Chiarelli comments on Walker

what Chiarelli said: "We respectfully disagree with the NHL's ruling to recsind the automatic suspension to Scott Walker, but we will abide by the league's ruling."

what Chiarelli wanted to say: "This is the stupidest s*&% I've ever heard of. Next time I see Colin Campbell I'm going to sucker punch him and see how he likes it. 2500 my a@$. "

I just lost all my respect for Keith Jones when he defended Scott Walker's sucker punch, and his right to throw it.
What is the difference between this and Lucic's hit against LaPeirre? I believe Looch should have been suspended, but was also defending himself. Here, Ward is in an altercation with another player, and Walker comes over and throws a left with his glove on (3rd man in) and then drops is gloves and drills Ward. Aaron never even droped his stick before he was hit.
What kind of message is this sending to the casual NHL fan? The bandwagon fans? The kids? The people who already think our sport is "barbaric" for allowing fighting to be a part of it?

I would have liked to have seen some stronger comments from the Bruins even if it risked a fine--Where is Jacobs--the guy who is Chairman of the Owners Committee....

This type of ruling is another example of why no one takes hockey serious...

Another embarrassing ruling from Bettman and Colin Campbell....

WHO KNEW that the rule book could be changed at a moments notice!?

The NHL is a complete JOKE! How Walker does not get suspended for a gutless, cowardly act as a 3rd man in & sucker punch is beyond me. Colon Campbell is a certified MORON!
I guess its true that Carolina is Bettman's team. A complete cheat & farce! Bettman & all the NHL officials are bozos.
I wonder how many seasons Walker would have been suspended if he did that to Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, Lidstrom, etc...

I got to give it the Bruins and management, very very classy. They don't cry like babies .
I don't care if it was or not a sucker punch and what was said on the ice and so on.... A rule was broken by the player and the BY NHL.
How can the fans take the NHL seriously whne they make rules and break their own rules.
Yesterday all the hockey experts were saying he would get one game automatic suspension, IT'S A RULE now why does the NHL decide to change and make this rule an exception !!!! Not right ! I can't believe this.
Who cares if WALKER is there or not, he SUCKS ANYWAYS ! IT'S THE PRINCIPLE THAT FREAKEN GETS ME !!!!

And when asked if retribution would be delivered on the ice or if Walker’s presence would serve as a distraction, Shawn "Robo Cop" Thornton replied:

"No … there’s too much at stake right now and we need to focus on the next game and bringing it back here. But let’s just say we have a long memory."

Would love to see Stuart or Sheriff tag that pretty boy, Staal. i've seen the nhl tv ad and your mom is tougher than you!

ya payback is a bitch get up by a few goals and start pounded...

THIS IS THE NHL RULE ON FIGHTING(RULE!!!!) NOT AN OFFICIALS CALL!....A NHL RULE********A player who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five (5) minutes of regulation time or at any time in overtime, shall be assessed an instigator minor penalty, a major for fighting, a ten minute misconduct and an *AUTOMATIC one-game suspension. The length of suspension will double for each subsequent offense. In addition, the player's coach shall be fined $10,000 -- a fine that will double for each subsequent incident.****** I AM OK WITH THE BRUINS NOT HAVING SOUR GRAPES....BUT THIS MAKES NO SENCE TO ME -RULES DON'T COUNT? THEN WHAT DOES

Staal a "pretty boy"?

My God, Alex Ovechkin is prettier than Eric Staal. Blech.

Anyway, NHL discipline is a joke. The inconsistency is maddening. A fantastic game but incompetent administration.

I've said it before and i'll say it again....Campbell has to go and so does Betteman! They're terrible for the nhl.....there's two tons of proof in the pudding....They just come out smelling more and more like heifer dust all the time.. If they only knew what the whole hockey world thinks of them??? There are no rules in the NHL!!! They make them as they wish.. The refs are at their worst i've ever seen...Two ref system sucks royally! I hope Walker goes out and gets punished/hammered so hard that Campbell is going to regret not suspending him! Thats a terrible thing to say, but thats the way the mop usually flops! Then Campbell will be part of a hearing...Suspension!!

While I don't think that Walker's punch has any place in the sport, I was not surprised by the NHL's call. It wasn't a "sucker punch" as seen before in hockey. Walker was facing Ward and probably yelled "let's go" before tossing the peaches. In fact, one could argue that Ward was just slow off the draw, and that's what I think the league ruled.
But the real problem is the hypocrisy of hockey's "code". You can punch a guy in the head and not get a suspension, but an elbow to head is a "blow to the head" and gets 5 games. Something is wrong.
Anyway, the B's should just move on. Ward is ok and will play tomorrow. Funny thing is that Walker and Ward are buddies.

My hat's off to PC for being much more of a man than I could be. I would have been lobbing four-letter words at Colin Campbell like it was my job.

"but we will abide by the league’s ruling"

Really? That is big of you... what choice do you have, you geek. Why not go out on a limb and at least ask for clarification of the rule which, although clearly met, was instead overturned?

I applaud the globe sports writers for letting all of these readers comments go flying today. One can only assume that you share the same outrage as your readers... why not call the NHL out on this crapola?

Walker being there might just play in favor of Bruins because angry Bs = "4:0 shutout Bs".

"...but we will abide by the league’s ruling"
They had a choice?

I really like Chiarelli but that is a lame response. I was never a big Harry Sinden fan but he would have never laid down and rolled over like that! You gotta speak out against a ruling like that.

Are you guys *really* that incapable of interpreting a rule? It clearly states that the on ice decision can be over turned by the committee if deemed appropriate. Clearly, given Ward's reputation and the events leading up to his getting throttled, the league deemed it appropriate. Why continually repeat and quote the rule like you're some kind of hockey detectives when the parts you're quoting can simply be over ruled and rendered meaningless?

Stick to baseball, football, and basketball and leave the intricacies of this sport to the fans in "real" hockey towns. Clearly you guys are in over your heads here.

The inconsistency of the NHL is certainly puzzling! What constitutes a suspendable offence today will NOT tomorrow or next week or perhaps next year! The optics of Bettman and Campbell reviewing, aka turning a blind eye to the Walker blow, are not good especially when the league is trying to gain as many fans as possible and showcase some glorious playoff competition. Imagine some uninitiated fan somewhere who sees the Ward / Walker fiasco on television and concludes that in hockey its okay to use a bare fist and hammer another player in the face. Looks real good, Gary!

Campbell was on the radio here in T. O. and said Walker's move was not considered a "sucker-punch." Ward did not seem to have any intention of fighting but Walker clearly did so by virtue of that, it was not a sucker-punch?!? One party is willing, the other would rather not. If, according to Bettman and Campbell, not being ready to accept a blow of some kind defines being "suckered," Gary and Colin should choose another line of work because they're doing this great game a disservice!

Thornton's right, B's won't pay Walker back until next season. Remember, this is playoff hockey in "the new NHL". There's not much hitting, coaches are too concerned about giving up power play opportunities. Walker's not likely to hurt B's offensively, B's will hit him if they get the chance, but will focus on the bigger task of winning to force a Game 7 back here. Caps forced a Game 7 vs. Pittsburgh, B's can do the same at Carolina.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Carcillo of Philly get suspended for a comparatively mild, gloved swipe to an opponent's head? But here an eye socket is crushed and not only is there no suspension, but the fine is equivalent to the cost of a used bicycle. I understand how many say the Bruins need to hold back on exacting revenge, but they also have to be careful not to tamper down their emotions too much. If they play a patient , opportunistic game, they're toast. Everything good that happened Sunday night was a direct result of physical plays. Lucic, Thornton, Chara, Kobasew, Stuart need to set the tone from the opening faceoff and blast everthing in red. Start with Staal, boys, and work your way down the line.

When the revolution comes, Campbell and Bettman should be first against the wall.

Translation: Claude put Thornton in to kick his ass.

The NHL never rules in favor of Boston. They will always be against Boston. Way back when Sinden and Cherry had fights with the league is when it started. It still continues today. Boston has been under double secret probation since then. So, as the saying goes from Animal House......"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? No!!!!! And it is not over now!!! Who's with me!!! Lets go B's!!"
I can invision Staal playing that loser Kevin Bacon charcter that gets stomped at the homecoming parade in Animal House as he yells, "All is well!!" Get ready to get your can kicked Staal!!! The Bear has been poked one time to often. Now he is PO'd!!!

PO'd

Easily the worst officiating in the playoffs.. The Ryder penalty is game 3 was really interferance on Carolina, watch the play. THe Chara penalty in game 4 was even worse. Both calls were game, and hence, series changing. Especially with all the liberties the Canes take running over Thomas and throwing the elbow at Chara every play.

What I can't figure out, is why the league is trying to get the Canes to the next round so bad? MY guess is they know the B's will kill the Caps and Pens, hence leaving Crosby or AO out of the CUP..

All pro sports are fixed, so is college and the Olympics

LETS MOVE ON AND TAKE IT BACK TO THE GARDEN

This is the one and only time I miss hearing from Harry Sinden. Harry would never "respectfully" disagree with the NHL bag job....his comments would be similar to those expressed here by real hockey fans and he would be fined and referred to as a crazy old man.

Don't compare Ovechkin to E. Staal. It's like comparing Boston to Raleigh, a third class hick-town.

What the NHL did yesterday was an embarrassment. I’m sure this one even had Vince MacMahon from the WWE scratching his head. The NHL should add an “E” to their name as in National Hockey League Entertainment. I observed a lot of non-hockey fans making fun of this sport yesterday. The best line I heard was “Instead of having a shoot out to decide games they should have a steel cage match to decide who wins.” The sad part is, I couldn’t even argue and defend this sport. The NHL has lost my respect and I’ve been a fan for 40 years. The NHL has taken away my ability to try and defend its image. They’ve taken a giant step backwards and they should be ashamed. Not only did Ward come out of this with a black eye, so did the NHL. Hopefully the Bruins will just stayed focused and worry about Walker another day. Winning is more important than revenge. Maybe when the league changes over to the cage matches instead of the shoot out they’ll get their chance.

Here's to hoping the boys are smart enough to use this slight to their advantage. They have to know that the officials tonight will be under orders to call a tight game, so getting revenge on Walker is pretty much out of the question right now. What the B's CAN do, though, is bait the Canes into "showing that they're tough, too". Keep finishing your checks, keep crashing the net, and be a pain in the ass whenever possible while keeping it within the rules. The Canes got their butts handed to them in Game 5, literally. So there could be some players who want to show the home crowd that they won't be pushed around again, and maybe the Bruins can draw a roughing call or two out of them. But the key is for the Bruins to play their game, don't get dragged into settling an old score when that can be taken care of next year...

If they are up by a few goals and have the oppurtunity...Knock his teeth out. Otherwise just focus on a Game 7. When they are by them and playing for the conference then they enjoy that revenge or just wait until their first meeting next year. Ward will be avenged, but moving on the the conference finals is more important. The Canes obviously saw the writing on the wall and know the B's got their game back so they are trying to disrupt their focus.

TruthHurts,

Perhaps "real truth" hurts but bogus comments from trolls such as yourself do not. FAIL!

Go Bruins!

ThruthHurts, you're obviously the one in over your head. Ward's reputation? WHAT reputation? The guy is a well-respected NHL veteran with three Stanley Cup rings, who is NOT a fighter (check his penalty minutes) and not a dirty player.

Of course the decision could be overruled. We're aware of that. The problem is, there was NO REASON to overrule it. Ward was sucker punched. Period. Blame the victim all you want, but that was the cheapest of cheap shots, and Walker should, by criteria previously quoted by the NHL, be suspended for a least one game.

I would like to see the Bruins play it clean but at the same time take his head off. I think it may be that way with Walker taking big hit after big hit, see how quickly he drops his gloves when Lucic lines him up. I have felt throughout the first 4 games that Carolina was playing a tougher series than the B's hopefuly that will now change, I would like to see # 12 get his clock run as well.

Perfect. Bruins have Carolina just where they want them. Carolina no doubt will be expecting the B's to come out whacking tonight. But the B's won't. Make no mistake, that thought will constantly be in the back of Carolina's minds tonight, and it will only serve as a distraction to them, allowing Boston to ship Carolina up for Game 7.