Ryan Ermanni's Blog

Once again the NHL got it wrong!  Once again Gary Bettman got it wrong!  How in the world wasn't Mike Ribeiro suspended for his cheap two-handed swat at Chris Osgood.  I think the precident that was set wasn't a good one.  I know Osgood stuck the butt end of his goalie stick out but that's just gamesmanship.  Every goalie in the league does that.  Tomas Holmstrom gets whacked in the head and every other orphus of his body a million times a game and you don't see him retaliate.  You have to keep your head in instances like that. 

Was Osgood embellishing a bit? Perhaps.  After all, the guy does take a puck travelling over 100 mph to the chest and that doesn't seem to hurt like the swat did.  I think it just caught him off guard. 

If it were up to me, I thought Ribeiro not only should've been suspended for the rest of the playoffs, he should've been suspended into next season.  You cannot use your goalie stick as a weapon and intend to injure someone.  Imagine if Ribeiro's stick didn't hit Ozzie in the chest and it hit him in the throat.... What would Bettman and the NHL have done then?