Back in my playing days, after I finished what seemed at the time to be just another Saturday night AHL game for the Hershey Bears, news came to me that then Utica Devils head coach Tom McVie had given me a new nickname during his post-game comments: The Count.
I remember the smirk on reporter Ken Schott's face when he told me the news that McVie was accusing me of biting the hand of his defenceman, Steve Richmond, late in the game.
"As soon as we leave here, I've got to get up to the hospital and get Richmond a rabies shot," McVie told the scrubs covering the game.
McVie didn't stop there.
"Kypreos took a big chunk out of his hand, but it could have been worse. He could have bitten him on the neck and drained the blood out of him."
Of course, publicly I refused to say whether or not I bit Richmond because any athlete knows the quickest way to make a situation disappear is to downplay it, but quietly I told my teammates I sank my teeth into his hand like a double whopper at Burger King!
During the game I leveled Richmond just in front of Utica's bench. With Richmond down on the ice for a few seconds, his teammates first jumped me and then Richmond got up and joined in. Let me tell you; sitting on the bottom of a dark pile with more than 600 lbs. collectively hammering away at you is no walk in the park.
Now, getting punched in the head is one thing, but when a player starts reaching down in an attempt to remove an eyeball from a socket, well, let's just say that's were sane players become not so sane.
In an instant, players quickly envision their careers and lives changing forever. Whether or not we are talking my incident, or about Scott Hartnell's alleged chomping attack on Kris Letang's hand two weeks ago, or Steve Ott's "low submarine hit" on Carlo Colaiacovo's knees, there is an unwritten code among players: you don't cross the line that can jeopardize a guy's career, and if you do then you're nothing but free game yourself.
Eyes, knees and blatant blows to the head are all considered offside by players. However, Mike Richards' hit on Florida's David Booth doesn't fall into this category. As hard as it was watching Booth carted off the ice on a stretcher, understand Richards' feet, elbows, hands and stick all remained consistent well before contact was ever made. In fact, if Booth doesn't have his head down and isn't looking away, there is a very good chance it ends up a very good shoulder-to-shoulder hit.
Ott's hit was just the opposite. By not maintaining his body position, what should have been a shoulder-to-shoulder hit now becomes an attack on Colaiacovo's knees. Last time I checked skating was a big part of Colaiacovo's game and if he's reduced to an average skater than he's likely out of the NHL.
Rob Scuderi's hit on Jason Chimera was similar to Ott's, but because he's a first-time offender and was apologetic and remorseful, the suspension was avoided.
Plain and simple, we need more guys respecting their opponents within the rules because this game is hard enough to stay healthy in without attacks on one's eyes, limbs or jugular.
Right, Tom McVie?
Hey, that reminds me, I think I'll be a vampire this Halloween!!