NHL Drunk Driving Posts -- FanHouse

Latest NHL Drunk Driving Stories

No Free Beer for Blues Fans!

Posted: Jan 18th 2008 10:52AM by Jes Golbez (author feed)
Filed under: St. Louis, General NHL, Blues, NHL Fans

While St. Louis Blues fans can get free food for attending home games, it appears that they won't be able to get free beer, despite a promotion that hyped such a thing.

We all know the way to most men's hearts is through their stomach. Free beer? How could that not work? You could get men to do many embarrassing things for free beer, or at least mundane household chores.

Thinking along those lines, the St. Louis Blues planned a section of discounted tickets for Tuesday night games where by the buyer would get free watered-down room-temperature stadium beer.

Unfortunately, the PC Police must have seized upon this, because now the promotion was canceled before it even began. Phooey!

Shortly before lunchtime Thursday, the St. Louis Blues sent an e-mail to fans announcing "Tuesdays on Tap," a promotion offering unlimited free beverages, including beer, for certain tickets to five upcoming home games.

At 4 p.m., Blues executive Peter McLoughlin told the Post-Dispatch, "This one is not happening."

Asked why, he said that it was a "business decision."

A business decision? Bah! More like those screeching harpies over at MADD heard about the Rob Ramage sentence and got their panties in a knot. "Oh, noes!!! How can a team give away alcoholic beverages? The world will slip into chaos!!"

On a more serious note, how could any major league sports team think that giving out free UNLIMITED beer would be a good thing? A (single) beer? Fine. A whole bunch of them? That's just asking for trouble, lawsuits, and potential DUI-related accidents. Let's face it, most people can't handle their alcohol, and many aren't smart enough NOT to drive after downing a few brewskis.

Rob Ramage Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for DUI Death

Posted: Jan 17th 2008 12:31PM by Jes Golbez (author feed)
Filed under: General NHL, NHL Media Watch, NHL Police Blotter

3 COMMENTS

Back in October, we reported that ex-NHL player Rob Ramage had been found guilty in the death of fellow former player Keith Magnuson. The charge? Impaired driving causing death.

The death seemed ironic since both men had just been at a funeral to mourn the death of another hockey personality. While sources and friends claimed Ramage wasn't drunk, blood tests showed Ramage had FOUR time the legal blood alcohol limit, and was more blotto than Chief Engineer Scotty.

Today, Ramage was sentenced for his crime, and got off quite light, it would seem.

Rob Ramage was called an "exemplary citizen" Thursday, but an Ontario judge said he had to send a message of deterrence against drunk driving and ordered Mr. Ramage to prison for four years for a crash that killed his friend, a former Chicago Blackhawks player.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Alexander Sosna called the accident that killed Keith Magnuson, when a car driven by Mr. Ramage slammed head-on into another vehicle just north of Toronto, on Dec. 15, 2003, "tragic and senseless."

Let's not forget that a Missouri jury already awarded the Magnuson family $9.5 million in their civil suit against Ramage and National Car Rentals of Canada, so it's not as if Ramage isn't going to suffer financially for this ordeal.

Of course, this story isn't QUITE over, since Ramage plans to appeal the sentence. Rather than just serve his rather lenient four years (which would be less with good behavior), Ramage wants to drag this out and deny his responsibility in the manner. How 'exemplary' of him.

The Ice Sheet: Recchi Rocks

Posted: Dec 13th 2007 9:00AM by Jes Golbez (author feed)
Filed under: Atlanta, General NHL, Thrashers, Wings, Canucks, Kings, NHL Media Watch, NHL Police Blotter

1 COMMENT

Every day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.

When Mark Recchi was waived by the Penguins, and then claimed by the Thrashers on re-entry waivers, the "Recchin Ball" vowed, Jean-Luc Picard style, that he would make the Penguins pay for what they've done. Being spurned is a great motivator, and Recchi wasn't about to go quietly into the night.

"They'll see," Recchi told the paper. "I didn't get 68 points for no reason last year. In the first seven or eight games [this season], I had a point a game until the coach decided to move me down two or three lines for whatever reason. I still haven't figured it out."

So far, so good for the old man as he had two goals in his debut game with the Thrashers last night, a 5-3 loss to the surging Boston Bruins. Recchi was pretty much the only one on the Thrashers who seemed to be very motivated for this match, and now the Thrashers have to wonder, "Can he keep this up?", while Penguins fans wonder, "Where the hell was THIS guy all season?".

Continue Reading The Ice Sheet: Recchi Rocks

Rob Ramage Guilty of DUI Death

Posted: Oct 10th 2007 5:50PM by Jes Golbez (author feed)
Filed under: General NHL, NHL Police Blotter

0 COMMENTS

Not too long ago, Leafs forward Mark Bell was suspended by the NHL for his drunken driving, an incident which he faces jail time for.

At the time, we pointed out how the culture of beer drinking seems to permeate through the NHL ranks, with numerous incidents to back up the claim.

Well, even old time players can't seem to escape the grip of the bottle, and it ends up resulting in lost lives. Case in point: Rob Ramage, a defenseman with over 1,000 games experience, who has been found guilty of causing the death of another former NHLer, thanks to driving while under the influence. Ironically, the crash happened just after the two men were at a funeral for another hockey personality.

A jury has found former NHL player Rob Ramage guilty on all five charges he faced in connection with a fatal 2003 crash that killed a former Chicago Blackhawks player.

That includes a guilty verdict on the most serious charge, impaired driving causing death.

Keith Magnuson died on Dec. 15, 2003, when a rental car driven by Ramage slammed head-on into another vehicle.

The prosecution said scientific evidence showed Ramage had up to four times the legal blood-alcohol limit at the time of the crash, though none of the hundreds of people at an earlier reception could say he had a single drink.

So, I guess we can check off another addition to 'the list'.