2011-2012 Suspension thread

[IniNew 53]

Surely you're not talking about Schenn getting crosschecked in the throat...

[Fire0nIce228 1]

I am.. its questionable to whether he really got hit in the throat, and more to my point, he was fine and played the rest of the game, which is what was irking that poster whom I presume to be a Flyers fan based on his homer disclaimer.

[IniNew 53]

Neither of you have a leg to stand on. One was clearly hit in the head, and one was clearly cross checked in the throat. You peoples' fandom for your teams amazes me. It's so thick that you can't see past obvious injuries.

[Chadd 916]

From the replays I didn't think the stick got him in the throat. That said, Asham came halfway across the ice to deliver a high, hard cross check, then punched a guy in the back of the head while he was down. You can't justify that.

[TeamBlue96 3]

You mean he wasn't looking in his eyes when he followed through? I'm sure he didn't actually think, "I'm going to put my should into his chin,", but he was definitely looking at him until the actual contact came.

I agree...did he want hit him , yes-- but i don't think he was intentionally thinking shoulder+head. Zubrus appeared to lean into it a little bit, too. That part is what G could not see once his back was turned. He would've probably been better just checking him head on for a more shoulder on shoulder.

Yeah, some of these are hard to figure, though I'd wish people would stop throwing Torres in there. It's obvious that the vast majority of his suspension was because of his history of past serious incidents. And I still think the message from the NHL is: punch all you want, that's between the players; but we watch the checks very closely.

The Torres suspension, i agree with -- 25 games is a lot, though. All in all, i say bring take out the instigator rule and let players be held accountable (to an extent). I think you'd see less players running around out there trying to make a huge hit.

[chippa13 1844]

I don't think that the instigator rule can be taken out entirely but I do believe it should be modified to allow for reactionary fisticuffs on an illegal hit.

[Chadd 916]

All in all, i say bring take out the instigator rule and let players be held accountable (to an extent). I think you'd see less players running around out there trying to make a huge hit.

Why? They will just turtle, take a few punches and give their team a five minute power play. It's not like the instigator is ever called when it applies now, getting rid of it would have zero impact on cleaning up the game.

[ibeck 38]

0:25 crosscheck got him on his shoulder caps if anything.

[chippa13 1844]

And it rode up into his neck/chin. How long are we going to subjected to this argument?

[Chadd 916]

No, it doesn't. Ignore what Pierre says, it never gets him in the throat.

[wrangler 157]

It looked to me as though the stick hung up on the shoulder pads, and couldn't go higher.

I gotta love Pierre calling a crosscheck a "clean hit", though.

[ibeck 38]

I think what pierre was referring to was the hit schenn threw on whoever it was.

[EBondo 233]

I just can't see how Schenn thinks, "Okay, I just threw a clean hit here, I'm gonna turn around and take a vicious cross-check from Asham so I'm gonna throw my head back because I want to draw a penalty." He turned around, got hit, his first reaction was to protect himself, and if that means his head going back because he thinks he's going to get hit in the face, then so be it. But to call that a dive...I don't see it. I will say that Schenn is a diver, but in this case, I just don't see it...with my orange glasses off.

[wrangler 157]

I think what pierre was referring to was the hit schenn threw on whoever it was.

OK, that's what I get for jumping the video around so much.

[Stoop 1]

I just can't see how Schenn thinks, "Okay, I just threw a clean hit here, I'm gonna turn around and take a vicious cross-check from Asham so I'm gonna throw my head back because I want to draw a penalty." He turned around, got hit, his first reaction was to protect himself, and if that means his head going back because he thinks he's going to get hit in the face, then so be it. But to call that a dive...I don't see it. I will say that Schenn is a diver, but in this case, I just don't see it...with my orange glasses off.

Yeah, I agree with this, and my glasses are neither gold nor orange. I think the distasteful part is when players roll around on the ice, flailing their legs, holding their head, etc, for effect. I get that it's legit some percentage of the time (maybe with Schenn, I don't know or care), but I suspect it's often not, and that is embarassing for everyone involved. I can't stand it.

[TeamBlue96 3]

I don't think that the instigator rule can be taken out entirely but I do believe it should be modified to allow for reactionary fisticuffs on an illegal hit.

Not entirely, there's got to be discretion involved. You have to consider the flowof the game, how something happens, pre-meditated vs not, stuff like that.

Why? They will just turtle, take a few punches and give their team a five minute power play. It's not like the instigator is ever called when it applies now, getting rid of it would have zero impact on cleaning up the game.

Yes, i agree -- that will happen some of the time -- but don't turtle's make a name for themselves? They end up being classified by fans/media/players as the gutless type who don't stand up for themselves. Just look at how guys like Sean Avery, Patrick Kaleta, Max Lapierre, Alex Burrows, PK Subban, Bard Marchand are OUTSIDE of their own fan base. Not that they don't stick up for themselves, but they've had plenty of incidents where they don't.

Eventually, i think a trend could be set back to the times where players will think twice about acting like a moron out there on the ice.

In the few times where i've seen a player turtle this year, or not drop his gloves when an opposing player does, the ref has usually used good discretion and only given two for unsportsmanlike or a double minor. The Asham/Schenn incident was one of the few there a 5 min major was given.

[chippa13 1844]

Claude Lemieux and Ulf Samuelsson spent a career turtling and had no problem with what the media or opponents fans thought of them.

[TeamBlue96 3]

Claude Lemieux and Ulf Samuelsson spent a career turtling and had no problem with what the media or opponents fans thought of them.

Oh, i'm aware. They took their fair share of punishment, too.

[Law Goalie 147]

I could have kissed Tie Domi for suckering Samuelsson -- shame his stance and the disparity in height took something off it.

[wrangler 157]

Hearing for Hanzal, nothing for Doan or Morris.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=631822

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

Not surprising. With the hearing, I assume it's safe to guess that Hanzal will receive an one-game suspension. The hit seemed worse at first but you could tell that he was trying to let up on Brown. We shall see...

[wrangler 157]

Yep, one game for Hanzal:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=631886

[ibeck 38]

Prust slapped with a fair 1 gamer

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=396451

[wrangler 157]

Shanahan video:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=632199

[Steve_v3 289]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=399768

Why would Bettman even consider reducing his suspension???