Music: {allcanada} Horton dissatisfied with Rome's apology

Thursday, August 25, 2011

{allcanada} Horton dissatisfied with Rome's apology

Despite the increasing reliance on technology and new forms of communication, some instances require a more traditional approach.

That is precisely how Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton felt when he received an apology via text message from Vancouver Canucks defenceman Aaron Rome after he knocked him out of the Stanley Cup final with a devastating open-ice hit.

When asked about Rome's apology by Matt Kalman of The Bruins Blog on Wednesday, Horton reiterated his disappointment with the blueliner's informal approach.

"Just through a text message I heard [from him], but I mean, I wouldn't be throwing a text message someone's way, you know?" Horton said. "I'd have a little more respect to try to make a phone call."

Besides a single text message, Rome also offered his sympathies on the Canucks' website shortly after the incident.

"I want to express my concern for Nathan's well being and wish him a quick and full recovery," Rome said. "I try to play this game honestly and with integrity. As someone who has experienced this type of injury I am well aware of its serious nature and have no desire for another player to experience it."

Horton has every right to be unsatisfied with Rome's indifferent apology, especially after seeing how his teammate, Zdeno Chara, handled a similar situation earlier in the season after hospitalizing Montreal Canadiens winger Max Pacioretty.

"I think he regrets what he did and I forgive him because he definitely made an effort to contact me and go out of his way to tell me how he felt," Pacioretty told CBC Sports. "I respect him for that."

Apathetic apologies - especially one's dealing with serious head injuries - aren't new to the NHL, but it's a concern in an age when respect among players is being brought into question.