Grabovski's run-in with the law

by James Mirtle on Jan 9, 2009 12:50 AM CST Comment 32 comments

It's harder than you think being a linesman in this league:

Mikhail Grabovski's been a real nice surprise for the Leafs this season, and some are even talking about the Calder Trophy in this city (although he's cooled off a lot lately), but he's a headcase, plain and simple. The Habs never had a problem with his talent; it was his antics that saw him dealt for a second rounder in the off-season. The expression "million-dollar hands and a 10-cent head" applies here.

Good on the linesman for keeping his cool. I doubt there'll be a suspension, but I could be wrong.

Toronto, meanwhile, is now 2-6-0 in its past eight games and has only seven wins since Dec. 1. Now sixth last and gaining on a team like Tampa Bay, they're starting to enter the lottery conversation.

UPDATE Grabovski was suspended for three games on Friday afternoon, and I've heard that the Leafs may dispute the suspension. Stay tuned.

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What was he kicking? And I wonder what those Maple Leaf players were saying to the linesman…

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by Simply Sensational on Jan 9, 2009 1:12 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Looks like his helmet.

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by Chemmy on Jan 9, 2009 9:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Mickey Grabs has glorious hair. I want to brush it. That is all.

Ain't nothing but puck drops and poke checks, babydoll.

by wrap around curl on Jan 9, 2009 1:38 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I want to know exactly what he kicked too – not like it matters though.

I wouldn’t exactly call that “abuse” of officials either – shouldn’t be a suspension, but most likely a fine.

by Afino on Jan 9, 2009 7:28 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

His helmet

At 0:31you can see he takes off his helmet. That’s what he kicks later on. On the RDS feed you could see it… A very classy move to top off a real classy night by the Leafs.

by Habs on Jan 9, 2009 7:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

A move almost almost as classy Kostopolous leaving his feet, with his stick and elbows up, to hit VR from behind into the boards. One goes on to be a future prospect, the other on a downward spiral of concussions

by blue with age on Jan 9, 2009 8:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

As a neutral observer, it’s incredibly stupid and childish what Grabovski did.

by Afino on Jan 9, 2009 8:35 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It is but so what? He’s wound up, there is bad blood with the Kostitsyn sisters and he couldn’t fight them. That would make me kick a helmet too.

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by PPP on Jan 9, 2009 8:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I wasn’t referring to the helmet kick itself, just the whole display.

Bigger overreaction: Grabovski or Peters after he got bit?

by Afino on Jan 9, 2009 9:18 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Peters by a mile. I almost expected Ruutu to spit out his entire hand from that reaction.

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by PPP on Jan 9, 2009 10:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Sure! The Habs are all cheapshotting class.

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by PPP on Jan 9, 2009 8:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

you miss the point

Did I anywhere stat the Habs are a classy team? No, I did not. What I said was simply that the leafs were classless last night, and that is the hard truth.
If you’re too blind to see that, I can’t help you.

by Habs on Jan 9, 2009 3:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

And if you’re too blind to see that I am trying to change the subject then I can’t help you.

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by PPP on Jan 9, 2009 5:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Did he really kick his helmet? That is too bad. I thought he was kicking the dirt like an irate baseball manager. That would have been classic.

by CJM23 on Jan 9, 2009 8:47 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Grabovski and Sergei Kostitsyn hate each other a lot, as Grabs tarnished the Kots brothers on his own Russian blog!

by Fred Poulin on Jan 9, 2009 8:07 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

This Grabs/Lil Tits spat sums up Habs-Leafs rivalry for my entire lifetime… sad, pathetic, and manufactured. It ain’t real. Red Fisher’s column today hit it bang on. Rivalries are about two teams putting it all on the line… to win. These are just a series of exchanges that accomplish absolutely nothing.

If it weren’t for the Habs drafting Andrei Kostitsyn, both these guys wouldn’t be in the NHL.

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by saskhab on Jan 9, 2009 9:19 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I’m thinking 8 games. For no reason other than the league office likes to keep us on our toes and they haven’t used 8 yet.

by twoeightnine on Jan 9, 2009 9:34 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Grabovski probably should be suspended, but Kostopolous got two games for leaving his feet to hit Van Ryn from behind at full stride.

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by Chemmy on Jan 9, 2009 9:51 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2008/10/17/peca_suspension/

Peca got 5 games for grabbing a ref’s arm, and he had to appeal to get it reduced from a mandatory 10 game offence.

Hitting an opponent and hitting an official are completely seperated in the NHL’s view, and there is no comparison between the actions that are supsension worthy. Refs are protected by the league, and are not the ones players should be battling with.

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by saskhab on Jan 9, 2009 10:02 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

In theory, I would agree with you; this seems somehow more “dangerous” than what Peca did, for whatever it’s worth. In practice, I somehow suspect any suspension will come as a result of the three misconducts he racked up in that one game, rather than that shove.

by Doogie2K on Jan 9, 2009 11:03 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Grabovski should be suspended. (He got three games since you posted.)

I’m basically using this as a platform to point out that Van Ryn has missed like 15 games and Kostopolous got handed a slap on the wrist for a horrible hit.

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by Chemmy on Jan 9, 2009 11:54 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Funny how for Grabovski, three games was automatic, while for Peca, it was ten. Is that really the difference between grabbing and shoving an official? I’d think the latter would get a harder hit, but whatever.

And as a Habs fan, I agree that Kostopolous probably should’ve gotten more than two, but given the current state of NHL supplementary discipline, no one should really be surprised or offended (I can probably think of a half-dozen hits without breaking a sweat that should’ve been suspended, but weren’t). It is what it is, and until the system is overhauled, that’s just how it happens.

by Doogie2K on Jan 9, 2009 11:57 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The difference lies in intent and actions. The mandatory minimum for putting your hands on an official is 3 games. (Rule 41).

A category III offence (Rule 41.4) involves threatening an official, throwing equipment towards an official, or applying physical force solely for the purpose of getting away from the official following an altercation. Mandatory 3 game suspension.

A category II offence (Rule 41.3) involves applying force to an official in any matter without the intent to cause injury, and carries a mandatory 10 game suspension.

A category I offence (Rule 41.2) involves applying force to an official with intent to cause injury. Mandatory 20 game suspension.

Grabovski’s intent was just to get away, thus the three gamer. Peca grabbed the ref, thus 10 games. In both cases, these are automatic, and have nothing to do with Campbell’s random number generator. Peca was able to appeal a lower penalty. We’ll see if Grabovski can manage the same. I doubt it, personally.

by Resolute on Jan 9, 2009 7:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The Leafs are not appealing the suspension. I would guess because the rulebook mentions that the suspension could be increased and partly to teach Grabovski a lesson about controlling his emotions a bit more.

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by PPP on Jan 9, 2009 10:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs