I really don’t have a problem with what Tootoo did in the game in Dallas. Let’s just walk through it, Tootoo is responsible for getting in the face of the other teams stars and get them off of their game. The check on Modano was not an illegal hit, he just finished his check, just what he is paid for. Then as he turns around he has Robidas in his face. I really don’t think that he was coming over to just talk to him, and Tootoo got his shot in first. Robidas was coming in to attack Tootoo, and was beaten to the punch. It is too bad that Robidas was injured on the play, but I do not think that he should be suspended. I think that the act that is the real problem is the swing of the stick that Modano makes at Tootoo after the punch

Posted by kanuckvoice on 03/18/07 at 03:49 AM ET

No problem with the hit on Modano but give me a break: that was a total sucker punch, complete with gloves still on. And yes the Modano stick job was bad too but nowhere near as bad.

Posted by Blitzen from Cantley, Canada on 03/18/07 at 04:55 AM ET

Cheap, dirty, and no need for it.  10 games, enough of this.  Anyone notice it is not the skilled players with these cheap, lack of respect hits?
Also, Terry Crisp, Nashvill color guy, sure seemed to emjoy the punch.
Funny story about Crisp earlier in the game.  They thought they would do a little video bit on the return of Brrendan Morrow.  Crisp pointed out to the viewers how tough #9 is around the front of the net, can’t be moved, always in your face type thing.  They even circled him on the telestrator, There, #9, Brendan Morrow, watch him throughout the game.  He is a tough player to play against.
Uh Terry, #9 is Modano, Morrow is #10.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 03/18/07 at 07:07 AM ET

You turn around and see a guy coming at you, you would want to protect yourself.  There are good, legal ways to protect yourself and then there are ways, like this, that have no place in the NHL.  But that is Tootoo.  An’ he’ll get away with it, scott free.

Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 03/18/07 at 08:16 AM ET

So why didn’t Modano stand up for himself? After his teamate gets KO’ED, you would think that Modano would drop the gloves....

Posted by millsz from Brownstown, MI on 03/18/07 at 10:21 AM ET

Probably because his team needs him on the ice and healthy, not either suspended or with a broken hand.

Isn’t that supposedly what the tough guys / goons / enforcers are for--"protecting" the stars so they don’t risk injuring themselves because they are more valuable to their teams if they are playing?

Posted by Baroque on 03/18/07 at 10:35 AM ET

He did the same thing to Bootland last week in the first game against Detroit, and then in the second game of the back-to-back, when Bootland challenged him to a real fight, Tootoo ran away.

He’s essentially Claude Lemieux minus the ability to score big time goals in the playoffs.

He’s palyed this way his whole career. The guy isn’t NHL talent. As John Tortorella might say, he probably belongs in the ECHL.

The worst part is that this type of stuff just perpetuates the cycle. In the game these two teams have later this month, don’t you think Morrow is going to go out there and stand up for his team? Don’t you think some guy like Krys Barch, who by everything I can tell only plays a few minutes a game and is all PIMs, is going to go out there and take a run at Tootoo?

Frankly, Tootoo deserves it, so it’s hard to care if it happens from that standpoint. But overall, it is bad for the game.

Posted by Nathan on 03/18/07 at 11:30 AM ET

Modano’s reckless stick swinging after the hit will get him suspended atleast 5 games

Posted by FlyersFan on 03/18/07 at 12:49 PM ET

What Nathan said--he’s Claude Lemieux minus goal-scoring talent.

Should Modano be suspended for swinging his stick?  He’d better get fined, at minimum, for one-handing a guy on his back lie that.

Did Tootoo “defend” himself?  Of course not.  Tootoo could have simply put his stick at chest-level to prevent Robidas from running him, and then drop his gloves like a man.  Instead, Tootoo spins with his arm extended and cold-cocks a guy to knock him out. 

The Red Wings-Predators series included a sucker-punch, two unsuccessful attempts to charge players into the boards where Tootoo left his feet, a sucker-punch, and a player whose coach supports his player’s intent to go out on every shift with the intent of goading his opponents into penalties by attempting to injure them.  Tootoo has no respect for his opponents, and as far as I’m concerned,

Fine or suspend Modano.  Give Tootoo a nice, long suspension.  Stick-swinging is unacceptable.  Sucker punches are unacceptable. 

Of course, Colin Campbell will give Tootoo a $1,000 fine and claim that slugging someone in the face without warning, and watching them leave the ice on a stretcher, is a legal play…

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 03/18/07 at 02:24 PM ET

Robidas came in elbows high if tootoo would have just stood there he would be leaving on a stretcher, i really don’t understand what Robidas was doing jordin loaded and unloaded right in front of Robidas and he still did nothing to protect himself. And what is mike doing? his boy came in to back him up and gets smoked and all mike can do is a tango (he should have kicked jordin a** or tried to.

Posted by cupster33 on 03/18/07 at 03:38 PM ET

I don’t know what kind of Hockey guys like Nathan are used to watching, but maybe you’d be more comfortable with couples figure skating or something.  The NHL is ‘kinder and gentler’ than it’s ever been, so quit your whining.  You know what I call that play?  I call it HOCKEY!  Tootoo was doing his job, finishing a check on Modano.  Robidas came in to level Tootoo.  He charged him and didn’t look like he had a clean check in mind.  Sure, maybe Jordin could have handled it differently but fact is he was defending himself.  I’ve watched most every game of his career and it’s abundantly clear that people like Nathan have no idea what they’re talking about.  “He’s palyed this way his whole career.” What, hard?  His job is to hit and get under the other teams’ skin and he does a phenomenal job.  There’s more to hockey than goals and assists.  And with that; when called upon to be an offensive player (as lately with injuries), he does quite well. 
As for Georgeums; I’ll cut him some slack due to my respect for Detroit’s proud hockey heritage.  Of course you wouldn’t like him (Tootoo) or his actions.  I’m sure you haven’t noticed Chelios playing that way, and doing a fine job (getting under the other teams’ skin) for the past twenty-three years.  Players get punched in the face with gloves on, a couple dozen times a game.  What’s next?  Guys like you going to petition for a “face washing” penalty or maybe a “nudging” minor?
All that said; I never want to see a player get hurt like that.  I agree it’s not good for the game in that it will gleam some negative publicity that the game doesn’t need.  When it’s all said and done though; fighting and retribution are a part of hockey.  PERIOD.

Posted by HockeySince92 on 03/18/07 at 08:40 PM ET

I have no problem with Tootoo’s hit. Is he still a useless player that has no place in the NHL based on his (lack of) talent? Yes.

I’m all for “old time hockey” with solid hitting, and a good donnybrook every so often. But when hockey used to be “real” like you’re talking about, players showed a lot more respect for each other. If you were going to punch a guy like that—as hard as possible, in the face (we’re not talking a harmless facewash here)—you dropped the gloves and squared off toe-to-toe.

If a guy gets a concussion and is taken off on a stretcher during a fight (a la the Petrovicky fight a few weeks ago), that is legitimate because both of the guys have looked each other square in the eye, dropped the gloves, and agreed to fight. There has to be a certain decorum, if you will. Tootoo always violates that respect. I think if you ask guys like Tie Domi and Bob Probert, who squared off against one another many times, if they respected each other, they would emphatically say “Yes!” That’s why they never took cheap shots on each other. It was always a fair fight, that started with a challenge, and ended with the better man winning.

How many fighting majors does Tootoo have? I’d be willing to bet not very many. Throughout his entire career, he has consistently ran at people with his little visor on, and then when it’s time for him to face the consequences of his actions, he either runs away (like we saw with Bootland last week) or he refuses to drop his gloves. I’ll be honest—this is something I’ve always disliked about our very own Kirk Maltby—but in Maltby’s long career, he’s never cheap shotted someone the way Tootoo has in his short career.

He will get what is coming to him. The sad part is that if the league doesn’t step in and put a stop to the type of things that Tootoo does, he’ll end up getting the Steve Moore treatment, or something worse. Eventually, he won’t be able to skate away from his opponents like a coward. Someone will catch him, and someone will put him down.

God, even Claude Lemieux at least turtled to the ice and took his beating instead of running away like Tootoo so often does.

Posted by Nathan on 03/18/07 at 10:43 PM ET

HockeySince92,

“When it’s all said and done though; fighting and retribution are a part of hockey.  PERIOD.”

This is exactly the problem with Tootoo. I’m not opposed to fighting in hockey. I think it is necessary. I’m not opposed to getting under a the opponent’s skin. But if you’re going to play the way Tootoo does, you HAVE to be willing to take what is coming to you like a man.

So far, he has ran like a coward more often than not.

And if you ever say that Tootoo has an ounce of offensive talent in his body again, we might have you committed.

Posted by Nathan on 03/18/07 at 10:47 PM ET

Well Nathan, you sure had a lot to say for someone who had no problem with Tootoo’s hit.  With that your last post was a tad bit more credible.  It’s true things were a bit different back in the day, but it wasn’t Sesame Street like you seem to imply.  In a lot of ways it was much dirtier then than now.  Difference being that back then players knew better than to cheap shot someone (as with a stick) because they knew what would be coming their way in short order.  The reason for the difference is the hockey brass wanting to make our sport ever so palletable.  Wanting to broaden its appeal.  Back then when someone got a little out of line, the biggest and baddest guy on the other team would set him straight (not always by making an appointment, talking it over, and dropping the gloves).  Now with the instigator penalties and suspensions, players are not able to police each other.  Prime example:  in the early nineties (I think the playoffs in ‘92) Craig Mactavish was a gritty veteran.  One who you loved or hated.  I, personally, hated him because he was always on rival teams.  His team and fans would see him standing up for his teammates.  Others (such as myself) would see him as a cheapshot artist.  He was always taking a run at someone from behind, getting his elbows up, or getting a little stick happy.  Well he took a run at one of the LA Kings skill players that year in the playoffs (looked like he was trying to hurt him, charged/boarded him I think).  A few shifts later one of the Kings players introduced Mactavish’s unhelmeted head into the boards taking him out of action.  Was that a nice thing to do?  Perhaps not.  Point is no one even remembers that.  I don’t think there was anything more than a minor penalty.  There was no suspension, no media frenzy.
As for Domi and Probert...I don’t know what hockey you were watching.  Yeah, they agreed to square off against each other, but both were guilty of many a dirty hit.  Domi is one of my favorite enforcers all time, but I wouldn’t consider him a ‘gentleman of hockey’.
Tootoo has 12 FM’s this season and was a league leader in FM’s before being sidelined with injuries.  In 70 games in 03-04 he had 16FM’s.  You can knock his skill all you want (though it makes you sound completely ignorant and makes it clear you’ve watch all of several of his games), but implying he isn’t tough is laughable.  He’s 5’9” on a good day and routinely takes on guys that dwarf him.  Often he hands said guys their a$$, like 6’2” 230# tough guy Shane O’Brien.  When he doesn’t, like with 6’4” 230# (or 240, depending on who you ask) Reed Low he always holds his own.  The only time I’ve ever seen him not take someone up on a fight is when he was playing hurt or when it would have hurt the team.
For an agitator, he has a lot of offensive prowess. Tootoo is a very good skater.  He has great balance (read “putting up the wall") with the puck, has excellent stick-handling ability, great passing, an amazing slapshot (100+mph with good accuracy), and he draws penalties like nobodies business.  On top of all that; he’s got a ‘Gordie Howe hat trick’ under his belt (goal, assist, FM).  His teammates love him, other teams hate to play against him.  That’s my kind of hockey player.
You are entitled to your opinion of what hockey should be; but you should do some research before spouting off about a player being a no-talent hack.  If your position were based on a couple hundred of his games, though misguided, you would have a right to gripe.  Being that you’ve apparently seen three or four, you don’t have the right to be insulting.
I’m sure Tootoo will have lots of players looking to give him ‘what he’s got coming’ in the years to come.  Good.  I look forward to watching those games.  I’m sure he’ll handle himself just fine.  Speaking of payback, neither Barch nor Morrow are anything to run from.  I’m sure given the invite (assuming it will not hurt the team), Tootoo will oblige either one of them.  You know what the prospect of that kind of “payback” does?  It makes me want to go to that game.  If I didn’t already have tickets, I would have bought them after the last Dallas game.
And since we’re on the subject; Tootoo got five games for the hit.  Seems to me the suspension was more for the bad publicity (and to “send a message") than for any infraction.

Here’s a Tootoo vid for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6QPW-GiuPg

Posted by HockeySince92 on 03/19/07 at 10:21 PM ET

Before I begin, I should state something. I hate Jordin Tootoo more than any other hockey player alive and I wish him all the worst.

Now having said that and letting the world know my one sided nature regarding the gentleman

The Problem with Tootoo is that he is always Charging, often leaving his feet, goes in high 90% of the time and often sucker punches. I seen way too much of his drity play when he was in Brandon. His sucker punch on Jeff Feniak - Disgusting. His hit from behind on Matt Hubbauer- Disgraceful. And the dirty bastard still had the nerve to dive every once in awhile and then laugh when a penalty was called

He was not defending himself. He knew the guy was going to hit him before he fully got to his feet. Just watch how he looking around even before he finished his “ charge” on Modano. I always find it interesting how skating from one end of the ice to the other and hitting someone can be called a clean hit

I am not sure how to suspend him. What I would like to see is the player themselves do a little police work

I would love nothing more than to see him get clobbered. No one on the planet is more deserving. Boogaard had his chance in the AHL and he did not do it. I bet he is regretting it now.

Posted by Rad Libertarian on 03/19/07 at 11:11 PM ET