To suspend . . . or not to suspend

Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president hockey, handles all of the league’s disciplinary issues.
He has been around the WHL longer than anyone. And the one word that always is used to describe him is “fair.” He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and you can bet that he has yet to issue a suspension that he enjoyed handing out.
It was his decision not to suspend D Tyler Myers of the Kelowna Rockets for at least the first game of the WHL championship final. The Rockets are to open that series Friday night in Calgary against the Hitmen.
Myers received a major penalty for boarding and an automatic game misconduct at 7:51 of the third period in Game 6 of the Western Conference final on Monday night in Kelowna. Myers checked Vancouver Giants D Craig Schira and referees Pat Smith and Andy Thiessen chose to issue the boarding major.
The Rockets, of course, went on to win the game, 5-4 in overtime, thus taking the best-of-seven series, 4-2. And there immediately was speculation involving the immediate playing future of the 6-foot-8 Myers.
It should be noted that Doerksen reviews every major penalty that occurs in any WHL game. This one, then, would be no different.
“I was at the game so had seen it numerous times before talking to the officials after,” Doerksen said Wednesday.
He then explained a bit of the thought process involving the two referees.
“We have a double minor for checking from behind,” Doerksen said, pointing out that Vancouver D Nolan Toigo had been on the receiving end of exactly that call at 11:27 of the second period. “We don’t have a double minor for boarding.”
The establishing of these penalties go back to March 1, 1987, when Regina Pats forward Brad Hornung was left a quadriplegic after being on the receiving end of a hit from behind.
“We had a minor penalty or, if a player was injured, a major and a game misconduct,” Doerksen said. “Or if it was really severe it was a match penalty.”
But, as time wore on, something happened on the ice – some players tried to take advantage of the situation.
“What we were getting was . . . a guy would turn at the last second and the (checker) can’t hold up, now he hits him and the player is cut or injured and the (checker) is thrown out of the game,” Doerksen said. “There had to be some kind of break for (the checker) if the opponent turns. It’s not fair. He thinks he’s going to hit him legally and he turns on him.”
And, on Monday night, that was the situation Doerksen found himself facing.
“We reviewed this one immediately,” he said. “There’s no doubt on the play that Schira turns just before he gets hit. The referees didn’t pick that up. They didn’t think it was necessarily checking from behind so they went boarding. When the player was injured, it went to a major and a game misconduct because under boarding there is no double minor.”
Schira suffered a 10-stitch facial cut, a hand injury and a concussion.
“I hate it when players get injured . . . yet my policy over all these years has been that when the player turns in front,” Doerksen stated, “(the checker) is not intending to hit him from behind. Therefore, I don’t give a suspension on it.
“It gets amplified when that player is injured quite seriously. But, to be consistent on my rulings, and we had a couple this season that were very similar, there is no suspension assessed on the play.”
Had Schira been drilled from behind, Doerksen said, things would have been different.
“If I didn’t think there was a turning and (Myers) had just run him from behind,” Doerksen said, “we’d be talking how many games, not the one game everyone seems to think I should give just because a player got injured.
“I’m trying to be consistent with previous rulings.”
Doerksen added that this situation could perhaps lead the WHL’s competition committee into a discussion. Perhaps there could be a double minor option attached to a boarding foul.
In the meantime, Doerksen said, “My policy has been and will continue to be that there is no suspension given when the player turns.”
The turn by Schira, Doerksen said, “is the critical part of it.”
“Schira picks up the puck on his backhand and if he just keeps going with it, he’s going to get hit hard, there’s no doubt about it,” Doerksen said. “It’s going to be right on the shoulder from the side and there’s no penalty applicable. He looks over his shoulder and he sees the big guy coming – and (Myers) is a big guy – and he turns back . . . right as he’s getting hit and now it’s right in the numbers. And, unfortunately, he gets hurt.”
Doerksen understands that Vancouver fans are up in arms over his decision not to suspend Myers. And Doerksen knows that Kelowna fans are in full agreement with the decision. He knows, too, that were the skate on the other foot, the two groups would look at it the other way, too.
It is that passion that makes hockey in Canada such a great game.
And now Doerksen just wants to enjoy what he expects will be a great championship final.