djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Leonsis suspended one week, Caps fined $100K FOXSports.com Posted: 12 minutes ago Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has been suspended for one week by the National Hockey League and the team has been fined $100,000. Leonsis had an altercation Sunday with a Capitals fan, Jason Hammer. The 20-year-old college student taunted Leonsis with a sign and joined a group of other fans who were chanting towards the owner's box. After the game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Puddy Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 This guy actually got lucky. I bet he gets lots of free stuff out of this. Heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylbert Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 It seems weird that the NHL has the power to suspend an owner.... but whatever... $100,000 fine seems kinda light considering its a week suspension... but where does the money go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 It seems weird that the NHL has the power to suspend an owner.... but whatever...$100,000 fine seems kinda light considering its a week suspension... but where does the money go? To the players health association or something like that, where all the suspension money goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 This guy actually got lucky. I bet he gets lots of free stuff out of this. Heh. Well, I bet this guy will sue the Capitals as well as Leonsis, and will win... The owner will be wishing he didn't push this guy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Ehh, any form of lawsuit probably won't go far, if it goes any further it will be settled out of court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 Ehh, any form of lawsuit probably won't go far, if it goes any further it will be settled out of court. I think that that 20 year old will be walking away happy he was pushed if you ask me... For him it would be well worth what I believe he will receive to stay out of a lawsuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilMinder Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Free pair of season tix would persuade me to drop any complaints! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 Free pair of season tix would persuade me to drop any complaints! I think he'll get a bit more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJayDevil Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Lifetime season tickets. Hmmmm, I know where Lou's owner's box is!!! But doing that to Lou is like doing that to God, and that's a no no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 Lifetime season tickets.Hmmmm, I know where Lou's owner's box is!!! But doing that to Lou is like doing that to God, and that's a no no. Yeah Lou is in BOX 119, right under me in 229, I try to say hello every game... Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilMinder Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 You don't mess with the King devil unless you wanna disappear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 You don't mess with the King devil unless you wanna disappear. I don't think I'd taunt Lou unless he traded Brodeur, Stevens, Niedermayer, or Elias. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 (edited) According to ESPN.com: I can think of at least a dozen reasons why the NHL could have come down a little lighter on Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who was given a one-week suspension and a $100,000 fine by league commissioner Gary Bettman for an altercation with a fan. Exactly what Leonsis did or didn't do is still the subject of conflicting accounts, but there is no doubt he lunged at Jason Hammer and put his hands on him. I could argue that Hammer pushed Leonsis too far and that, given the circumstances, Leonsis was asked to take more than any man should have to. I could ask the league to consider that Leonsis was being ridiculed and insulted by someone who had no idea about the true workings of either the business or emotional side of being a sports owner. I could defend Leonsis with an argument that he has built up a reservoir of good will, both with the league and the always-iffy Capitals fan base. I could say that his exceptionally sharp business skills and innovative approaches to running a franchise in a town that doesn't seem to give a good gosh darn about the sport are a model for franchises across North America. I could even explain that really caring about a team as part of an extended family and an extended community should count for something, that there should be a limit to how much a man is forced to endure -- especially a man who willingly absorbed millions of dollars in losses and saw his best-laid plans go astray. Regardless of these arguments, though, one week wasn't enough punishment for Ted Leonsis. Neither was the $100,000 fine. It's simple. An owner, coach or general manager simply should never, ever lay hands upon a fan. I know Leonsis to be a good man, a daring and innovative owner and a caring member of both the NHL fraternity and the Washington community. I would argue before and after this incident that both the league and the D.C. area are fortunate to have him. That said, he still crossed the one line that no owner, coach or general manager can ever cross; he accosted and demeaned a paying customer. Was Hammer a jerk? It would appear so. Did he go too far in getting his sign and his chants right up into Leonsis' face, embarrassing him in front of friends, family and fans? Absolutely. Did he deserve to have someone put him in his place? By the code of hockey and most every other basic human instinct, it would appear he could benefit from anything from a verbal put-down to a harassment charge and maybe even an old-fashioned spanking from his father once he got home. But not from Ted Leonsis. It's not just because the customer is king and has a right to express his opinion. It's not because the league has enough of an image problem without having an owner resort to a scene right out of "Slap Shot." It's simply because someone needs to stand for basic civility, even in the face of truly emotional circumstances. It's also because every fan in every sport needs to know he has a certain guarantee of well-being at the place he has chosen to spend his entertainment dollar. Even if he is acting like a jerk. That's a basic tenet of the sports business, and Leonsis violated it. Leonsis had options. He could have used his considerable people skills to defuse an ugly situation. He could have called on the security guards to remove a person who has simply come too close to his personal space. He could have opted to do what many great men have done and simply walked away. He didn't do any of those things. Be it a lapse of judgment or a flaw in what otherwise always appeared to be his outstanding character, Ted Leonsis made the wrong choice. He got down to the level of the very person who affronted him That's a level that demeans him, the game and the many good people who have supported both Leonsis and the sport, and have tried to make it better than it's oft-sullied public image. His actions will make fans and potential fans wonder if they should ever invest their time, money and families' well-being in a sport where an owner acts every bit like some of the toughest thugs on ice. In a matter of seconds, Leonsis created an image that both he and hockey may never fully erase. He did damage that cannot be undone. Viewed in that context it really doesn't matter how good a man Ted Leonsis has so often shown himself to be. Viewed in that context, a week and $100,000 doesn't seem like nearly enough. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor..._jim&id=1721422 Edited January 29, 2004 by RoughDraft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeps Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Just a small thing stubbs, when you post articles, include the URL as well. Customary is URL, article title, magazine/source, date, then article. It's just citation. I think that's why RD edited your post, just threw in the URL. Nice of her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djstubbs Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 Just a small thing stubbs, when you post articles, include the URL as well. Customary is URL, article title, magazine/source, date, then article. It's just citation.I think that's why RD edited your post, just threw in the URL. Nice of her. Yeah sorry about that guys, I forgot to throw that in there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyFan42 Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 You don't mess with the King devil unless you wanna disappear. Aw, come on, KD wasn't THAT bad when he was here, was he? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOTCB Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 You don't mess with the King devil unless you wanna disappear. You better believe it..I interned there in 96 and i never messed with Lou! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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