for Buffalo.” Snow also said he had no interest in appealing the decision, as they just wanted to put it behind them. He said “I’m very proud that our team showed restraint. We came to play hockey and obviously, there’s a lot of things that happen in the course of a game. I’m proud of the way our team competed, and I’m going to support my guys.”

When he levied the penalties, Campbell said these things can’t be tolerated. He said “The actions by the Islanders’ Gillies and Martin were deliberate attempts to injure by delivering blows to the head of players who were unsuspecting and unable to defend themselves. The message should be clear to all players: targeting the head of an opponent by whatever means will be dealt with by suspension.”

Lemieux concluded his statement saying this wasn’t the game he loved, and said he was beginning to question his involvement in the sport. He said “If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to rethink whether I want to be a part of it.”