| | NHL players and officials think Marty McSorley's suspension for
his stick attack on Donald Brashear was sufficient punishment.
A Canadian court ruled otherwise Tuesday, charging the Boston
Bruins defenseman with one count of assault with a weapon for his
two-handed swing to the head of the Vancouver enforcer Feb. 21.
"As we stated at the time the suspension was imposed, we
believe the league dealt with the matter quickly, decisively and
appropriately -- and did not feel that any further action was either
warranted or necessary," said Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal
officer.
The 36-year-old player was suspended by the NHL for the
remainder of the regular season, which at the time consisted of 23
games. The penalty, the harshest ever for on-ice violence, would
also include the playoffs should the Bruins qualify.
"We were all hoping it would stay in the hockey environment,"
said defenseman Ray Bourque, McSorley's teammate until being traded
to Colorado on Monday. "As a player we all hoped that what came
down from the NHL on how they reacted to the incident was going to
be it."
McSorley, a veteran of 17 seasons, must meet with commissioner
Gary Bettman before he is allowed to return to the ice.
"I know Marty feels bad about it," Bourque said. "I just hope
it works out for Marty because he really is a great guy and he's a
great competitor."
Although no one condones McSorley's behavior, the belief is that
the NHL can police itself.
"We have a governing body of the NHL that's in charge of
suspensions and things like that," Boston right wing Steve Heinze
said. "What happened with Marty, I thought that would be the end
of it. But the saga continues."
Los Angeles captain Rob Blake, McSorley's former teammate with
the Kings, wants to keep on-ice issues out of the courts.
"I don't really agree with that," Blake said of the charge.
"I've listened to a lot of people and I kind of feel the same way
most do -- that what happens on the ice should be handled by the
people in the NHL who handle the suspensions.
"I wish it would have been left that way, but there's not a lot
we can do about that now."
Chicago enforcer Bob Probert thought McSorley was already
punished too harshly.
"It's ridiculous. The league handled it," Probert said. "I
thought the league handled it right. I actually thought the
suspension was a little stiff. I thought 15 games would have been
more than enough.
"But to bring the courts into it, that's uncalled
for."
| |
ALSO SEE
McSorley faces charges for slashing incident
 |
