Fanelli

[Scream'nbyche]

Can anyone imagine what it would be like to have a US Navy Seal playing hockey? Michael Liambras is best suited to join the US Navy Seals. Michael Liambras is a highly trained killing machine. If he was to play in the NHL today (?) he'd destroy half his opponents. Michael Liambras is Robo-cop on ice. The Terminator with skates. Michael Liambras is beyond enforcer. Ben Fanelli to a guy like Michael Liambras has victim written all over him. Michael Liambras should have gone pro in the ECHL at age 18. To have a player like Michael Liambras playing against 16 year olds is just as much the fault of David Branch as any. Michael Liambras was only doing what the OHL wanted him to do. David Branch is a hypocritical two-faced swine if he thinks banning Michael Liambras for life makes him (David Branch) look any better. David Branch as commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League should have forced Michael Liambras out into the pros long ago. They only kept Michael Liambras around to sell tickets.

[Squonk]

Dave Branch decided to ruin two lives instead of one. Maybe this is an entry for the 'Tying the length of suspension to the injury time lost' department. Dave Branch overstepped his bounds. All Michael Liambas did was what his coaches asked him to do - Play hard - Hit hard. The hit was clean. Ben Fanelli, being a rookie - turned into the hit and that made the hit worse. Michael Liambas did nothing wrong on the play. The penalty called on the ice was the wrong call to make. The call made by David Branch was the wrong call to make.

[Bus Monkey]

Michael Liambas caught Ben Fanelli on the fore-check pinch and he hit him - Oh well, that's hockey. I'm willing to bet that if Michael Liambas of the Erie Otters was a drafted player, David Branch would never have given him such a ridiculous suspension. I'm also willing to bet that if the Erie Otters weren't such a bad team, David Branch would have reacted differently.

[Mull]

Ben Fanelli obviously did not have his helmet strapped on right.
Ben Fanelli's helmet flew right off.
His helmet strap was loose. Untied. Loose.
That's not Michael Liambas' fault.
David Branch is an idiot.

[Pompousass]

Michael Liambras was given a Match penalty for Boarding and a Game Misconduct. The right call would have been a four minute double-minor for Boarding on the play - or, a four minute double minor for Hitting From Behind and a Game Misconduct.

[Pompousass]

Michael Liambras did not intent to injure Ben Fanelli. Without 'intent' the case would be thrown out of court. Michael Liambras is being punished for the end-result of the hit, not for the hit itself. In that sense David Branch also made the wrong assessment. You cannot punish a player for the end-result. The punishment should be just for the hit itself. It's not Michael Liambras's fault that Ben Fanelli didn't have his helmet properly affixed and it's not Michael Liambras's fault that Ben Fanelli is a stupid hockey player.

[Jack the Ripper]

A stupid player or a rookie? Either/or. David Branch has ruined a young man's life. As for Ben Fanelli (?) He has the same potential as Eric Brewer - Mobile yet not too bright. After this incident, I wouldn't want him. Why draft STUPID HOCKEY PLAYERS

[Jack the Ripper]

Ben Fanelli should be in tier two junior. He hasn't the speed or quickness to play at this level. Eventually, he'll be killed. If Ben Fanelli does resume his career, someone else will nail him, again and again and again. Hockey's a tough sport. If David Branch really wanted to do something to help young players, he'd get Ben Fanelli out of the league FOR HIS OWN GOOD.

David Branch has made a bad decision here.
David Branch should be FIRED.
Re-instate Michael Liambas.

[Ziggy]

Michael Liambas will not be appealing the decision but he should appeal it. Watch the video, people. Michael Liambas did not take any extra strides prior to the hit. Michael Liambas did not leave his feet in making the hit. The hit was clean. David Branch plays God and he does a sh1tty job of it.

[Hockology101]

The Liambas Hit

The hit that Michael Liambas laid on rookie Ben Fanelli was the same hit that Ottawa Senator forward Chris Neil laid on Tampa Bay Lightning rookie Victor Hedman. Victor Hedman also missed his next game which was against Montreal.

That hit has been laid out a hundred times over the past hundred years.
The truth be known, most likely a thousand times over the past hundred years.
That hit is so common it should have its own name.

We all know what the Open Ice Hit is. The Open Ice Hit in the neutral zone or between the face-off circles and the center red line we know. That was the hit Mike Richards laid on David Booth. That was the hit Scott Stevens laid on Eric Lindros. The yet-to-be-named hit that for the sake of argument we can call The Liambas Hit broke the leg of Detroit Red Wings forward Jason Williams (Nov.7th Toronto) and Andrei Kostitsyn laid on not one but two Tampa Bay Lightning players in the same game Victor Hedman missed after being taken out by Ottawa's Chris Neil the day before.

The Liambas Hit
Why are these people acting like this is something 'unusual?'
The Liambas Hit - Something that happens more often than a Penalty Shot.
The Liambas Hit - No Touch Icing required - NOW