2009-10 NHL Thread

[Bregor]

hay guyz wats goin on in dis thread

Back from Vegas, took an absolute bath at the sports book. It seemed like every parlay I was about to hit was fucked by some backup goalie getting the start. Buffalo and San Jose especially killed me.

I was at the airport during the Caps/Hawks game, and no replay on CSN Washington, so I had to settle for game highlights on NHL.com. The boarding call on Ovechkin deserves a game or two, regardless of the repeat offense rule. He's gotta get his fucking head on straight. Heard that Campbell's done for the year. But holy shit what a comeback, Nick Backstrom just gets better every game, and the early returns on the deadline deals are positive, especially Belanger.

Also, par for the course with Downie. Glad Crosby seemed okay afterward. Can't wait to see where the Wheel of Justice lands on this one.

[Sepukku]

Can't wait to see where the Wheel of Justice lands on this one.

Unfortunately the NHL is showing so far no acknowledgement of the incident on their website and the Game Recap on NHL.com referred to it as "becoming entangled" as though it was incidental. Colin Campbell probably has no fucking idea something even happened. That or he just doesn't feel like doing his job.

[Sepukku]

NHL.com finally has video of Crosby/Downie up and its from Tampa Bay's play by play version, and they don't say anything about it being a cheap or dirty play, infact one of them even says, "thats what you call 'finishing your check.'" WHAT THE FUCK EVER!!!

[Sepukku]

PRAISE BE TO CROSBY!!!

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=314125 !!!

OVECHKIN SUSPENDED TWO GAMES AGAIN!!

[Deader2818]

And yet, Cooke gets nothing.

[Thoronas]

And yet, Cooke gets nothing.

Seriously. I'm surprised but I guess happy that they gave him something but really it doesn't mean a thing because there still isn't any semblance of a pattern that players can look at and say "Ok I have to be careful not to cross that line." It's so nebulous no one can really say where the line is drawn.

[Izzy]

Two games was what I expected, and seems about right. The hit wasn't "vicious", but it was dangerous, and he shouldn't have pushed Campbell like that.

Now to see if they dish anything out to Downie. Probably not... That shit was wayyyyyyyyyy worse than Ovi's shit. Downie is so fucking lucky that Crosby wasn't hurt.

[Sepukku]

And yet, Cooke gets nothing.

Cooke got nothing cause Richards got nothing. When they let Richards off the hook, they put themselves into a position where they couldn't do anything to Cooke, even if several months later the pressure to crackdown on head hits was much greater.

[Sepukku]

On TSN the current poll regards AO's 2 game suspension:
17% say it was too much
55% say it wasn't enough
the rest say it was just right.

Also TSN's article lists all the following AO incidents:

Past incidents involving Ovechkin include:

- a knee-on-knee hit on the Hurricanes' Tim Gleason

- an infamous knee on Sergei Gonchar during 2009 playoffs, causing the Penguins' defenceman to miss several games

- a hit on the Lightning's Jamie Heward that saw him leave the ice on a stretcher

- a check that sent Patrick Kaleta of the Sabres into the boards face-first

- a slew foot on the Thrashers' Rich Peverley

- a big blindside hit on Daniel Briere of the Sabres

And they left off his repeated head-hunting of Malkin during their first couple years before they became best buds.

[Selamis]

I wish that the NHL would allow the players to police games and get rid of the instigator penalty/suspension policy. I'd like to see Ovechkin play like he does if he had to worry about the tough guys of the league coming after him for retribution if he takes out someone.

Once he gets his clock cleaned a few times maybe he'll learn better, but I think the reason he still plays like he does is because he knows he can get away with it. I bet if someone tried to drop the gloves with him he'd turtle up and not be man enough to fight. I could be wrong on that, but it's just the impression I get from him. I've seen Crosby fight, I've seen Toews fight, never seen Ovechkin fight when the time calls for it.

[Ratatapa]

Ok so RDS wiitch is a QC sport site, is having in their headlines

"Malkin and the penguins came close"

I go read in it and it says "Malkin was happy not beeing injured much after blocking a shot from Kris Letang Sunday"

Great so nothing for crosby but a headline for that?

lolz

[Absolutely Virtue]

Sweet, maybe sitting OV for two games will give Sid a better shot at winning the Richard.

[Thoronas]

With Ovechkin sitting for two games it gives H. Sedin a good shot at regaining points leader again.

[BadKarma]

Best part of the Ranger game yesterday:

Brandon Dubinsky beating the shit out of Mike Richards.

[NynJa]

I bet if someone tried to drop the gloves with him he'd turtle up and not be man enough to fight.

http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/im...sean-avery.jpg
Are you talking about me?


I dont get how Ovie gets 2 games for the hit on Campbell, but Lapierre gets 4 games for this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mAdKiK_Fto

Nichols wasnt even hurt...fucking faked shit (see grasping arm and kicking legs as if in agony...then gets up) because Lapierre gave him a half-ass shove, and thats four games?

Then theres this hit that Kostitsyn delivered to Lucic...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCG7IMXV_lo
"thats a dirty hit" ... "I think he knew what he was trying to do, he knew he wasnt looking, theres no way he was gonna have the puck on his stick" ... "That's late, its a shoulder on head play, its blindside".

Isnt the first rule of hockey to keep your head up, and not admire your pass? On top of the fact its Lucic, someone whos made a name of hitting people, he should know better. He had JUST passed the puck off, and it was a shoulder to chest/shoulder hit, nothing was towards the head. If thats a fucking dirty hit, take hitting out of the bloody game.

How can you tell me the Kostitsyn hit is worse than this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLbLiGXqHIA
You cant.

[Thoronas]

Fuuuuuuck

I missed the playoffs in our fantasy league by a point. That's what I get for picking Malkin over Crosby.

[Vaspinne]

Spoiler: show

I dont get how Ovie gets 2 games for the hit on Campbell, but Lapierre gets 4 games for this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mAdKiK_Fto

Nichols wasnt even hurt...fucking faked shit (see grasping arm and kicking legs as if in agony...then gets up) because Lapierre gave him a half-ass shove, and thats four games?

Then theres this hit that Kostitsyn delivered to Lucic...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCG7IMXV_lo
"thats a dirty hit" ... "I think he knew what he was trying to do, he knew he wasnt looking, theres no way he was gonna have the puck on his stick" ... "That's late, its a shoulder on head play, its blindside".

Isnt the first rule of hockey to keep your head up, and not admire your pass? On top of the fact its Lucic, someone whos made a name of hitting people, he should know better. He had JUST passed the puck off, and it was a shoulder to chest/shoulder hit, nothing was towards the head. If thats a fucking dirty hit, take hitting out of the bloody game.

How can you tell me the Kostitsyn hit is worse than this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLbLiGXqHIA
You cant.

The Lucic hit is a bad example. Primarily because you're quoting the commentators who really have no say in how good or bad a hit really is besides personal opinion. Their commentary will never have an affect on how the NHL handles those hits. The hit wasn't really that bad. It just looked like a big hit.

The Toews hit was rough, but it has signature Scott Stevens hit written all over it. Guy skating through neutral ice, not looking where he's going, and bam. Clean if you ask me. Just a stupid play by Toews.

Now the Ovie and Lapierre hits, the big reason why they got suspended was hitting from behind. From an early early early age, up until probably around 13~16 if I remember correctly, not only is hitting not allowed in youth hockey leagues. But all jerseys have a big red stop sign square in the back. Hitting from behind is unaccepted through and through.

Ovie only got 2 games because he was finishing a check. Campbell just had the puck and got rid of it a split second before the hit even happened. If Ovie came from the other side and hit him from the front, it would have been completely legal, injury or not, and he would not have been suspended, guaranteed. But because it was squarely from behind, well, 2 games. Now whether 2 games is enough? No. I really don't think it is. Campbell is going to be gone for the rest of the season, no? But I think he only got 2 games mainly because 1) he was finishing a check, it just happened to be from behind. And 2) his name.

Lapierre on the other hand took out Nichol when it wasn't necessary. The puck had been shot already and Nichol was skating harmlessly away from it. It was the intent of the hit that got him the 4 games. Sure, Nichol got back up and wasn't injured, but it doesn't change the fact that Lapierre did it because he could. He wasn't finishing a check at all, the puck wasn't anywhere near Nichol at this point, and he caught him completely off guard. I mean, Nichol was half putting his hands into the air celebrating, thinking he might have scored. He was drifting past the net, there was no reason to even touch him. He wasn't going for a rebound or anything.

My point in a nutshell: Lapierre's 4 games, justified. Ovie's 2 games, not enough. But he only got 2 because he is who he is.

The Downie hit... take down?... leg tie? on Crosby was pretty dirty. But eh, it was from the side, Crosby got up and was back in the game minutes later. If he actually got injured, then yeah, Downie would have had hell to pay. But it didn't look that bad in the replay.

I haven't seen the Cooke video. So I can't really comment.

[NynJa]

Posting the Kostitsyn hit was partially to exemplify how weak the game is going to get if every monster hit is going to be labeled as a dirty hit that doesnt belong in the game. Is a scrum going to ensue every time theres a legit monster hit? That would be pretty detrimental to a contact sport.

[Ishido]

Wings win a huge one over Calgary in regulation. I can't believe that Tomas Holmstrom is so effective, he has amazing hands while sitting in front of a goalie.

[Vaspinne]

Posting the Kostitsyn hit was partially to exemplify how weak the game is going to get if every monster hit is going to be labeled as a dirty hit that doesnt belong in the game. Is a scrum going to ensue every time theres a legit monster hit? That would be pretty detrimental to a contact sport.

I see your point, and I do agree to an extent. Every big hit will be labeled as either an awesome hit by the fans of the team that did the hit, and a dirty hit by the opposing fans. It'll happen regardless unfortunately.

But for the scrums? Well, they happen a LOT anyway. It's just how Hockey has always been. Goalie freezes the puck, forward goes in for 1 poke just before the whistle, and there will always be a scuffle of some sort lasting a minute or two. Big hit scuffles happen a lot too, dirty or clean. And they only happen just because the players on the team look out for each other. The scrums have been happening for well... as long as I can remember.

And yeah, big win for Detroit. Sucks as a Flames fan, but we do still have a slim chance. 3 points back with 13 games to go. 5 behind Nashville. It's doable, but it's gonna be ridiculously tough. Holmstrom has always been a beast in front of the net. I remember the Calgary vs Detroit playoff series from 6 years ago and the guy was still causing so much havoc back then. He's taken screening a goalie and made it into a very legitimate and very good skill. Not to mention Detroit just works brilliantly with slap passes, passes off of the boards behind the net and deflections.