VOORHEES, N.J. -- Maybe now Philadelphia will really get the
message: The deliberate and dangerous hits that put two Flyers on
the suspended list no longer have a spot in a safer NHL.
Philadelphia forward Jesse Boulerice was suspended 25 games by
the NHL on Friday for striking Vancouver's Ryan Kesler across the
face with his stick, the longest single-season ban in league
history.
The suspension was handed down by NHL disciplinarian
Colin Campbell after a hearing in Toronto.
"This was more than a careless and reckless play," Campbell
said. "It was senseless."
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren anticipated the league's
action.
"Is 25 the worst?" he said. "It's pretty close to what I
expected."
Campbell said there would be a "whole heap of problems" had
Kesler been seriously injured.
"If there was a worse result, maybe there would be more than me
looking into it today, and that wouldn't be good for any of us,"
Campbell said.
Boulerice knows exactly what Campbell means. He's been in
serious trouble before for violent conduct.
In 1998, Boulerice was suspended for one year by the Ontario
Hockey League for violent stick-swinging. He went to the American
Hockey League the following season and was ruled ineligible until
mid-November.
Boulerice is the second Flyer in two weeks to draw a long
suspension -- rookie Steve Downie was suspended 20 games for an
intentional hit against Ottawa.
Islanders forward Chris Simon was suspended for 25 games in
March for his two-handed stick attack to the face of Ryan Hollweg
of the New York Rangers. Simon's suspension is over.
"It was similar to the Simon incident," Campbell said. "You
don't use your stick for swinging at players, crosschecking
players. You use your stick for shooting and passing.
"This was a determined effort of a player who went in the
opposite direction the play was going."
Boulerice's hit came late in Philadelphia's 8-2 win over
Vancouver on Wednesday night. After some pushing and shoving,
Boulerice caught an unsuspecting Kesler with his stick, leaving the
Canucks forward lying motionless on the ice. He eventually got up
and skated to the bench on his own.
"We're by no means condoning what happened," Flyers coach John
Stevens said. "He's going to have to stand up and pay the price."
Downie was suspended 20 games by the NHL last month for leaving
his feet to deliver a hit to the head of Ottawa's Dean McAmmond.
Holmgren said Downie has served two games of the suspension.
The Flyers now have two of the nine players in league history
that have been suspended at least 20 games on their roster.
The Flyers (2-1) play their home opener against the New York
Islanders on Saturday night. Once known as the Broad Street Bullies
during their 1970s heyday, they have quickly established an
unwanted identity as a team full of out-of-control goons.
"It's almost implied that's the direction we're going when it
couldn't be further from the truth," Stevens said.
Campbell said Flyers management and the coaching staff would not
be punished.
"There's nothing formal that holds a team responsible," he
said. "If you really look at the issues they have to deal with --
the roster situation, paying a player -- they have to deal with
other aspects that come with losing two players."
Boulerice received a match penalty for intent to injure and
Kesler called for a 20-game suspension.
"I think we're in agreement that there's no place in the game
for this anymore," Holmgren said. "I do think it was an isolated
incident. Jesse lost his composure, lost his cool. It's something
that's not the right thing to do, at any time."
The 23-year-old center practiced Thursday and expected to play
Friday when the Canucks faced the Oilers in Edmonton. The swelling
in Kesler's right lip and jaw had subsided, but he still had some
red marks on his face.
Boulerice apologized after the game.
"I reacted in a bad way, the wrong way," he said.
In the OHL, Boulerice was charged with assault to do great
bodily harm less than murder. He pleaded no contest to a reduced
charge of aggravated assault.
"Whatever happened in Jesse's head triggered something,"
Flyers forward Mike Knuble said, referring to the latest
suspension. "For the most part, players don't want to see players
going after each other with sticks in the face. That's not the game
we're trying to promote."
Boulerice will forfeit $63,502.75 in salary and is eligible to
return December 13 against Montreal.
The Flyers signed the 29-year-old Boulerice after a tryout in
training camp. He played three games for the Flyers in 2001-02,
spent the next three years in Carolina and has eight goals and 10
points in 167 career games.
The suspension marred a quick turnaround for the Flyers, who had
had the worst record in the NHL last season, but have already
scored 14 goals in three games.
"Certainly the perception of the people around the league, in
the hockey world, the focus is on one thing and one thing only,"
Stevens said.