Tortorella Slams Orpik, Crosby, Malkin,...

[Guest Hatethedrake!]

A Pens-Canucks Cup Final would be sickening to watch. Which team would whine the most?

[b.shanafan14 733]

Unless you're part of the Penguins organization, of course. I don't remember Mario getting fined during his last tirade when he called the NHL "a garage league".

Or what about Michel Therrien and the infamous "obstruction" tirade. Not only whining incessantly, but calling out the opposition's players and the NHL referees. Double standard much?

I still laugh to myself every time I see Crosby drawing the second penalty for the epic 2008 5-on-3 kill; basically tried to jumped on Lilja's back and it worked. This first penalty was also dive-tastic:

A Pens-Canucks Cup Final would be sickening to watch. Which team would whine the most?

It'll basically be synchronized swimming, with complaints instead of music.

[55fan 5,133]

I think Torts and Milbury have hit on something...

Random coaches/players can call out Sidney and then apologize immediately. The message will get out. People will talk about what they said.

Apologizes theses days are a dime a dozen. The standard apology is canned and forced and insincere. Get a good, funny sound bite- rather than just whining- and "apologize" right away a la Larry the Cable Guy.

This could be fun.

[DatZetterfanfromSC 2]

Bahahahahaha!!!!!! I cant stop laughing at your avitar!!! Best one ever!

And, surprise surprise...no supplemental discipline for Orpik.

Bettman clearly has Shanny on a leash. Ugh.

[VM1138 1,921]

It's a shame, really. Sports would be way more interesting if they weren't so sanitized. Honestly there shouldn't be a fine for trash talking another team. It's part of competition. It's okay to play mind games with other teams and there should be more of it. They want rivalries, this is what makes them.

[Hockeymom1960 5,107]

It's a shame, really. Sports would be way more interesting if they weren't so sanitized. Honestly there shouldn't be a fine for trash talking another team. It's part of competition. It's okay to play mind games with other teams and there should be more of it. They want rivalries, this is what makes them.

I couldn't agree more

[ami 273]

· DO refrain from using vulgar language.

it is impossible when you talk about most arrogant organization in NHL.

[esteef 2,679]

I think Torts and Milbury have hit on something...

Random coaches/players can call out Sidney and then apologize immediately. The message will get out. People will talk about what they said.

Apologizes theses days are a dime a dozen. The standard apology is canned and forced and insincere. Get a good, funny sound bite- rather than just whining- and "apologize" right away a la Larry the Cable Guy.

This could be fun.

Exactly. What's heard cannot be unheard. They've got the money!

esteef

[vladdy16 2,154]

it is impossible when you talk about most arrogant organization in NHL.

Well played.

[kipwinger 8,522]

Yeah, Philly doesn't have any whiners on their team.

Briere and Jagr come to mind. I'm sure there's others if I thought hard about it.

Not going to sit here and pretend that I've followed the guy for his whole career or anything, but I know Jagr was one of the guys who defended Kronwall's hit on Voracek. Said it was hockey and it's a contact sport and you can't take hits like that out of the game.

I don't really know if Briere had any whining to do after he got Kronwalled, but I certainly don't remember anything of the sort.

If anybody on Philly's team is a whiner, it's their Captain and biggest guy on the ice ironically enough. Well, when he's actually in the lineup anyway.

[evilzyme 769]

@jessespector

Does the NHL realize that by fining Tortorella for his comments, they basically proved his point?

rofl. pretty much.

Edited April 7, 2012 by evilzyme

[nuts2u 22]

There are a great many insults that can be slung in Milbury's direction, but I don't think a lack of chutzpah is among them. If you doubt me, I dare you to call him spineless to his face.

So maybe you have a better word to describe him for apologizing after He blasted the Crybaby publicly?

[Guest The Production Line]

@jessespector

Does the NHL realize that by fining Tortorella for his comments, they basically proved his point?

rofl. pretty much.

That's the beauty of it. Torts can afford the $20K and he just made the NHL look like the biggest bunch of hypocrits.

[b.shanafan14 733]

That's the beauty of it. Torts can afford the $20K and he just made the NHL look like the biggest bunch of hypocrits.

Obviously their salaries are much more than the average guy, but coaches aren't paid multi-millions like some superstar. $20K is still $20K, and for what? For telling the truth? Honestly, what is the official reason? "Poor sportsmanship"?

This league is a joke. Continue to coddle them, they'll never learn...

[13dangledangle 959]

Yeah 20k sucks, but I'd feel "freaking" great if I was able to say that on national TV! "Freak" Pittsburgh.

[datterberg1340 626]

I bet Torts is saying to himself, "It was worth it."

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

What a joke.

[RusDRW 155]

I can only imagine those NA-styled inpirational speeches by Bylsma in the locker room now "It is world against us and Gary babies! So get your panties on, we gonna dive this game out!!!"

[Red Wings Addict 787]

I feel like Torts should say something again, depending on his bank account.

I mean, come on, how does Orpik not even get a hearing from the NHL? They saw what happened right?

[Opie 308]

Where is shanny's vid explaining the non suspension/fine?

[b.shanafan14 733]

I feel like Torts should say something again, depending on his bank account.

I mean, come on, how does Orpik not even get a hearing from the NHL? They saw what happened right?

This, more than anything, blows my mind. Its like the league conveniently used the discipline of Tortorella as a smoke-screen to distract from their leniency with Pittsburgh yet again. The league really seems concerned with player safety; I guess Cindy and Maria's feelings are a bigger concern than Stephan's knee.

What is this, Orpik's third or fourth reckless knee-on-knee hit? And yet nothing. I can't recall, but in the league's eyes is he a repeat offender, or is one of these magically few players who are as dirty as the next, but lack the record of suspensions "miraculously"? Either way, this is a joke.

In the spirit of the can't-unhear-it strategy, I wish the media would bait players and coaches around the league to discuss the Penguins and Crosby/Malkin as well as the fine to Torts and, with everyone having tongue firmly in cheek about the threat of being fined, each person asked throws on a big grin and says "no comment".

Remember during the 2008 cup run, when the refs were calling phantom interference on Holmstrom left right and center, and the media in a post-game press conference tried to bait Babcock? Another coach was fined earlier those playoffs for complaints, and Babcock said a whole lot by saying as little as possible:

[b.shanafan14 733]

And yet then-Penguins coach Michel Therrien went on a huge rant during the finals about all of the obstruction that the obstructing Red Wings were obstructing upon the obstructed Penguins stars, which obstructed their offense. Conveniently, no consistently there.

Same thing a year later when Malkin jumped Z, a stick flailing assault, glove-fisted fracas in the last minute or so of the game that resulted, rightfully so, with Malkin receiving the instigator, along with a one-game automatic suspension... that is until the league decided that it wasn't "in the spirit of the rule" to suspend players venting their frustrations by jumping other players in the waning minutes, even though that was the EXACT spirit of the rule, and if that had been someone like Franzen doing the same to Malkin or Crosby, we all know how that would have gone down.

This league is a joke, and continues to validate every complaint with double-standards for the anointed and knee-jerk fines for the dissenters.

[Dabura 12,207]

So maybe you have a better word to describe him for apologizing after He blasted the Crybaby publicly?

He got his point across, and, if anything, his apology (at gunpoint) lent some credence to it. Had he fought it tooth and nail and ultimately refused to relent, he probably would've gotten himself axed and blackballed in the world of sports broadcasting. The Pens aren't worth that.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I feel like Torts should say something again, depending on his bank account.

I mean, come on, how does Orpik not even get a hearing from the NHL? They saw what happened right?

I was watching the NHL network and Shanny was on NHL live. EJ Hradek asked him about the Orpik hit, and they got into a lengthy discussion that was really interesting.

Basically at the GM meeting Shanny and the league presented three different examples of knee on knee hits increasing in severity, and also in punishment. Asking if the GMs were ok with the level of punishment or if they wanted the league to be more involved like in the way of headshots and increase suspensions. The GM's said they were ok with the way it was, basically with only the absolute most blatant and severe knee on knee getting a suspension. One of the examples was a hit like Orpik's that only got a 2 minute kneeing penalty. That's why there was no suspension.

Shanny was saying how he told the GM's "you're ok with there being no suspension for this type of hit right now in this meeting, but are you still going to be okay in April and May?" Then they thanked him for coming and said the fans appreciate it too. Shanny laughed and said sarcastically "oh yeah, I know the fans really appreciate it." He knows how much people complain about his decisions.

The whole conversation was cool to hear and made me like Shanny even more.

[b.shanafan14 733]

I was watching the NHL network and Shanny was on NHL live. EJ Hradek asked him about the Orpik hit, and they got into a lengthy discussion that was really interesting.

Basically at the GM meeting Shanny and the league presented three different examples of knee on knee hits increasing in severity, and also in punishment. Asking if the GMs were ok with the level of punishment or if they wanted the league to be more involved like in the way of headshots and increase suspensions. The GM's said they were ok with the way it was, basically with only the absolute most blatant and severe knee on knee getting a suspension. One of the examples was a hit like Orpik's that only got a 2 minute kneeing penalty. That's why there was no suspension.

Shanny was saying how he told the GM's "you're ok with there being no suspension for this type of hit right now in this meeting, but are you still going to be okay in April and May?" Then they thanked him for coming and said the fans appreciate it too. Shanny laughed and said sarcastically "oh yeah, I know the fans really appreciate it." He knows how much people complain about his decisions.

The whole conversation was cool to hear and made me like Shanny even more.

It does suck that someone who is more or less loved and respected by fans like Shanahan was given such an unenviable position. Someone is always going to disagree with your verdict, and its only a matter of time before you've disappointed the fans of all 30 teams at some point. I do appreciate the explanation though, being that the GM's decided where the line was drawn and held their ground. I think the process is MUCH more involved and objective than in was with Campbell, but its hard for the average fan to appreciate. Keep on keepin' on, Brendan; its the most thankless job in the league.

The fine to Tortorella does more to inflame the situation than resolve it, and coupled with the lack of suspension to Orpik, the optics are not good. To most, the results were 180 degrees from where they should be.