EHM The Blue Line

Whilst managing in Sweden I got a news report that Wade Belak of the Maple Leafs was banned for 26 NHL games for violent behaviour. According to the game report he shoved the ref after a decision went against him. Isn't a 26 game ban a bit excessive?

Quarter of a season for shoving an official seems about right. You just cannot do that in any sport. Its the same ban as Di Canio got in football for shoving a ref (10 games = quarter of a season).

Given in the NHL (IIRC) you get an automatic ban for criticizing the refs at all, you're going to get a lot more for assaulting one.

I agree that in most sports touching the official let alone pushing him is bang out of order. But the game of hockey is physical, and Belak may just have pushed the ref aside to go to the penalty box quicker , and he is now out for a quarter of the season?

Belak getting a suspension would be a huge loss for the Leafs...

Systemfel wrote:Belak getting a suspension would be a huge gain for the Leafs...

Fixed.

I tried quickly Googling for any incidents where a player has hit a ref but couldn't find anything. I did, however, find an incident in 1999 in American football where Orlando Brown was banned indefinately for pushing over a ref.

I've seen similar bans handed down in the game for a few ECHL players for the same thing; the lesson here I guess is keep your hands off the zebras!

If only Belak could get suspended that long in real life...

my players don't really get banned, but there are a LOT of 10 minute misconducts handed out for criticizing penalties. Almost 1 a game, to be honest.

True, the game really does hand out a tremendously large amount of 10 minute misconducts for unsportsmanlike due to arguing with the refs... if you look through all the boxes for a full day's worth of games it's seldom a game goes by without at least one being called.

Must be a UK developer thing because at least one a game seems standard over here IRL.