Are you under the impression he was apologizing for doing his job?
What deserves no respect was Letang shoving Beagle to get him to react. Then turtling to the refs, and having Asham fight for him.
Beagle got suckered into taking a stupid penalty by Letang, How did Letang turtle to the refs? Letang didn't have to fight Beagle just like Beagle didn't have to fight Asham.
I disagree, the reason Asham wanted to fight Beagle was because it was deemed that Beagle had messed with one of the Pens stars. If Beagle declines to fight it does not make the issue disappear, he's either going to have to deal with players all game trying to fight him or he runs the risk of a Pens player going after a Caps star because of his own mistake. Lets not sit here and act like this was a fight that was just two willing participants trying to fire up their own teams and if one declines to fight then that's it. This fight was a result of an action, whether it's right or wrong, Beagle knew he had to pay a price for his actions and I really don't think him declining to fight was an option. My problem is this though, we all know the guy is going to pay the price for violating some stupid hockey code, so if you're going to insist the matter is settled "like men" than why not do just that and have someone more on his level dance with him. I don't like the idea that because someone got a little rough with a star that they have to pay a price, I especially don't like the idea that because someone got a little rough with a star that have to pay the price at the hands of an experienced goon. If there really is a code of honor for hockey than if you're going to make a guy pay for something, give him the courtesy of sending a comparable fighter after him. Not that Jay Beagle is a star by any means, but it would rub a lot of people the wrong way if say someone like Ovechkin or Crosby had to fight an enforcer because of a hit they made. Goons should stick to fighting goons, it's a lack of respect for the opponent that I find somewhat unsettling.
I also think the idea that Asham crushed a guy he was supposed to crush is what made the taunting even more disturbing. Asham asked a guy who has only a handful of AHL scraps to step up, if we go by your perspective he doesn't have to but he obliges, predictably he gets smashed, shouldn't Asham have some level of respect that he just called out some guy who probably knew he was going to get crunched and the guy stood toe to toe with him anyways? I mean Asham got up like he just pounded another gritty enforcer or something. If Beagle had avoided Asham all night all people would talk about is how much of a ***** he was, instead he steps up and faces his judgment, that's worthy of instant respect from an opponent IMO. I understand Asham got caught up in the moment and all that, but why? He just KO'd a guy who he should have KO'd.
From Mike Knuble's comments it seemed like Asham asked Beagle to drop them, it's not like Asham jumped Beagle. The Pens were down at that point so they weren't going to take a stupid penalty to cancel out the PP they had just got, so I think if Beagle had declined nothing further would happen that game . Asham was doing his job which was making it clear that you shouldn't mess with the Pens star players, it's not his job to say "Well I'm clearly out of this guys league I should leave this one to someone else" (I mean if Asham doesn't step in then it would be Engelland who is probably even stronger).
If someone challenged Crosby or OV in that situation then someone else would step up for them because they're stars but Beagle is a guy who is trying to cement a place in the lineup so showing that he's willing to stand up for himself is just another reason that they might keep him around.
Asham probably had no idea how much scrapping experience this guy has and as I said one of the reasons Asham is on the team is to make sure other teams don't take liberties with the Pens best players, it's not his problem if the guy who is taking liberties has very little fighting experience. Asham's adrenaline was probably in overdrive after the fight and I don't think he was actually taunting Beagle more playing to the crowd. I have no doubt Asham has a ton of respect for Beagle for taking him on. It's all well and good to analyse all this after it's happened but these things happen so quickly and it must be very easy to be caught up in the moment.
Except it was textbook instigator and it didn't get called so Asham clearly wasn't thinking about the PP, also what part of Knuble's comments leave you to believe Asham asked Beagle and had he said no he'd leave him be? All of the Knuble comments I've seen simply are character testimonials for Asham, he doesn't speak of anything related to the fight itself. Furthermore, this is hockey, it's not like if Asham doesn't fight Beagle immediately that's that, it's quite possible that if Beagle declines that fight than as you said Engelland steps in at some point. Like you and so many have said, this is Ashams job, so why do people seem to think he'd just let Beagle enjoy the rest of his night had he declined? The majority of Asham's purpose it to make sure guys like Letang don't get roughed up, it's what puts food on his table so I can't see him just letting it go. And I'm really not looking at this as Beagle trying to win over points with the brass, more so him adhering to some unwritten and frankly stupid code of conduct for hockey. I've got no problem with Asham and his job, he seems like a stand up guy, I've got more of a problem with the idiotic code that because one player gets white washed a bit the other player must suffer a beating. My theory is if you're going to have a code in place to "self-regulate" and you pride yourself on it, then actually have a bit of honor to it have the fights be somewhat balanced.
“My understanding is he asked Jay in the way the fights are started, Jay obliged and they scrapped…I give him credit for apologizing and realizing what he did [after] was wrong. Stuff happens in the heat of battle but with regard to what happened to Jay [injuries], that’s happened to about everybody that fights.â€
it was asham that wanted to fight.
Odd saying Asham was both classless and classy? lol Poor move on the ice, smart one off it.
suspension for taunting? wtf is wrong with you people? where the **** is the fun in this sport?! Let him be an ass if he wants too...karma has a way of doling out it's own punishment.