The 2009-2010 Suspension Thread

[GoHawks 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy7vacK6Dzg

I'm biased... but the announcer is a total homer.

[Balzinsker 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy7vacK6Dzg

I'm biased... but the announcer is a total homer.

That guy is beyond homer, he's gone to flat out delusional. How he calls the first hit a head shot yet misses the blatant charge on the second one is just disgraceful. Someone mentioned in this thread earlier that players are going to keep making these types of hits because the NHL won't suspend them for it, that so long as its "clean", no matter how much of a ruckus the media makes no suspension will occur. And given what's been going on of late I have to whole heartedly agree with that statement, the players found a loophole in the rules and just like with hooking and obstruction they're going to exploit it no matter how disgraceful the product on the ice becomes.

[usahockey22 0]

That hit by Wisniewski was much worse than what Ovechkin dished out for the 2 game suspension...just a flat out assault, you could watch the guy pick up speed as he came in, directly targeting Seabrook's head, with no regard whatsoever for the play of the puck. Now we just wait to hear about Seabrook's concussion, and hopefully Wisniewski's long suspension. I'd like to see anyone try to defend this disgraceful play; there was no puck being played, no check being finished, nothing incidental or unintentional about the hit to the head at all.

“You don’t like to see that," Wisniewski said of Seabrook. "I thought he had the puck so I finished my check. I was already down there, so I pinched in and that’s what happened.

“It probably will get looked at, but the result wasn’t because of a shot to the head. I’m 5-foot-11 and he’s 6-3. What happened was that my face hit his face. The visor came down and cut up my nose. I was shocked when I saw the result of it on the replay.”

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

lol only when the dumb American believes everything they hear. And is WWW not the beginning of EVERY SINGLE website? But enough OT. OV suspended as he should have been. Wisnewski is so/so. Nothing that doesn't happen that often, but in light of the new rule.....

"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet" - Al Gore

People say that Al Gore claimed to have invented the internet in light of the above quote.

LOL. Upon watching that video, I lost all respect for Seabrook. He gets hit, looks around, and then goes, 'omg, I just got hit near the head' and almost faints on ice. If that's not the worst acting job you've ever seen..... my god..

[goaliemanshark 6]

To me it looks more like he lost all muscle control in his body and collapsed. Its hard to sell something when you aren't conscious. It might look like acting in slow motion but at full speed it looks like he got knocked out.

Also i cant believe this clip made you lose respect for Seabrook and not Wisniewski ... oh and that qoute, comic genius.

[vek 0]

I don't think that should be a suspension at all. The bulk of the force of the hit was in Seabrook's chest. Wisniewski's hands came up into his face in the follow through, which is certainly a penalty, but to me, its a charging+roughing 4 minute penalty, done and done.

It did look like Seabrook was selling it. Anyone that gets knocked out the way he was acting isn't looking fairly chipper on the bench 1 minute later.

[EBondo 233]

Who cares if the bulk of the hit was in his chest? Blatant disrespect for Seabrook on that play. Wisniewski tried to put him in the fifth row when he was no where near the puck. Tell me, WHEN do defensemen fly into the zone with that much speed? Rarely. I put that hit in the disrespect category, right up with Lapierre.

[jkud 0]

"I thought he had the puck so I finished my check. I was already down there, so I pinched in and that’s what happened." -Wisniewski

Does he expect anyone to believe that? I don't think it gets much dirtier than that play. Wisniewski showing the puke that he is.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

That hit by Wisniewski was much worse than what Ovechkin dished out for the 2 game suspension...just a flat out assault, you could watch the guy pick up speed as he came in, directly targeting Seabrook's head, with no regard whatsoever for the play of the puck. Now we just wait to hear about Seabrook's concussion, and hopefully Wisniewski's long suspension. I'd like to see anyone try to defend this disgraceful play; there was no puck being played, no check being finished, nothing incidental or unintentional about the hit to the head at all.

I actually think Ovechkins was a worse hit, simply because Campbell was in a more vunerable position.

HOWEVER, I think the intent was much more evident by Wisniewski, it was a retalitory hit all the way. The only part about it that I think was dirty was his hands maybe came up a bit on the hit, so it could be an elbow.

I think Ovechkins hit was careless, but there was no intent to injure. I think Wisniewskis hit had intent to injure but it was (by the rulebook) a cleaner hit as it was from the front rather than to an unsuspecting player

I think the Seabrook hit on Perry, while it didn't have any type of consequence to either player, was the dirtier of the two in that game

[chippa13 1844]

I'd say never having had control of the puck and therefore not expecting any contact is pretty vulnerable. Complete cheap shot by Wisniewski, no matter how you look at it.

[Brian Harte 1]

It looked pretty bad in person... and much worse on the video.

Very poor sportsmanship.

[furlanitalia 1]

The hit on Keith is no doubt a cheap shot. It was a charge, and a hit to the head.

As for the hit on Perry, it's hard to argue against it being reckless in light of the recent Ovechkin incident, but to me it looks like Perry is trying to spin into the corner and just pulled the move way to late. Now, does this change things, or is this a hit to the head? I know everyone was up in arms when someone said that Campbell was at fault for making himself vulnerable, but in this instance did Perry not make himself vulnerable (ie if he hadn't tried to spin he would have gone in sideways)?

Ultimately I just don't know where I stand. As similar as it is to the Ovechkin incident, it's just as different. Either way though I guess without injury will anything come of it? (I hope something does about the Seabrook hit though. That's not acting either, I've reffed kids who have been knocked out in a similar way and had to be stretchered off the ice and they have that same look on their face.)

[usahockey22 0]

I actually think Ovechkins was a worse hit, simply because Campbell was in a more vunerable position.

HOWEVER, I think the intent was much more evident by Wisniewski, it was a retalitory hit all the way. The only part about it that I think was dirty was his hands maybe came up a bit on the hit, so it could be an elbow.

I think Ovechkins hit was careless, but there was no intent to injure. I think Wisniewskis hit had intent to injure but it was (by the rulebook) a cleaner hit as it was from the front rather than to an unsuspecting player

Yes, well you're right that the Ovechkin hit was more dangerous because of the position Campbell was in, but Ovechkin was playing the puck, though a bit late, and I don't think it was a malicious hit. Wisniewski's was "worse", because it was plainly a malicious hit, which targeted the head, and had nothing to do with the puck. Purely retaliatory, perhaps with intent to injure.

Seabrook was unsuspecting because he only touched the puck for an instant, and then gets slammed a few seconds later. Campbell was skating in for a loose puck in the corner, and should have known that there was a check coming there, though of course that doesn't excuse Ovechkin's hit. Wisniewski had more than enough time to cut away and go after the puck when he was coming in, but he was headhunting. If you watch the video, his hands come up to head level way before the hit takes place.

[KingPest19 0]

I don't think that should be a suspension at all. The bulk of the force of the hit was in Seabrook's chest. Wisniewski's hands came up into his face in the follow through, which is certainly a penalty, but to me, its a charging+roughing 4 minute penalty, done and done.

It did look like Seabrook was selling it. Anyone that gets knocked out the way he was acting isn't looking fairly chipper on the bench 1 minute later.

I suggest you watch the video again. Seabrook catches the shoulder square in the face. He leaves hit feet to make the hit and drills Seabrook in the face. If thats not suspension worthy I dont know what is.

[tips09 0]

If thats not suspension worthy I dont know what is.

Honestly no one knows whats suspension worthy. Including the players

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Via Twitter from Nick Kypreos...

Hearing repeat offender Wisniewski waved his rights to an in-person hearing with NHL. Possibly opening the door for long term suspension

[tro 4]

That hit was Charging, Boarding, Interference and intent to injure all thrown into one package, if your mad about the hit on your skilled guy, go in and fight him, don't launch yourself full speed into a guy. Awful.

The players talk so much about respect and then we see some guys trying to kill each other a couple times a week, they always use the excuse, it's a physical game.

Football is a slightly physical sport, but it seems they have more respect for their opponents than NHL players have for each other, am I wrong. There are bad apples in both sports, just seems the NHL has more guys looking to injure players from the other team.

Someone is going to get killed or permanently injured in the near future.

[KingPest19 0]

Honestly no one knows whats suspension worthy. Including the players

When it comes to guys leaving their feet and making contact with the head the league has been pretty consistent on suspensions.

[furlanitalia 1]

That hit was Charging, Boarding, Interference and intent to injure all thrown into one package, if your mad about the hit on your skilled guy, go in and fight him, don't launch yourself full speed into a guy. Awful.

The players talk so much about respect and then we see some guys trying to kill each other a couple times a week, they always use the excuse, it's a physical game.

Football is a slightly physical sport, but it seems they have more respect for their opponents than NHL players have for each other, am I wrong. There are bad apples in both sports, just seems the NHL has more guys looking to injure players from the other team.

Someone is going to get killed or permanently injured in the near future.

What I can't stand is the fight after every clean/big hit on a star player. Go watch the Mitchell hit on Toews. Stood him up and blindsided him. Perfectly clean check and a fight breaks out. Why? The flipside is the hit on Jagr by Ovi. No fight because they can't. Lets just get back to playing hockey.

Yes, Perry was backing up and had gotten rid of the puck, and in that case maybe a fight could have solved that, but it was not necessary to kill the guy.

EDIT: I originally though Perry still had the puck and was trying to spin out of the check. I watched it again and see that he did not have it and was backing up without seeing the hit coming. A boarding call for sure but I wouldn't call it a high hit. That announcer was brutal.

[chippa13 1844]

I've decided that NHL players don't respect each other, otherwise, these kind of things would not continue to occur. There is obviously no peer pressure in the lockerroom not to commit these acts. Everyone says the right things when their teammate is the victim or a non-teammate commits the act but they're mum on the subject when their own teammate does it. Lecavalier makes great comments about Matt Cooke but I haven't seen any scathing indictments about teammate Steve Downie's antics. This shit would stop tomorrow if guys thought they'd be ostracized in their own rooms for this crap. It is high time the NHL players stopped blaming the rules and the league and started looking in the mirror.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I've decided that NHL players don't respect each other, otherwise, these kind of things would not continue to occur. There is obviously no peer pressure in the lockerroom not to commit these acts. Everyone says the right things when their teammate is the victim or a non-teammate commits the act but they're mum on the subject when their own teammate does it. Lecavalier makes great comments about Matt Cooke but I haven't seen any scathing indictments about teammate Steve Downie's antics. This shit would stop tomorrow if guys thought they'd be ostracized in their own rooms for this crap. It is high time the NHL players stopped blaming the rules and the league and started looking in the mirror.

I completely agree with this. It seems now that even a good hard legal hit is met with a tussle or a scrum of some sort. Save that shit for the dirty play.

Caps played Calgary last season, Tyler Sloan got his first game in the NHL, in Calgary (His hometown). He hit one of the leafs players, a legal hit to get the puck, and immediately after he was jumped by 2 guys.

There is a lack of respect for players, now. The goon role has been replaced by the agitator role (not that there were not always agitators, but more teams seem to be getting away from the fighters and going to the smaller pest types who are not called to answer the bell as often). With that, there is an increase in dirty hits, late hits, bad stickwork etc.

Cooke, Ruutu, Avery etc, they can all play the game, but they are all out there also looking to make dirty hits, they don't care about the rules, they can just turtle when called on.

Problem is, I don't even know that removing the instigator at this stage would curb this trend, I don't know what will

Here is the Sloan hit

Shoulder square in the chest, guy not turning, doesn't get his elbow up, he has the puck at the time of the hit. The very definition of a clean hard hockey play, then watch after, 2 guys go for him, Rene Bourque starts wailing while he is off balance.

Used to be guy would take the hit and take a number to return the favor later in the game, but now it's almost like any hit is treated like it's an act of disrespect to the players

[furlanitalia 1]

Couldn't agree more Chippa. I was listening to Vinny talk as well about the kind player Matt Cooke is. Perhaps someone should have asked him about Downie. Guerin however did step up to say that Matt Cooke should have been suspended, but he is a veteran, and probably the last of what seems to be a dieing breed.

[hockeyfreak7 0]

LOL. Upon watching that video, I lost all respect for Seabrook. He gets hit, looks around, and then goes, 'omg, I just got hit near the head' and almost faints on ice. If that's not the worst acting job you've ever seen..... my god..

this comment actually pisses me off. did you not see his helmet clearly come off? his head slammed into the glass after wisniewski locks on and acquires his target.

i dont see where you saw seabrook "look around" after the hit. his head made contact with the glass and he was out cold. it is obvious to me that seabrook experienced some sort of unconsciousness. with that kind of force, i would imagine it is very possible that seabrook momentarily lost consciousness then regained it moments later. just because you black out doesnt necessarily mean youre out for 10 minutes...sometimes it can be a couple seconds.

now seriously, how do you expect someone who is unconscious to fall down? i dont understand why this was a "bad acting job". if it is acting then he needs to find a career in hollywood.

[chippa13 1844]

Guerin gets it, if he ever did something over the line then he stood up and took what he had coming. I mentioned in the B's thread that hopefully Guerin has instructed Cooke to take his medicine tonight.

this comment actually pisses me off. did you not see his helmet clearly come off? his head slammed into the glass after wisniewski locks on and acquires his target.

i dont see where you saw seabrook "look around" after the hit. his head made contact with the glass and he was out cold. it is obvious to me that seabrook experienced some sort of unconsciousness. with that kind of force, i would imagine it is very possible that seabrook momentarily lost consciousness then regained it moments later. just because you black out doesnt necessarily mean youre out for 10 minutes...sometimes it can be a couple seconds.

now seriously, how do you expect someone who is unconscious to fall down? i dont understand why this was a "bad acting job". if it is acting then he needs to find a career in hollywood.

Prime example, Sami Kapanen. That guy was on Queer Street but got right up and tried to find the bench.

[KingPest19 0]

lol only when the dumb American believes everything they hear. And is WWW not the beginning of EVERY SINGLE website? But enough OT. OV suspended as he should have been. Wisnewski is so/so. Nothing that doesn't happen that often, but in light of the new rule.....

LOL. Upon watching that video, I lost all respect for Seabrook. He gets hit, looks around, and then goes, 'omg, I just got hit near the head' and almost faints on ice. If that's not the worst acting job you've ever seen..... my god..

So a shoulder square in the face is near the head now?