Brennan YadlowskiA rough year for the Everett Silvertips got worse Tuesday when the WHL revealed that overage defenceman Brennan Yadlowski has been suspended for 10 of Everett's 20 remaining games.
Yadlowski is one of the best players on the Everett blue line along with Ryan Murray, and probably logs more minutes than any other skater on the team. Even though the 'Tips are in the league basement, they're only six points out of a playoff spot. The journey to the postseason gets a lot tougher without Yadlowski in the lineup, and also leaves him with potentially as few as 10 games left in his junior career.
It's a stiff penalty, and what makes it even more strange is that it had nothing to do with what Yadlowski did on the ice. Late in the Silvertips' 7-3 loss in Portland Friday, Yadlowski was involved in a fight with Portland's Jason Trott (Trott received an instigator penalty for the tilt).
Both Trott and Yadlowski earned game misconducts, but Yadlowski was extremely agitated and needed to be restrained by officials as he was escorted to the dressing room while bleeding from his forehead. All the while he was engaged verbally with Trott and Portland goaltender Mac Carruth.
Originally details were sketchy with nobody connected to the team or league saying why exactly Yadlowski was suspended. Tuesday night, however, Everett coach Mark Ferner confirmed speculation that Yadlowski had gone into the Winterhawks dressing room:
The suspension came as a result of Yadlowski's actions after he left the ice. The explanation of the suspension on the WHL's website read: "The player's off-ice actions, following removal from game in the third period, were unacceptable."
When asked about the incident Monday, Everett coach Mark Ferner limited his response to: "He did something he probably shouldn't have done." However, during Tuesday's pregame radio broadcast Ferner admitted that Yadlowski went to Portland's locker room after the game. (Everett Herald)
The only other public details were in a handful of tweets from Winterhawks players Taylor Peters and Troy Rutkowski, who suggest that Yadlowski had entered their dressing room. Rumors circulating among fans and observers suggest Yadlowski may have even vandalized either Portland's room and/or the visitors' room (such rumors are unconfirmed and are likely to stay that way).
As for the tweets that shed some light, here's what Peters initially had to say (coining the hashtag #sillyyads in the process):
If the guy wants a tour of the room all he has to do is ask. #sillyyads
@JasonTrott "Ball so hard, #sillyyads came to find me"
Rutkowski, a friend of Yadlowski's from growing up in Edmonton, sent a few tweets of his own, likely in the spirit of busting his buddy's chops:
@BigBadYads keep the ginger rage down a bit sir #deepbreaths #gingersdohavesouls
@thepistolpete25 ill give him a tape of our recruiting video. I think they go on a little tour of the room #sillyyads
#theawkwardmomentwhen @BigBadYads forgets what room he changed in #needamap #toosoontofar?
Yadlowski (the aforementioned @BigBadYads) retweeted the above comments, but offered only this as his retort:
@TRutter2 not a fan of getting jumped #classless
So, there you have it, yet another example of social media shedding some additional light on a situation when most of the official lines of communication are closed.
Now, as far as the length of the suspension goes, this is the third 10-game ban of the season in the WHL. But the other two (to Jesse Mychan and Charles Inglis) were for checking to the head. Over the last five seasons (which is as far back as the WHL's website goes with disciplinary information), no player has been suspended as many games for actions that took place off the ice. It's hard to find situations where players were suspended any longer than one game for off-ice actions.
The severity of the suspension suggests that Yadlowski must have really done something over-the-top and/or damaging, considering that two other WHL players who gave opposing players concussions were only suspended for six games. Kelowna's Brett Lyon and Medicine Hat's Brendan Hurley were each handed six-game vacations Tuesday for dangerous checks to the head over the weekend.
It's safe to say that entering an opponent's dressing room should be discouraged, but is it really worse than injuring an opponent and potentially altering their career -- as these suspensions suggest?
Scott Sepich is a WHL contributor to Buzzing the Net. Follow him on Twitter @SSepichWHL
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