Thursday, April 14, 2016

What Is Going On Here?

Hey, QMJHL, we need to talk.

Like, I know it’s hard sometimes being a sports league and all, but this season long series between Cape Breton and Saint John has gotten really weird.

There have been a lot of “incidents” between the Sea Dogs and Screaming Eagles this year – which maybe shouldn’t be a huge shock considering the two led the league in fightsWhat’s disturbing is how the league and officials have handled these incidents. There’s definitely some inconsistencies when it comes to suspending players (shocker). But the amount of suspensions that resulted from minor penalties or no penalties at all is shocking.

Here is a look at all the suspensions and some of the dangerous plays that have come from the season long series.

Jan. 3, 2016 – Olivier LeBlanc suspended three games
Former Sea Dogs captain Olivier LeBlanc is suspended three games for a hit on Oliver Felixson in a Jan. 3, 2016 game at Centre 200. No penalty call of any kind was made on the play.


Felixson did not play again until Jan. 29.
Jan. 26, 2016 – Maxim Baillargeon suspended four games
Maxim Baillargeon is suspended four games for a hit in a Jan. 23 game at Harbour Station. No penalty call of any kind was made on the play.


March 18, 2016 – Bokondji Imama suspended one game
Bokondji Imama is given an automatic one-game suspension for “addition of codes 3/4/5.” Imama was given two unsportsmanlike conducts in the March 18 game at Centre 200.

March 18, 2016 – Pierre-Luc Dubois suspended two games
Pierre-Luc Dubois is suspended two games for a “dangerous push into the boards, with injury” during the March 18 game at Centre 200. Dubois was forced to sit out the final game of the regular season and first game of the playoffs.



No penalty call of any kind was made on the play.

Green missed the final game of the regular season and first four games of the playoffs with an upper body injury.

April 7, 2016 – Sea Dogs and Screaming Eagles each fined $500
Bokondji Imama and Loik Leveille did something during warm up that resulted in each team getting fined $500.

April 9, 2016 – Nathan Noel suspended one game
Nathan Noel is suspended one game for a hit on Giovanni Fiore in game two of the QMJHL quarterfinal on April 9 at Harbour Station.
Noel was only given a checking from behind minor penalty on the play. He went on to assist on the overtime winning goal.

April 11, 2016 – No suspension for Pierre-Luc Dubois
The Sea Dogs sent tape of Pierre-Luc Dubois’ hit on Spencer Smallman from game three of the QMJHL quarterfinal to the league for review. No suspension was given.



Dubois was given a two minute minor for checking from behind on the play.

In the same game, Dubois was also given an interference minor penalty for this hit on Oliver Felixson, which was similar to the hit Noel was suspended for.


April 12, 2016 – Bokondji Imama hit on Tobie Bisson
Bokondji Imama is given a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding in game four of the QMJHL quarterfinal. Tobie Bisson was stretchered off the ice.
The league has not announced any supplementary discipline as of yet.

Bisson is done for the series.
It has been an eventful season series between these two to say the least.

I'm not going to say which of these plays were deserving of the discipline they got - because I honestly don't know. I'm not sure what's minor penalty worthy, major penalty worthy or suspension worthy anymore. And that's okay, I guess. What's not okay is that the league doesn't quite seem to know either - or at least can't make up their mind.

You could easily go back decades and find inconsistencies with QMJHL officiating and suspensions. But this season series has really pointed some out. Hopefully the league can figure it out - and soon.

9 comments:

  1. He reason Dubois wasn't suspended longer is because his draft stock is very important to league officials as he is the highest North American ranked forward in the draft and a suspension during the playoffs could effect where he ends up drafted in the 1st round. This is obvious because he should have been suspended during the series as well and wasn't. The golden boy effect. Makes me sick. Also to suspend Noel knowing the hit wasn't controversial takes away a 3rd of our top 6 forwards and helps Dubois chance of taking his team deeper in the playoffs with wins over a short-handed SeaDogs. No respect for a team who produced the highest number of players drafted in a single year? Oh right.. that was last year..

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    1. Do you order your tin foil hats online or make your own?

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  2. He reason Dubois wasn't suspended longer is because his draft stock is very important to league officials as he is the highest North American ranked forward in the draft and a suspension during the playoffs could effect where he ends up drafted in the 1st round. This is obvious because he should have been suspended during the series as well and wasn't. The golden boy effect. Makes me sick. Also to suspend Noel knowing the hit wasn't controversial takes away a 3rd of our top 6 forwards and helps Dubois chance of taking his team deeper in the playoffs with wins over a short-handed SeaDogs. No respect for a team who produced the highest number of players drafted in a single year? Oh right.. that was last year..

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  3. They figured it all out decades ago. It's called.."Make it up as we go along"

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  4. On the Dubois hit on Smallman why is there no mention of the elbow to Dubois' head seconds before?

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  5. Sounds like that elbow really messed him up..

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  6. "On the Dubois hit on Smallman why is there no mention of the elbow to Dubois' head seconds before?"

    You better watch the video above again on that statement.....no elbow to the head. And if you can get the HD video the coaches/league have you will clearly see there is no contact of Luke Green elbow to his head.

    Dubois got knocked down easily and takes his frustration out with a high hit from behind. That hit was easily the easiest one to have an extra game or two suspension on.

    This is why the Q league is known as being the most corrupt league in North America...embarrassing.

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  7. on faceoff previous to smallman hit check out smallmans flossing dubois teeth with his stick
    no call then revenge

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  8. The only thing I agree with is yes he was knocked down easy.......by an elbow to his or near his head :). You can clearly see the follow through with his elbow in the HD video. At the very least would you agree its interference which would have stopped the play thus no need for the hit on Smallman. BTW I am not trying to defend Dubois hit. It was bad. Just pointing out that there were more then one infraction in that clip.

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