Brandon "Sugar" Sugden is hardly a household name among NHL fans, but he is a notorious figure in hockey circles for a lifetime ban he received, back in 2000, from the ECHL for throwing a stick at a female fan in the stands.After official retiring from the game during the 06-07 season, Sugden got an invite from the New York Islanders to attend training camp and beat people up while pretending to play hockey. Unfortunately for Sugden, there is a rule stating that he has to wait a year before unretiring, and 4 NHL GM's weren't willing to waive it for his case. Call it a form of "blacklisting", if you will.
Now, the Isles have made many questionable moves in my lifetime, and I wonder why the hell they'd want to touch Sugden with a 10-foot pole. Not only does he lack any semblance of NHL hockey skills, but he has a row of baggage a mile long.
Oh, but there is a sob story involved, believe you me.
A sad aspect of this story is the fact Sugden's father, Travis, reportedly has cancer and only months to live. According to Lindsay Kramer, who covers the Crunch for Syracuse.com and has been following the story, part of the younger Sugden's desire to reach the NHL so his father could see him play in the bigs before he passes on.While I could feel some sympathy for Sugden for facing the imminent death of his father, that doesn't excuse him or give him any special rights to play in the NHL. If I were an NHL GM from another team, I don't think I'd want this guy in the league. Let's face it, he's a complete liability, and his one and only "skill" involves hurting other players.
If you do feel that Sugden should be re-instated, you could wander over to the official Sugden website, and sign the petition. From the sounds of it, Brandon will fight this like he has any opponent on the ice.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-06-2008 @ 12:28PM
Jeff said...
I've seen Sugden Play. He's more than capable of making an NHL line-up and his role is defined by his coach and his past actions were in the ECHL and also under different circumstances dictated by a role predicated by coaches. Let him play. He's not Chris Simon.
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9-06-2008 @ 5:06PM
owuraku said...
Doesn't everyone deserves a second chance ? Why make
Brandon Sugden an escape goat?
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9-06-2008 @ 5:06PM
Colonial said...
You are right he isn't Chris Simon. Simon at one point in his career was capable of a 30-40 pt season. This goon wasn't even able to pull that off in Juniors.
The leagues doesn't need players like him.
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9-08-2008 @ 9:15AM
JR said...
If I were an Islanders fan, I'd be happy to have any live body available for duty. Sugden probably is good enough to see some NHL time, or be a frequent recall from Bridgeport. The problem I have, is that there is no reason logically to prevent him from being given an opportunity. Look how Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, et al change their minds about 'retirement', just to rest their bodies and help their teams beat the salary cap. There used to be a big exodus from Europe to the AHL every March involving 'retired players". A guy in Sugden's situation doesn't have time to sit out over a technicality. In real-life, we call this 'discrimination'.
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9-11-2008 @ 5:45PM
Sugarfan said...
Sugden IS capable of playing at the NHL level. He IS more than just a fighter. He is no longer the young troublemaker that btw, we all were at one time or another. He's proven this to everyone repetedly when he played in the AHL. He's a good guy. Give him a break. Jez Golbez should do more recent research on him.
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9-11-2008 @ 11:31PM
bigbird said...
Lets not forget that Sugden was up for he AHL man of the year award in 05/06 and won the syracuse man of the year for community work the same year. He has not had a drink for years and speaks to kids (on his own time, btw) about the dangers of doing drugs and drinking. He is a class act all the way and has really turned his life around. He does have the skills, both fighting and playing wise to play the fourth line on an NHL team. Jes Golbez, do some research and get a life.
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10-05-2008 @ 10:51AM
jes tompson said...
Hi
Does Jes Golbez ever check the facts or does he just love typing garbage stories like this with out regard to honesty. Facts show that Sugden was a defensive D in junior. Even the dumbest hockey fan knows that type of player does not score goals. I have seen him skate with NHL players and he may not make the Islanders because of numbers but he can skate and he can play at the NHL level. He would also be the best fighter in the NHL and help put fans into the seats.
Sorry I found this story ........ I feel sorry for your mom and dad!
I do not feel sorry for Sugden's mom and dad. They should be proud no matter what happens with the NHL.
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