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Monday, October 11, 1999
No doubting Thomas, Leaf says he's sorry
The apology, like the hit, came as a complete surprise.
On the line for York was Toronto Maple Leafs winger Steve Thomas, who wanted to deliver a personal apology after drilling the Ottawa defenceman from behind in Saturday's 4-3 Senators win.
While Thomas could be facing a suspension from league VP Colin Campbell after receiving a five-minute major, he wanted to make sure York knew there was no harm intended.
"It was a pretty classy move for him to call. Not everybody does that," said York, who suffered a broken nose after getting crashed into the glass by Thomas as the buzzer sounded to end the game.
"He just felt bad and he wanted to let me know that he was awake all night thinking about it. He apologized and told me that he couldn't believe he'd done that. I told him I knew that he wasn't that type of player.
"I knew he was concerned. He sent one of the trainers over immediately after the game to check on me and make sure that everything was all right. Steve Thomas is a pretty honest guy. I don't really think he meant it."
Trying to get the puck in the corner with the clock ticking away and the frustrated Leafs pressing to tie the game, York saw Toronto centre Mats Sundin coming but didn't see Thomas at all.
"Before I knew what was happening, my face was being smashed into the glass," said York. "If I'd seen him, I may have been able to brace myself for the hit or get myself into a better position. I was two feet from the boards."
Thomas was shaken up by the incident. That's why he picked up the phone to call York.
"I wasn't aware of how much time was left on the clock," said Thomas, who has never been suspended in his 14-year career. "I definitely didn't have a good feeling about what I did."
The NHL is cracking down on checking from behind and stickwork, so it's possible Thomas will get the book thrown at him.
At the very least, Thomas will get a warning and possibly a fine because of the misconduct.
SALEI PUNISHED
Most recently, Anaheim defenceman Ruslan Salei had the book thrown at him for his vicious hit on Dallas centre Mike Modano that left one of the most talented players in the game with a concussion and neck strain.
"To me, they have to do something about the stick," said York. "That's the most dangerous stuff. I think in a lot of cases, what happens is that guys will do whatever it takes to win. There's so much pressure because of money.
"Will I do anything to win? Well, I'm not going to go out there and try to chop some guy's head off just to win a game. It just seems to me there's a streak of hits from behind and stick fouls right now."
A decision on Thomas will be made before the Leafs face Nashville tonight. He has obviously thought long and hard about what he did to York which means the next time Thomas has an opponent in that position, he could turn away.
Maybe he's already learned his lesson.
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