Late hit expected to draw suspension
By GREG MEACHEM
Advocate staff

Brent Sutter and Rick Carriere have different takes on an ugly incident Saturday in Medicine Hat, but Western Hockey League vice-president Rick Doerksen will have the final say on the matter.

Sutter, the Red Deer Rebels GM/head coach, is steadfast in his belief that overage Tiger forward Steve MacIntyre was fully deserving of the match penalty he incurred for injuring Rebels rookie Donovan Rattray.

Tigers GM Carriere feels the whole incident was blown out of proportion.

MacIntyre, a six-foot-six, 240-pound winger, was handed a match penalty for charging and an ensuing game misconduct after he levelled the 180-pound Rattray, who went into convulsions and was taken from the ice and transported to hospital by ambulance.

Rattray suffered a grade three concussion. He was released from hospital Sunday and driven back to Red Deer, but will be out of action a minimum of four weeks.

Doerksen has received a copy of the game tape and is expected to make a ruling this week. MacIntyre will almost certainly be dealt a multi-game suspension.

Carriere, on a scouting mission, wasn't at the game. But he saw the tape and insisted MacIntyre should not have received more than a minor penalty for the incident that occurred with just over two minutes remaining in the Tigers' 4-1 win.

"You can see that he just glided into (Rattray)," Carriere said Monday.

"I was more upset with Brent Sutter for giving our coach (Randy Wong) the choke sign."

Carriere insisted that MacIntyre, who has also played with Saskatoon, Red Deer and Prince Albert in the past year, did not intend to injure Rattray.

"Why would he do that? He's trying to make our team," said Carriere.

"Steve was upstairs after the game apologizing to everyone in sight. He felt terrible."

Carriere also stressed that Wong did not place MacIntyre on the ice in the dying minutes of the game for any other reason than to give the fourth-liner some ice time.

Sutter was willing to give Wong the benefit of the doubt in that regard, but felt the Tigers coach and MacIntyre were to blame for the incident.

"I have nothing against Steve MacIntyre as a person, but he has to take responsibility for his actions on the ice, as does the coach," said Sutter.

"The coach has to be responsible. Rick is just trying to protect his player, and I understand that. But there's no way MacIntyre tried to hold up. He took a good run and hit a player who never saw him coming.

"Ratts had his head down and was defenceless. He'd already moved the puck up the ice and it was 15 feet ahead of him when he was hit. As far as I'm concerned, that's as bad as a hit from behind.

"It's just fortunate that he didn't suffer a more serious injury. He could have been crippled."

A suspension of more than two or three games will likely spell the end of MacIntyre's stint with the Tigers and his chances of catching on with another WHL team, since the deadline for clubs to declare their three 20-year-olds is Nov. 1.

Sutter isn't feeling sorry for MacIntyre.

"The guy I feel for is Ratts. I'm thankful that he's OK, but here's a guy who's worked hard to earn a job with us and now he's suffered a setback because he can't play for at least four weeks," said Sutter.

"Regardless, it's out of our hands. It's up to the league to deal with it now."

• The Rebels, who defeated the top-ranked Kootenay Ice Friday before falling in Medicine Hat 24 hours later, maintained their No. 4 status in this week’s Canadian Hockey League rankings. Kootenay dropped to No. 2, behind Plymouth of the OHL. The Kamloops Blazers (No. 7) are the only other WHL team in the top 10.

• Red Deer returns to action Wednesday when the Swift Current Broncos visit the Centrium for a 7 p.m. match.