Ryan Smyth just got rocked

[Jake 0]

IMO that was a scummy hit. He tracked him through the neutral zone, and angled him off just right to make contact right before the end of the bench. He totally intended to run him into the glass like that......

Get real.

[Penguinsfanatic 0]

IMO that was a scummy hit. He tracked him through the neutral zone, and angled him off just right to make contact right before the end of the bench. He totally intended to run him into the glass like that......

I bet that is what he really wanted to do crunch him right into the glass....you are soo right dude (I am being sarcastic in case you couldn't tell)

[TBLfan 25]

It definitely looked like that's what he did, but I'm not going to say for sure. It seems like he would/should have hit him earlier, from the (crappy) video, it looks like he only pushes him just before they get to the end of the bench. Hopefully, we'll get a better video and it will show us something different.

[Fletch 219]

I seriously doubt Johnson intended to run him into the turnbuckle.

[TBLfan 25]

Ok, from that angle you can clearly see that he was closing in on Smyth and just happened to hit him at the wrong time(for smyth, haha). Clean hit, bad luck.

[mattzilla 0]

jack johnson is always such a clean player!...

[NoAngleDangler 0]

Untimely hit. I'm a big Jack Johnson fan and i know his play in the past has not always been clean but this doesn't look like a dirty play just bad luck.

[adam14 182]

You cant blame johnson, he was chasing smyth and was angling him away from center ice and from his net to stay along the boards... bad timing.. smyth should have been faster (lol) or kept his head up...

[willy0314 0]

did I miss something? He tracks him through the neutral zone, has his head up, and hits him at the perfect spot to push him over the boards and have his speed carry him into the glass. How you can say he didn't mean to do that?

[TBLfan 25]

He hit him when he caught up with Smyth. If it was meant to be dirty, he has the greatest timing I've ever seen. Watch the video Fletch posted, the second angle shown. It was just bad luck.

[Oberon 0]

He hit him when he caught up with Smyth. If it was meant to be dirty, he has the greatest timing I've ever seen. Watch the video Fletch posted, the second angle shown. It was just bad luck.

What he said ^. There's no way JJ planned his hit exactly at that spot.

[Fletch 219]

did I miss something? He tracks him through the neutral zone, has his head up, and hits him at the perfect spot to push him over the boards and have his speed carry him into the glass. How you can say he didn't mean to do that?

You and Oliver Stone would get along just great.... ;)

[15yearsofhistory 0]

Smyth's out indefinitely now... The NHL should step up and do something to prevent these kinds of hits from happening. I know it may not have been intentional, but the bottom line is that edge right there is beyond dangerous. It could seriously hurt a player and even end their career.

[Fletch 219]

Smyth's out indefinitely now... The NHL should step up and do something to prevent these kinds of hits from happening. I know it may not have been intentional, but the bottom line is that edge right there is beyond dangerous. It could seriously hurt a player and even end their career.

They could add some more padding there....it couldn't hurt. Of course, even if there was more padding I believe Smyth still would have been hurt on the play. Maybe not *as* severely but he still would have had an injury, IMO because of the speed at the time of impact.

[Viking 1]

The hit itself isn't dirty as in being a charge/elbow or anything, but he didn't have to drive him into the support for the glass. He was skating faster than Smyth - he could have just coasted for another step, and he'd have just hit him into the glass harmlessly. When he delivered the hit, he knew exactly what would happen.

[booyaagrandma 4]

IMHO hits in places like that show a complete lack of respect or consideration for a fellow players safety.It ranks right up there with piledriving a player head first into the boards from behind,its dangerous and unsportsmanlike , you as a player don't need to make those hits,its a choice.It looked like a 'clean ' hit ,I believe he knew that the turnbuckle was there for Smyth to be run into and he should have either not hit him or let up a bit or even played the puck more than the body.

I don't believe he had any intention to hurt Smyth as he did ,I think he will learn to play with a bit more respect after he himself has been on the recieving end of a few questionable hits like that a few times.

The game we all love is a physical game built on respect and sportmanship,if it was'nt we'd see a lot worse injuries and much dirtier hits that Johnsons.I should say I don't think it was an intentional dirty hit ,but a stupid and dangerous choice by a young player. Just MHO.

[Chadd 916]

He obviously intended to run Smyth into the pad at the end of the glass, but Smyth was at least partially at fault on this one. He was in just about the worst possible body position and really made no attempt to change his body position. Guys get run into the turnbuckles every game, most of them just don't lead with their head. I fully agree that padding should be a bit better there but there isn't a lot that can be done as the end of the glass just isn't going to give.

[ean 0]

He obviously intended to run Smyth into the pad at the end of the glass, but Smyth was at least partially at fault on this one. He was in just about the worst possible body position and really made no attempt to change his body position. Guys get run into the turnbuckles every game, most of them just don't lead with their head. I fully agree that padding should be a bit better there but there isn't a lot that can be done as the end of the glass just isn't going to give.

Perhaps you can elaborate on how he "obviously intended to run Smyth into the pad".

[Chadd 916]

Perhaps you can elaborate on how he "obviously intended to run Smyth into the pad".

If you can't see that by watching the video, I can't help you.

[Viking 1]

Perhaps you can elaborate on how he "obviously intended to run Smyth into the pad".

I already did:

... he didn't have to drive him into the support for the glass. He was skating faster than Smyth - he could have just coasted for another step, and he'd have just hit him into the glass harmlessly. When he delivered the hit, he knew exactly what would happen.

[ean 0]

Perhaps you can elaborate on how he "obviously intended to run Smyth into the pad".

If you can't see that by watching the video, I can't help you.

Okay...well considering the majority in this thread have called everything about the hit clean from head to toe, some explanation would make sense. So until then...we(the seemingly sane majority) can't help you. In any case, I admit I thought a similar expression of those who thought this was all pre-meditated, but somehow was able to muster up some explanation, and I do not consider myself too bright, so I'm sure you could, at the very least, do the same, if not more..

Perhaps you can elaborate on how he "obviously intended to run Smyth into the pad".

I already did:

... he didn't have to drive him into the support for the glass. He was skating faster than Smyth - he could have just coasted for another step, and he'd have just hit him into the glass harmlessly. When he delivered the hit, he knew exactly what would happen.

The problem I see here is that it just doesn't make sense for these reasons. Jack Johnson is a defenseman, who was caught behind on the play. If you are a defenseman and you are caught behind the play there is no way you are going to do anything but rush your ass back up to the puck (which he did). And why the hell would you ever WAIT, watch the video, Johnson catches up to Smyth and lays the body on him as soon as he gets along side him. Secondly, it was a hit from the side, not a hit from the rear end into the pillar. Lastly, his hands were down the entire time.

If the scenario is as you guys say it were and that this was all intentional, this is what I would rationalize to go down, Johnson rushes his ass back up to Smyth, realizes he can injure him and then instead of get along side him, go up from more diagonal so that he would get both side and forward resulting force, and then drive Smyth into the pillar following with both hands up high.

Anyone knows that if you are catching a guy from behind and you actually want to play out the scenario PROPERLY you are going to at LEAST pull up to the guys side if not more in front of him, so as to deter his forward progress. If you hit him from anywhere behind "side by side" you are only going to help him move forward.

Instead, what happened is Johnson rushes his ass up to Smyth's side and lays a check with his shoulder down to the side into the boards. All I see is Johnson playing proper defense.

[mack 44]

To me it doesn't even look like Johnson even looks at Smyth or where they're at. It looks to me like he just goes in to rub Smyth out/check him into the boards/glass like he would no matter where they were at against the boards. It just seems like a lot of unfortunate timing. I just hope that wherever Smyth woke up, mullets were still cool.

[psh 25]

Since watching him at the World Juniors, I can't stand J. Johnson. Serious lack of class. E. Johnson has the greater up side, it seems to me.

Even so, I have to take Jack's side here. Quenneville has said the hit was clean. Let's hope Smyth is back soon. The Avs have been looking good lately. An Avs/Wings (with Lidstrom back) first round match up would be great for the NHL.

[Chadd 916]

Since watching him at the World Juniors, I can't stand J. Johnson. Serious lack of class. E. Johnson has the greater up side, it seems to me.

Even so, I have to take Jack's side here. Quenneville has said the hit was clean. Let's hope Smyth is back soon. The Avs have been looking good lately. An Avs/Wings (with Lidstrom back) first round match up would be great for the NHL.

I agree that it was a clean hit, he did nothing that was against any rule. All he did was make sure he rode Smyth into the end of the glass. That said, I think it was intentional.

[willy0314 0]

I agree that it was a clean hit, he did nothing that was against any rule. All he did was make sure he rode Smyth into the end of the glass. That said, I think it was intentional.

thats exactly what I ment when I was saying it was a dirty hit....