The Line Has to be Drawn...Somewhere

The Isles could have won a game last night. They could have at least gotten a point last night. And they very well almost did, despite the antics of one forward who has stretched the limits of this fan's patience.

Chris Simon, a left winger with some talent, but a shorter fuse than anything, took a match penalty late in the third period for deliberate attempt to injure, when he stepped on the ankle of Jarkko Ruutu in front of the referees and the bench. Now, after being dismissed from the game, he is likely facing further disciplinary action by the NHL yet again, no matter what anyone says- whether Ruutu sold it a bit, as some people suggest, or not.

The truth is, this is very serious, not just because he physically harmed another player and disrespected the honor of the game, but because he once again has done something to put the Islanders in a very bad situation, not to mention himself. The incident in the past that automatically comes to mind is the March 9 incident against the Rangers, where Simon infamously swung his stick into the chin of winger Ryan Hollweg. I was able to allow for this, not because it was against the Rangers, and not because I simply don't like Ryan Hollweg (which is true... comparing him to Simon, I would still take Simon any day), but because of the fact that Simon may well have been concussed by the hit from behind that Hollweg put on him, and I consistently have disliked Hollweg because of the hits he puts on opposing players.

But this is an entirely different situation. The Islanders were down a goal with a bit of time left on the clock before Simon decided to take his anger and frustration out, under no duress from a concussion or a hit, on Ruutu's ankle. It was uncalled for, and it was another sign that Simon simply does not have it all in his head. He does things without thinking, and no matter what his intimidation factor may be, or what Nolan thinks of the man, he is not the player that we need on this team because at times, he cannot control his emotions and consequently puts his team in bad situations. There has to be a line drawn somewhere, and it has to be done by Nolan, a man who has a personal connection to Simon- he helped him fight off his alcohol addiction in juniors, and the two are great friends, basically maintaining a father-son- type relationship.

This also calls into question the decision to keep Simon and get rid of Arron Asham, who I believe has a greater talent and a more complete game. Asham will stick up for his teammates, can win fights against most opponents his size, and also has a decent scoring touch (if only he would shoot more!). I enjoyed watching Asham play on the Island, and I think that given a better chance, he could have found his groove. But it's too late for that... and instead, Chris Simon is here, and he is faced with another possible suspension in about 40 games. In my opinion, the tradeoff wasn't a good one, but here we are. Let's hope that this isn't another 25-game suspension looming.