Ken Pauly Puts Himself in Crosshairs of Major Junior Fight

Somehow, the fact that Benilde-St. Margaret's lost in the Section 6AA final Wednesday night is a positive for most everyone out there. Even BSM coach Ken Pauly.

Why?

Because it allows Pauly to ride off into the sunset and enter the offseason, perhaps giving him some distance from an ugly story that blew up this week involving his program and a talented freshman player he booted.

Everything started to come to a head this week, when this story was posted about BSM freshman Alec Baer and his desire to hold his options open for his hockey future. Unfortunately for Baer, one of the options he wanted open caused a pretty significant philosophical gap with Pauly, his high school coach.

The 15-year-old missed a practice earlier this month to visit Vancouver of the Western Hockey League. Three days later he found out he was no longer a Red Knight.

... Pauly said his decision to dismiss Baer "is related to Major Junior hockey" but declined to comment further because Baer remains a student.

Speaking as the president of the coaches' group, Pauly said: "A trip to a college is in keeping with the overall mission and vision of high school athletics. I don't believe the Major Junior and Minnesota high school model are complementary pieces."

Pauly doesn't win a lot of fans here. He coaches a private school team, one that isn't exactly innocent when it comes to picking top players from community-based programs. The messenger isn't exactly pristine here, which probably clouds the message.

What is the message?

Speaking on behalf of a statewide group of coaches, Pauly is saying that they want to keep players from bolting for major junior hockey, which doesn't put education first (don't get me started about their system of college scholarships that is not a lot more than a PR ploy against the NCAA system). Instead, the association wants players to stay in school, where education is supposed to always be first.

A longtime critic of major junior hockey, my friend Chris Dilks laid the wood to Pauly for his behavior here.

Pauly is basically using his position to bully other players in the state of Minnesota from even considering all of the options available to them. Players need not explore what path is best for them, because Ken Pauly has already decided what is best for them, and, shocking surprise, it's the route that most directly benefits Ken Pauly. Again, I've written a great many words about why the CHL isn't the best route for a great many players, but trying to unilaterally deny players the option of even looking into it is an incredibly selfish position to take.

I do think Pauly is using his spot to deny a player the right to do what he thinks is best, but I don't disagree with this move.

Baer had to know Pauly would be irritated with his decision to skip a practice to visit Vancouver. He had to know there would be repercussions, and he chose to take the visit. Whether or not it's fair -- kids go off to visit USHL teams and colleges all the time -- is irrelevant. Life isn't fair. If Pauly said there would be a punishment, and Baer made his decision anyway, he has to accept the consequence, however harsh. A coach has the right to lay down team rules on anything he wants -- curfew, facial hair, long hair, tattoos, and virtually anything else you can think of. That's part of the gig as a coach. Lay out rules and expect them to be followed, with punishments levied if they are not.

Part of being on a team is understanding that these rules exist and must be followed. Baer and his family made a decision to violate them. By doing so. perhaps Pauly felt they showed the commitment to the school and the hockey team just wasn't as strong as everyone else's. Yes, Pauly undoubtedly would have let Grant Besse miss a team activity to visit Wisconsin. But Pauly knew Besse wasn't going to college before he graduated high school. Same goes for any other player. They can visit USHL teams, but can't play for them during the high school season unless they leave school first. And no one is going to jump into a college team out of high school during the season. The system doesn't work that way.

But Baer can sign with the WHL virtually any time he wants. Pauly knows it, Baer knows it (he signed with Vancouver after he got the boot from the BSM team, actually), his family knows it, the major junior teams know it, and so do we. Hell, the major junior teams sign players in-season all the time, and while they can't just sign high school kids during the season without permission from USA Hockey, they could have gone hard after Baer as soon as the dagger was delivered to BSM's year. People have told me Baer was good for one more year at BSM, but minds change all the time, especially when it comes to commitments to amateur hockey versus major junior.

And this wasn't some ordinary freshman taking some playing time on a varsity team. Baer had five goals and 15 points in 19 games for the Red Knights. Pauly isn't making an example of a marginal player. He's making an example of a kid who has a real upside going forward in the sport.

Whether you appreciate Pauly's decision or not, you do have to take into account the fact that he kicked a player off his team that could make a difference in future seasons. He made a decision, stuck to his guns, and didn't care about the ability of the player.

That counts a bit, too.

The Worm Turns for College Hockey

It's been a newsworthy offseason in the college hockey world, but very little of it has been wholly negative.

There was the potential for the new conference alignments to blow up in certain people's faces, but that was just potential. Nothing bad has actually happened in that regard. We haven't lost any programs, and a number of programs that appeared to be on thin ice have been somewhat invigorated by the news, talking openly about their commitment to the future.

Unfortunately, no one told the players about these changes.

College hockey is suddenly hemorrhaging players to the Canadian major junior ranks, and there appears to be little the sport can do to stop it.

Last week, North Dakota lost prized recruit J.T. Miller to the Plymouth Whalers, and sophomore defenseman Jamie Oleksiak left Northeastern to join the Saginaw Spirit, both in the OHL.

Now, there are rumors that Miami recruit Connor Murphy is heading to the Sarnia Sting, and Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald tweeted Tuesday night that goalie John Gibson -- a Michigan recruit -- is possibly the next college recruit to "defect" to the OHL.

This isn't about attacking the CHL. I understand what's going on here. Their teams are looking to improve and get the best players available to them. In many cases, those players are in the 17-18 age range, and they have already committed to attend a U.S. college. For CHL teams, it makes sense to work on college-bound players, because it provides them a chance to put older players on their rosters.

The problem here is that the second a kid signs on to play for a CHL team, they relinquish all NCAA eligibility. It's considered akin to playing professionally.

In order for the NCAA to make headway in its "war" against Canadian major junior hockey, it seems to me that there is work to be done on the educational front. Right now, a kid like Oleksiak can decide college isn't for him (I'm not saying Oleksiak did that here, as I don't know his reasons), and he can join a CHL team. The reality is that the same kid can go to the CHL, hate it, and not have a chance to go back because of the NCAA's rigid stance on amateurism. It's a problem that needs to somehow be overcome.

I've written numerous times in the past about the different paths that exist. John Moore chose major junior over Colorado College. That worked out well for him. Jack Campbell chose major junior over Michigan. That hasn't gone as well, as he's still playing in the OHL when he said he'd be in the NHL by now.

When College Hockey, Inc., started up, a WHL executive accused the NCAA of starting a "pissing match" against the CHL. That's hilarious, since the CHL's pissing on the NCAA is what started this whole thing to begin with.

In the end, the college game is where the work has to be done. Chris Dilks believes the upheaval this offseason has contributed to all these players moving to the CHL.

A big part of the problem is that college hockey is too busy fighting and scheming against itself these days to even worry about fighting against the CHL. Why should JT Miller or Connor Murphy think playing in the WCHA or CCHA for the next two years is worth their time when their own schools made it pretty clear that those conferences aren't good enough? Even College Hockey Inc., which was designed to help present a unified message for college hockey, has been neutralized this summer, since they work directly under college hockey's conference commissioners, and thus have had to keep fairly quiet on the current reorganization. It's another instance of North Dakota thinking they could do things better on their own, and, at least initially, being wrong, and another consequence to the sport that was apparently overlooked in the 20 minutes of planning that went into the Secondary Six.

Dilks can be a bit heavy on the grudges, as evidenced by his annoying insistence to call the NCHC the "Secondary Six," but it's hard to argue against the idea that there is a legitimate point in all the madness above.

I can't blame these defections on the NCHC. Really, do you think J.T. Miller isn't going to spend a year or two in Grand Forks because North Dakota decided to help start a new league in 2013? More than that, do you think the conference changes that haven't impacted Hockey East in any way influenced Oleksiak to bolt for Saginaw? Or is it more likely that Northeastern's long coaching search played a role?

If Gibson leaves Michigan at the altar, however, Dilks' "these schools decided their current league was no longer good enough" take gains more traction.

******

No matter what, the ball is in the court of Paul Kelly and College Hockey, Inc. They have done a good job establishing themselves as a voice for college hockey, but their message is clearly not being heard over the yelling and screaming from the CHL about how great their program is.

I'm not going to blame Pierre McGuire for this. I'm not going to blame NHL organizations for this.

(I've already taken my shots at McGuire. I still think he's wholly unprofessional when it comes to his commentary about college hockey, but I'm going to be naive here and say he's not the problem, even though it's plausible his commentary influences NHL organizations and young players to make uninformed decisions about which path is best.)

For Kelly and his people, the job is to somehow get the message out through the noise. Propping up players like Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, David Backes, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, Brian Rafalski, Tim Thomas, Martin St. Louis, and others is simply not good enough.

It's not stopping the CHL teams from convincing players that their path is best and fastest. There is a mountain of evidence that the CHL system simply doesn't work for anyone.

Take the case of Jim O'Brien. The Maplewood native played 43 games as a freshman at Minnesota in 2006-2007, scoring 15 points on seven goals and eight assists. The Ottawa Senators drafted O'Brien 29th overall in 2007, and the decision was made for O'Brien to move on to major junior after that, playing for the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds for two years. O'Brien eventually got into the Ottawa Senators' system, where he played two full seasons for the AHL's Binghamton Senators. This past season, O'Brien finally made his NHL debut, playing in six games for Ottawa.

There's no way anyone can sanely argue that O'Brien got to the NHL faster by going to the WHL. Had he played four full years at Minnesota, he would have been set to go pro after the 2009-2010 season. Even if he goes pro after his junior season, it's hard to say he would have been in a worse position heading to Binghamton.

He blew a free education at Minnesota -- a fantastic school -- and the obvious goal was to enhance his development. It's impossible to argue that he did that, and his case should serve as a cautionary tale to any player who thinks the grass is greener in Canada.

It might be for some, but just like college isn't for everyone, neither is the Canadian major junior system.

2011 NHL Draft: Who's No. 1?

The 2011 NHL Draft is 40 days away, June 24 at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Last year, we saw some (to an extent, manufactured) debate over who would be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin. At no point did I have much doubt that Hall should be the top player. He ended up going No. 1 overall, as he should have, and Boston got a nice consolation prize in Tyler Seguin, who has been almost criminally underutilized during these playoffs.

This year, we're not going to have a clear-cut No. 1 like we did last year. It's not that easy. Depending on what direction the Edmonton Oilers decide to go, there are a few good candidates and no easy answers.

For now, it appears No. 1-ranked center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the consensus top player among scouts. From the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL, Nugent-Hopkins seems to me to be a good choice for Edmonton, despite their glaring need for help on defense. The reason? For starters, it's best to take the best player in the draft when you're picking No. 1. Don't be the team that selects a specific position because you think you need to pick a player from that position No. 1, and don't be the team that picks a player only for his ability to help your crappy franchise sell tickets (Hi, Cam Newton!).

While I tend to lean toward Nugent-Hopkins as the No. 1 player, there is an argument for mid-season No. 1 Gabriel Landeskog, as well as fellow Swede Adam Larsson, a defenseman. Landeskog played this year for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, and Larsson stayed home to play in the Swedish Elite League.

Saint John (QMJHL) center Jonathan Huberdeau is an emerging prospect who could get some play for a high pick, though I don't think he'll pass Nugent-Hopkins as the top center on the board. Huberdeau does have a bit of an edge, as he is helping lead the Sea Dogs into the prestigious Memorial Cup tournament, which starts Friday in Missisauga, near Toronto. It gives him a chance to shine in front of scouts in the most well-known junior hockey tournament on Earth.

As we get closer to the draft, I'll be posting info on all these players, and you'll see my top players ranked on the site. I'm still working on a lot of that stuff, so be looking for it in the coming days and weeks. I'll be at the NHL Draft in St. Paul to provide coverage. The host Wild pick tenth, and it's another important addition to the team's young stable as they try to rebuild the system's depth.

William Wrenn Leaves Denver for WHL

The major junior ranks might not have been the preferred destination for former UMD defenseman Dylan Olsen, but they'll work just fine for William Wrenn.

The Denver sophomore, a high draft pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2009 and a product of the U.S. National Team development system, has decided to leave school and move on to the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks.

The news was first reported by College Hockey News, via my friend Chris Dilks at Western College Hockey.

CHN quotes longtime Denver coach George Gwozdecky, and it's about as short and precise as Gwoz will ever be quoted.

“William has decided to leave our varsity hockey program and concentrate full-time on his hockey career,” Gwozdecky said. “William feels he will have a better opportunity to play on a regular basis and contribute in a more important role at the junior hockey level. He was a good teammate and was well liked in our locker room. William will be missed by our program.”

That's a solid, high-road response from the coach.

This isn't about Wrenn developing more quickly in the WHL, and there are no rumblings at this point that this departure is related to academics.

Instead, it's time, Wrenn has apparently decided, for a change of scenery. In 41 games at DU, he notched just eight assists, including one this season in 18 games, tying him with freshman goalie Sam Brittain on the team scoring chart.

Looking at Denver's lineup from their weekend games against Northern Michigan, it appears Wrenn was relegated to the role of seventh defenseman (DU dressed 11 forwards for each game). The continued improvement of John Lee, the emergence of freshman David Makowski, and the continued play of sophomore Matt Donovan made it tough for Wrenn to get a lot of minutes on special teams, and he was struggling to earn more ice time with the Pioneers.

He'll be a welcome addition for a Portland team that is looking like a strong contender for a spot in the Memorial Cup this May. However, with three defensemen possessing double digit plus-minus ratings, and two blue-liners at or over 20 points for the season, Wrenn might struggle for minutes in Portland the same way he did in Denver.

CHL Brass Continues Unnecessary Campaign of Lies Against NCAA

If you're an outsider, or you're Canadian, you probably believe the NCAA has taken some impressive hits lately.

A number of college players have turned pro lately, hoping to start playing hockey for money. Worst case: They're going to play for a CHL team because the NHL franchise doesn't want to start the player's entry-level deal with a stint in the AHL.

Most recently, Notre Dame lost defenseman Jarred Tinordi to the OHL's London Knights, who fed Tinordi lies about him getting to the NHL faster if he played there.

Nope. Still looking at 2-3 years, kid. Way to get suckered in, though.

It's brought to light the continuing war between the NCAA and CHL. Of course, it's not much of a war, because the CHL continues to spread lies and innuendo about the NCAA's tactics.

Paul Kelly of College Hockey, Inc., the organization commissioned by the NCAA to somehow stop this madness, is in the middle of it all. Apparently, he's hurt a few people's feelings in Canada by saying mean (if not entirely accurate) things about the CHL's way of doing things.

Now, the CHL wants to talk about it, only after years spent discrediting the college game and the players who choose to take part in it.

(Nothing chafes the CHL more than when a kid like Mason Raymond, Patrick Wiercioch, Joe Colborne, or -- more recently -- Dylan Olsen or Jaden Schwartz choose to play Junior A hockey so they have the ability to go to college if they decide to do that once they're 18. You can't argue these players weren't good enough to play in major juniors, and you can't argue that they made poor choices, even if the jury is still out on a few of them as college players or professionals.)

So the World Hockey Summit is coming next week, and the CHL wants to sit down and discuss their feud with the NCAA. Of course, they didn't want to talk about this feud until they noticed someone calling them out on their fraudulent education package or the other bags of lies they tell kids.

Funny how the NCAA's decision to fight back has affected things.

"It's not on the agenda, but we've certainly indicated to Hockey Canada and USA Hockey that we think there is an opportunity to sit down," said Ron Robison, a CHL vice-president and commissioner of the Western Hockey League.

"We're committed to continuing to try to improve relationships with USA Hockey, NCAA Hockey and so forth. We have a responsibility in North America to the development system to do that in the best interest of the players. Our goal is to attempt to sit down (with them). Whether we can do that at the summit or soon thereafter, that will be our objective."

Someone should tell these geniuses that Kelly hasn't yet been invited to this summit. It's going to be exceptionally difficult for Kelly to sit down with the CHL when he isn't on the guest list for the event. Maybe the CHL is going to talk to a cardboard cutout of Kelly.

They'd still lose the debate, of course.

The money quote comes from a WHL team executive who clearly doesn't understand the old saying about the pot calling the kettle black.

"(Kelly) wants to turn this into a pissing match, but all he's doing is getting the kids caught in the middle of it," said Brent Parker, president of the WHL's Regina Pats. "I don't think it's fair to them. They have tough enough decisions as it is. That's where our league has really tried to take the high road through all of this. We recognize it's not the right way to go about it in terms of getting into running down each other's programs.''

Who wants this to be a pissing match?

This is like Brett Favre calling someone out for being indecisive.

Parker misses the point completely. Yes, kids have tough decisions to make when they're really young. The CHL does NOT make any of these decisions easier by continuing to pursue kids who have made up their mind to play college hockey. Expecting a 17-year-old kid to hang up the phone on a recruiter -- even if said kid has allegedly made up his mind to attend a college and play hockey there -- is just ridiculous.

As Chris Dilks suggests, maybe the CHL and NCAA can come up with a sort of gentleman's agreement not to pursue each other's commitments.

Of course, we have better odds of seeing blizzard conditions in downtown Miami than we do of seeing the CHL agree to keep their grubby, dirty paws off kids who have signed letters of intent to attend U.S. colleges.

This is still the ideal situation. It isn't perfect -- as evidenced by the WCHA's gentleman's agreement -- but it's one of those things that can be quite helpful to at least create the impression that the two sides are willing to work together.

Perhaps we can end the days where kids like Tinordi get pressured to break commitments while some teams are starting off-ice workouts.

Future Bulldog Welinski Causes Stir With Move to USHL

I have a buddy in the TV business. He Who Shall Not Be Named argues with me all the time about hockey, as he used to play it and it's one of my favorite sports. I freely admit that he knows more about the actual playing of the game than I do, but some of his stances are rather odd.

One of the things he told me recently was he believes no kid from Minnesota should ever go to the U.S. National Team Development Program. The reasoning is twofold: 1) that program is better used when it's helping develop kids from non-hockey areas (i.e. Matt Donovan of Oklahoma and Jason Zucker of Vegas); and 2) the development in Minnesota high school hockey is just fine, thankyouverymuch.

I don't necessarily agree, because I don't think there is any blanket rule that can be made to govern what is best for every high school hockey player. I chose not to look down on Derek Forbort for his move to the NTDP last year. Yes, a lot of people in East Duluth were upset about it, but their loyalty is to the Greyhounds, not to Derek Forbort.

Forbort has to be allowed to do what he and his family thinks is best for his development as a hockey player and a person. If that's major junior, we have to let him go and not hate him for it. If that's the NTDP, the response has to be the same.

None of this means the kids who stay in their community or neighborhood school shouldn't be celebrated. Nothing beats a group of kids who grew up together leading their varsity team to the state tournament. Not only that, but it's a rarity these days. All the more reason to celebrate it.

Now, word has come down that another top Duluth East defenseman has chosen to spend his senior season away from home, and not helping the 'Hounds try to get back to state. This time, it's future UMD Bulldog Andy Welinski, who is going to play for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL this fall.

Welinski will finish high school as scheduled, attending classes while playing for the Gamblers, and he will be back at East to graduate next spring with his class. He's just going to miss the hockey season, because he'll be playing against some bigger and older players.

“If hockey’s what you want to do, then you have to make a couple decisions based on hockey,” Welinski said earlier this week. “And hockey, right now, is what I want to do.”

... “Either way, if I was going to go or stay, if I was going to get better I would need to motivate myself and improve that way,” said Welinski, who has committed to play college hockey at Minnesota Duluth. “Having other players with the same capability as me, working with them and having them challenge me, will make me that much better than staying here.”

This is what Welinski truly believes. If that's the case, he's not wrong to say it.

He downplayed any friction his father had brought up with longtime East coach Mike Randolph, who is one of the better hockey coaches you're going to find anywhere.

“I like Randolph as a coach,” he said. “He’s had tough times with some people in the past, but I’ve never had any troubles with him. He’s a great coach who knows hockey. I guess his coaching style is to be strict, and sometimes it turns out against him.

“Personally, (his return) did not influence my decision.”

Reality is that Welinski's words read like the words of a young man who made a very adult decision. There's nothing whatsoever wrong with that, even if you might not like what he decided.

But, naturally, the USHL coach who benefits from Welinski's deliberation and decision has to do the classy, dignified thing, and stick his chest out after he "wins" the player he wanted.

“USHL hockey is better than high school hockey,” (Gamblers assistant Jon) Rogger said. “It’s going to prepare you more for college and you’re playing against older and stronger kids like they will be in college. At the end of the day, it’s in the kid’s best interest — if they are good enough to leave high school early, then they should do it.”

Wrong.

This is what I expect a CHL coach or GM to say when his team poaches a kid who has already started the season with a U.S. college.

The USHL might be a level above U.S. high school hockey, but that doesn't make it automatically a better developmental option for a high school kid. Not only that, but implying that any kid should feel the need to leave high school to play in the USHL is just selfish and unnecessary.

No avenue for development is the be-all, end-all. No method is perfect, and there isn't one way that is going to work for every kid who is looking to get better.

Some kids need to leave high school because they feel the longer, more grueling USHL schedule will help them get better faster. Others do just fine developing in high school, and they don't ever really need to play in the USHL. There will be some that go from the USHL to college, but others will jump to the CHL.

Kids go from high school to the CHL. They go from high school to college. They go from high school to the NAHL, then the USHL, then college.

The last thing we need is to start chest-thumping because one or two kids do things a certain way.

More important than Rogger's need to show everyone how great his league is, it's vitally important that USA Hockey continue to churn out quality players.

After all, there are gold medals to defend, and other gold medals to win.

Good luck to Andy. He has chosen what he feels is the best developmental path for him, and at this point, my sincerest hope is that he shows up at UMD as a player prepared to make an impact and show all that potential the coaches saw in him.

Patrice Cormier's Punishment Fits

The horrifying, completely uncalled-for hit by Canadian major junior Patrice Cormier shocked the hockey universe last week.

Monday, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League spoke on the hit as loudly as they could. Cormier was suspended by the QMJHL for the remainder of the season and playoffs. Since his team, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, is likely to make the playoffs, this is a pretty steep punishment.

Calling the hit "dangerous and unacceptable," the QMJHL ended Cormier's season and also banned him from playing for any Hockey Canada leagues during the suspension.

In addition, Cormier will not be allowed to play for the New Jersey Devils -- the team that holds his NHL rights -- or their AHL affiliate in Lowell, Mass., until after the Huskies are knocked out of the playoffs.

Devils' GM Lou Lamoriello, after a rather odd statement on the situation last week, cleared up any doubts about the dignity of his organization. He said the team would not try to circumvent the suspension, and they will not seek any place for Cormier to play.

“We said the end of the season and, at this given time, we’re going to honor that 100 percent,” Lamoreillo said. Lamoriello clarified again that. “Under no circumstances did we ever feel that he should not get suspended for an action that he took. If I felt that he should not get suspended then I deserve any criticism that was put that way.” Lamoriello had said that he didn’t think “any criminal action should be involved.”

Cormier still has not shown the proper public remorse, which only makes his crime even worse, given the potential of a criminal charge in the case.

By all sides involved, it was the right move. Cormier has thrown a couple dangerous elbows in recent weeks, and he needs to learn from his actions. Maybe in a few weeks, he will be capable of showing the kind of remorse the hockey world needs to see from him. Not showing any sincere regret over his horrendous actions will not help him get back in the game anytime soon.

As a parent with a child in hockey, I fear where this game is going. We are seeing more and more hits like this in the sport, and there is no easy answer as to why they are continuing to happen. It boils down to a lack of respect for the sport and its competitors, but it also seems to run deeper than that.

While lifetime bans should not be dealt with lightly, we are reaching the point where repeat offenders need to be punished that way. Without the threat of a lifetime ban from the sport, the proper punishment for repeated behavior like this may not exist.

What Should Happen to Patrice Cormier?

If you haven't seen this video by now, brace yourself. It's ugly. The video below also includes some comments from Quebec Remparts coach Patrick Roy, the team Mikael Tam plays for in the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League). The hit by Patrice Cormier of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies is one of the worst you'll ever see.



Cormier, the captain of Canada's silver-medal winning World Junior team, has been suspended indefinitely. There will be a hearing Thursday where he could learn his final fate with the QMJHL, but that won't solve the problem of possible criminal charges from the authorities in Quebec.

For now, let's set that aside. It's hard to argue with the idea that Cormier deserves to have a day in court over what he did. I've always been one to believe that criminal charges stemming from events inside the arena of sport should be saved for the truly extreme cases. No one should be arguing for the arrest of, say, Kael Mouillierat because he threw an illegal elbow.

But if you can't understand the stark difference between the kind of elbows you see on the ice occasionally and what Cormier did, this post probably isn't for you.

Cormier left the bench, coming on the ice during a routine line change, and immediately made a beeline for Tam. Instead of lining him up for a routine, hard, clean hit that keeps guys from admiring their neutral-zone pass for more than .003 seconds, Cormier skated away from body contact and proceeded to stick his elbow out. He struck Tam while skating by him at full speed, and he got him right in the chops.

This wasn't an insane and emotional reaction to taunting, ala Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup Final. While it may not have been a calculated and premeditated act like Todd Bertuzzi's attack on Steve Moore, it was much closer to that than anything Zidane did.

Tam had not just launched into a trash-talking tirade on Cormier, leading Cormier into a rage and causing him to do something stupid. Had that been the case, perhaps the hockey world would be more understanding.

The QMJHL has a tough decision to make Thursday -- or whenever -- because no suspension is going to be good enough for everyone. If they suspend him for the rest of the season, they're going to tick off New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello, whose team holds Cormier's NHL rights.

Lamoriello does not believe that criminal charges or a suspension for the remainder of the season are warranted for the elbow.

“I’m not the judge and jury of things, but in my opinion this is not something that should be talked about,” Lamoriello said.

... Lamoriello was concerned enough that he made an effort to contact Cormier.

“Only because of the rhetoric that was talked about (with supsension and possible criminal charges) and just asking him how he felt,” Lamoriello said.

Good to know he was concerned enough to contact Cormier. Perhaps someone should call Tam, since he was the one in the hospital!

Lamoriello has reason to be concerned about Cormier, however. As Tom Gulitti points out, Cormier would have to go through an AHL review before he can play for the Lowell Devils if he's suspended for the rest of the QMJHL season.

Frankly, that's the bare minimum punishment we should be talking about here. Since there's no way to punish Cormier beyond that (the NHL isn't going to suspend him for something he did in junior hockey), it's likely where everyone will have to settle.

And if you're one of those who thinks Cormier shouldn't be punished that much, you'd best resign yourself to the idea that he will never again play major junior hockey.