home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BRUINS v CANUCKS


June 8, 2011


Pete Chiarelli


BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Game Four

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Could you talk about the changes proposed, how the interpretation would be, taking out the blindside? Is that what you discussed today?
PETER CHIARELLI: Well, without getting into exact specifics of the drafting of the recommended rule change, there was generally an expansion of the restriction on head shots. Again, I won't get into the specifics because it has to go through the Competition Committee and the Board of Governors. I think it was a huge step from 48 in its initial form, which I thought was a huge step, too.
Again, since the GM meeting, I haven't looked at anything. I don't know what's been said about it, so I'm not going to comment specifically on the drafting of it, but it was a real positive move.

Q. Have you spoken with Nathan Horton? Is there any update on how he's doing today?
PETER CHIARELLI: No update today. Everything remains the same today. I texted him yesterday. His wife texted me back saying that he's sleeping, feeling better, and he'll get back to me whether it was last night or today. I haven't heard from him yet today.
But he was 'resting peacefully' and the headaches were getting better.

Q. Peter, Alain was talking about this clarification on Tim Thomas, the rules regarding him, both on his coming out of the net, and the contact he made with Henrik Sedin. What is your understanding of this? How do you think it will affect Tim's play?
PETER CHIARELLI: Well, firstly, we've talked about it, but what was said to me is it's a non-issue. Tim's an aggressive goalie. He plays outside the paint. You've seen that he won't change his style.
Again, maybe gamesmanship, I don't know.
I actually brought it up. It wasn't an issue with them. I heard it, read about it. They said, no, nothing, there's no issue with that.

Q. I know you don't want to go into specifics, but in a general sense is this an effort to introduce a little more judgment on the part of the referees as opposed to a cut-and-dried definition where they can look at intent, gray areas?
PETER CHIARELLI: In the wording there's already a targeting, so that speaks to intention. You'll see a broadening of that.
Again, this originated with the Blue Ribbon Committee, who I thought was outstanding today, from Rob, to Steve, to Brendan, and Joe. They were really good in the way they presented it, the examples that they gave.
Understanding that it's still going to be a tough call, and it is on the ice, but it's going to be a minor penalty, at least what we're proposing. That opens the door for supplemental discipline also.
It could be a major penalty, but it's going to start with a minor.

Q. The ruling that was made yesterday on Rome and Horton, were you surprised at all or did you think that would fall under Rule 48? According to Mike, it had nothing to do with that.
PETER CHIARELLI: Certainly that was our submission in my discussion with Mike. I thought there was an element of blindside. I thought the tracking was a little bit similar to when Paille hit Sawada. He came from behind, but I thought he circled back. I thought the angle was kind of the same. Maybe they determined that to be blindside based on the point of origin of Danny from the back-checking perspective.
I made that argument. But the interference, the major penalty for interference was really the driving force behind the sanction, how it was explained to me.

Q. Last year the talk of Rule 48 started after the Savard incident. Anything similar this time around? Was there talk about Nathan's hit?
PETER CHIARELLI: How the new proposed rule would apply for Nathan's hit, we talked about that. Again, I know there's been people wanting a complete ban on head hits. I think you'll find that once it goes through the proper channels that this rule amendment is a significant upgrade to something I already felt had a significant impact.

Q. Has it been said to you that Rome wasn't penalized under Rule 48 in part because he's a defenseman? The gray area of all the interpretation, it wasn't a classic forward making a back-checking, it was a defenseman, was there any consideration given to that?
PETER CHIARELLI: I think generally the D men come from where they come from, and that's inside kind of the area for allowable hits under the current rule. I think generally their positioning will dictate that. If you go back over the reviewable plays that actually fall under 48, whether they're sanctioned or not, I bet you the majority of them are forwards.

Q. Peter, do you know, has Aaron Rome attempted to reach out to Nathan Horton in any way?
PETER CHIARELLI: I've read through Vancouver media that he has. Mike Gillis pulled me aside at the GM meeting today and said, Aaron wants you to know that he's going to reach out to Nathan and he's very sorry for what he did. It was a nice gesture. He pulled me aside and told me that.
I suspect that he maybe has tried. I know he knows Shawn Thornton. Maybe he did through Shawn. I know when Z got into the stuff with Pacioretty, he tried to reach out through another player. That's generally what happens.
As I said, Gillis pulled me aside and mentioned that, so that was nice.
Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297