Getting high sticked

[Steveo 0]

I got high sticked in my game last night and i'm pretty sure it's the most angry i've ever been in all the years i've ever played hockey. I was playing defence and a guy was coming in on me with the puck and as he was trying to lift his stick from one side of his body to the other his stick slid up mine and hit me in the cheek bone and then up to my temple. Needless to say i wasn't to happy, mainly because there was no call. when i got to the bench and sat down, the ref came over to me and before he said anything, I said to him "What the f**k was that?" and he tried to explain to me that because it was an accident, there is no penalty.

Call me crazy, but doesn't that sound ridiculous to you? If you high stick someone, regardless of if it's an accident, that should be an automatic call.

[Chadd 916]

It's supposed to be automatic with USA Hockey this year, most of the refs barely bother calling obvious ones with ill-intent.

[LegoDoom 0]

I was high sticked last year. Two cuts. 10 stitches. No call.

[jay 1]

I've been lucky as hell. Never cut. Taken countless smacks across my shield and the one time I got hit in the face the guys sticks blade hit me perfectly flat across the jaw line and just left a red welt. I also got slashed over the shoulder recently while on a breakaway. Not once have I ever drawn a call for high sticking.

[Shorthanded67 0]

This is an observation that might seem a little crazy...

I've noticed that guys who wear shields/cages draw more high sticking penalties than those without any facial protection.

2 reasons I say this...

1) The obvious "clank" of stick against shield/cage draws a penalty more than the "thud" of stick against face.

2) Guys with shields/cages tend to not flinch when sticks come up on them. I've moved my head out of the way to avoid high sticks, and thus didn't draw a penalty.

Just a thought....

[Guest phillyfan]

The referee made the wrong call, accident or not, trips a trip, hooks a hook, and a high-stick is a high-stick. It should have been called. But since it was an accident, there would be no intent-to-injure call, just a two minute minor, or the 5 minute major if he drew blood.

[Eman24dx 0]

Last night I got a 2 and 10 in the last 5mins of the game for high sticking a guy w/a cage. I would say it was'nt harder than a tap the guy I hit did'nt even notice, Needless to say I was mad cause I finished the season in the box when I have'nt had a penalty all season. Guys with cages should'nt count :lol:

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

I'm glad I have to wear a cage. I've taken some pretty serious blows to it and if anyone them would have hit my face I would have needed some serious medication.

[dgaronzik 1]

Thats a botched call if I ever saw one. For me, when I ref, I look for stuff like that. If its a high stick, whether there was intent or not, it is a call. You did it on purpose, you're going to the box. You let your stick get away from you, you're going to box. Its that simple. In the past 2 years, Ive been hit in the face/head 4 times. The first time the guy let his stick get away from him and it traveled up my stick into the corner of my eye socket, they had to glue the cut shut cause it was so close to my eye. I started wearing a visor after that. Last season I got two handed across the head/visor and this season I got stick across the face because, and I quote, "You hit my STICK so I came up with mine."

[Steveo 0]

Well, what made me so mad was the fact that our league comes down heavy on any stick infraction. if you slash someone, 4 minutes, you high stick someone, 4 minutes, it's automatic. So for this guy to try to tell me it was my fault, made me seriously pissed. Plus, this was a playoff game and we only lost by a goal, we could have got a goal and it would've changed how our playoffs finished up.

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

I've been nailed twice this season (so twice in the past two months)

Last game, first shift, get whacked right in the mouth...luckily I've been wearing a mouthguard since the beginning of the year, however, it still managed to knock my tooth loose. Damn hacks...he never even apologized...so I kept chirping at home throughout the game. He was wearing a cage so I skated behind him and put my stick right in front of his cage and said "How you like that, Tweety Bird?"

[Kirsch 1]

Yeah my top/front six teeth are steel coated in procelin from a bike wreck I had a couple years ago. If someone were to ever hit me in the mouth with a stick god help that person. I think I have been through enough teeth "trauma" for one life time. Thankfully though I have never been high sticked.

EDIT: Knock on wood :)

[QandA 0]

I find that players with cages take more liberty than players with visors. As I watch the University CIS Cup I noticed the teams with cages seemed to have their sticks up and hitting throats and faces more often than say 2 teams wearing visors.

[Eazy_b97 1]

2) Guys with shields/cages tend to not flinch when sticks come up on them. I've moved my head out of the way to avoid high sticks, and thus didn't draw a penalty.

I definately agree with your first reason, but I'm not sure about the second. I find it more of a re-action to flinch or not. I wear a cage (mandatory), but still try to avoid the sticks out of instinct. It just seems theirs not enough time to think about it.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

I also HAVE to wear a cage and if I get high sticked obviously it doesn't hurt but I've drawn a few penaties snapping my head back but its also a reaction to flinch if you see something coming for your face/head whether you've got proctection on or not.

[BC_Boy 0]

We get high sticked a lot in my league, even though we wear cages, sometimes the sticks get caught in your mand stuff like that. A few games ago I got high sticked under the mask and drew blood, not enough for stitches though.

[Chadd 916]

I got four sticks to the head or helmet last game alone.

[kosydar 0]

2)  Guys with shields/cages tend to not flinch when sticks come up on them.  I've moved my head out of the way to avoid high sticks, and thus didn't draw a penalty.

I definately agree with your first reason, but I'm not sure about the second. I find it more of a re-action to flinch or not. I wear a cage (mandatory), but still try to avoid the sticks out of instinct. It just seems theirs not enough time to think about it.

I think that a lot of it also comes from people not being as careful when playing against a guy with a visor on, I know I'm not.