Midweek Musings...

Hello all…still here then?

Given that, depending on who you believe (BBC radio say the black-hole machine mentioned yesterday was switched on at 8:30, Internet sources (the ones I use) say 3pm and some reports today say the scientists couldn’t even start the thing up-well, not so it ran well enough to potentially destroy the planet, anyway) we’ve survived the apocalypse unscathed, let’s first of all look at someone who, sadly for him, didn’t manage to survive the weekend of hockey in the same fashion...

Ouch...Marc Levers has spoken out in the Nottingham Evening Post about his “scrap” with/assault by Rick Kozak, and credit to the man, has avoided fuelling the forum fires with any quotes of the “I couldn’t believe his actions-what a scumbag!” variety, sticking simply to his view of the facts of the actual incident-Sheffield PR machine please take note. He does mention that he may seek plastic surgery to repair the damage, though, which you can see for yourselves in a fetching photo above…and you can’t blame him-it looks like he’s had the bonnet badge of a Mercedes embedded in his forehead…The man is also a master of understatement and clearly has a bit of a sense of humour too, as witness his reaction on realising the severity of the injury...

"I lay still and didn't know what was happening until I opened my eyes, saw all the blood on the ice and thought I'd better get off quickly."

Marc Levers, I salute you.

And from class to...well, you decide: Speaking of the Sheffield PR machine, all hell has now broken loose-to the point where the Cardiff fans are accusing Bob Phillips (Sheffield and ex-Cardiff owner) of extending his influence to close down the Cardiff Elite forum. As for the war of words, the Steelers just will not shut up. Here's the latest shot from Ryan Finnerty at Brad Voth. Strangely, the Star makes no mention of the fact that Finnerty (who, by the way, is one of my favourite players when he just gets on with the business of playing-but still a complete pillock at times on the ice) isn't exactly averse to sticking in the odd elbow/late hit himself...

Meanwhile, Randy Dagenais has stuck his two pennyworth in...ably aided by the flapping pen of Steelers' mouthpiece Bob Westerdale. This is the same man who, barely a week ago, cost his team the Charity Shield by getting physically involved in a nothing altercation at the end of normal time, putting his team on the PK, and seeing them concede the OT winner 30 seconds later, so for him to take the moral high-ground, especially after putting in a knee-to-knee hit on Jason Silverthorn, is just a bit amusing...The best bit is this contradiction-within-a-sentence...

""The whole thing was unprovoked, The Cardiff players were upset about an earlier hit I made on Jason Silverthorn".

So, Randy, it's an unprovoked attack, even though you know why the Cardiff players were angry? All right then...and just for your info, from Webster's English Dictionary....

pro·voked, pro·vok·ing, pro·vokes (v):
1.To incite to anger or resentment.
2.To stir to action or feeling.
3.To give rise to; evoke: provoke laughter.
4. To bring about deliberately; induce: provoke a fight.

I'd say that, intended or not, a hit on the knee would "incite to anger or resentment", and "stir the action or feeling" of wanting to punch the person who delivered it in both the hit player and his teammates, friend or otherwise. As a player myself, it certainly would wind me up...

But then, this is Dave Simms and friends we're dealing with. The man may know his hockey (don't laugh at the back) but trying to get them to admit that maybe the Steelers aren't the most wronged team on the planet gives you an insight into the frustration not felt since Zeus gave Sisyphus a rock and said "just put that over there"...

And as for the disciplinary panel...well, that's worth watching. The decision due today has been delayed by 24 hours-given the amount of hot air that will no doubt come out of the Steel City in that time perhaps hockey fans will begin to wish that ruddy machine had worked after all...

Hockey, physics, Armageddon and a random Greek myth reference in the one post...where else in the hockey universe could you get that? :)

Happy holidays: Oh, and by the way...you'll have to do without my musings for a week-I am off around the canals of Great Britain this week, from Friday 12 until Friday 19th, with no Internet, so there will be no posts after Friday morning until Round The Rinks next Friday. Check back tomorrow for more reaction (especially if the disciplinary panel do their thing) and, of course, Round the Rinks...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...