Simon suspended 25 games

New York Islanders forward Chris Simon was suspended 25 games by the NHL for a vicious stick-swinging incident in a games against the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Colin Campbell had this to say about the suspension:

"The National Hockey League will not accept the use of a stick in the manner and fashion in which Mr. Simon used his Thursday night," said Colin Campbell, NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations. "As a consequence of his actions, Mr. Simon has forfeited the privilege of playing in an NHL game again this season, regardless of how many games the Islanders ultimately play."

I'm okay with the length of the suspension, though I would have preferred a longer one given the nature of the incident and Simon's past (five suspensions in 14 years).

For more on the suspension:

• Simon releases statement about hit on Hollweg -- Associated Press


• NHL should be ashamed of Simon's short suspension -- Kara Yorio (SportingNews)


• NHL sends right message with tough penalty -- E.J. Hradek (ESPN The Magazine)


• Simon may end up paying a far heavier price -- Eric Duhatschek (The Globe and Mail)


• The NHL got it right this time, but its haphazard approach to justice must end -- Damien Cox (The Star)


• Stick game is one NHL should avoid -- Helene Elliott (L.A. Times)


• Simon said wrong thing but was forgiven -- Victor Chi(San Jose Mercury News)

NHL in London

As mentioned previously, the NHL will open next season in London. That's London, England, not London, Ontario (sorry, Knights):

The National Hockey League announced today the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings will open the 2007-08 NHL regular season in London, England at Europe's most state-of-the art entertainment venue, the O2 Arena.

"Our commitment to grow the game globally has never been stronger," said NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly. "The NHL is extremely proud to be represented in London by two great hockey organizations in the Ducks and Kings as well as to be recording NHL history at such a fantastic facility in the 02."

The hardest working man in hockey

Well, maybe in hockey blogging. Eric McErlain, who runs Off Wing Opinion and Winging It along with co-hosting a weekly podcast on the Washington Capitals called Caps Corner, has yet another gig on these here internets:

Welcome to the NHL on NBC blog, a new feature that my friends at NBCSports.com have agreed to let me experiment with for the remainder of the season. Throughout the week, we'll be talking about the teams that will be featured on NBC's regional NHL coverage for that coming weekend. The goal is simple: To capture what hockey fans are talking about across the country and get them all talking to one another in the run-up to that weekend's big game. With that in mind, we'll be reviewing all the best blogs, podcasts, message boards and other online content and sharing it with you.

NHL going overseas

ESPN.com is reporting that the NHL may open the 2007-08 season with a pair of games in Europe:

According to multiple sources, the Los Angeles Kings will open next season with a pair of games at The O2 in London. The O2 is a state-of-the-art arena scheduled to open with a series of Justin Timberlake concerts in early July. It is operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which also owns the Kings.