silent_jay

The AHL has suspended Hamilton Bulldogs forward Alexander Perezhogin for 1 year after his stick swinging incident with Cleveland Barons defenseman Garrett Stafford. Stafford also got suspended for 6 games because he initiated the confrontation. This seems like a fair suspension, and this was 100 times worse than what Bertuzzi did so he deserved the 1 year suspension.

discuss

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Quadraton

This man should never be allowed to play professional hockey again. Ever.

And don't give me that "but his two season suspension is punishment enough'. I'm getting sick and tired of seeing all this 'over the edge' hooliganism shit in hockey. It's bad for the sport, and someone is going to get killed someday. This was more than 'two tough guys going at it', or a cheapshot from behind that went all wrong. This is a man who was looking to cause a serious injury to another player because he wanted vengence.

And yes I know hockey is an emotional game. I play hockey myself. But I don't care what level of anger or frustration you feel, and I don't care what the other guy did to you beforehand, nothing justifies taking a full two-handed swing with a metal composite stick right into someone's exposed face.

He knew he was swinging that stick like an axe. He knew where it was going to hit. He didn't do a thing to stop himself. A person doesn't go into convulsions because someone gave them a gentle lovetap.

So, I say it again.

This man should never be allowed to play professional hockey again. Ever.

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silent_jay

who said anything about his 2 season suspension being enough?
I would agree that he should never be allowed to play again, but seeing that professional sports seem to be afraid to issue lifetime bans unless your name is Marty Mcsorley 1 year is going to have to make people happy, and while yes it was a viscious slash don't forget that just 2 seconds before Mr. Stafford was trying to slash Mr. Perezhogin in the head also, while he did not connect the intent was there and I think that 6 games is a little on the low side.

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Ace_O_Spades

Well it was brutal... thats for sure

1 year... sounds fair enough

I'm just not down with lifetime bans... it's like a parent saying "you're grounded forever"

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Feh.

matteo101

Agree with ace of spades. One your suspensions are gay. Usually after a person does something like that once, they will never do it again. A punishment is obviously nescesary, but for life. Naw.

silent_jay

Ya you guys are right life is a little much after thinking about it a year seems right, I mean the guys career is probably over now a year is a lot of time.

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absorbentishe

I think at least a year, perhaps a little longer. He did one of the worst things he could, and now is paying the piper. He will never go any higher due to his reputation, so he's pretty much screwed. All players need to learn to resist doing that sort of thing, and if it happens more and more, any league will have to put stronger measures in place.

Quadraton

Yeah, I know lifetime bans are always unpopular, and I'm seldomly for them myself, but in this case, the AHL should impose a lifetime ban, and other leagues should follow suit.

This is not a Bertuzzi incident. That was a horrible decision that ended up in a terrible accident.

This, on the other hand, was a guy taking a stick square to someone's face because the other guy hit him first. There was no accident here.

On the street, this would be enough to get you up to 10-14 years in prison for aggravated assault with a weapon, and he could very well face that with the police investigation going on. So, my question is, if it's that serious out on the street, why do we let something like this go on the ice? What does someone have to do to make a league pull out the lifetime ban? Will they only do it when he swings the stick a second time? A third time perhaps? When he kills the guy? Is the fact that the guy was missing some teeth and had a third grade concussion not enough reason?

What gets me was how shocked and surprised people were when he was only handed a two season suspension (the rest of this season, plus the next). He got off easy.

I'm sure he's 'a great kid' and he 'just made a mistake', and I'm sure he'll 'never do it again', but I'm sure you can say that to just about everyone who decides they want to swing a metal stick into someone's face.

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Speed_Gibson

what did this Perezhogin do? Was this the broken back/neck/whatever else incident that I vaugely remember hearing something about?

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streak_56

I'm tired of all the frickin people bitchin about how violent hockey is today. Let me take you back about twenty years where bench brawls were almost common place. It a part of hockey, accept it, or watch something else. I've been hit in the head many times before with a stick and all I did was get up, suck it up and went on playing. Though I had a mask or face sheild on, I did get hit with the same degree of force as Stafford.
I've also gotten into stick swinging bouts with people and I thought nothing of it. And I've only got one more thing to say:

ITS ALL PART OF THE GAME! SUCK IT UP

CandleInTheDark

You can't compare a brawl or one-on-one fist fight with this incident. Not even close.

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Kaos

Wanna bet? He's suspended by the AHL, but he is a big prospect for Montreal Canadians and they will find a way to place him in another league, even if he plays in Russia for the year of his suspension.

Speed_Gibson

did a google search and read what he did. My first thought: that is a one year suspension? WTF? Isn't he playing hockey or am I just making ignorant assumptions about the sport?
And just what level of competition is this, is the AHL and NHL like the divions in the NBA or are they entirely groups or leagues?

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Black Adder

silent_jay

yep ignorant assumptions about the sport

I'm all for the old time hockey as much as the next guy and I didn't see the big deal with the Bertuzzi punch, but come this is part of hockey? I've swung my stick at people a la Hextall, but to actually swing at a guys head, I mean I've speared a guy in the throat and I'd never swing my stick at peoples heads, this is not part of the game and ther is nothing to suck up this was a disgusting display, the more I see it the more I think lifetime is a good idea

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Jesus Malverde

What the hell is the matter with these idiots? Why would you hit another guy in the face with your god damn hockey stick? That's not a part of any fucking game.

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feelgood

Hockey is about control too. If you can't fuckin control your hockey stick and swing it into somebody's face accidentally, much less, on purpose, then don't play hockey. If you wanna do something rough like that, go box, or do some street fights.

The Bertuzzi sucker punch was blown out of proportion. Granted yeah, it was stupid when he threw that punch but that didn't cause the broken neck...

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Ace_O_Spades

ugh... let's not dig up the tuzzi thing again

that dead horse has been beaten enough already

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Feh.

Speed_Gibson

oh the broken neck, that I was thinking maybe this Perezhogin fellow did until I googled and found specifics mentioning details with teams and people that I have never heard of as far as I can recall.

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Started talking to yourself I see.
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Black Adder

Chiuey

If this wasn't pro sports, it would be assult with a deadly weapon. So how should a 1 year suspension be sufficient, when under any other circumstance other than sports, this would mean many years in jail....
Just because it was in pro sports doen't justify the act of malicious intent by ANY player.

silent_jay

Keep the law out of hockey it has NO place

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Quadraton

I would just love to see you get a two-handed axe chop square in the face with a hard composite stick, sans faceguard, then see you come out with that self-triumphant attitude, bleeting;

"Hey guys! I'm sucking it up. In fact, I'm sucking my meal through a straw as we speak."

You think this shit is part of the game? I don't care what happened twenty years ago. A hand is not as hard as a composite stick, nor can it be swung with as much force. You were wearing facial protection. He wasn't. Yet you sit there and say this man who had to be carried off on a stretcher, and who lost several of his teeth should just suck it up because it's how the game was meant to be?

Violence has been, and will always be a part of the sport of hockey. Hell, I dig it, as do many others, but there's a line that can be crossed. Not only did Perezhogin cross that line, but he stopped to take a big sweaty dump all over it and brought down the reputation of the sport yet another step.

If this man had gone unpunished, it would have sent a message to all other players that this shit will be tolerated. A year suspension was the bare minimum that league could have imposed. A much clearer message would have been to kick that bastard out the door, and tell him to never come back. That way, all the real hockey players could continue to play the game.

If you don't think this deserves retribution because you got hit with a few sticks in pee-wee hockey, you don't get what hockey is about.

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WarWagon

Sounds good to me. I personally like lengthy suspensions, but not permanent bans. He's free game on the ice when he comes back...

Munku

http://naqua.se/bullen/Perezhogin.wmv

The guy who gets hit, takes a swing of his own, misses, then gets whacked. Why he got 6 games and not a year like Perezhogin is beyond me..

silent_jay

My thoughts exactly, he had the same intent as Perezhogin, just bad aim, the suspensions should be equal.

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