Wilson gets 20 games

[maacoshark]

Starting high and knocking off a bunch of games doesn't help the DOPS any. It lets the league know decisions may be chopped significantly and could be excessive.

Pretty sure the only way this gets reduced is if it goes to a 3rd party.

 

[RandyHolt]

The rule book of Tom Wilson?

Appeal will be heard by Gary Bentman??

 

[Chokingdogs]

Appeal will be heard by Gary Bentman??

Just bettman or both he and dops?

Has lil gary sat in on appeals before?

 

[third man in]

Just bettman or both he and dops?

Has lil gary sat in on appeals before?

6 times, 2 of which were reduced. I'm not holding out much hope. Maybe if lucky he'll get 3 or 4 games knocked off.

 

[Corby78]

Appeal will be heard by Gary Bentman??

Where did that Faber College disciplinary board picture go????

 

[RandyHolt]

 

[Ridley Simon]

Def a resemblance to the Gary. Save the height.

 

[RandyHolt]

Imagine how many games Tom would have gotten if he bolted down the tunnel runway and went after rat face after he mugged Eller? I would say banned for life.

To add to the lunacy of it all, watch Bentsie reduce it 1 game - a dick move just to troll us Caps fans. I stick to my official prediction of no games. I would love Tom to show up half drunk and puke on Gary's desk. Hello. Say he ate expired herring from a can he found in Nick's garage.

Lets flood him [email protected]

 

[RandyHolt]

Def a resemblance to the Gary. Save the height.

Funny you say that, its why I chose it. The resemblance is striking

Tom Wilson is definitely on double probation. If it happens once more, l'll kick you out of this league!

Seriously, even one accidental head donk involving Tom, expect him gone until the end of the season. Possibly every year going forward, maybe until the end of his career.

 

[Sam Spade]

To add to the lunacy of it all, watch Bentsie reduce it 1 game - a dick move just to troll us Caps fans. I stick to my official prediction of no games.

When Widemen appealed his 20 gamer an independent arbitrator reduced it to 10 games. Wideman had already served 19 games by then.

Wideman got back the lost salary for the nine games.

 

[maacoshark]

6 times, 2 of which were reduced. I'm not holding out much hope. Maybe if lucky he'll get 3 or 4 games knocked off.

I'm assuming he will lose his appeal with Bettman and then appeal that.
I believe that's what happened when Dennis Wideman appealed his suspension for hitting an official.

 

[mouser]

That's the next step if Bettman doesn't reduce it. Which i don't think he will, at least not by much. Neutral arbitrator is a much better option for Wilson.

I would suspect there’s a better chance Bettman reduces the suspension then the arbitrator. Bettman doesn’t need a strong precedent to reduce the suspension—for example he could do so for basic clemency reasons if he thought the player was remorseful. The arbitrator doesn’t have that sort of leeway and needs to base any reduction on past precedents. Given there doesn’t seem to be any modern examples of a player accumulating as many suspension as Wilson has in a similar period of time I suspect it would be difficult for the arbitrator to cite precedent for changing the suspension.

Bettman has reduced many suspensions during his tenure, though typically by a handful of games at most. I don’t think the arbitrator has reduced a DoPS suspension since the department was formed in 2011.** Would have to research further when the last time pre-DoPS an arbitrator reduced a Colin Campbell suspension.

** Wideman was not a DoPS suspension. That was a rulebook mandated suspension for abuse of officials filed by the game refs.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Would hope Buttman looks at this sooner than later so if he wants to appeal to a third party arbitor he has time to do it. I'd love to see this knocked down to 15 games. Day of the hit I felt like 7-12 was good, 15 should have been max. When the news came out I was a little surprised they went that heavy. I understand wanting to make an example out of him but at the same time they tried to do that to Max Domi and Marchand did the same thing to Eller(with 0 repercussions). Seems like making an example isn't good enough, especially when you don't uphold the precedent you set.

 

[shtorm2005]

Would hope Buttman looks at this sooner than later so if he wants to appeal to a third party arbitor he has time to do it. I'd love to see this knocked down to 15 games. Day of the hit I felt like 7-12 was good, 15 should have been max. When the news came out I was a little surprised they went that heavy. I understand wanting to make an example out of him but at the same time they tried to do that to Max Domi and Marchand did the same thing to Eller(with 0 repercussions). Seems like making an example isn't good enough, especially when you don't uphold the precedent you set.

Crazy theory, but what if they gave him more than deserved knowing he would get suspension reduced?

 

[RandyHolt]

Yep, include a bentman buffer to guarantee a certain number is met... if true I think 15 was the min number they had to have. in case they need a 3rd party to settle.

I think we are going to get screwed somehow. He will drag the hearing so long that when 1 game gets reduced, it will have served as a distraction for ~ a month, and no one will freaking care at that point. Or he will wait for some good news for us to release his ruling that 20 was upheld.

Make no mistake. He is the DOPS. Reducing too many games shows he made a mistake in the first place.

 

[maacoshark]

When Widemen appealed his 20 gamer an independent arbitrator reduced it to 10 games. Wideman had already served 19 games by then.

Wideman got back the lost salary for the nine games.

Ya I knew that he had already served 19 games. Which is why I hope the hearing is very soon. I'm sure the NHL will try to slow down the process so if the suspension is reduced that most of the 20 games has been served.
Since we are talking about the Wideman thing I didnt think the league or officials handled the situation very well.

 

[maacoshark]

Yep, include a bentman buffer to guarantee a certain number is met... if true I think 15 was the min number they had to have. in case they need a 3rd party to settle.

I think we are going to get screwed somehow. He will drag the hearing so long that when 1 game gets reduced, it will have served as a distraction for ~ a month, and no one will freaking care at that point. Or he will wait for some good news for us to release his ruling that 20 was upheld.

Make no mistake. He is the DOPS. Reducing too many games shows he made a mistake in the first place.

Even if Wilson serves the 20 games before a decision is made. A reduction in the number of games suspended will still be a small victory.

 

[RandyHolt]

Wasn't Wideman concussed?

He was a mess what with his tennis ball cannon turnover machine... but was a clean player. Its hard to say. Some guys loose it and go after officials. Tom Lysiak. Nylander - guys you wouldn't expect to blow a fuse.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

20 games is a joke. Dude isn't a NHLer and did something stupid to be exposed to a hit from the hardest hitters in the league.
Make it roller hockey if you don't want hitting.
You want to take the good shot in the middle of the ice be ready to be defended and hit.

 

[Roshi]

There isnt precedent for 4 suspensions in a calendar year, but there are some points that could be brought in for the appeal.

Willys career has lasted five years, not one. He never had suspensions before. So as much as its 4 in a year, its also 4 in five years. For the same five year period also Kadri has been suspended 4 times for headshots, but he did not get the jump from 3 to 20. Not even from 3 to 10. There was no jump, his crime was judged as a single action every time. You could justify they skipped atleast one step with Willy. Also Marchand has 3 suspensions, and its only a time he gets his fourth, will it be 20 next time? Nope. So is this suspension somewhat a precedent that if you repeat in a short timeline you will be punished 10 times more than if you repeat once a year? There are holes in my logic, but its a question atleast.

Generally the concussion witch hunt is biased. They demonize hits that happen on the play, rewind the slow motion tapes inch by inch to find evidence for which part of the body hits what first. That tells you enough there is a lot of accident written into that sort of play, if you cant outjust say it was intentional and need to base your statement on a super slowmotion of which the player obviously have no chance to adjust ongame. Meanwhile they dont mind players intentionally punching others to the head multiple times outside the play, for celebrating a goal. If they really are so concerned about the concussions, why they just cherry pick on what and who they want to punish instead of actively acting to prevent all intentional hits to the head?

And the crime in itself. Yes, repeat offender status is valid and needs to be taken seriously. But as much as you might like the 3 strikes and life system, its not fair. You should not get convicted for murder if your crime isnt murder, even if you do it three times. There needs to be a number of games limited for certain ”crimes”, its not right to get 20 games from something that without repeater status would only be 1-2 games. Its just not.

And if there is arbitrator jumping in, good luck for the NHL showing that they are consistent in anyway. 3-4-3-20? Kadri still did 3 last time (fourth). Tapes on tens and hundreds of similar hits that go unpunished.

And before i get the first ”you should be concussed” reply. I dont like concussions anymore than the next guy and agree they need to work to find ways to prevent them to minimum. But that way is not banning Tom Wilson for life. Problem will still be there, and there will be another Tom Wilson after that. The path isnt just punishing the bad guys, while the rulebook, education and consistency are lacking. This is washing their hands and trying to avoid responsibility, not working on preventing head traumas.

Edit. However i dont expect the suspension to be reduced, atleast by much. Its not much of a debate, NHL is a private league and has its private rules. They have the right to ”make” precedents too. But what is frustfrating is that we already know they will not be following their own rulings with consistency.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

There is no strong precedent for 4 suspensions in a year, because the DoPS has never been as strict with other players. Plenty of other guys have deserved it *cough* Marchand *cough* but didn't get the multiple suspensions because they're not Tom Wilson.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Crazy theory, but what if they gave him more than deserved knowing he would get suspension reduced?

I've considered that... NHL goes shock-and-awe and gives him 20...makes all the haters happy temporarily. Then Bettman reduces it a couple weeks later when the drama has all died down. NHL saves face, Wilson gets his suspension reduced and everyone is happy because somewhere along the line everyone got their piece of the pie.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Being bigger and stronger then a preseason player that can't protect himself should not be worth 20% of the season

 

[Roshi]

And just for the record. Please, please do not play Willy ever again in a preseason game against St. Louis Blues. 3/4 of his suspensions are from freaking preseason games. All against that same team too.

 

[Portable Mink]

4th suspension. All were not warranted equally. That Aston Reece one was bullshit. Absolute bullshit. That wasn’t isn’t 3 games and this one is instantly less than 10. Maybe 3.

The ones before that I don’t remember their validity. But you lose the 50/50 battle over whether it’s a suspension a few times in a row and suddenly you’re looking at a 20 because of the stupid system.

Not all suspensions are equal, all of toms are hockey plays, not dirt.