Since last Friday, Michael Liambas of the Erie Otters has awaited the league’s decision on his hit to Kitchener Rangers defenseman Ben Fanelli. Today, the OHL has come down hard on Liambas, suspending him for the regular season and playoffs, thus ending his OHL career.
League commissioner David Branch said “players must understand they shall be held accountable for their actions. We must all work towards improving the level of respect players have towards opposing players and the game in general. It is the position of the Ontario Hockey League that player Michael Liambas of the Erie Otters Hockey Club be suspended for the balance of the 2009-10 playing season including playoffs.”
The question that remains among fans are “does the punishment fit the crime” and whether or not this was “an overreaction by the league.”
One fan says “I feel very sorry for Ben Fanelli and his Family and wish him a speedy recovery. But in no way shape or form should Michael Liambas be suspended for the entire season. Fanelli turned at the last minute, Liambas had no chance to stop. And also if these junior players were made to wear there helmet with the chin strap done up tight we may not see them pop off so easy. Very bad call by the OHL Brass on this one.”
Others feel the hit would not have found the same punishment in the NHL. “It was a dangerous hit but nothing we don’t see in the NHL on a regular basis. Hockey players are getting hurt all too often by boarder line, unnecessary hits, but how can you punish an OHL player for doing what would be expected of him in the NHL? All he has to do is become a key player on a big market team and he can do that as much as he wants to.”
Another believes the league is absolutely correct and is in favor of further discipline to be treated with the same necessary force to ensure that players begin to respect each other and the rules.
But regardless, fans and players alike hope that Fanelli has a speedy recovery from his injuries.
Click here to watch the hit and make your own decision.
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Cam Neely’s Comics Come Home Charity Event
Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@mapleleafshotstove.com
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November 4th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I disagree with this ruling.
I do wish the youngster a speedy and healthy recovery.
November 4th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I agree with Canucksnaphook….
In both wishing the speedy recovery and return to health and that this punishment is way too severe.
November 4th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Liambas is an overager with no professional career ahead of him who injured a 16 year old.
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A development league like the OHL can’t allow guys in Liambas’ situation to injure potential future NHLers. This punishment seems stiff and I hope Liambas understands but he’s not the kind of player who can afford to make a mistake and hurt somebody.
November 4th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
definitely disagree with the terms of the suspension. the hit had an unfortunate outcome, and we all hope that fanelli recovers quickly and fully, but the hit itself was not worthy of a season-long suspension, in any league. fanelli was fair game until he turned, but the turn was so abrupt that it was absolutely impossible to avoid. liambas can’t be faulted at all for a) making a routine play, b) the goalie blocking fanelli’s line of sight, c) fanelli turning away, d) fanelli being considerably shorter than liambas, making shoulder-to-head impact hard to avoid, or e) fanelli’s helmet coming off.
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good hit, bad punishment.
November 4th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
@ Chemmy. Did you see the hit? In no way did Liambas purposely injure or try to injure Fanelli. It is an unfortunate situation where it seems Fanelli turned at the last second and was injured on what was otherwise a legal hit. I was Fanelli a speedy recovery, but as most posters have already said, I dont believe the punishment fits the crime
November 4th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
blatant charge …at least 1 league holds players accountable for results of their actions.
Teams should be forced to compensate in picks/players if a player is lost for the season (picks for the season, and players if career ending)
November 4th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
A suspension was probably in order… a few games at least but an entire season? That didn’t look like a blatant attempt to injure a la Bertuzzi on Moore or what’s his name swinging the stick at buddy’s head… Like other people all over the interweb have posted, Fanelli turned and there was little chance for Liambas to let up or not hit him… It’s too bad he was injured and I hope he recovers quickly.
I have to wonder though, if Fanelli wasn’t hurt and got up right away, what would the outcome have been?
November 4th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I have been watching a great deal of Classic hockey, “old-time hockey” if you will and what really stands out is the respect the players have for each other. They are aggressive, but they dont want to kill the other guy.
Is this a symptom of trying to make it to the highlight reels?
November 4th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
@Mydnyte
Define your version of charging…he stopped skating and coasted before he hit the kid.
@GiuseppeM
What years are you watching…the one where Bobby Hull is covered in blood after a stick swinging dual…they were worse back then in the 50’s and 60’s…then the Broad Street Bullies and The Big Bad Bruins…so just when are you talking about?
November 4th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Not sure of his name or position, but i believe it was the Otters coach: He was on Hockey Central today and if you hear him talk about Liambas he’s really not a bad kid. He had a 95 avg coming out of St. Mikes and is a kid that can easily go to medical school. He is always volunteering at the hospital and is involved with kids. This guy is not a dope. When you watch the hit, you can argue that he came in pretty fast, but at no point was it ever running through his mind to attempt to injure Fanelli. Fanelli did turn and was in a vulnerable position, but with those speeds its hard to stop especially at the last minute. Liambas has tried to go to the hospital to see Fanelli and is recieving counselling as well to deal with the guilt. It affects everyone. It was just so unfortunate. I wish Fanelli a speedy recovery and all the best, but i have to disagree with such a severe punishment. I think there definately should have been a suspension, but definately not one that finished Liambas’ career.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Bad suspension! Way too long. It was an unfortunate incident that is for sure but I have seen much worse. Branch is a joke and an embarassment to the game.
I still can’t believe people say there is no respect left in the game and there was more respect in years gone by. Honestly, on the week that we all remember Jacques Plante and Andy Bathgate for changing the face of hockey forever. You’re gonna sit here and tell me that there was respect back then. Bathgate said he hit Plante in the face as a measure of revenge. The reason being is because Plante would trip or clip(I forget which he actually did) a player going by his net so they would go face first into the boards. If a goalie did that now I would like to know what the ramifications would be.
What about the Bill Masterton event which led to his death?
The truth is players probably have more respect now then they did before at the professional level. At the major junior level now that’s another question.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
This ruling has little to do withthe actual hit.
It has everything to do with the message.
Next time you go in to make a hit on a vulnerable player, think twice.
Again, this ruling has NOTHING to do with the actual hit, and EVERYTHING to do with the message it delivers
November 4th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
@captain morgan: I have to agree with G. on this one. Before helmets, Players showed more simple respect to each other, as men, while still competing. I left a thumbs up for you on the last thread.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
@bleedblue: Left a post for you on last thread.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Liambas started speeding up from the top of the circle. It is obvious from the video he intended to hit him from that point on. He intended to hit Fanelli as hard as he could at an unacceptable speed period.
the_cause2000 is right in saying the ruling is based on the message it delvers – the league does not want to see this again.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
@captain morgan: Mr. Branch defined it as charging and so did the referees according to Mr. Branch. What you or I think doesn’t count for anything – league management makes the rules.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Wow! That is harsh! What are they going to do when a guy does something with actual intent to injure?!
November 4th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
@bob is your uncle
I’ve read some things that have said marleau and Wilson disagreements were untrue and marleau would definately play for Wilson again… I don’t have links but I just remember hearing rumours swirling when marleau was on the block… But u never really can believe what u hear…
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In terms of Wilson it’s really not his fault and I don’t support the idea of firing him at all… And it’s not going to happen anyways not with Burke there… Not now… Watching kessel play the other night really showed us how much our forwards lack natural scoring talent… It was like night and day… So really I don’t blame Wilson… He doesn’t have much to work with…
November 4th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
@bleedblue: Right on. They’re not rumours, I read the quotes.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
That’s retarted…The whole damn season!?
November 4th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
@bleedblue: Also, I question the Leafs ability to get both Marleau and Savard because we’ve got to replace a lot of bodies with that cap space. But, with creative contracts and cheaper players like Mitchell to fill out the roster, maybe it’s possible.
November 4th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
According to CBC radio the OHL ruled that the hit was legal, but suspends him for the year.
How can a guy be punished for doing nothing wrong?
November 4th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
well i think the_cause2000 hit the nail on the head its about the Message they are sending and plus this guy is 20 and still in the OHL chances are he hockey career wasn’t going much farther (i could be wrong havn’t seen him play) but there is still the AHL and the ECHL for him to play in and with a 95 avg he looks like he will do just fine in life otherwise. I’m glad to see the OHL step up and be the first league to really try and put a stop to this kinda of attiude in hockey. I even heard that Michael Liambas himself saying (coming from the Otters GM) that he didn’t know if he could hit someone again so that right there tells u there was something very wrong with the hit and that he knew the punishment was going to be harsh
November 4th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
You don’t dictate the hits punishment by the skill of the player, that is the biggest nonsense i’ve heard “an overager with no future” who the heck are you to say so? The hit was unfortunate and i wish the Fanelli family nothing but the best in respect to there sons recovery, but to suspend a player a year, and make it seem as though he hurt the kid to this extent on purpose is absurd, it’s bad enough having to pray for a kid to pull out of something, let alone be scorned for making a split second hockey decision that most would make. They’re putting the kid at fault, and it seems more like a defense by the OHL to protect its own ass from any sort of legal issues. Pathetic IMO.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
and lets not forget why there is body checking in hockey it is to separate the player from the puck not separate a players head from his body, yes coachs now want there players to finnish there checks and if they don’t there are looked down upon and that is where i think the problem lies and everyone needs to review just how hard a check needs to be on a player who is no longer in control of the puck
November 4th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
@ LuckyCharms..wow are we really gauging how fast people are travelling now when they hit? Maybe the refs should get radar guns and call penalties in respect to their ability to skate. Everybody means to hit with full force, if you don’t u run the risk of hurting urself. Nobody hits half heartedly, thats how you leave the ice with seperated shoulders, concussions etc. Now its understandable to see that their is a run involved, but when ur looking at you feet with the puck beneath you, something like this is always bound to happen and thats why players panic with the puck at their feet and worry more so about on coming traffic then getting the puck to their stick. Now, in no way is this either players fault IMO, it was a very unfortunate hockey play and thats that, but you cannot gauge the hit by the speed the player was skating, the skill of the player, or for that fact “the intention to finish a check”.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
@leafs_17,
Nope, have to disagree there. It was PR and CYA (Cover your Ass).
You shouldn’t suspend a player when no rule was broken. It was the severity of the injury and the publicity of the incident that caused the suspension. It was a bush league call IMO.
It is interesting that an example was made of a player that has few hockey prospects. I wonder waht would have been done if Kadri had made the hit.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
These things are all apart of the game ^
November 4th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlPsx-mEUD8&feature=related
how a check should be
hits the player in the chest not the head clark had every opportunity to hit him with his shoulder on this blindside but instead clark cut the player off and placed the hit right to dinos chest
yes i know this is a different area of play but neverless if that hit was a hit in current hockey it would of been all shoulder likely to dinos head
November 4th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Totally over the top way too long, listened to Branch on TV today and from what I could gather he sid he didn’t think it was an intent to injure and if you didn’t already know the length of suspension you’d have thought that it wasn’t that bad even though the injury was bad it was an accident. I think he is doing it so as to protect the league in the event of a lawsuit from the injured boy’s family. So he hung the other kid out to dry. Absolutely way over the top imo.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
@ TRV
I agree… if someone like Kadri, or a player with any sort of potential made that hit, it would be a slap on the wrist.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
@TRV & Ksavz – well said, agree 100%.
Personally, the real concern for myself (aside from the player’s health & recovery) is the prevalence of player’s not protecting themselves along the boards or putting themselves in vulnerable positions. Players seem to now assume that because they’re facing the boards, they can’t be hit. According to the rule book, true – however it’s starting to be used as a tactic, often at the last minute when other options have disappeared. The result is often not pretty.
The speed of the game is increasing quickly. It’s definitely faster since the lock-out. As a consequence of removing the hooking, holding, & interference, we’ve also eliminated some of the internal safety valves of the game. Legal hits were once called ‘good hard checks’ – however these have become devastating checks (yet legal) due to increased speed & the power of todays player.
We micro-analyze every hit 75 different ways, 24/7 for weeks each time. Through all the ’spin’, we often fail to look at root cause.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Wow. You guys are defending this guy…really? He’s all bush league as seen in is 60 games played, 5 points and 169 PIM last year. He’s a total waste and here we have other bush league players defending him. Nice!
November 4th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
@slowburn
I agree and would add that the players are also flying around in suits of armour. I think that the equipment, particularly the shoulder pads, knee pads and elbow pads are a part of the problem. Even the sticks. Every player has a bullet for a shot and they are so light that they have no control over them. Al Strachen is right in the this respect.
Put the players in 1970’s equipment (except the helmet and the cup) and give them a wooden stick, players would think twice about flying into the corner to deliver a hit.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
@bluetinge
Not defending the hit. I did not like what I saw. But, the guy is not a star trek away team member extra. IMO is being singled out because of who he is. And, his hit was legal accoording to the OHL.
Something like this could have, and should have, been forseen and rules put in place to prevent it. It is classic CYA. And, the OHL can do because there is no players union and most of the players are pieces of meat, no better than slaves, and can be discarded at will.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
so what would u rather see one player made an example of or these’s types of hits to continue
November 4th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
he can still play the game just not in the OHL ECHL and the AHL are still available for him to play in (if he has the talent to continue his career) Steve Downie is still in the league is he not (not the best example but is the first one that comes to mind)
November 4th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I just read in the Toronto star that the guy was given a match boarding penalty for the hit. I heard CBC radio that it was clean. What is the scoop here?
I may have revise my opinion.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
The punishment is harsh but appropriate.
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It may not seem right, but in situations like these the punishment should be adapted to the extent of the injury. That might not seem ‘fair’ to the guilty party but players need to be held accountable for the consequences of their actions.
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Still not convinced? (Disclaimer: Before you read further understand that I am making a comparison and NOT suggesting that the Liambas hit is even close to being as egregious as something like murder.)
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What’s the difference between Murder and Attempted Murder? Not the actions of the assailant, but the status of the victim. If you nitpick, second-guess and try to figure out the “intent” behind the hit you will never arrive at a verdict that satisfies everybody. If it is firmly established that the *consequences* of an action will determine the punishment, players will think twice or even three times before they skate full-speed from the blueline to crush a player into the end boards. It shouldn’t matter if there was “intent to injure” or they were just “finishing a check”.
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There will always be subjectivity involved because players get injured on apparently harmless plays all the time. But full-speed, kevlar-reinforced, elbows-first checks need to be eliminated from the game. Period.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Well, what is the difference between 1 st degree murder and manslaughter? I suspect that penalty for attempted muder is most likely higher than for manslaugter
Hockey is no different that football. The mentality when a player hits another is the hurt him, not injury them, but to hurt them enough to make him think twice about handling the puck or football again. As well,
November 4th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Hey Aldred, I watched hockey central at noon and didn’t hear anything about Gus.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
I cant understand why this is a suspension at all. It was a pretty ordinary hit. A bit from behind, so maybe a few games. Looks to me like this guy was scape goated for something. Not sure if he has a history or not.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
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November 5th, 2009 at 2:19 am
I actually created an account on wordpress to post in this thread. I thoroughly enjoy the site and have been reading for a better part of the past year. I feel the media and various online discussions have been missing the point, both with weighing in on the legality of the hit and the suspension handed out to Liambas.
I live in the Kitchener-Waterloo region and I am an avid hockey fan and long time hockey player. I am in no way a Rangers fan (I don’t even follow the OHL much at all). I went to my first OHL game in about 10 years last Friday on a whim, mostly because my friend had free tickets. This obviously means I saw the hit that could very well serve as a career-ender for both Liambas and Fanelli. I’m going to try and weigh in on what I saw in an as unbiased fashion as possible.
Here is what I saw:
Before the hit I actually had my eye on Liambas. He was easily the fastest skater on the ice for the short moment. As things started to unfold I could tell a brutal hit was about to follow. My first observation here is that Liambas had Fanelli in his sights from just inside the blue line, he accelerated full speed at his target for quite a few strides.
As quick as the crowd gasped at the intensity of the hit, there was utter silence. For a few seconds, Fanelli’s face was shown on the scoreboard displays (complete with pool of blood). What followed was about 40mins of feeling sick to my stomach/worried about the situation (and from what I hear mostly everyone felt that way at the Aud). The rest of the game was lacking in physical presence (understandable). Throughout the game, the hardcore Rangers fans were calling for blood, mad at the refs, etc. (just highly emotional). The cleanup afterwards was disgusting to say the least, I feel bad for parents who had brought their kids that night.
That’s how I saw it, it has something that has stuck with me for just under a week now. My honest opinion is that the media is making faulty judgements regarding the hits nature. It was vicious, there is no way around it. Of course Liambas wasn’t out to break bones or cause anything near the kind of trauma that Fanelli has been recovering from, but the point stands that he caused it.
If you beat someone up with the intent of teaching them a lesson and giving them some bruises to remind them of it, you may have to deal with our legal system (and may receive a criminal record). If that person ends up dying from their injuries, you are charged with manslaughter. This is how our nation deals with violence (i.e. sentencing is a combination of result and intent). Liambas clearly did not intend on hurting Fanelli this way, but he provided the vicious blow to cause it. If the hit wasn’t into the metal separating panes of glass, we wouldn’t be hear discussing this. It is horrible luck for all parties involved, I just don’t understand those complaining about Liambas’ season-ending suspension. This is the way we work people, get with the program. I highly doubt Liambas would have mentally up to the task of playing competitively again based on what those close to him have said regarding his state of mind anyways.
In summary: sentencing is based on a combination of result and intent. Had Liambas’ intent been different, I’m sure he’d be answering to the legal system himself right now.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Great post by cobjae (hand clap…)
Hits of that type have nothing to do with separating a player from the puck, and everything to do with injuring another player. How much “injury” is intended? Enough to take a player off his game, to intimidate him or his teammates, or knock a guy out for a few shifts or for the rest of the game. Liambas never attempted to end a player’s career, but he did attempt all of the above. Sometimes, though, things go awry.
The punishment fits the outcome.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:44 am
He’s a cheap player period. Just watch right after the hit, he cross-checks another player in the face. There’s no place for a dirty, bush league player like Liambas on any ice surface. Let him try that in the beer leagues that he’s gonna have to settle for, he wouldn’t get off the ice alive then.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Kudos to branch. These are kids playing in this league. Hockey’s become too dangerous. It’s just a freaking game. If you don’t think that kid was trying to injure the other one, you’re crazy. He took a 40 foot run at him with everything he had and blindsided him. When you come in like that, you know there’s potential to seriously hurt someone. And therein lies the problem.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:10 am
@guccilittlepiggy Did you see the hit?
Liambas is charging in from the blueline. Yes, Fanelli turns but Liambas was looking to destroy him anyway. The helmet doesn’t pop off because he’s wearing it incorrectly but because of the violence of the hit.
@glgbill is bang on. Liambas was going in with the intention to absolutely destroy Fanelli and both were unlucky that Fanelli turned at the last second. At the end of the day, like Bob McKenzie said, this hit wasn’t a hockey play so much as an attempt to hit someone as hard as possible.
It sucks for Liambas because he’d never get this kind of penalty in the NHL or if he was a star player but at the end of the day he’s a nobody overager and it’s easy to send a message with him.
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