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Mario Lemieux Makes Statement, Slams NHL

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ByPhil Krundle

Feb 13, 2011
Mario Lemieux just released a statement on the Pittsburgh Penguins website saying “If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to re-think whether I want to be a part of it.” and a bunch more.  
The entire statement is below:
“Statement from Pittsburgh Penguins Co-Owner and Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux
 
“Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn’t hockey. It was a travesty. It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that.
 
“The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed.
 
“We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players.  We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action.
 
“If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to re-think whether I want to be a part of it.” “
 
All Hail Mario!  This is what everyone was thinking.  Mario Lemieux is the only one with the “balls” to say it.  Friday nights brawl  was pre planned by the Islanders management bringing up their goons and taking advantage of a tired depleted Penguin team. 
 

13 thoughts on “Mario Lemieux Makes Statement, Slams NHL”
  1. I applaud Mario for coming forth, but I’m not so sure the league is all that interested in protecting the integrity of the game. That’s what this is really about. If they were Mario would never have to have made his statement in the first place. Mr. Snow, we have video. Anyone with a lick of sense will note the “retaliation” wasn’t about Talbot on Comeau or Johnson on DiPietro, it was clearly intended to injure merely for the sake of injuring. You don’t employ Trevor Gillies and Mike Haley to win hockey games. Is a $100k fine all the integrity of the game is worth? That’s at least a $100k question. So, Mr. Snow can spin this until hell freezes over and all that spin will accomplish is to blacken the league’s other eye, the one they should be casting toward the ice, where THE GAME is played.

  2. Hopefully, Mario has had a sit down discussion with Matt Cooke because if he hasn’t, then he just comes off looking like a hypocritical windbag

  3. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly responded Sunday with this statement:

    “We are entirely comfortable with how Friday night’s events were handled. We have no other response to Mr. Lemieux’s statement.

    Really? How about the NHL is looking into the incidents on Friday night to see what they could have done to prevent these situations from happening in the future.

  4. Don’t know if anyone heard Garth Snow’s statements, but the gist was that he thought Trevor Gilles’ intentions were good on the hit on Tangradi, and he can not understand why the Penguins were not also fined $100,000.

    1. That makes me laugh, so much. Good intentions? The guy skated across the ice, elbowed Eric in the head. If his intentions were good, then he would have stopped there, but to then punch several times Tangradi, who was so obviously KOed is just a joke. And the fact that he has to ask why the Pens weren’t fined 100K is even funnier. The Pens called up players to fill the empty spots on the roster due to injury. The Isles called up goons. This guy makes me laugh. He’s such a joke.

  5. That was a great statement, Thanks Mario!. I would have even stated if they were to continue to play like that again then we should forfeit all the islander games to make a point we don’t condone that type of game play in hockey!!

    1. My husband said the same thing. At first, I liked some of the fights and understood why they were doing it. However, when it got out of control, I was yelling at the TV for the refs to call the game. On a side note 14 goals in two games? Our defense is not injured. GO PENS! ALL HAIL MARIO!

      1. Yeah, so of the fights made sense. They had a problem with the goalie fight, okay, too bad, can’t do much about that, DiPietro wanted it. They had a problem with Talbo’s hit on their player. Yes, that’s fine. Settle it with a clean fight in the first. To have three different players go after Max, and to get him with a sucker punch is just classless. And the hit on Eric Tangradi? If someone can understand where that came from, please, tell me, because I’m still trying to figure out why he got hit an punched…

  6. The NHL owners need to get together and clean house. It is the most exciting game in the world and no one knows it because it is ran by idiots. They will never get real TV contract as long as shite like friday night happen.

  7. I wonder if he wanted suspensions to be longer, be more suspensions or the fine to the Islanders to be more or all of the above??? Still a great statement. Makes me proud to be a Penguin STH for 9 years!

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