Rick Rypien Handed A 6 Game Suspension By NHL Commissioner

Added on Oct 22, 2010 by J Merrill in

NHL

The league met and finally commented on what sort of punishment Rick Rypien would be getting for his altercation with a Minnesota Wild fan this past Tuesday. Early today Rick Rypien, agent Allain Roy, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell all met for a hearing that decided what would happen to Rypien.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced “Prior to each season, all clubs and players are advised that under no circumstances are club personnel permitted to have physical contact with fans, or enter, or attempt to enter the stands, We hold NHL players to a high standard, and there simply is no excuse for conduct of this nature. Fortunately, this incident is not typical of the way NHL players conduct themselves and is not typical of the way Mr. Rypien had conducted himself during his career.”

It was then announced Rypien would receive a six game suspension that would include the game he sat out versus the Chicago Blackhawks. The Vancouver Canucks. per league policy, was also fined $25,000. Rypien will be allowed to return to the ice November 6 when they face the Detroit Redwings.

Vancouver General Manager Mike Gillis finally talked about the specifics in a statement he issued:

“We understand and respect the League’s decision today regarding Rick Rypien. While this game is played with passion and intensity, the safety of all of our fans and players is of the utmost importance at all times. Throughout his career Rick has been well respected by his teammates, coaches, fellow players and our community. Rick is a valued member of our organization and we will continue to support him and all of his teammates to ensure incidents like this do not happen in the future.”

This is something that the NHL is always concerned with, but as recently as August the NHL has brought it up to address it. In a memo to all players, coaches, and GM’s, there was a section called “Contact with the fans.” This is the Text from that section:
“Under no circumstances are Club personnel — either players or non-players — permitted to have physical contact with fans, or enter, or attempt to enter the stands. Even where a fan is verbally abusive, intoxicated, or profane, Club personnel should either ignore the conduct or, where appropriate, seek the assistance of police or security personnel at the arena. Accordingly, please be on notice that all Club personnel (management, coaches, trainers, and/or players) who engage in any form of physical contact with fans, including the squirting of water, will, on a going forward basis, be subject to discipline in the form of a suspension. The Club involved will also be subject to a fine.”

My Thoughts:

I expected this to be a much harsher penalty. When considering that there were some on the ice antics before hand, and this wasn’t just “fan interaction.” The fan himself is calling it assault and is seeking counsel, and he does have an argument. I think its ridiculous if he filing chargers, but he is technically right.

This is the toughest the league has been on a fan interaction since the eighties, but to me its a slap on the wrist. I know this is outside of Rypien’s character, but I feel this is one of those occasions where the NHL should be making examples out of players. If I assaulted someone at work, I highly doubt they would give me 6 days off to think about it, and then welcome me back.