EVERETT – The flash point came midway through the second period of Friday’s Game 1 of the WHL’s Western Conference championship series between the Everett Silvertips and Vancouver Giants.
Everett left wing Ondrej Fiala was backtracking for the puck. Unbeknownst to him, Vancouver’s Gilbert Brule had Fiala in his sights.
Brule appeared to get his arm up before he leveled Fiala.
Fiala crumpled to the ice, had to be helped to the locker room, and subsequently missed Saturday’s Game 2 with an apparent concussion. No penalty was called on the play.
That hit prompted Everett coach Kevin Constantine to sound off again on an issue he’s had plenty to say about during his three seasons in charge of the Silvertips: Hits to the head.
” (The Giants) have the right to play hard and they have their style,” Constantine said. “I respect them for that, I really do. I just think we have to make sure we’re also creating an environment where young kids can develop their careers, too. The concussions are astronomically skyrocketing and players are losing careers from concussions. I have a deep concern with that.”
Everett currently has two players out with apparent concussions. In addition to Fiala, left wing Karel Hromas also suffered an apparent concussion in Game 1, when after being checked by Vancouver defenseman Brett Festerling he fell to the ice and slid head first into the boards.
Hromas also sat out Game 2. Adding to the situation is the history between the two teams.
Everett suffered its share of injuries at the hands of the Giants during the regular season. Notable was Milan Lucic’s hit from behind that drove Everett center Peter Mueller into the boards. Mueller sustained a concussion.
“Vancouver plays hard and I really respect how hard they play,” Constantine said. “But the league has told us there’s an emphasis on hits to the head, and we’ve had six guys get concussions against Vancouver now.
”I take nothing away from them because I really like the way they play. I think they’re physical and they play hard, and I think that’s the right way to play. But we’ve been told by the league that some of the hits we’ve passed along are penalties, but they never get called.
“There’s a miscommunication between what the league’s telling us and what the league’s telling the referees,” Constantine continued. “We keep getting hits to the head that are concussions and there’s never a call, and when we ask the league about it the league says it should have been a penalty. By then it’s kind of late, you’ve got a guy out for two weeks. It’s pretty frustrating.”
The Giants aren’t buying Constantine’s story. They believe it’s a case of Constantine, with his team trailing the best-of-seven series 2-0, trying to sway the officiating in Everett’s direction.
“He’s saying things for a reason,” Vancouver coach Don Hay told the Vancouver Province. “Everett would like this to be a specialty teams game. We’d like it to be a five-on-five game. That plays to our strengths. “I don’t think we’re a dirty team. I don’t think we take needless penalties. We’re an honest team. We don’t go out to hurt anybody, we don’t dive and try to draw penalties either.”
The Giants also aren’t planning on changing the way they play.
“It’s Constantine,” Vancouver center Brett Parker told the Province. “I guess it’s a head game, coming with a lot of media being around. Constantine has worked the media before. We just have to stick to our game and our game is being physical.”
But Constantine has been consistent over the years with his views on hits to the head, and the Tips have certainly received more concussions than they’ve caused.
“My concern is with my players,” Constantine said. “They’re our family, and I’m dealing with young men that everything I do for them impacts their whole lives. I feel responsible for that.”
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