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Wednesday, February 23, 2000
Ugly book is far from closed
The Boston Bruins' defenceman was suspended for the rest of the season, which includes the 23 regular-season games remaining and whatever playoff games the Bruins would participate in. It is the longest suspension in league history, for an on-ice incident.
Colin Campbell, the NHL's executive vice-president and director of hockey operations, said McSorley's suspension for swinging his stick and hitting Vancouver Canucks forward Donald Brashear in the head will be revisited this summer. McSorley must meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and other league executives before he can be reinstated.
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| Vancouver Canucks' captain Mark Messier (left) and team trainer Mike Bernstein attend to Canucks' Donald Brashear on the ice late in the third period of their game against the Boston Bruins, Monday, Feb.21, 2000. Brashear was knocked to the ice unconscious after he was struck in the head by the stick of Bruin's' Marty McSorley. (CP PHOTO/HO/Vancouver Canucks-Jeff Vinnick) |
"At the end of the day, Marty McSorley did something totally unacceptable and he's paying the price now," said Campbell. "We've a got a charge to protect the players. The message we want to send to our 600-700 players is you don't have to worry about this."
Brashear suffered a Grade 3 concussion when McSorley skated up behind him with about three seconds left in the Canucks' 5-2 victory Monday night and hit him in the right side of the head with a sweeping blow of his stick.
Brashear fell heavily to the ice and lost his helmet.
Campbell said the unprecedented suspension is warranted for an unprecedented attack.
"I guess the difference in this one is it was an unsuspecting blow from behind with the stick to the part of the head we all fear. It struck the temple," said Campbell. "I've been involved in a lot of games over 30 years and I've never seen a game where a player was struck from behind (like this). Are we breaking new ground? Sure, when it comes to the number of games. Have I seen something like this before? Have I seen anything like this? No."
The league left the suspension open-ended so it will have the opportunity to weigh other factors including the seriousness of Brashear's injury.
"We thought it was important to give us time to evaluate the condition of Donald Brashear," said Campbell. "At that point we'll know more. We'll see where it takes us when all the factors are weighed in the summer."
McSorley did not attend the disciplinary hearing in New York Wednesday.
NHL. His representatives, J.P. Barry and Mike Barnett, asked for a postponement, but it was denied, said NHL executive vice-president and chief legal officer Bill Daly. He said the league wanted to deal with the issue quickly.
McSorley, who could face criminal charges in Vancouver for the attack, declined to participate in the hearing on the advice of counsel, said Daly.
"There's an on-going investigation in Vancouver he has to be sensitive to," said Daly.
He said the league has been in touch with the Vancouver police department and the league, as well as the Canucks and the Bruins, will co-operate, but he said he hoped the police would leave the matter in the hands of the league.
"It's been dealt with harshly," said Daly. "The police have the right to do anything they want within the law, but we hope they would defer to our judgment in the treatment of this matter."
Daly said McSorley's agents indicated the 36-year-old McSorley wanted to play next season which means the incident, which brought the NHL the wrong kind of publicity, is far from over.
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