From The Editor's Chair - Edition 46

After a little bit of hiatus, the view from the Editor's chair returns and with it a few thoughts about the incident which caused so much debate and discussion.

Now the dust has apparently settled, I thought I’d write a special piece which details my opinions on the Fretter-Goulakos incident and all that. As I said, it’s my opinion and I don’t expect anyone to wholly agree with what I’ll say but this is just me being me. Got that?

The whole incident has certainly left an indelible mark on hockey over here. One that may take weeks or even longer to remove. I think it will still be talked about by some and they won’t let it lie especially if a Steelers player in the future throws a hit on an opposing player and the opposing fans are in uproar over it. It’s bound to happen, so let’s be realistic here. Mind you, could it be argued that us Steelers fans will feel equally aggrieved if one of our players is subject to something similar? No team it can be said is immune to it.

So onto the incident itself. Prior to it happening, Goulakos had already served a 2 plus 10 checking from behind penalty in the first period for a hit on Steelers winger Levi Nelson. What was missed then was a clear slash by the afore mentioned defenceman on the winger which could have got him in serious hot water if spotted. Fans spotted it, myself included, but the call on the night for that remained just the 2 plus 10. Early signs of a chippy game. Then after Zack Fitzgerald was ejected on 5 plus game misconduct for high sticking on Brendan Connolly, you just knew it was going to get worse unless referee Michael Hicks got a lid on it. Unfortunately, as we all know now, he failed in that respect and in my humble opinion here: that was a contributory factor to it all.

A minute before the “incident” Goulakos had shown the good side to his game, scoring an absolute howitzer of a strike over the glove of Ervins Mustukovs and into the top shelf. A goal that most NHL goalies would have struggled to keep out, it was a peach. Then it happened, Colton Fretter is sent flying into the boards by the Giants defenceman. A clear penalty, right? No, Mr Hicks plays on and allows it to go unpunished. Fretter picks himself up, and looks around for the call but realises it is not going to come so seeks personal retribution on the man who sent him flying. He travels at such speed that Goulakos never sees him coming, and contrary to some description, he (Fretter) didn’t leave the bench. Fretter’s stick is tossed away as he zooms in on his target, and he arrives on scene to dish personal punishment.

Let me make this clear already, in my opinion you can’t do what he (Fretter) did even if the official offered you no protection on a previous clash. Imagine being out on the town and somebody gets your red mist going under the nose of a policeman and nothing gets done, so you decide to take it out on your preparator – you would not expect the policeman to turn a blind eye to it all would you? You’d be arrested, wouldn’t you? That’s how you can possibly see a similarity with this. Anyway, I digress, as Fretter starts to wade into Goulakos, the defenceman’s skates suddenly rise and to me that is as dangerous as being punched if not more. Skate cuts if they pierce the skin can be life threatening, remember Clint Malarchuk in the NHL all those years. With the body position of both Goulakos and Fretter as they were, it could have seen a stray swish of a blade to pierce Fretter’s shorts and meet unprotected skin. Pierce that and you will see blood, and that could have been damaging if not dealt with immediately.

Anyway, after the melee had been brought under control, eventually, Fretter was given a 5 plus game misconduct for checking from behind for his part in the incident and Goulakos was assessed a match penalty for “kicking” but there didn’t seem to be any kicking motion. Dangerous play maybe with the skates in the air. I was convinced there would be more to come from it, and sure enough there was. The so-called Department of Player Safety ruled that Fretter’s part to be upgraded to a single game ban and for Goulakos a three-match suspension due to multiple incidents which had gone on in the game. Cue media meltdown with fans, current EIHL players and former players going mental. I was really surprised that the one game ban was issued, it deserved far much more. Cries of “Steelers run the league and DoPS” were all too often on social media from fans from other clubs which is, and has never been, true. Cardiff Devils GM Todd Kelman had hinted a year ago at a Devils fan forum, that DoPS was just one person (former league referee Simon Kirkham) but nobody knew if this was correct as the league was still not transparent enough to admit it.

The majority of the Steelers fan base were amazed at the decision, and had to field so much vitriol and at times, it felt like, pure hatred from the fans from around the country. Makes you wonder what kind of kick these people get from this, and certainly defies the logic of a hockey family sticking together. Steelers were public enemy even though the club had nothing to do with it, it was just a Molotov cocktail of Hicks, Fretter, Goulakos and DoPS as far as I was, and still am, concerned. Obviously with this outcry, the league had to act because the good name of the league was being besmirched through plenty of mudslinging. Thankfully, they did in 24 hours and organised an independent review which involved former NHL linesman Lyle Seltz. The outcome was greeted with relief but still contentious all the same, Fretter’s ban was upgraded to six games but Goulakos downgraded to two.

Whilst personally I welcomed the increase of Fretter’s ban, I can only feel that Goulakos can count himself a bit lucky with the downgrade of his suspension. For the independent opinion saying that Goulakos might have been concussed when he raised his skates, that’s something I ain’t buying. Sorry but I am not. There are rumoured reports that he was laughing and joking about at all with a team-mate post game, and if that’s right: you certainly don’t do that if you’re suffering from concussion type symptoms. Yet it is what it is now, and I hope that this whole sorry tale is now done and dusted bar some people on social media who seem hell bent on not letting it lie down quietly. The cynic in me just feels like that the blue touch paper has been lit now, and we could be witnesses to more controversy when the Steelers and Giants play each other next. There’s definitely a bit of bad blood going on, which makes for an interesting rivalry, but hopefully common sense will prevail. We can only wish and dream, can we?

Yours in hockey,

Mark

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