Comments on: Swan Song for Chris Simon?

By: OrderedChaos

OrderedChaos — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:26:06 +0000

Looks like both Greg Cimilluca and Erin Brown of CBS Sports agree: Simon is (or at least should be) donesy. http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/story/10537303

By: S Flower

S Flower — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:32:44 +0000

Interesting comments. You believe on the one hand that Chris Simon should be banned from the league, but on the other hand you decry the illogicality of the suspension of Dale Hunter for a hit that you suggest others would consider “soft.” Please. Draw a line and stand on one side of it. Don’t move it about to protect your pet players. It makes you more illogical than the officials you criticize. Both incidents came with play stopped, with a player in a vulnerable position, and were delivered with the intent to injure. To call that “losing one’s cool” is ridiculous.

By: EricS

EricS — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:09:35 +0000

The Isles and Simon both already said that he was going to take a leave of absence from the team for about the length of the suspension, so the suspension itself was really accademic. It sounds like he may be drinking again, and if so he needs to take a long break from the game to get his head back on right. I hope he does. No matter what he’s done on the ice he’s not a “bad guy” by all accounts. Alcholism is such a hard thing to beat. Heaven help him if he’s slipped into anything worse then that.

By: pepper

pepper — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:03:55 +0000

Mostly I just feel sad for Simon. How much pain must he have locked away inside, that forces its way out on the ice in these brutal fits of rage? He’s obviously having a real difficult time with something, probably many things.
Of course, sympathy is no reason for him to be given yet another chance to play in this league. He needs to take control of whatever it is that’s destroying him, and not be playing NHL hockey.
Didn’t he win a battle with alcoholism earlier in his career? Let’s hope he has the strength to fight through his troubles again.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:21:52 +0000

I believe that both Simon and Bertuzzi(yes it’s true, I haven’t gotten over that) should be banned from playing hockey at any level anywhere in North America after their vicious on ice attacks.

By: vt caps fan

vt caps fan — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:14:07 +0000

I feel for Simon, but at the same time I don’t. He got a slap on the wrist.
Its a privlage to play a sport professionally. Yes you get ridiculed for everything you do, but you get paid a lot of money for a ‘game’ (a very important one in my eyes, but its still a game).
Last spring, he commited the biggest sin I could think of in hockey (at least I thought it was at the time) by swinging his stick at another player. Last week, stepping on another player with your SKATE!?! I’m sorry that is intent to injure. He should have been banned for at least a year.
Hockey has a code, they allow fists to solve your anger issues. When you use your fists you’re just as vulnerable as the guy you’re fighting. What Simon did is disgusting.
Attempting to maim someone should ban you from the game you play for a long long time. 30 days is nothing.
Once again the NHL leaves us wondering what the hell is wrong with this league? 30 games for something that brutal.
Like Victor, I hope Simon takes the high road (which sounds really ironic) and just retires. He should admit that he’s got a problem and shouldn’t play the game anymore.

By: Victor

Victor — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:49:05 +0000

Jordan touches on something true about Simon: he’s two completely different guys. Remember several years ago when he used a racial slur in a game? Remember how he apologized publicly, on his own accord, and served his suspension quietly? (Try to find someone willing to do that these days, for any infraction, but I digress.). He also tried to apologize personally for another hit last season (on Ryan Hollwegg, I think) but Hollwegg refused to hear the apology. I think that says a lot about both players, but again, I digress.
Last October, Sports Illustrated did a profile on Simon touching on this very point: Great guy off the ice, hard player on the ice, but he seems to snap in the heat of battle and does something very, very stupid. It can’t really be explained away,and it certainly can’t be excused…I was a Simon fan when he was in Washington and I still like the guy, as long as he’s not being a stupid idiot. Sadly he’s been doing more of the stupid stuff and less of the good stuff lately, and he won’t be doing anything for the next 30 games, if he doesn’t retire.
Which is what I feel he should do. I apologize if this rambles; I’m still shaking my head ruefully and saying to myself, “Chris, Chris…how could you be so stupid!”
Video of the stomp is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hKeVb_G-PI

By: WFY

WFY — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:15:04 +0000

Didn’t he start mouthing off to the Red Wings in game 3 of the ’98 finals? IIRC, that fired them up and…I don’t want to say anymore.
Great post, I never understood what was so great about him either.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:01:20 +0000

I wouldn’t throw the word “serial killer” around as lightly as you do, but I must agree with most of your points. Though a great guy off the ice (when he was a Cap anyway), there seems to be something about very very wrong with Chris when he gets on the ice. I hope he can get some kinda help before he even thinks about trying to come back. It’s getting hard to feel sorry for him anymore, though.