O'Donnell discusses suspension
After practice today, Sean O'Donnell discussed, in detail, the incident in Kansas City with the Islanders' Matt Martin that led to O'Donnell's suspension (three preseason games, two regular-season games). O'Donnell explains his side of the incident, and what led up to it...
O'DONNELL: ``That's the main thing, the leading up to it. You look at an isolated play and it doesn't look good, but when you're watching the game... They had talked us about `head shots.' Not even necessarily elbows, but just shots, unnecessary blows to the head when the guy is vulnerable. I felt like there were a couple times earlier in the game where they had some guys, who were trying to make a name -- whatever, they're trying to make the team -- but I felt like Drew and some of our other players had targets on their backs. They were hitting them pretty hard. They were legal, but they were hard, hard hits.
``Nothing was really said. A couple times, I spoke to one of the guys and challenged him to a fight. Raitis challenged a guy and obviously Westgarth was doing his best. (The Islanders) didn't really want to. Then I saw Martin hit a couple people. Like I said, not dirty but questionable, enough to raise your eyebrows. Then I saw him coming on Drew and I yelled over, `Heads up.' Drew got out of the way, but I felt that at the last second, instead of just missing his check, he came up with his shoulder and clipped Drew in the chin. I saw Drew's head go back and so I went over there.
``I probably should have given him a little slash on the ankles and then fought him, but I didn't. I reacted. There's a part of me that feels kind of paternal toward Drew. Maybe I overreacted a little bit, but I went over there and I wanted to initiate a fight. I gave him a cross-check, and in my mind I gave him a cross-check right by the shoulder, in the upper chest. I skated quite a ways. I skated probably 15, 20 feet. When I did hit him with the cross-check, my momentum carried him over and that's what knocked him over and he crumpled down to the ice. You can see where I hit him, and where he ended up was about 10 feet away. So it was more like, I hit him and we kind of slid.
``There was no film. I felt that, at no time, did my stick make contact with any part of his head area. The refs felt that when I hit him, it (came up) and I got him. There's no tape. The refs felt it was one way and I felt it was the other way.''
Helene Elliott of the Times relayed Dean Lombardi's reaction to O'Donnell, in which Lombardi expressed disappointment that O'Donnell would lose two games' worth of salary and jokingly hinted that he wished he could pay O'Donnell to be a scout in those games.
``How about an extension for a year?'' O'Donnell said with a laugh. ``I'm not ready to start scouting yet.''
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About the bloggers
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews.com.
OD is great. You have to love the fact that a family feeling is growing with this team.
Odie is Awesome. And yes, that is with a capital A.
If I was a coach/GM, I'd start keeping my bettter players out of pre-season games if it's mostly young guys trying to make the team by running down other teams star players. From what I can tell the pre-season has become fight, fight, uneccesarily hard hit, fight, dirty play, uneccesarily hard hit, dirty play, dirty play, fight, fight, fight. Why should it ever be necessary to suspend a player for actions in a pre-season game? Give me a break. I know players are trying to make a name for themselves and maybe earn a roster spot. That's fine, I have no problem with that. But they shouldn't be trying to do it by hurting other players. OD knows he has a spot, he wasn't trying to prove anything other than "you go after my guy, I go after you." Meanwhile, Martin was simply thinking "If I hit Doughty hard enough maybe coach wil notice me." Too bad he missed from what OD says. Guess we won't be seeing him anytime this season.
Anyway, long story short, I would keep all my best players out of pre-season games. Not worth losing Kopitar or anyone else to some Matt Martin type.
Props to OD for sticking up for Drew.
Congrats Rich! Thank you for all of the wonderful work you have done for us here on this sight! Hopefully you will still blog with us from the Kings web site!!!!!
This is why we have O'D. Remember the playoffs against the Blues many years ago? Geoff Courtnall ran Jaimie Storr in a game. Who beat the **** out of him? SEAN "MF" O'Donnell!!! O'D is just like Luc, a King among Kings!!!
Rich -- my son was extremely disappointed that you were never able to initiate the "tip jar" for the blog. I told him that it worked out for the best and if there was ever an opportunity to resurrect the idea I would ask.
OD is losing $25K of so next week; do you think you might be able to get the Kings to add a suspension tip jar? Hey, we could at least pay for his gas.
OD did a good job with the interview, except I think he meant to say "I saw Drew's head SNAP back and so I went over there"
Jet, we already pay for his gas.