In case you haven’t seen this horrific headshot (or killshot as Kyle Roussel put it on twitter), check out the clip below. The most recent captain of the Canadian World Junior team, Patrice Cormier, delivers an elbow to Mikael Tam in a QMJHL game this weekend.
This was Cormier’s third game with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He was recently traded from the Rimouski Oceanic to the Huskies earlier this month to help with their playoff drive and Memorial Cup chances. It’s probably a safe assumption Comier’s season is over as a result of this hit, however, no punishment has been announced yet.
According to KuklasKorner and other various reports, Tam is in stable condition with no brain damage and a few missing teeth. Patrick Roy, the owner and coach of the Quebec Remparts (Tam’s team), has reportedly filed a complaint with the local police.
** A quick update- 4:30pm
There are some unconfirmed reports that suggest Tam might have suffered serious brain trauma after all. At this point, I personally have no additional knowledge of the situation. I’m only reporting what I’ve heard/read. I hope Tam recovers soon and quickly.
** Suspension update- Jan 25, 2010
Cormier was suspended for the balance of the season and playoffs (including the Memorial Cup) – a maximum of 48 possible games. This is the longest suspension in QMJHL history.
Suggestions
When we see headshots and nasty hits like this in Junior hockey leagues, more often than not, it’s from players who are in their final Junior years (generally speaking – not always the case). Punishments usually ends up as suspensions for the remainder of the year and that’s it. How about having a punishment that affects these players future? In Cormier’s case, he’s a New Jersey Devils draft pick. How about delaying his pro career by a number of games or months, etc…? Perhaps this isn’t realistic, but something else needs to be done – the punishment can’t end once the Huskies season concludes. Cormier’s actions affect the Huskies (who traded talent/prospects to acquire his services), the Remparts, the life of Tam, and possibly the New Jersey Devils.
I believe Junior hockey needs to deliver punishments that follow these players around for longer than a year ending suspension plus a bad reputation. This would serve as a good opportunity for the NHL and Canadian Junior leagues to ensure a strong message about player safety is sent. Another suggestion would be for Cormier to spend time with minor hockey programs to ensure they understand safety and the do’s and don’t of the game. Consider it community service or something. Let’s make Cormier the poster boy for everything the game doesn’t need. This hit was anything but classy and it should be Cormier’s job to make as much of a positive contribution to hockey as he’s made negative contributions from this hit.
Stay classy, Mikael Tam. Hopefully you have a speedy recovery.
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This type of ‘hockey’ is completely unacceptable and Cormier should be permanently banned from the sport before he ends up killing someone.
A lack of tact and sportsmanship like this only gets worse as his career will progress and who knows what it will turn into.
This is not his first offense when it comes to randomly elbowing opponents in the face – he also pulled this trick against the Swedes.
“no brain damage”
This is incorrect; it’s being reported that he’s suffered skull and brain trauma.
Saw this on twitter, not sure of the original source:
“Tam is conscious in hospital. The trauma is described as somewhere between severe concussion and death…”
Joe, if that’s accurate, that’s crazy. Unfortunately I don’t have the link I saw earlier this morning. Is there an actual link for those quotes?
Thanks for the plug in your opening! I was surprised to see that!
I don’t know how you get these players to begin respecting one another. I don’t think they’ll ever endorse cross-league suspensions. They should, but they won’t. There’s no doubt in my mind that Cormier should be labeled as a dangerous repeat offender now. He is an absolute menace on the ice and needs to be cut off at the knees before he permanently injures someone.
I know there are 1000 ways to slice this debate, such as big guys shoulders lining up with smaller guys’ heads. So what? Hockey has always been this way. There have always been guys at both ends of the size spectrum, but we’ve never seen this frequency and severity of head shots. To me, any shot to the head should be a suspendable offense. Whether there is intent or not, you hit a guy in the head, you sit. Period. Players have to learn to control themselves.
More importantly though, the “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em” culture needs to change. We all know that there’s a cult following of fans who live for the highlight reel hit. This has to change, as it is apparent that guys no longer care for each other’s health and are more interested in being on a film reel somewhere.
I’ve also posted my own thoughts today on my blog: http://www.cowhideandrubber.com/the-monthly-hockey-headshot-debate-heats-up-again
Thanks for the comment Kyle. I can’t steal a good line. I especially can’t steal from someone I respect a lot, so thank for letting me use YOUR line!
RE: dangerous/repeat offender – Absolutely agree with your take. Some poor kid is going to die before players really get it. Players flat out don’t respect each other like they used to. Unfortunately, we’ll soon forget about this hit when the next brutal one comes up next week.
That’s a great read, Kyle. I suggest everyone read the link above!
I like the physical/tough aspect of the game but that hit is just disgusting and for it to come from the most recent Captain Canada is a disgrace. I’m not going to rant about Cormier because I’m sure he isnt this type of player but this is one play he has to take responsibility for and nothing short of a full season suspension will do.
I like you suggestion of prolonging the suspension and maybe hindering the advancement of promotion to the NHL but that would be something all GMs have to agree too and I don’t think it’ll happen. I really hope Tam is ok for his sake, his family’s and Cormier’s. I really hope he doesnt have to live with the punishment of guilt for the rest of his life.
Terrible hit. I actually heard some people blaming Tam for getting in the way of a flying elbow, if you can believe that!
Sens19 – I think we have determined that Cormier is definitely a dirty player. He had that questionable elbow shot in the WJC exhibition against Sweden, then he also made another bad elbow hit in Canada’s first official game of the tournament. And now the terrible hit on Tam. That’s 3 bad hits within the past month.
The only thing I can think of when I hear Cormier’s name now is how Pierre Maguire kept saying how Cormier was so “NHL ready” during the WJC – With hits like these, I don’t think he is anywhere near ready. If he made hits like these in the NHL, he’d last about a week.
Another dirty hit from junior hockey with Kassian leaving his feet to launch a blindside headshot. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nUZuEjI2co&feature=related). The Cormier hit is probably one of the dirtiest I have ever seen. Watching the video, you’ll notice he has no chance for laying a clean body check, so out goes the elbow. In Kassian’s case, he wasn’t even trying to play the puck which was flying up in the air at the time of his cheap hit. Both videos are cringingly painful to watch. I wonder how much publicity this Cormier hit would have gotten if there wasn’t any amateur video to capture it and send it around on YouTube.
Yeah, the Kassian one isn’t pretty either. Although I believe the Cormier one is worse.
To answer your question – the reason this hit got publicity is largely because of its availability online. There’s simply no way most of us would even know about the hit, if it wasn’t on YouTube.
Both hits are insane, you’d think coaches of those younger kids would teach them better. These types of hits are giving hockey a bad name and more importantly Canadian hockey a bad name. Even worse for publicity is Roy going to the police with this.
Cornier is such a disgrace for hockey, and what makes things worse is when his teammates says “he had no intention to hurt anyone” !?!?
This is the third time in a very short time he does the samething. To a Swede and a Finn i Junior hockey World Championship.(And even more can be seen on YouTube …) He is just out on the ice to hurt people.
Suspend him for life or minimum of two full seasons and press criminal charges to him for those assults
“I believe Junior hockey needs to deliver punishments that follow these players around for longer than a year-ending suspension plus a bad reputation. This would serve as a good opportunity for the NHL and Canadian Junior leagues to ensure a strong message about player safety is sent.”
Someone needs to go to jail for that message to sink in.
Thanks for the comment, Arzee. The only reason I’m not a huge fan of involving the law is because its hard to draw where the line is? What constitutes as a bad hockey play and a play with legal consequences. And on that, I barely ‘get’ hockey, so to discuss law more frequent would really kill me :)
@ Rille – I don’t see how his teammates really understand him. It was Cormier’s 3rd game with the team. Sure they want to stick up for him, but I don’t buy it. I’m sure they don’t either. To your point, he has a reputation for this kind of play. I hate the idea that he only misses half the year at most. It’s such a joke considering it’s his last year in junior hockey.