> However, I am tired of Maine teams being outhit and there is a need for a player with a physical presence to intimidate.

Not to add too much fuel to an already well lit fire, but I have to disagree.  Maine has won championships and skated circles around both Hockey East and other teams around the nation not by fighting, taking cheap shots or just playing rough.  They have won by being the best hockey players and while there is no doubt that hockey is a tough game, there is no room for poor sportsmanship and cheap shots.  To name a good example from the past, ULowell has not always had the best team but in the first 2 periods of past games Maine has struggled against them because Lowell would come out and play rough hitting hockey, but by period 3 Maine was walking all over them because they tired themselves out in the first 40 minutes of the game.

I hope that Ryan's comments are sincere, but my guess is that he's taking a lot of heat right now for what he did and that he's more sorry that he got caught.  I think sitting him out in Florida is a good idea.  The entire team has two weeks off so what lesson will that teach him.  If coach Whitehead doesn't rein him in now Prestin Ryan will just end up getting worse.  I think the best thing that can be done for this kid is to get him a little help in anger management.  A lot of pro sports teams are sending players to anger management because of just these types of cheap shots on the playing field.

There is not much room for error in hockey, one bad hit can knock a player out for life if there isn't care taken.  Travis Roy is a good example of a clean check gone bad.  How much worse could this past weekends situation have been had something more serious happened.  Don't give up on Prestin Ryan, just don't let him slip through the cracks by making excuses for his behavior or taking an after the fact media apology as proof of his personality change.