OHL Suspends Two For 15 Games Over Tinder Rant

((HT: The Score))

Let's work backwards...

From the Ontario Hockey League offices this afternoon:

The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Greg Betzold of the Peterborough Petes and Jake Marchment of the Belleville Bulls have each been suspended for 15 games. These suspensions follow recent social networking activity that has come to the League’s attention. This most inappropriate and concerning activity contravenes the League’s social networking policy and a number of other policies including Respect in Sport (Harassment and Abuse) and diversity.

The OHL takes issues related to respect, diversity and harassment very seriously. The social networking conduct displayed by these players goes against what the League stands for and serves to highlight a sense of entitlement that we, as a League, have worked hard to try to eliminate. We believe these suspensions, going forward, will reinforce to our players that all activity, be it in person, on the ice or online, must be in keeping with our policies. These events further illustrate that the League and our teams must continually work with our players to ensure they understand and appreciate our social networking policy. The League will also look to our current programs, outlined in our Players First Guide, to see where improvements may be made in terms of communications and respect for others.

Jake Marchment and Greg Betzold were wanting to have relations with women and were not being very kind in their words on Tinder- using the c-word in discussing perspective exploits and choosing their dates.

Both teams claim that they are taking care of the situation internally- which really didn't go over well with the league.

Thus, the suspension...

Here's Petes GM Mike Oke discussing their actions and not the league's...
((HT: CHEX-TV Peterborough, Ontario))


Lesson for young athletes... and, all of us, really...

Anything you print can be reproduced...

Have A Purpose: The Ian Jenkins Story

((HT: Sportsnet))

Ian Jenkins was set to be a junior hockey player in the Ontario Hockey League in 2011, but an accident cut his life horribly short.

What has happened since reminds is all about the impacts we can make while we are alive if we look at how others handle tougher situations than we can possibly fathom.

Here's the story from Milan, Michigan...
The Big E Foundation information can be found here...

Whoa! OHL Hockey Player Checked Through Glass

((ht: ca.sports.yahoo.com))

Yikes! This looked really scary though it appears nobody was seriously hurt.

Check out what happened during an Ontario Hockey League (Juniors) game between the Niagara Ice Dogs and the Ottawa 67's Friday night.

Ottawa's Travis Barron was skating down the side of the rink pursued by Mitchell Fitzmorris of the Ice Dogs. Barron makes a pass up the ice as Fitzmorris goes in for the check.

The two collide on a clean check, and Barron goes flying into the glass. And the glass breaks.

Immediately.

Barron was helped off, but returned later in the game, won by the 67's 4-3.

Here's your video from Some Hockey Videos:

Is This Even A Legal Shootout Goal...???

((HT: Hockey Vines))

No matter how awesome looking it is...

Andreas Athanasiou, who currently plays for the Barrie Colts in the OHL, did this...


But since the puck left the ice surface, does this sickness count...???

Just asking...

Stolarz Banned 8 For Lumberjacking

((HT: Sportsnet/Cogeco))

Here's what London Knights goalie Anthony Stolarz did a day back when he didn't like what happened to him...
As a result of his retaliation to Josh Ho-Sang, Stolarz gets eight games on the bench... He won't be available until (at the earliest) the Western Conference Finals... “I apologize for my actions on Tuesday night. It’s an unfortunate situation and in no way did I intend to injure my opponent, Joshua Ho-Sang,” Stolarz said...

In a prepared statement... the HQ believes...

What In The Blue Hell Was Anthony Stolarz Thinking...???

((HT: Sportsnet/Cogeco))

London and Windsor are going at it in the Ontario Hockey League tonight...

The HQ is just going to show you this exchange with the Knights goalie and Windsor Spitfire's Josh Ho-Sang

If the OHL office doesn't come down hard on Stolarz, then something is seriously wrong...

Ho-Sang chopped Stolarz... yes, the HQ gets that...

But, even as the Knights are rolling in their first round quarterfinal series with a 10-2 win Tuesday night, it doesn't mean you should pop somebody on the back of their head like a kid being disciplined by his grandfather.

With the thick end of your goalie stick...

CHL Comes Down Hard On Spitfires

There had long been back-channel talk about contracts in the CHL and how certain players got to play for the Windsor Spitfires- which led to a certain amount of success on the ice for the franchise...

Apparently, the league brass has had enough of their deals- even if they won't tell us what they exactly did wrong... in two separate investigations...

The team has been fined $400,000 and is losing five draft picks as a result.

Ahem... from the league its own self...

"In 2009 the Board of Governors of the Ontario Hockey League developed the OHL Enforcement Program which is designed to address and attempt to eliminate violations of the rules and impose appropriate penalties if violations occur. The enforcement process is an integral part of the process to ensure integrity and fair play among the member teams. One of the fundamental principles of the enforcement process is to ensure that those member teams that are abiding by the rules are not disadvantaged by their commitment to compliance", stated OHL commissioner David Branch via press release.

"The League conducted two separate investigations led by our Director of Security and Enforcement, and in considering all the facts, I was persuaded that the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club violated the League's Player Benefit and Recruitment Rules and Policies. While the penalties may appear to be severe, the League and its Member Teams recognize for any such violations of our Recruitment / Benefit Rules and Policies, we must send a strong message to preserve the integrity of our League", concluded Branch.

The Spitfires will forfeit first-round picks in the OHL draft in 2013, 2014 and 2016 as well as second-round selections in 2015 and 2017.

Here's the last time the Spits won the Memorial Cup- 2010
((HT: OpenIceHockey))