Sunday 26 June 2016

The Rap Sheet

Well, I never thought I'd be writing an article like this on HBIC, but there has been some hockey-related stories dealing with law enforcement once again this week. The key in this is that these are three separate incidents that happened, and they each have their own set of circumstances that will make you shake your head. I know I did. While hockey players are usually considered to be "good ol' boys," it's clear that not everyone remains on the right side of the police ledger. Buckle up. Here we go!

We'll start with a guy who has repeatedly been misidentified as Winnipeg Jets prospect. Had anyone bothered to read HBIC in the last year, you would have read that Darren Kramer was invited to Moose camp on a professional tryout. Yes, they signed him in December for the remainder of the season, but he was never in the Jets' plans whatsoever. Now that we've corrected the record, let's get to the mugshot seen to the right.

Darren Kramer was tasered and arrested following a fight with a police officer at Walt Disney World in Florida following an incident in which Kramer and a friend stole bowling pins. Yes, bowling pins. Reportedly, the incident began when a police officer confronted the friend, stating his name as "Corbin", who was holding a flag and the bowling pins which were apparently stolen from a Splitsville display. Corbin, in his defence, stated that he had won them after a high-scoring game. Police were detaining Corbun when Kramer yelled, "Run!"

Police approached Kramer to speak to him about Corbin when he began to fight with the officers. The affidavit reads,
"Kramer then violently pulled away from me, as I was maintaining control of the handcuff and his free left arm. Kramer pulled me off my feet and began to run. I was able to maintain control of the handcuff and pull him toward me. Kramer was then able to turn completely toward me and break the control I had of his handcuff. I then observed Kramer to lower his right shoulder and raise his left arm and if he was preparing to strike me with a punch.... Due to our close proximity I then reached out to Kramer and grabbed his shirt and attempted to pull him off balance. Kramer stepped forward and lowered his head, hitting me in the chest. This caused both of us to fall to the ground where Kramer ended up falling onto me."
As Kramer continued to fight with the officer, he was tasered and arrested. He was taken to Orange County jail where he was charged with grand theft, battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He was released from custody on June 21 on a $500 bond.

TEEBZ'S THOUGHTS: Bowling pins. Kramer seriously derailed his professional hockey dreams over bowling pins? SERIOUSLY?!? Let's be honest in how dumb this is. I mean, the guy brawled a police officer at Walt Disney World. The happiest place on Earth. SERIOUSLY. If I'm the Manitoba Moose, I walk away from Kramer.

While the image to the left of Evander Kane being arrested is a joke, it may soon become reality as the former Winnipeg Jet is in trouble in Buffalo. Again. While nothing came from the previous allegation and the complaint was dropped, Kane has twice as many problems as last time with the new complaint that the Buffalo Police are now investigating.

According to WIVB's Nalina Shapiro, Evander Kane was allegedly involved in an incident at a Buffalo nightclub called Bottom's Up. A group that had Kane in it was escorted from the bar according to the club's general manager, David Robida. Two women have filed two separate complaints against Kane that the Buffalo Police are investigating.

Kane's attorney, Paul Cambria, released a brief statement already, saying, "Evander states he did nothing wrong."

TEEBZ'S THOUGHTS: Ugh. Don't say we didn't warn you, Buffalo fans. This is the second time that women have made complaints against Kane. While the first complaint saw no charges filed by the Erie County District Attorney's Office, this seems to be the start of a trend. I will assume innocence until he's proven guilty, but Evander Kane makes bad choices a lot of the time. These repeated complaints against the Sabres winger should worry Sabres GM Tim Murray.

Finally, the third incident this week comes from a Hall-of-Famer. Former Bruins and Avalanche defenceman Ray Bourque was in a Molson Canadian commercial earlier this year, but no one bothered to check what he had been sipping when he was pulled over after a two-car collision in Massachusetts. The 55 year-old was arrested and booked on Friday night.

According to Lt. Cecilia Blais of the Andover, Massachusetts Police Department, Bourque was charged with operating under the influence, posted bail, and was released after he was arrested following a two-car collision on Friday night around 11:30pm.

Bourque released a statement through Celebrity Marketing Incorporated today that read,
"For the first time in my life, I find myself in unfamiliar territory. I am not happy about the situation I put myself into on Friday Night. I am a very proud person that accepts the responsibility of my actions and have always accepted being in the media eye. I have used this popularity to try and positively impact as many lives as possible. I am happy that no one was hurt in the accident and thank everyone who has reached out in support of my family and me. Please be patient as I go through this process and respect my family and my privacy.

Thank you all for your understanding."
TEEBZ'S THOUGHTS: Bourque will settle this out of court and will be required to do some community service. This one will go away quietly because he's Ray Bourque. In Boston. Where he's a legend.

There's the rap sheet for this week, folks. I will go ahead and assume that there won't be any additional police reports filed with prominent hockey names on them in the next few months, but anything could happen.

Evander Kane, however, needs to really start thinking about his life choices.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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