Havlat Suspended Five Games

[Thrillhouse]

TORONTO - Ottawa Senators forward Martin Havlat has been suspended for five games, without pay, for a kicking incident during NHL game #73 against the Boston Bruins on October 15.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Havlat will forfeit $66,326.55. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

"One of the factors in reaching this decision is the fact that Mr. Havlat was assessed supplementary discipline on three occasions during a two-month period in 2003-04 including a two-game suspension for a kicking incident," said NHL Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell.

The incident occurred at 3:53 of the second period when Havlat was involved with Bruins' player Hal Gill. No penalty was assessed on the play.

Havlat will miss Friday's game at Tampa Bay (Oct. 21); Oct. 22 at Florida; Oct. 24 at Carolina; Oct. 27 against Montreal; and Oct. 29 at Toronto. He will be eligible to return Oct. 30 against Philadelphia.

[HordiBrusk29]

Wow. A wimpy skilled euro gets a longer suspension than a tougher more physical north american player (Andy Sutton). Something must be wrong. It has to be an error or something...

[paint huffer]

Even though this will hurt Ottawa I like the call. I think five games is about perfect. There's no place for kicking in the game. I have heard some crying out for Havlat's head and they may not think 5 games is enough. Their main argument seems to be that Havlat's skate blade could have cut Gill. He kicked Gill with the front of his foot, not the bottom. There's no blade there. Any it takes a real dumbass to mis-kick and strike with the bottom of their foot when they're trying to use the top, therefore I don't think that's a valid argument either.

I am not condoning what Havlat did in any way, shape, or form, just expressing why I think 5 games is just right. Had he hit Gill with the blade then that's a different story, he would have desreved at least 10.

I wonder if Havlat is ever going to learn?

[Hully]

Originally Posted by paint huffer

I wonder if Havlat is ever going to learn?

He'll learn when someone beats the **** out of him, which I was sortof hoping was going to happen on Saturday.

It's getting increasingly hard to respect this guy when he pulls that kindof move on multiple occasions.

I was pretty shocked to see the Ottawa Sun seemingly spinning it as a "what else was he supposed to do?". It's not like Gill was strangling him to death or anything.

(as a side note, I'm just happy for Eric Cairns that he's not the one being kicked this time...I find it funny that multiple people have been suspended for kicking the same guy)

[BM24]

I could be wrong, but didn't the Flyers wanna kill Havlat for something he did last time they met in the playoffs?

[paint huffer]

I'm kind of upset it wasn't Cairns he kicked because as you say Havlat needs a beating to wake him up. All Cairns would have had to do was smoke him once, he wouldn't have even needed to drop his gloves.

What's Gill going to do to Havlat though? He'd beat him in a fight more often that not, but it's Hal Gill. I am, in all honesty, fairly confident that Havlat could hang with Gill in a scrap good enough to not get beat real soundly and as you say that may well be what he needs.

[jayc948]

Originally Posted by BM24

I could be wrong, but didn't the Flyers wanna kill Havlat for something he did last time they met in the playoffs?

I believe it was a stick to the face of Mark Recchi. And although it's been pointed out a countless number of times, isn't it ironic that Havlat was in the penalty box during the Flyers-Senators brawl last season...

[paint huffer]

Originally Posted by BM24

I could be wrong, but didn't the Flyers wanna kill Havlat for something he did last time they met in the playoffs?

I believe he slashed one of them in the face right along the boards at the blueline by the Flyers bench.

[BM24]

Thanks!

[Humpzilla]

First off i'd like to say that I agree with the suspension that was handed down to this guy. At the same time though, I can't help not to think that if this was an enforcer who committed his second kicking offense, that he'd be suspended for at least 10 games. Then again, welcome to the "new" NHL

[Habs Fan 1987]

Originally Posted by BM24

I could be wrong, but didn't the Flyers wanna kill Havlat for something he did last time they met in the playoffs?

Yeah, it was a bit worse than a slash to the face, though. He wrapped his stick around Recchi's face as he was falling and slew-footed him at the same time, slamming Recchi's head off the ice.

[Thrillhouse]

Originally Posted by Habs Fan 1987

Yeah, it was a bit worse than a slash to the face, though. He wrapped his stick around Recchi's face as he was falling and slew-footed him at the same time, slamming Recchi's head off the ice.

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure it wasn't that bad. I don't think Recchi fell down on the play. As I remember it, they were chasing a puck near the boards and Recchi stopped to throw his shoulder into Havlat and he had his stick up in Recchi's face.

[scrapper62]

Havlat should be considered in the same breath as Purinton.

[Kaikkonen]

How did this happened? Did Gill check Havlat hard or what? and were Gill on ice when Havalt kicked him ?

[Flyers2001]

Originally Posted by Thrillhouse

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure it wasn't that bad. I don't think Recchi fell down on the play. As I remember it, they were chasing a puck near the boards and Recchi stopped to throw his shoulder into Havlat and he had his stick up in Recchi's face.

No it was bad and the intentions were worse. He was the sole cause of the Flyers-Sens Brawl. He knew and the Sens coach knew it and hid him in the Penalty box.