Ryan Letts

[amsfan05]

All of last year this guy gave me the impression he was a no talent goon who was always up to something mischevious. Granted I saw him play a total of 19 games counting playoffs, but I just remember he usually had a dirty hit in each game and ran Pickard a few times.

This year from what I had seen he had changed his role majorly and was playing good, hard-nosed hockey. Until tonight.

what kind of player runs a goalie well after the whistle in a 5-1 game, and has the nerve to even throw a solid elbow at the goalie on top of it. To make matters worse, after the refs cleaned up the line brawl and were escorting him off the ice HE TAUNTS THE TRI-CITY BENCH?

what a class act huh?

can't wait for March 13th & 14th

ps McColm's little incident with Wahl was a bit uncalled for as well, but at least he didn't hurt anyone.

[Pete76]

No need to run Pickard on purpose ... game was clean up until that point ... chiefs were just getting their a s s es kicked all night ... I am waiting to watch the replay on-demand on comcast as it is not in the system yet ... at the end of the game the chiefs had 6 guys on the ice and 2 on the bench ... McColm should have left Wahl out of it ... tri is a better/more consistent team this year ... but damn you guys can't fight .... this game is different if we are not down 3 of our top 6 defenders ... but I am sorry Pickard got run ... the live version seemed pretty bad ... I bet the replay will look worse



342 Penalty Minutes in one game!

Penalties
1 - T.C Toll, 4:01 - Tripping , 2 min (PP)
1 - SPO Johnson, 10:03 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
2 - T.C Reese, 7:13 - Holding , 2 min (PP)
2 - SPO Koper, 8:47 - Interference , 2 min (PP)
2 - SPO Wahl, 10:32 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
2 - T.C Lazo, 19:05 - Interference , 2 min (PP)
3 - SPO Roman, 0:28 - Tripping , 2 min (PP)
3 - SPO Baldwin, 2:42 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
3 - T.C Served By , 3:20 - Too Many Men , 2 min (PP)
3 - T.C Macek, 6:33 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Macek, 6:33 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Messier, 6:33 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Plouffe, 6:33 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Plouffe, 6:33 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Shinnimin, 6:33 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Shinnimin, 6:33 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Donaghy, 6:33 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO Donaghy, 6:33 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Koper, 6:33 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO Koper, 6:33 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Letts, 6:33 - Major-Charging , 5 min (PP)
3 - SPO Letts, 6:33 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO Letts, 6:33 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Reddington, 6:33 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO Reddington, 6:33 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Schmidt, 11:24 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
3 - T.C Reddick, 13:12 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
3 - T.C Served By , 16:42 - Game - Coach , 10 min
3 - T.C Procyshen, 16:42 - Roughing , 2 min (PP)
3 - T.C Procyshen, 16:42 - Slashing , 2 min
3 - T.C Procyshen, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Reddick, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Reddick, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Sutherland, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Sutherland, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Toll, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Toll, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Zimak, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C Zimak, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Zimak, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Baldwin, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO Baldwin, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Baldwin, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Baldwin, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Conrad, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO McCrae, 16:42 - Slashing , 2 min
3 - SPO McCrae, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO Roman, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO Roman, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Spurgeon, 16:42 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - SPO Spurgeon, 16:42 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Lazo, 17:11 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
3 - T.C McColm, 19:45 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - T.C McColm, 19:45 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Bartman, 19:45 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - SPO Gal, 19:45 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - T.C Schmidt, 20:00 - Slashing , 2 min

[amsfan05]

i definitely agree with you the game would have been better if you at least had glass. how did he get hurt? any idea on the length he's gone?

as far as us fighting, we don't have many truly skilled fighters. BUT look at the fights. Plouffe vs Letts (plouffe can't fight and letts is a bad ass imo) then 2 rookies vs Donaghy and Koper. I'd hope you won all 3 of those fights. then it was Procyshen, Reddick, Toll (3 finese guys) Sutherland (who's not too shabby) and Zimak (a rookie who's normally a scratch) with McCrae, Baldwin (pretty gutless jumping in after zimak, then saving spurgeon) Conrad, and roman (pretty sure they can't fight). McColm and Schmidt who are our 2 best fighters weren't out there for both incidents, yet your 3 toughest (from what I know of your team) were.

as far as the hit on Pickard, it looked very bad from the TV broadcast. It was a good 3 seconds after the whistle, and Letts clearly came through with a big elbow to the head. I wouldn't doubt if Pickard over exaggerated it but it was still an ugly play. What really got me though was Letts having the nerve to taunt our bench on his way off, I wish Schmidt would've jumped the boards and tuned Letts up when he was taunting.

either way, sad to see the game get THAT ugly. had to laugh at tokarski trying to go each time though. i was very surprised we didn't retaliate and run him too.

hey Pete are you going to be here for the game on the 14th?

[HAF]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tnaeSOCKaI

[LinkGaetzFan]

I wish Schmidt would've jumped the boards and tuned Letts up when he was taunting.


I seriously doubt Schmidt would be the one doing the 'tuning' in that matchup.

I was sitting in 103 and saw it clearly. It was definitely an intentional hit. The Chiefs were expecting retaliation as they would clear out anyone remotely near Tokarski, and Baldwin was on the ice for a long period of time after the initial brawl up to the second brawl to provide insurance.

[Pete76]

Headed back from church today my son (4 1/2) says:

"Letts deleted the goalie. Why did Letts tackle the goalie?"

The keen observations of a kid who has seen 120+ games ... since he saw his first at less than a week old:)

I might try and get down to tri for the next game, I have to check my work schedule and see if tickets are available. Needless to say, we are headed to the rink to go skate.

[amsfan05]

link i hate to burst your bubble but Letts would likely have gotten tuned up by many of the Tri players after that hit. He looked kind of unimpressive against plouffe, who is by far not a fighter. either way, I wish someone would've jumped the boards and cleaned his clock after he started taunting the bench.

here's what nachbaur was quoted saying in today's herald:

"He's hurt," Nachbaur said. "A kid with no future in this game runs a kid with a future. (Spokane's Hardy Sauter) is a primitive coach who put the game right back to the 1970s. There was a plan behind that (hit). It was ridiculous. He was sending guys off the bench the whole night.

"In the Ontario Hockey League they give 15 or 20 games for a hit like that. I'm sure the league will take care of it."

here's my favorite part of it all though. the last sentence of the article is another nachbaur quote.

"We dominated the game," Nachbaur said.

"Our power play was good, we were in synch, had a lot of energy and running Chet was their answer. (Today) will be a monumental task, strapping on the skates and doing it all again."


pete if you can manage to come down I'd love to meet up, maybe drink a beer or something.

[HomerSimpson]

Let's face it; as a fan of the Chiefs, mind you - I have lost a ton of respect for Ryan Letts. I don't care for Pickard; I think he's a showboat and tries to play things up quite a bit...but I wouldn't wish for that to happen to anyone. It was dirty, plain and simple. If Hardy Sauter had anything to do with it I would be surprised - I think Nachbaur's comment is a little off-keel there, but mainly because I know the rivalry between Letts and Pickard is an ongoing one.

As far as the fights, Donaghy vs. Shinniman was an ugly one, but at least Donny knew when to quit and let Shinniman go. I can at least respect him for that. Toll was also very sportsmanlike for not pounding on Roman, who clearly was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As far as the rest, from where I was sitting it was just a mish-mash of arms and equipment.

Very surprised that someone like Asuchak (who I know wasn't playing) didn't take another run at Tokarski like he has done before. The altercation in front of the Chiefs' bench the Ams brought on themselves IMO. McCrae through a clean hit on Fadden and was attacked by Sutherland. That was going to be the only fight until one of the Ams plowed Spurgeon over from behind (was it Reddick?). That's what had Baldwin so hot...he was trying to get after whoever through that hit, and the Ams didn't have an answer for the big man at the time. I do think it's quite comical that he got 3 game misconducts lol.

At any rate - suspensions (rightfully) should follow for both clubs, most notably to Letts for the cheapshot. I hope Pickard is ok...there is no excuse for doing that at all.

[amsfan05]

donaghy letting up shinnimin definitely showed some class, i really admire him for doing so. as far as toll letting up roman, that's because toll probably didn't know what to do.

that second incident was something we started, from what i had seen on tv it was pro that had jumped on mcrae and then all hell broke loose again. i did see reddick pounding spurgeon, but for baldwin to come be 3rd man in was uncalled for. which after he joined sutherland came cruising in as well. all in all, there was too much going on for the tv camera to show everything so my views are kind of screwy im sure.

as far as suspensions go, i can see Letts getting a 4 or 5 games. McColm will probably get 1 or 2 for his Kyle Beach impression. Baldwin will probably get one, maybe more depending on how many misconducts he's already had. and of course Schmidt will get one for his little slash/spear at Tokarski after the game. Then don't forget the fines for teams, if my memory serves me correct last night would have been Tri-Cities 4th & 5th Multiple fight situations of the season, with should be like 500 or maybe 1000. UGLY UGLY GAME.

the paper said today that pickard was indeed hurt, no idea on severity until today after someone besides the trainer looks at him.

as far as pickard being a showboat, i can see how you believe that being a chiefs fan and all. myself, i feel the same way for tokarski. look at the game last night for example, pickard is down in a heap and tokarski skates up ice like he's going to join the melee. then the next ordeal he's trying to talk martinyuk into going. then when mccolm pulled his crap, tokarski skates up ice and pops his helmet off to talk crap. oh yah and after the game he was running his mouth at our bench and had to get corralled by the linesmen. the kid is a great goalie though, i'd love to have him as our backup any day :laugh:

[LifelongChiefsFan]

There's really not much that I can add that hasn't already been said. It wouldn't shock me at all to see Letts sit for the rest of the season (regular season anyway). There's two trains of thought here. The first is to suspend Letts at least through the next two games against Tri-City game so that heated emotions don't cause those games to get out of control. But on the other end maybe Tri-City would rather Letts plays so they can get some retribution. I'm not saying that I think the Americans are going to be out to do anything dirty against the Chiefs, but I'd be willing to bet McColm would like to have a shot at fighting Letts.

As for Nachbaur's comments I honestly don't have a big problem with them. Yes he is making assumptions and he could be wrong, but the guy is upset and frankly I can't blame him. His franchise goalie, one of the best in the CHL, was just injured and he has no idea how hurt Chet is or how long he may be out. He probably shouldn't have gone as far as he did with his comments, but like I said in the heat of the moment you speak with your emotions and that's what happened there. My guess would be he'll get a $250 fine at worst, which is more than adequate imo.

Here's hoping that Pickard does not miss significant amounts of time and that the final 2 games between these teams resembles hockey instead of the melee that occured last night.

[Pete76]

Date Player/Coach Team Description

03/01/09 Spokane $500.00 for third multiple fight of season versus Tri-City on February 28.

03/01/09 Spokane $750.00 for fourth multiple fight of season versus Tri-City on February 28.

03/01/09 Hardy Sauter Spokane One game suspension for fourth multiple fight of season versus Tri-City on February 28.

03/01/09 Ryan Letts Spokane Tbd for charge major and g.m. versus Tri-City on February 28.

03/01/09 Cory Baldwin Spokane One game for third game misconduct of season versus Tri-City on February 28.

03/01/09 Tri-City $250.00 for second multiple fight of season at Spokane on February 28.

03/01/09 Tri-City $500.00 for third multiple fight of season at Spokane on February 28.

03/01/09 Terry Virtue Tri-City $500.00 for game misconduct at Spokane on February 28.

[amsfan05]

wow i cant believe McColm and Schmidt didn't get any suspensions. McColm earned one if you ask me.



scratch that.

03/01/09 Mitch mCColm Tri-City Tbd for game misconduct at Spokane on February 28.

man.... not as many as i saw coming, but i guess really all that truly deserved it

[Pete76]

sorry I missed that one ...

[amsfan05]

well pickard wasn't even in attendance at the game tonight. on the post game show nachbaur refused to comment on pickard's status. doesn't sound too bright.

here's hoping to a 6 game suspension for Mr. Lett's so we get one last crack at him on Saturday the 14th.

Cheif's fans if you're planning on coming to that game hurry up and buy your tickets because there's not many left.

[Pete76]

strange that he "refused" to comment on his status .... if he is seriously hurt I think Letts get as many games as Pickard is injured ... if he is not seriously hurt then just let us know so that the fans can move on ... I would not be surprised if he had a concussion, he had the back of his head rammed into the net/goalpost pretty damn hard ... I know if the roles had been reversed the spoke fans would be pretty upset ... probably the worst spoke/tri incident in at least 5-7 years??

[LinkGaetzFan]

Nachbaur is a total hypocrite. He calls Sauter a "primitive coach" then dos the same thing and sends McColm to purposely injure. Instead of taking the high road he goes low, like he knows all to well. I guess he's mad because he doesn't have anyone like Boogaard to send out. It's a different feeling sitting on the receiving end isn't it, Don?

amsfan, want to wager some cash the next time Letts takes on some Tri player in a clean fight? ;) I'm more than willing to put my money where my mouth is.

I hope the next game is on Comcast, if my mouthy friends and I went to Tri we'd likely end up in a brawl ourselves. vc119

[Pete76]

local news in spokane said he suffered a concussion ... can you confirm that AmsFan ... Damn that sucks!

[Stay-Puft]

I have always viewed Letts as a good hitter, better-than-average fighter but with an IQ number that's less than his age. This play just confirmed it. I don't care what "rivalry" they had, there was no need for that hit.

I hope they suspend him for the remainder of the year, including playoffs. If nothing else but to send a message that this kind of conduct won't be tolerated by the league. If you don't, you will have more goalies get ran going into the playoffs.

[caps05]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tnaeSOCKaI

Is there a video of the 2nd brawl? I think that was the first one, but I noticed there was another brawl 10 minutes later.

[Pete76]

Is there a video of the 2nd brawl? I think that was the first one, but I noticed there was another brawl 10 minutes later.


shi t ... end of the game the chiefs had Bowman and a backup goalie on the bench IIRC ... plus the 6 guys on the ice ... I have not seen a video of the 2nd round of fights

[amsfan05]

there's nothing i've heard to confirm he has a concussion. however i'd say judging by the fact pickard wasn't even at the rink for sunday's game and also by how wobbly he was after the hit he has to have one.

as far as nachbaur sending out McColm to intentionally hurt someone, seriously think about what you said. if we were going to send McColm after someone to hurt them i think Wahl would've been maybe #5 on the list of people we'd hurt. so i can tell you it wasn't from the coach, but as far as mccolm doing it on his own i wouldn't doubt. what you have to realize is we had several chances after pickard went down to hurt some key players for you guys and we didn't. We didn't come anywhere near running Tokarski, even when you had no true fighters left on the ice. We didn't go after Roman, Bowman, Johnson, or Calla with a dirty hit. Instead we just played out the game and let tokarski run his mouth.

and link as far as us being on the recieving end being different for a change, you obviously haven't been following the games much for the past few years. from WHL.ca here are some suspesnions resulting from our games in recent years.
01/02/08 Jared Spurgeon Spokane One game for knee major and g.m. at Tri-Cities on December 31.
01/08/08 Dustin Donaghy Spokane One game for cfb major and g.m. at Tri-Cities on January 5.
01/08/08 Chris Bruton Spokane Three games for cfb major and g.m. at Tri-Cities on January 5.
01/02/09 Spokane $250.00 for second multiple fight of season at Tri-Cities on December 31.
03/01/09 Ryan Letts Spokane Tbd for charge major and g.m. versus Tri-City on February 28.
03/01/09 Mitch McColm Tri-City Tbd for game misconduct at Spokane on February 28.
in the past 2 seasons, we've had a total of 4 suspensions. 1 of which being McColms recent one. One being Asuchak for his antics up in everett. 1 being McColm in the playoffs last year when a guy went after pickard when the game was over. the other was when Procyshen speared Beach during last years preseason.

i counted 12 (one was Bruton's TKO on Beach though, so lets not count it) for spokane during the same time frame, 4 of which were against tri-cities and 2 were from the same game last year. Not to mention, look at last years box scores if you really want or you can just believe me, but here's some examples of last years antics.

from 11-24-07 vs Tri SPO Rutherford, 6:06 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
from 1-12-08 vs Tri - SPO Bowman, 15:28 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
from 2-16-08 vs tri SPO Blackwater, 14:07 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
from 2-23-08 vs tri SPO Bowman, 2:23 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
from 2-23-08 vs tri SPO Letts, 14:31 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)

i didn't look at this seasons box scores, but honestly Link that's riddiculous. in 12 games vs us last season there's 5 goalie interference calls, and i can think of a few others that weren't called last year and this year too. it's kind of obvious that's gotta be part of your teams game plan. and look at 2-23-08 almost a year to date exactly that Letts ran pickard. coincidence? i think not.

[Link Dog]

Brawl number two. Not the best video but you get the jist of what happened.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75AOoq1Kz6E

[LinkGaetzFan]

as far as nachbaur sending out McColm to intentionally hurt someone, seriously think about what you said. if we were going to send McColm after someone to hurt them i think Wahl would've been maybe #5 on the list of people we'd hurt. so i can tell you it wasn't from the coach, but as far as mccolm doing it on his own i wouldn't doubt. what you have to realize is we had several chances after pickard went down to hurt some key players for you guys and we didn't. We didn't come anywhere near running Tokarski, even when you had no true fighters left on the ice. We didn't go after Roman, Bowman, Johnson, or Calla with a dirty hit. Instead we just played out the game and let tokarski run his mouth.

and link as far as us being on the recieving end being different for a change, you obviously haven't been following the games much for the past few years. from WHL.ca here are some suspesnions resulting from our games in recent years.
01/02/08 Jared Spurgeon Spokane One game for knee major and g.m. at Tri-Cities on December 31.
01/08/08 Dustin Donaghy Spokane One game for cfb major and g.m. at Tri-Cities on January 5.
01/08/08 Chris Bruton Spokane Three games for cfb major and g.m. at Tri-Cities on January 5.
01/02/09 Spokane $250.00 for second multiple fight of season at Tri-Cities on December 31.
03/01/09 Ryan Letts Spokane Tbd for charge major and g.m. versus Tri-City on February 28.
03/01/09 Mitch McColm Tri-City Tbd for game misconduct at Spokane on February 28.
in the past 2 seasons, we've had a total of 4 suspensions. 1 of which being McColms recent one. One being Asuchak for his antics up in everett. 1 being McColm in the playoffs last year when a guy went after pickard when the game was over. the other was when Procyshen speared Beach during last years preseason.

i counted 12 (one was Bruton's TKO on Beach though, so lets not count it) for spokane during the same time frame, 4 of which were against tri-cities and 2 were from the same game last year. Not to mention, look at last years box scores if you really want or you can just believe me, but here's some examples of last years antics.

from 11-24-07 vs Tri SPO Rutherford, 6:06 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
from 1-12-08 vs Tri - SPO Bowman, 15:28 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
from 2-16-08 vs tri SPO Blackwater, 14:07 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
from 2-23-08 vs tri SPO Bowman, 2:23 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
from 2-23-08 vs tri SPO Letts, 14:31 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)

i didn't look at this seasons box scores, but honestly Link that's riddiculous. in 12 games vs us last season there's 5 goalie interference calls, and i can think of a few others that weren't called last year and this year too. it's kind of obvious that's gotta be part of your teams game plan. and look at 2-23-08 almost a year to date exactly that Letts ran pickard. coincidence? i think not.

He doesn't have to explicitly say anything. He can simply avoid saying anything such as "no retaliation" in essence giving permission. Or do you forget these are kids who get highly emotional when playing? If you don't think this ever happens then you're kidding yourself. There are more forms of communication than explicit verbal commands such as "take <someone> out."

Wahl is a second round draft pick, why would he be so low on the list? A guy with no future in the game (McColm) going after a kid with a future in Wahl. Wait, have I heard that somewhere before? Let me think....

As far as your stats, I'm sure I could dig up plenty but I really have better things to do. I watch enough games and read enough to know what's going on.

Procyshen speared Beach? I never heard of that. Give Procyshen an award IMO! applause

[HAF]

He doesn't have to explicitly say anything. He can simply avoid saying anything such as "no retaliation" in essence giving permission. Or do you forget these are kids who get highly emotional when playing? If you don't think this ever happens then you're kidding yourself. There are more forms of communication than explicit verbal commands such as "take <someone> out."

Wahl is a second round draft pick, why would he be so low on the list? A guy with no future in the game (McColm) going after a kid with a future in Wahl. Wait, have I heard that somewhere before? Let me think....

As far as your stats, I'm sure I could dig up plenty but I really have better things to do. I watch enough games and read enough to know what's going on.

Procyshen speared Beach? I never heard of that. Give Procyshen an award IMO! applause


McColm was three games back from a concussion that had him sidelined for 3 weeks. This close to the playoffs, I seriously doubt Nachbaur was asking him to fight.

[Pete76]

McColm was three games back from a concussion that had him sidelined for 3 weeks. This close to the playoffs, I seriously doubt Nachbaur was asking him to fight.

I am surprised he got a tbd suspension as the fracas with Wahl didn't last long ... perhaps I didn't see the whole ordeal?

[HAF]

I am surprised he got a tbd suspension as the fracas with Wahl didn't last long ... perhaps I didn't see the whole ordeal?

I didn't see what started it. By the time the camera caught the action it was already bieng broken up by a linesman.

[HomerSimpson]

What's funny is that in the video you can see the hit that had Sutherland so upset with McCrae in the first place. It's the clean shoulder/shoulder hit on the backcheck coming into his own end.

I can understand sticking up for your guy, but on a clean shoulder hit where he pops right back up? Gimme a break.

You can also see what I said before - right at the start of the fight Reddick steamrolls Spurgeon to the ice, which gets everyone else worked up.

We were definitely asking for the first one...but the second one could/should have been avoided.

[LifelongChiefsFan]

What's funny is that in the video you can see the hit that had Sutherland so upset with McCrae in the first place. It's the clean shoulder/shoulder hit on the backcheck coming into his own end.

I can understand sticking up for your guy, but on a clean shoulder hit where he pops right back up? Gimme a break.

You can also see what I said before - right at the start of the fight Reddick steamrolls Spurgeon to the ice, which gets everyone else worked up.

We were definitely asking for the first one...but the second one could/should have been avoided.


I see your point, but you also have to keep in mind that emotions were running very high in the 3rd period in this game so it shouldn't be surprising that a big hit might set things off again. If you take a look at other WHL message boards, there's still shouting matches going on back and forth between Ams and Chiefs fans, who are supposedly mature adults, a whole three days after the incident, so I'll give the kids a pass on the second line brawl only minutes after Pickard got run. :)

[Pete76]

So Letts gets 10 games ... probably deserved as much ... but it would be nice to get an official update on Pickard

[amsfan05]

that was a bit more than i expected to see, well deserved though.

i think now that the league has made a ruling on that we'll see how pickard is. im sure the ams just didn't want pickards status to affect the league's decision.

[HomerSimpson]

I see your point, but you also have to keep in mind that emotions were running very high in the 3rd period in this game so it shouldn't be surprising that a big hit might set things off again. If you take a look at other WHL message boards, there's still shouting matches going on back and forth between Ams and Chiefs fans, who are supposedly mature adults, a whole three days after the incident, so I'll give the kids a pass on the second line brawl only minutes after Pickard got run. :)

I agree with you for sure. I just wanted to make sure nobody thought we were wholly unprovoked. I've heard alot of people complaining about what Baldwin did in that second brawl; but it was no worse than anything Reddick or Procyshen did.

10 games is exactly the sentence I figured Letts would get. We all knew the league was going to send a big message after a goaltender got ran like that...10 games is sufficient and well deserved.

[amsfan05]

well still no "official" status on pickard. in today's paper tory said he had suffered a "mild" concussion and that he would be evaluated day-to-day. it also said he wouldn't play in any of this week's games. he actually didn't even make the trip with the team.

makes me wonder just how "mild" his concussion is if he isn't even going to be in attendance for at least 4 games (counting sunday).

[HomerSimpson]

I think the league mandates that any player with suspicion of a concussion has to sit out at least a week.

I might be wrong, though.

[aaAlta]

You are right that if it is felt a concussion of any grade experienced, it takes at least a week to work up through the routine for clearance to play. But it can take longer, depending on severity and how players respond, which is unpredictable. If you look at the injury records you can see the range of time out is pretty wide.

But its getting to be a fairly formal process for most upper leagues to follow. You do nothing for a day or two, then when you've been symptom free for a couple days, then you can start to work up. (symptoms typically being headaches, sometimes dizzyness or naseau associated as well). The work up might be like day one, spin the bike lightly. When you pass that, next day, ride it hard. Pass, on to light skate. Then prakki, no contact. Then full bore prakki with contact. Each level you try is a new day. I dont think they do multi levels in the same day. Once you pass all levels symptom free you may be cleared to play. But it can take time, as if you get symptoms trying to pass a level, you have to drop a level and try the ramp up again.

[amsfan05]

i understand keeping him out of the lineup/practice due to the concussion. i've been watching hockey and sports in general to comprehend that when a concussion is the injured palyer will miss some time.

what i'm not understanding though is why keep him away from the rink completely. Reddick suffered a very bad concussion this year and was at every home game for sure, and i know he made a few of the road trips. pickard didn't come to the home game, he isn't on the road trip with the team. are they keeping him in town so he can have the doctor evaluate him daily hoping to get him into the lineup asap? is he suffering from symptoms so badly that they're keeping him on bed rest? just makes me wonder

[old_time_hockey]

Well they are solidly in 2nd in the west. Can't be caught and can't catch the Giants.

It is probably a pretty smart move to get him to stay home to be not only totally healed, but also get some rest before the playoffs.

Look at what happened with Luongo. He wanted to travel and be with the team and he just reaggravated his injury and he was out of the lineup even longer. Granted Luongo's issue was a groin and not the same as a concussion but still.

[LifelongChiefsFan]

Well they are solidly in 2nd in the west. Can't be caught and can't catch the Giants.

It is probably a pretty smart move to get him to stay home to be not only totally healed, but also get some rest before the playoffs.

Look at what happened with Luongo. He wanted to travel and be with the team and he just reaggravated his injury and he was out of the lineup even longer. Granted Luongo's issue was a groin and not the same as a concussion but still.


I was kind of thinking the same thing. Pickard getting a little rest will probably do him some good. I know Pickard has played extremely well lately and he does seem to play better when he doesn't get games off, but I do think it's very possible he would have sat a few games here at the end of the season anyway with the US division wrapped up for all intents and purposes. I think one of the reasons Tokarski played so well last year in the playoffs was because he only played 45 games in the regular season. I know Chet's a workhorse but even having him playing 30 straight games heading into the playoffs would have been a lot to ask imo. I think Chet has his head on straight and sitting out a few won't throw his game off mentally. I just hope that at the very worst, Chet is back and ready at 100% for game 1 of the playoffs, but hopefully much sooner.

[amsfan05]

for all intents and purposes the US division is locked up?!?!? without chet in net though i can easily see us going 0-3 on this roadtrip and if spokane can get a few W's (the only game i can see them standing a chance losing is tonight in Kelowna), then it's down to that home and home series vs Spokane next weekend to decide the division.

just the way the boys played sunday in front of martinyuk, combined with Vancouver being best team in the league and Seattle being almost impossible to beat at home and Spokane's somewhat friendly schedule (kelowna, 2 in PG, Everett at home) makes the thought of Spokane catching us very realistic. if you look at it, we can very easily come out of this roadtrip with no points, and before our next game spokane can easily have 8 pts. that means we'd be up by 2 going into the home-home games.

[LinkGaetzFan]

for all intents and purposes the US division is locked up?!?!? without chet in net though i can easily see us going 0-3 on this roadtrip and if spokane can get a few W's (the only game i can see them standing a chance losing is tonight in Kelowna), then it's down to that home and home series vs Spokane next weekend to decide the division.

just the way the boys played sunday in front of martinyuk, combined with Vancouver being best team in the league and Seattle being almost impossible to beat at home and Spokane's somewhat friendly schedule (kelowna, 2 in PG, Everett at home) makes the thought of Spokane catching us very realistic. if you look at it, we can very easily come out of this roadtrip with no points, and before our next game spokane can easily have 8 pts. that means we'd be up by 2 going into the home-home games.

The odds are very slim.

[HomerSimpson]

Another thing you have to remember is that the Chiefs currently are playing with only 5 D....and that includes using forward Dustin Donaghy back there. We have 4 regular defensemen in the lineup.

It's awful hard to win games without defensemen.

[amsfan05]

i guess i wasn't thinking that we could both lose on the same night. that doesn't happen often. if my math is right i guess it's now 1 tri city win or 1 spokane loss to seal the deal?

[HomerSimpson]

i guess i wasn't thinking that we could both lose on the same night. that doesn't happen often. if my math is right i guess it's now 1 tri city win or 1 spokane loss to seal the deal?

Yup. 10 points back, we have 6 games remaning for a possible 12 points. If we lose, you win the division. If you win, you win the division.

[Pete76]

So, is there a general feeling that your playoff picuture has been screwed up by this whole incident?

[dondo]

probably more than there should be, but at this time of the year and the fact that Chet had at one point had 23 consecutive starts, means that the netminding depth is at the shallow end of the pool without Pickard.

Owsley and Martyniuk are both capable goalies, but neither can come close to what Chet would bring the team every night. Let's hope Chet isn't out for the playoffs.

my two cents

[aaAlta]

I dont think Tri fans feel this is messing the playoff picture. These things can be unpredictable, but the expectation is that Chet will be back and sharp for playoffs. Between now and then the team would still be looking to sharpen up themselves a notch too. And then keep it up as playoffs progress.

I dont think the scenarios on matchups is a big deal right now. The west conference is going to present good battles throughout the first round, though Vancouver/PG shouldnt take long. And then anything could happen in the second round. Like if I were a betting man, I'd be hard pressed to give you much more than even money on Van/Kel or Spoke/Tri matchups if thats what panned out.

I appreciate you posting here. A little less noise.