Was Branch too Harsh on Liambis?

I think public opinion is pretty one-sided against the punishment handed down to Erie player Michael Liambas. In fact, I have not seen anyone in favor of Branch’s punishment.

I’m going to take the opposite side of this argument.

This penalty to Liambas was harsh, sure, but it was appropriate. It was a new benchmark for reckless play. Fanelli literally got his head crushed. That CANNOT be met with shrugs and the classic “that’s good, hard hockey” mentality.

No, there has to be more discussion than this. There has to be something.

For those who have not seen it, here’s a video of the hit that has caused such a stir:

It’s not normal, nor is it acceptable that a kid (or anyone for that matter) ends up in a hospital in critical condition for several days because of something that is considered “legal” and “clean”.  I know that these injuries were caused by mutliple factors: Fanelli turned slightly at the last moment. His helmet was not on properly. I am also aware that Fanelli’s head striking the glass is what caused his injuries. I’ll acknowledge that a puck to the face or a skate to the throat could have a similar result. Those types of accidents are almost exclusively random by nature and not preventable. Hitting like a freight train is entirely preventable. Going full speed at a player who is no longer in the play is not right. You can finish a check without trying to put him in to the cheap seats.  This is not even about Liambas and Fanelli in the grand scheme of things. Bigger problems are brewing for hockey.

Hockey’s rock ‘em sock ‘em hero worship has had it’s day. 20 years ago guys could hit hard, but not as hard as players hit each other today. It’s bordering on excessive now. We see the rash of major injuries to the head and otherwise in the NHL, and everyone just sits there flaps their arms about it, but ultimately does nothing. At best there are impotent measures handed out to 3rd & 4th liners. This is not effective. Players are hell bent on putting together highlight reels of themselves, and devastating killshot-type hits are attention grabbers, let’s not sugar coat that or pretend it isn’t there.

What David Branch has done is drawn a line in the sand when nobody else will. Would he have given the same penalty to an 18 year old set to be drafted in the 1st round of the NHL draft? Hard to say, but he’s taken a step in that direction and he’s made it entirely possible that he may do that one day. I point to this blog post (and attached TED conference video): http://www.christopherspenn.com/2009/10/28/heroism-as-the-antidote-to-evil/. The point of that blog and video echoes what is at the heart of the matter here: that someone needs to take a “heroic” action when nobody else will. Branch is not afraid to rock the boat for what he believes to be best for his players safety (and no, I don’t mean to say that suspending a role player in a junior league makes Branch an instant hero, but it makes him progressive and proactive). He is to be respected for that.

I’m not advocating that hockey games look like the NHL all star game. I enjoy chippy hockey. I like the rough stuff. But let’s all agree that sports have to evolve. The change in rules a few years back was a revolution, the next step is figuring out ways to limit these silly needless injuries. Guys are bigger, stronger, faster than EVER before. Equipment meant to protect is now part & parcel of the weaponry.

What’s always been considered legal and clean in hockey may not be anymore. Whereas wars were once fought hand-to-hand with spears, bows & arrows, and swords, we now use laser guided missiles and advanced electronics and unmanned aircraft to do the dirty work. When the right to bear arms was written, I don’t think those who wrote it thought 200 years down the line to a time when people would be shooting each other up for the fun of it, or to steal someone”s iPods. Would they have written differently knowing the mess it has caused today? Evolution is required. Just because something has always been a certain way, does not mean that way SHOULD and MUST be the way it continues to be.

The same applies to hockey. We tend to say this is the way that hockey has always been, and always should be. That’s  certainly not very enlightened. I’ve learned enough about hockey’s past to know that these types of devastating hits did not happen 25 years ago. Not with the violence and frequency that we see today. Yes, we’ve had the rock ‘em sock ‘em culture for decades, but before  Scott Stevens (who in opinion was the first to bring in these knock out hits and make them popular) it took an entire season’s worth of hard contact to put together one of Don Cherry’s Rock ‘em Sock ‘em videos . Now you can probably put together a full length movie on a monthly basis, and not show the same crushing hit twice. Note: I’m not blaming Don Cherry personally. That was the way hockey was then. When kids end up in the hospital clinging to life, there has to be a change, or at the VERY least, a serious discussion that doesn’t spin in circles.

I feel bad for Liambas. That he can’t sleep, that he’s devastated by what’s happened. By the perception of him that is out there. I don’t fault him for this. He did was he was coached to do, and more likely what is expected of him by this modern hockey culture. I fault the culture of hockey, and the failure of hockey’s leadership to recognize what is going on today. And shame on them if they recognized it and did nothing.

We are getting closer and closer to the point where either a kid or a pro will die in front of our eyes on the ice. Will we shrug then and say “it was a clean hit that just happened to kill him. Tragic, but let’s not change the game because one person died”? Sounds absurd doesn’t it? I know players acknowledge the risk involved with the violent sport they play. If we considered the worst and Fanelli were to pass away from his injuries, Liambas would be going to jail for manslaughter. He should consider himself lucky that Fanelli has seemed to improve and that he’s only lost his ability to play his last year of junior. We have to understand that we were on the razor’s edge of that scenario. Fanelli could have died. He may never play hockey again. He may have health problems down the line because of this. And we chalk it up to “that’s hockey” and move along? Without even considering what can be done to prevent it? Completely unacceptable in my view.

All this being said, what Branch has done is not a solution to what’s going on. Juniors and pros alike will not remember the year-long suspension to Liambas in the heat of the moment, especially not if it is summarily dismissed as is currently being done by most fans and experts. And let’s not go with the “if his chin strap was properly done up this would not have happened” talk. That’s lazy and dismisses the larger issue here. The suspension will at least serve notice that you will be held accountable for what you do on the ice, but at some point there needs to be an evolution in how the game is taught and played and what is considered to be “clean and legal”. We are coming to the point where “clean and legal” is becoming interchangeable with “mean and lethal”. That’s not good sport. That’s bloodsport, and I have no interest in it. But if players continue to get their heads smashed like this, it will not be long until some government pokes their head in and starts asking questions. Then we’ll have a real problem on our hands because at that point it will be too late to discuss. Sure some, if not most will bitch and moan and spit at the government to get out of sports; that there other things to worry about. And they’d be right, but the headless chickens that run hockey make half-hearted changes, or will do what they do best – absolutely nothing. David Branch is getting the ball rolling and unfortunately for Liambas, he will probably be relegated to being the answer to some trivia question in some trivia book.

Have the discussion now before it’s too late.

Let’s have our own discussion; please leave your comments below for or against. Thanks for reading!