JP Lombardo & Scott Sabourin 5 game suspentions

Can someone please tell me why JP got 5 games from that so called headcheck?? What a load of crap. All though Erik is indufinte. Scotty got 5 games as well for that Penalty on Sunday. branch and company sure did't look at the tapes closely.

There is no way J.P. deserves a 5 game suspension. He tried to avoid the goalie altogether. Another dumb decision by Branch and his crew.
As for Gudbranson, glad it was indefintie. I see that him and Gilmour had a big disagreement and Gilmour removed to 'A" from Gudbranson. Maybe he should give it back to him as "A" stands for a**hole!!!!

considering Gudbranson's hit was a leaping jump at JP, who is 8" shorter than him (& we're lucky JP was not hurt!!) he should be looking at a long time in the team press box!

I think the suspensions are a direct result and message of our undiscplined team at times.

I don't believe that Labardo deserved 5 games. But As every game on TV mentions....Oshawa is the highest penalized team in the league. Reputations leads to the league to start making examples.

I think this was a message to our team ......from the O. That is just my opinion though.

I didnt' get a good look at Sabourin's play to comment on whether it was deserving or not.

This seems to be a message to the team - But to me when the goalie and player are both going for the puck at the same time - it is what it is.

Looks like goalies are protected anywhere on the ice not just the crease

I thought at the time that the Sabourin hit was exactly the type of thing they are trying to remove from the game - thought he was silly to deliver it - mindless really.

On the JP hit, I was sitting up in the Medallion seats for a changes and had a great view of it - didn't even think he merited a penalty as they both had thier sticks out stretched at high speed - how could anything be avoided. I would agree if he had gone behind the net and taken a run at the goalie, but in open ice, both going for the puck with out stretched sticks - don't see how that was even a penalty really - could be because his helmet went flying, but from my vantage point (well worth the $25) it was a lame call.

I'm at wits end here. My screen name says it all. Branch is a tyrannical dictator. It's one thing to get rid of head shots - that's a good thing. But this suspension proves to me that's not what it's about for Branch. It's about control and getting attention. Why else would Gudbranson's suspension be "indefinite?" four days is enough to make a decision, but it's not long enough to do the media tour. He'll go on with elitist jerk Damian Cox who will suck up to him as always. His neighbor and buddy Bob McKenzie will call him "courageous" or some other bs. He will have to go on XM to get praised by namby-pamby Scott Laughlin. What do Cox, McKenzie and Laughlin have in common? They don't regularly watch OHL games.

Therefore, they won't realize Labardo didn't contact Grubauer's head. They wot realize Grubauer knows how to shake the head so the mask comes off (every goalie knows this). They won't realize it was a play for the puck and Labardo tried to avoid Grubauer. Tried? I watched it over and over, frame by frame and I'm unconvinced the bodies touched. I'm absolutely convinced Labardo came nowhere near Grubauer's head. Grubauer is a whiner, a diver, and after this, he can expect brutal heckling at the GMC!!!

After all this, Gudbranson throws a flying elbow while taking more than three strides, leaving his feet, on a head shot, after the whistle. I still believe Liambas was a clean hit, but regardless of whether it was, I feel this is magnitudes of times worse than Liambas, Kassian, and yes, more intent than Cormier. Cormier was bad. Gudbranson was worse. The difference from Liambas/Fanelli is, the GMC has flexible glass, unlike the Kitchener Aud. If this happens in Kitchener, Labardo is badly hurt. In addition, watching in frame by frame, Labardo turned to face the hit just in time. He got his hands up and jumped himself to absorb the hit better. Had he been hit a second earlier, it could have been very bad.

I would have given Gudbranson 5-10 games (by my standards, not OHl standards. I think the OHL gives long suspensions so easy they've lost their impact, they need to get back to 5-10 games being significant) and given Labardo a very sincere apology for giving him any penalty.

Branch hates Oshawa. It's not about style of play, it goes deeper. It's apparent to me two things -- and keep in mind, I moved to Ontario as a neutral fan, and Oshawa is not my closest team. Oshawa gets continually screwed and Kitchener gets every break from the refs. Check the power play/penalty kill disparity for both teams. I've become a Generals fan because of the style of play and the underdog factor - I could never cheer for Branch's golden boys in Kitchener. (I believe if Fanelli plays for Erie and Liambas for Kitchener, the suspension is very different).

In short, the team must continue to play real hockey, not namby-pamby, wussified hockey like some OHL teams. This team has learned to overcome refs and use it to their advantage, they will just have to do it more now.

This suspension is beyond belief.

i agree with you 100 % , branch has little napolien syndrome , he has the majority of thr governors in his pocket because since he has been the commish , the popularity of the ohl has grown dramatically and as a result the owners are making money . The sad reality is that i think that the ohls 's success has very little if anything to do with branch , its just a coincidence that he is taking full credit for
ohl hockey has become so popular because the average person cannot afford to go the nhl , leaf games in particular ., plain and simple
in fact i think the entertainment value has dimminished over the years because of branches sticking his nose into the play on the ice , with all these rules to reduce the rough stuff
he;s trying desperately to elimninate fighting , and the result is all this hitting from behind and stick work , that in my view would be greatly reduced if the perpitrater new they would have to drop the gloves for pulling such stunts .
to me branch has really screwed up ohl hockey , the teams are too young as well , and if it gets any younger , i will be dropping out and taking my money to the ahl ...yes bring me back the ohl of the 80" s baby , those were the days , and oh yes branch wasnt the comish back then , or he was just getting going and hadnt screwed it up yet .........i personally try to ignore him at every turn , not let him ruin it any further for me .

I understand the suspension is beyond belief - However Branch does not make any suspensions alone - it is a committee

The OHL is in a tough position - tougher than ever to convince parents to play in the OHL - more concussions and injuries due to a lack of respect from the players.

It appears that the discipline now is - intent to injure and not injure Gubrandson will likely see - about 10 - 15 games as he has had 1 - 5 gamer already

I still have a hard time wirth the Kassian pasting of Esposto last yr - no penalty or suspension

I will always support the OHL over any MLSE run team

Great post, mygens!

AHL'or junior A/B...officiating is equally brutal in junior B, but it's quite a bit better in junior A and the suspensions-for-show don't exist.

Genscamper...is it a committee? Who's on it? I'd been told it was Branch who was the lone wolf on suspensions. I actually feel the Kassian on Esposto hit was clean, but we can agree to have different opinions there.

I get as annoyed with ML$E as anyone, but I'd rather give them a hundred bucks than give Branch a penny if he was starving on a street corner.

One thing...and I've read this in articles...why does the OHL think they'll win the recruiting war with the NCAA by making it softer than the NCAA? I still see some NCAA and at one point had NCAA season tickets -- the game there hasn't changed the same way. At one point, the NCAA was softer, but there's no question the OHL is softer now. Do parents really want their kids to get used to being babied in the OHL, developing habits like turning their back to a hit and skating with their head down because they know they're overprotected, only to get to the NHL/AHL/ECHL/CIS, etc., and learn the hard way how badly you get hurt when you try that in actual hockey?

This clearly wasn't a head shot, so all I can figure is it's a big middle finger from Branch to Oshawa.

I'm with you, mygens. Hamilton Bulldogs tickets are looking good -- seats where you don't have to look through the nets are half as much for the Bulldogs as the Marlies, and as I don't enjoy afternoon hockey enough to go to the rink in the afternoon, I think that'd leave me with about five total Marlies games over a season!

Gens Camper wrote:I understand the suspension is beyond belief - However Branch does not make any suspensions alone - it is a committee

The OHL is in a tough position - tougher than ever to convince parents to play in the OHL - more concussions and injuries due to a lack of respect from the players.

It appears that the discipline now is - intent to injure and not injure Gubrandson will likely see - about 10 - 15 games as he has had 1 - 5 gamer already

I still have a hard time wirth the Kassian pasting of Esposto last yr - no penalty or suspension

I will always support the OHL over any MLSE run team

Gudbrandson received 5 games for a head check right before the world junior camp...he was also involved in an incident Sunday afternoon. Coming to the aid of Nathan Moon who was jumped by Garret Ross of Saginaw (who was suspended for 6 games). The fact that a) he is a repeat offender b) these incidents happened all in one weekend will factor in to how many games he actually does get.

http://www.kingstonfrontenacs.com/article/gudbranson-stokes-suspended

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??

Grubauer was in the net at the time? An elbow to the head by LABARDO??

The Iraqi information minister has found employment in Kingston.

Gilmour says Gudbranson showed CHARACTER?

I've worked in this field. I'd be incredibly embarrassed to work for a team that actually released that as a press release.

I mean, there's spin, then there's outright lies. This is lies.

Thanks for posting that....I find it very hard to read. I know that the site is there to support Kingston Frontenacs and their team...but have they not reviewed the incident? Are the tapes not available for them to review as well? How can they make the statement that Laboardo elbowed him in the net??? He wasn't in the net...he was almost at the blueline!!!!!!! It made it sound like we went after him. Someone was smoking cheap stuff when they wrote that article.

After many seasons i have almost had it with the Officiating and Management of the OHL.
I am seriously thinking of selling my remaining tickets and not renewing.
Branch has screwed Oshawa for years(Bryan Allen) being another case.
I feel really bad for Larbardo to have miss 5 games for something he didn't
start or do.Disgusting!!

Overbank, I'm almost there too.

If anyone wants to be part of an official protest, I'm in. Whether that means wearing FIRE BRANCH shirts ( there's a place in Windsor that sells DAVID BRANCH SUCKS t-shirts, you can google that phrase and find them, they do online orders), showing up late for a game en masse ( example, we meet outside ten or twenty minutes after the start of the game and as we enter the arena concourse, start yelling Free La-Bar-Do or Fire Branch), wearing black armbands ( or Generals red?), encouraging everyone to bring FIRE BRANCH or FREE LABARDO signs..or all of the above.

Any other ideas???

I don't think Lombardo's play with Grubaurer was even a penalty. Sabourin's was a penalty, but not a 5 gamer.

top gunner wrote:I don't think Lombardo's play with Grubaurer was even a penalty. Sabourin's was a penalty, but not a 5 gamer.

Agree entirely! Five games is a very long suspension (the fact that this league issues incredibly long suspensions doesn't change the fact five is very long), but I can accept Sabourin's because at least he did something. Labardo's clearly wasn't a penalty. He turned to miss the goalie, never touched the head, and in fact, any contact that occurred was initiated by Grubauer sticking out his left leg to trip Labardo. IF the play required a penalty, it was tripping on Grubauer. The refs blew it, but the mind boggling aspect is, the league added to the penalty with a long suspension!!

Never, never have I see this type of suspension-for-show outside of the OHL. And I've had season tickets to the NHL, AHL, IHL, ECHL, NCAA, USHL, WCHL, WHL and watch a lot of junior A and B. It only happens one place and with one person (Branch). I can't take it anymore!

Labardo should have laid him out. It would have been worth the extra 5 or so games and at least then it would have been well deserved!

p.s. next time we play Kingston I hope Clark fights him again. I was sort of against it at the time, but after seeing him in two games play so dirty the guy deserves it.

Wheres James Delory when you need someone flattened.

archer_gens wrote:Labardo should have laid him out. It would have been worth the extra 5 or so games and at least then it would have been well deserved!

p.s. next time we play Kingston I hope Clark fights him again. I was sort of against it at the time, but after seeing him in two games play so dirty the guy deserves it.

Wheres James Delory when you need someone flattened.

Agree entirely!!! If we get suspended anyway, let's deserve it!! It's a lot easier to take that way. A deserved ten game, I can handle. An undeserved five game, I can't. And with Branch, you know the Generals will get suspended anyway, might as well deserve it.

Grubauer should have gotin a triping and delay of game for that check to the head( and i use that lightly). J.P. was no near his head and as for erik he was head hunting after J.P. was triped by Grubauer.

i agree labardo shouldn't have gotten any games since he wasn't even near his head.

archer_gens wrote:
Wheres James Delory when you need someone flattened.

Delory would have missed him and hit the boards.

"AN OSCAR"

My understanding is DIPS fought long and hard for JP as well as fighting hard to keep EG out for a long time ( insiders are comparing EG hit to Kassian;s )