[News] UPD: Arbitrator upholds Voynov's 1 yr suspension but credits him 41 games served

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

Sorry but attacking a player who won't drop the gloves, although terrible, is in no way, shape or form the equivalent of attacking your spouse.

It's comparing stealing a chocolate bar to a hate crime.

I've been a fan of the Flames through the Bertuzzi years and Marchment year but would burn my jerseys if they ever knowingly employed a women abuser again. Gilmour was already a big enough stain on this organization but times were different.

mmmm Those might be a bit too far apart.

I'd say it's akin to assaulting the friend of a dude who's fighting your buddy at a bar. Even then, punching someone unexpectedly and then slamming them into the ground is and should be jail time in pretty much any other context.

I cheered for Bertuzzi when he scored for the Flames, but would have been totally happy if he never saw the ice again. Blatant attempts to severely injure have no more place on the ice as they do anywhere else and the league would be better to be rid of players who do it. Was the NHL a more entertaining game for keeping Bertuzzi in it? Is Tom Wilson a necessary player? Would the NHL have batted an eye if Matt Cooke never existed? Kick them out. Who cares?

Does the NHL need Slava Voynov? No, it really doesn't. I would argue no one is above this line. If Conner McDavid takes a Marty McSorely slash at someone's head tomorrow, I never want to see him again. Sorry. No one's good enough to do that and walk away from it scott free.

[Samuelsson]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

The courts absolutely look at spousal abuse differently than normal assault.

Apologies, should have specified that I'm in England, which is obviously irrelevant in this context!


Battery is battery, ABH is ABH and GBH is GBH, whether you're married or not.

[GullFoss]

Im confused - whats worse? Given a person a black eye or breaking their spine?

Not sure how Burt comes across as better than Voynov?

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

Im confused - whats worse? Given a person a black eye or breaking their spine?

Not sure how Burt comes across as better than Voynov?

Well, what Burt did was horrible. But downplaying Voynov beating his wife to just giving a person a black horrible as well.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

Im confused - whats worse? Given a person a black eye or breaking their spine?

Not sure how Burt comes across as better than Voynov?

I'm not supporting Bertuzzi in anyway. But I see a huge difference in a full contact sport that leads to an extremely unfortunate circumstance, and routinely beating your wife (at least what she told the officers and nurses - until she later recanted). I can't even fathom how people don't see Voynov as entirely more of a despicable vile person.

[Coach]

Both can be bad guys, it's okay.

Maybe the NHL made a mistake in their handling of Bertuzzi 15 years ago. There's really no reason to compare the two.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by midniteowl

But downplaying Voynov beating his wife to just giving a person a black horrible as well.

Marta Varlamova, Voynov's wife, told police the couple started arguing during a Halloween party. Voynov removed her costume glasses and stomped on them, then, outside the venue, he punched her in the left jaw, according to the report.

The dispute continued in the bedroom of the couple's Redondo Beach home, Varlamova told police. Voynov, she said, choked her with both hands three times.

"Voynov pushed her to the ground approximately six to seven times with both hands, telling her that he wanted a divorce and to 'Get out,' " the report said.

Varlamova told police that Voynov then kicked her five to six times while on the ground. She said she screamed for him to stop.

When she rose, the report said, Voynov pushed her into the corner of a flat-screen television mounted on the wall, opening a gash above Varlamova's left eye. Varlamova said the couple's bedroom was "covered in her blood."

What doesn't everyone do this to their wives?

[Textcritic]

As I see it this ultimately comes down to who the League wants to play and represent them and whom it does not. If they have deemed that Voynov's conduct disqualified him from ever competing again in the NHL, then so be it. I commend the League for taking a strong stand on this, and hope that this is a precedent that is maintained into the future.

[CroFlames]

Was Varlamov ever convicted for assaulting his gf or just charged? I seem to remember him being convicted, but the Voynov case was more high profile.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

Im confused - whats worse? Given a person a black eye or breaking their spine?

Not sure how Burt comes across as better than Voynov?

One was done in the context of a sporting event where he obviously stepped over the line and was punished as a result. The other was systematicand calculated abuse of a partner in front of a child, abuse that happened over the course or multiple events and done of clear mind and volition.

The two things are not comparable. I doubt that Bertuzzi meant to severely harm Steve Moore, and I don't doubt that Voynov intended to hurt his partner
.
Seriously... How are these two things comparable at all?

[savardandjokinen]

Terrible person that has done terrible stuff? Quite possible.

Will it stop at least one of 31 teams from pursuing him? No.

He was a very good top 4 dman at one point. Probably not the same anymore, but definitely NHL caliber.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

One was done in the context of a sporting event where he obviously stepped over the line and was punished as a result. The other was systematicand calculated abuse of a partner in front of a child, abuse that happened over the course or multiple events and done of clear mind and volition.

The two things are not comparable. I doubt that Bertuzzi meant to severely harm Steve Moore, and I don't doubt that Voynov intended to hurt his partner
.
Seriously... How are these two things comparable at all?

And lets be frank, while hockey is changing it is still a sport that condones fighting and doing many many things that are almost certain to cause injury and would see you in jail in any other arena, including most other sports arena's.
Outside of martial arts and the GAA no other sport has physical violence as deeply embedded in it, within this context what Bertuzzi did was not even out of the ordinary, even if the results were

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by savardandjokinen

Terrible person that has done terrible stuff? Quite possible.

Will it stop at least one of 31 teams from pursuing him? No.

He was a very good top 4 dman at one point. Probably not the same anymore, but definitely NHL caliber.

I can guarantee you that there are a large number of teams that wouldn't want him near their roster. The fan outrage, the locker room divisions, the unwanted publicity. The team may win a few games because of him, but they would lose millions in goodwill.

Sports teams are businesses first and foremost and few businesses would be willing to take that potential risk. Look at what Baltimore did with Ray Rice. They paid money for him to be gone.

Hell, the NHL wants to build their female fanbase... good luck with a team doing that if they bring this sack of crap aboard.

[savardandjokinen]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

I can guarantee you that there are a large number of teams that wouldn't want him near their roster. The fan outrage, the locker room divisions, the unwanted publicity. The team may win a few games because of him, but they would lose millions in goodwill.

Sports teams are businesses first and foremost and few businesses would be willing to take that potential risk. Look at what Baltimore did with Ray Rice. They paid money for him to be gone.

Hell, the NHL wants to build their female fanbase... good luck with a team doing that if they bring this sack of crap aboard.

Oh I don't disagree. I'm just saying I assume 1/31 teams at least would want him. Yes, most wouldn't, never said they wouldn't

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Was Varlamov ever convicted for assaulting his gf or just charged? I seem to remember him being convicted, but the Voynov case was more high profile.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/...s-goalie-126k/

Not only were all the charges dropped due to lack of evidence, the civil lawsuit saw him get awarded damages.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

Sorry but attacking a player who won't drop the gloves, although terrible, is in no way, shape or form the equivalent of attacking your spouse.

It's comparing stealing a chocolate bar to a hate crime.

I've been a fan of the Flames through the Bertuzzi years and Marchment year but would burn my jerseys if they ever knowingly employed a women abuser again. Gilmour was already a big enough stain on this organization but times were different.

You aren't this stupid, and you know that Moore had, in fact, already dropped the gloves. Come back when you are willing to make an honest argument.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

I can guarantee you that there are a large number of teams that wouldn't want him near their roster. The fan outrage, the locker room divisions, the unwanted publicity. The team may win a few games because of him, but they would lose millions in goodwill.

Sports teams are businesses first and foremost and few businesses would be willing to take that potential risk. Look at what Baltimore did with Ray Rice. They paid money for him to be gone.

Hell, the NHL wants to build their female fanbase... good luck with a team doing that if they bring this sack of crap aboard.

There are definitely teams that wont sign him - and I am personally very happy that our defence is so deep that it isn't even going to be a question if we'd take a shot at him. But there will also be a number of teams that will chase after him too.

And the reason is pretty simple. Fans have very short memories when it comes to players. This is something that typically shocks the union every time there is a labour dispute and they discover that nearly everyone cheers for the logo and not the name bar.

Whoever signs him, there will be a percentage of that team's fanbase that will immediately forgive and forget. There will be a percentage that will just be willing to forget. And, there will be a percentage that will be unwilling to do either. The size and ratio of these three groups will largely depend on how effective Voynov is at making their team better.

As you say, sports teams are businesses first and foremost. And nothing sells like success.

[GullFoss]

The impact of whatever voynov did to his wife isn't even close to comparable to breaking someone's spine and ruining their life.
Steve Moore will never be the same. The incident happened in the NHL on the commissioners watch. That suggests for a harsher penalty by the NHL for conduct that is unbecoming to the game.

The courts figured the cost of the pain and financial loss sufferered by Moore at the hands of Bert was in the millions. Bert got a 20 game suspension, with the NHL citing the emotion strain on his family.

Now the NHL turns around and gives Voynov a defacto 6 year suspension. The NHL doesn't consider the toll such a large suspension has on his family - which is huge from a financial and emotional perspective.

Watson got 18 games for domestic violence. Voynov got multiple years...

It makes no sense. What am I missing? How is a suspension this large justified - is it because he went to play in Russia?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

...Now the NHL turns around and gives Voynov a defacto 6 year suspension. The NHL doesn't consider the toll such a large suspension has on his family - which is huge from a financial and emotional perspective.

Watson got 18 games for domestic violence. Voynov got multiple years...

It makes no sense. What am I missing? How is a suspension this large justified - is it because he went to play in Russia?

Bertuzzi’s suspension occurred 15 years ago. I don’t think it ever factored into consideration in this particular instance, nor should it. A lot can change in 15 years, and the League is not locked into future decisions on the basis of disciplinary measures taken in the distant past.

Voynov has been suspended for multiple years because for all their faults and previous blunders the NHL has decided NOW to take a firm stand on domestic violence. They don’t want convicted abusers like Voynov playing in their League. It’s as simple as that.


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[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

It makes no sense. What am I missing? How is a suspension this large justified - is it because he went to play in Russia?

That's the entire reason. Voynov fled the continent and made no attempt to apply to have the suspension lifted until now.

Theoren Fleury was similarly on the NHL's suspended list for well over 5 years. The league simply let sleeping dogs lie until Theo applied for reinstatement.