Explanation & more stuff

Messier was suspended for his actions Sunday against Portland. Messier had a minor interference penalty in the second period, but league disciplinarian Rick Doerksen saw the play differently.

"Portland requested supplemental discipline. They felt it should have been a major and a game misconduct," he said. "I reviewed the play and determined it should have been a major for charging and a game misconduct. At the time, they made the determination that it was a minor penalty because there was no injury on the play."  (Herald)

Charging and a major when the original call was interference?  According to the WHL rulebook:

43.1 Charging - A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player or goalkeeper who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner.
Charging shall mean the actions of a player or goalkeeper who, as
a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any
manner. A “charge” may be the result of a check into the boards, into
the goal frame or in open ice.
43.5 Game Misconduct Penalty - When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed.  (WHL)

Evidently the Portland felt it was a hit to the head and the league agreed.  I am not going to comment since I didn't see the hit.  It's clear the WHL is cracking down on dangerous hits, as you can see from the discipline list so far.  Good on them, bad on Big Mess who's already struggling after missing pre-season action.
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If you missed it the other day, big news out of Minnesota.  Former American Aaron Boogaard is expected to sign a two-way contract with the Houston Aeros, AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild.  The Wild, of course, being the team his older brother Derek used to play for.  From the Star Tribune (apologies to Russo for cutting and pasting the whole thing, but it's good stuff):

Aaron Boogaard still is mourning the death of his older brother, Derek, but on Monday, Boogaard was overjoyed to be back in a safe haven.

Boogaard, a former Wild draft pick, arrived in Houston for the start of Aeros training camp. If all goes to plan, Boogaard should receive a work visa by Friday and sign a two-way contract with the Wild's American Hockey League affiliate.

"A couple months ago I thought I'd probably never play again," said Boogaard, 25, a tough guy who has played four minor-league seasons. "Me and my family couldn't be more ecstatic. It's almost a starting point for us. After all this court stuff, I don't think any of us have had an opportunity to grieve the loss of Derek yet."

Derek Boogaard died May 13 because of a toxic mix of alcohol and the painkiller, Oxycodone. In July, Aaron Boogaard was charged with a felony count of third-degree sale of a controlled substance and interfering with a death scene, which is a gross misdemeanor.

Boogaard still faces charges, but Friday, he says a judge signed off to allow him to leave Minnesota. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 6.

Earlier this month, Aaron brother, Ryan, told the Star Tribune that Derek never overcame an addiction to painkillers despite twice going to rehab.

"People can think what they want about me, but you have to live it to have a weird understanding of things," Aaron Boogaard said Monday. "If you don't have to deal with someone who has an addiction, you're fortunate. This was a little brother trying to protect a big brother, but at the end of the day, you look at your big brother like he's your Superman, like your idol.

"It's unfortunate that I had to ride shotgun to the selfishness of my brother's addiction." Aeros GM Jim Mill, who doubles as the Wild's assistant to the GM, said the Wild's trying to be compassionate to a beloved former player's brother.

"We want to give Aaron an opportunity to continue his hockey career," Mill said. "We're trying to help him out."

Boogaard tried out for the Aeros last season before spending 53 games with Laredo in the Central Hockey League.

"If that happens again, that's fine. I just can't say enough things for what the Wild's done," Boogaard said. "It just shows what a class organization the Wild are. They are filled with good people who want to push people in the right direction."  (Star Tribune)

If you want to keep up with Aeros news, I highly recommend my peeps over at The Third Intermission.