Two points here.
1.  Who cares what Buble has to say.  Just because he’s Canadian and part owner of the Vancouver Giants doesn’t mean he’s an authority on hockey.
2.  If the players can’t watch the videos being released by the league and figure out what they can and cannot do, they are simply refusing to try.  Shanahan has gone out of his way to make it easy for the players to see exactly what the league considers a clean hit and what it considers an illegal one.

Posted by grndlprm on 10/19/11 at 06:40 PM ET

Hey grndlprm,

Based on your logic, why should anyone read your posts?

Posted by Hippo Krit on 10/19/11 at 06:47 PM ET

It’s absolutely crazy.  What has the hockey world come to when you’re held responsible for slashing a guy in the face?

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/19/11 at 06:51 PM ET

he’s also an idiot. didn’t someone die after hitting their head at the end of a fight in the AHL in the last couple of years?

Posted by Chet from twitter: thegansen on 10/19/11 at 06:55 PM ET

@Hippo Krit
No one said you had to…...

Posted by grndlprm on 10/19/11 at 06:57 PM ET

Well, now that Bubbly has spoken… things have to change.
What a tool.

Posted by MOWingsfan19 from I really like our team on 10/19/11 at 07:05 PM ET

Posted by grndlprm on 10/19/11 at 04:40 PM ET
1.  Who cares what Buble has to say.

Done in one

Posted by Puck from San Francisco, CA on 10/19/11 at 07:05 PM ET

they are simply refusing to try.

To be fair, one could look at the Brendan Smith hit and the Ryan Malone hit and find it hard to see why Smith was suspended and Malone wasn’t.  Or look at the Sestito hit and wonder why skating the width of the ice to drive a guy facefirst into the boards isn’t as bad as accidentally hitting a guy in the head because you missed your check.

But Buble is definitely an idiot on the first part.

Posted by Garth on 10/19/11 at 07:22 PM ET

While I can appreciate people’s disagreements with Buble’s position—and I have my own problems with his argument—I don’t necessarily think that makes him an “idiot.”  The guy has an opinion, and one that I think plenty of people probably share but don’t want to express for fear of being called names. 

In my own opinion—and hopefully a few others of you might agree?—the best answers come from debate where people share their differing opinions and ultimately reach a compromise. 

If the NHL is going to change this aspect of the game, I imagine finding consensus will be more useful than just insisting “I’m right and you’re stupid.”

Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 10/19/11 at 07:34 PM ET

It can’t go on like this.”

With all due respect Mr. Bublé, if Shanny keeps doing what he’s doing, it won’t.  And that, I believe, is the point.

Posted by BobTheZee on 10/19/11 at 07:41 PM ET

With all due respect Mr. Bublé, if Shanny keeps doing what he’s doing, it won’t.  And that, I believe, is the point.

Posted by BobTheZee on 10/19/11 at 05:41 PM ET

I wish I had said this instead.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/19/11 at 07:42 PM ET

He’s entitled to his opinion.  But I think Shanny has to change a lot of habitual behavior.  That means he can’t be subtle about it even in the beginning.

You can already see guys keeping their elbows down and not leaving their feet when they check another player. 

They’re still checking though.  It’s still a contact sport.

Posted by 13 user names on 10/19/11 at 07:56 PM ET

Has Buble ever listened to his own music???

That, by far, is a bigger detriment to our health than any incidentals in a hockey game.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 10/19/11 at 08:01 PM ET

It’s absolutely crazy.  What has the hockey world come to when you’re held responsible for slashing a guy in the face?

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/19/11 at 04:51 PM ET

Actually J.J. i got a good laugh out of this comment and I’ve been thinking the same thing since this happened! I also have to agree with Garth that comparing the Smith hit with the Malone hit leaves me more than a little confused because Shanny’s explanation of the smith hit seemed more than a little disingenuous. He stated that Ben Smiths’ head did not significantly change position on the play but what he left out was the fact that Ben Smith slowed down alot to make his toe drag knowing full well that Brendan was coming and had already committed to the hit. I think the suspension had more to do with him quickly killing any notion of favoritism to the wings.

Posted by From The Hockey Wastelands from Cleveland on 10/19/11 at 08:29 PM ET

Funny he thinks because guys did it before and now think it shouldn’t be done.. he thinks they are hording opportunity maybe?  I don’t know what the incentive would be at this point for them to do that maliciously..

What does make a little more sense is those guys have experience, something Bubbles doesn’t.  They have a perspective for what roles it’s played in their life and what issues were caused by it.  Back to motive, what could possibly lead them to say anything about it.. only MO I can see is empathy for other players situation and an understanding of the consequences that weren’t available during their careers.

I think Bubbles opinion is harsh and it’s polarizing when you put it in the context of “they made money doing it and now don’t want to let me”  It doesn’t make sense, they have no reason or motive other than caring about their hockey brethren. 

It’s good we’re at least having the conversation now though, now we’ll be able to put ideas and opinions through the smell test.  In this case though I think Bubbles failed.  He failed to put his arguement into context and makes it hard to by his subsequent points.  He also did the same thing with the high sticking suspension, changing or omitting the context.. which was it was a baseball swing, no playing the puck, sole intent was to hit and hurt the other guy.  Weird he got suspended.

Posted by HockeytownOverhaul on 10/19/11 at 08:44 PM ET

Does Bubble boy want to become Don Cherry, Jr?

Doc

Posted by DocF on 10/19/11 at 09:47 PM ET

First MB steals Harry Connick Jr’s job, now he’s trying to steal Don Cheryy’s!

Posted by Jerry on 10/19/11 at 10:13 PM ET

All this means is that the NHL needs to make a decision…. fighting or no fighting.  If the NHL, its fans, etc., don’t want these suspensions, allow fighting with no instigator penalties, bring back the enforcers, and let the players police each other.  If the same group doesn’t want fighting, make sure the players know you’re not fuching around.

There are two options:

Good ol’ North American, Olde Time Hockey or the European game.  I lean toward having the fighting, but in the end I really don’t care. 

This is just like the goalie interference crap that Holmstrom gets called for all the time.  If the NHL is going to have a crease rule, lets have a crease rule.  But don’t tell Homer he can’t be in the paint and make soft contact with the goalie if you aren’t going to have a firm rule about standing in the paint.  Same kind of quandary here if you ask me.  Lets just make a goddammed decision.

Posted by bezukov from the kids are alright. on 10/20/11 at 02:09 AM ET

I think the lack of his knowledge about this subject begins and ends with Don Sanderson who did lose his life during a fight.

Leave the decisions about hockey to the people involved in the game itself, instead of some celebrity who can just throw money around to buy a junior team in his hometown.

Posted by Brad from Calgary on 10/20/11 at 03:23 AM ET

Hey Michael dont quit youre night job.

Posted by Pierre from Sherbrooke,Qc on 10/20/11 at 10:00 AM ET