2013-2014 NHL Thread

[Rupe]

After re-watching, I'll agree it wasn't so much that he slid up but rather that the bulk of the contact was made with the shoulder and then subsequently with the head as they crushed together. Still not a targeted head shot and there was no head injury. As I mentioned earlier, if Toews took that shot directly to the head he'd be severely concussed. There's no doubt that Orpik walks a fine line but that's another conversation in and of itself.

It seems that the vast majority of analysts/sports writers agree that it was a legal hit for whatever that's worth.

[Shawn Lutz]

what about blind side? Look at Brooks line him from a good distance, Towes did not appear to look up and got streamrolled

[clifffclaven]

what about blind side? Look at Brooks line him from a good distance, Towes did not appear to look up and got streamrolled

Shawn- correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the 'blindside rule' only applies when the head is the principle point of contact?

[Rupe]

what about blind side? Look at Brooks line him from a good distance, Towes did not appear to look up and got streamrolled

My understanding is that has more to do with body positioning. Look at the stills above and you can see that Orpik caught Toews in front of his shoulder regardless of where he was looking...had the hit caught the rear of the shoulder then you'd be correct.

[Carbuff]

caaaaa' mon, he left his feet after the contact which is simply a follow through. this is a clean hit that had an unfortunate ending. you can't burn this guy at the stake for this hit, regardless of what he may or may not have done in the past. and no you guys are all wrong, if this had been Crosby, there would of been no suspension or investigation, the guy who threw the hit would simply be on death row awaiting fatal injection or electrocution.

Yeah, if this had been Potvin............

[Hellbat]

Here's ex ref Kerry Fraser's take on it...

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/kerry_fraser/?id=447989

[goodwood]

Here's ex ref Kerry Fraser's take on it...

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/kerry_fraser/?id=447989

On a technical level, Mr. Fraser breaks it down much the same as I did.

Do I think people should 'keep their head up'? Yes. So, Toews should be watching out for himself - no doubt about it.

That doesn't diminish my opinion that it was a hit with the intent to injure. The suggestion that Orpik 'let up' is complete BS - he slowed to keep from missing altogether. The leg thrust when he launches himself into and upward is flat out trying to kill the target. The fact that Toews' shoulder kept him from having his head taken clean off doesn't mean it was shoulder to shoulder.

It was shoulder to head (fact is, that the shoulder is really ABOVE the head so the declaration that is is a high hit is simply stating fact) - more upper torso and arm to head and mid torso to the extended arm which is out in front of Toews. Get somebody in front of you to pull on your arm and then while they are pulling your arm in front of you, have a 200 pound dude kick you in the back of the shoulder. That's pretty close to the forces at work during the hit regarding the shoulder.

[xenophobe]

Here's ex ref Kerry Fraser's take on it...

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/kerry_fraser/?id=447989

And that's pretty much what I saw of it... and Kerry doesn't make the call either. That stuff happens too fast and the refs have to make the call on the spot. We can armchair quarterback it all day.... that's what Player Safety is supposed to be there for... to give everyone a ruling they can argue over. Non-call, nothing happened, over and done with.

[Rupe]

That doesn't diminish my opinion that it was a hit with the intent to injure.

Where do you draw the line between a hard hit and intent to injure? I think it's preposterous that you feel you know what Orpik's intent was by watching the same clips that we can all see. As a former football player, I know you try and hit the opponent as hard as you can as often as you can. You don't try to injure them, but you sure as hell try to inflict pain and instill fear through hard hitting. Hockey is a contact sport and injuries happen as a result of hard, even brutal, yet legal hits. Assessing intent on a legal play is just silly...save that BS for obvious infractions.

[Rupe]

if this had been Crosby, there would of been no suspension or investigation, the guy who threw the hit would simply be on death row awaiting fatal injection or electrocution.

This ref was fed to lions after the game

[Mudlark]

^^That's one of the funniest things I've seen in a hockey game. Sid got his 100th point last night and will probably be the only 100 point player this year while Ovechkin's minus 36 is leading the race in the other direction.

[atomic charvel guy]

ovechkin got burned at the stake last night on the NHL network as they showed him tanking on a goal by dallas. in his defense though, the guy gets a pile of ice time and he's trying to score every shift. sometimes, not all the time, that can leave you out of many plays going the other way, although he is guilty as sin of tanking the last couple of seasons. plus minus does not tell the whole story. it tells part of it. think about it, Crosby has 100 points, and he's at plus 16. what's so fantastic about that if plus minus tells all? it doesn't tell all, so you have to look at it with a ton of salt, not a grain.

[atomic charvel guy]

did I mention that alex burrows is a fuckin' cunt!!?? fuck!!!

[Mudlark]

I'll be shocked if anyone argues with that.

did I mention that alex burrows is a fuckin' cunt!!?? fuck!!!

[goodwood]

ovechkin got burned at the stake last night on the NHL network as they showed him tanking on a goal by dallas. in his defense though, the guy gets a pile of ice time and he's trying to score every shift. sometimes, not all the time, that can leave you out of many plays going the other way, although he is guilty as sin of tanking the last couple of seasons. plus minus does not tell the whole story. it tells part of it. think about it, Crosby has 100 points, and he's at plus 16. what's so fantastic about that if plus minus tells all? it doesn't tell all, so you have to look at it with a ton of salt, not a grain.

That's very true. The biggest part, to me, is that the next 5 players on the Caps are a pale shadow compared to the next 5 players on the Pens.

Also, worthy of note is that Sid can be awarded an assist if he is off the ice getting fries between periods.

By the way, regarding the shot that the ref landed on him, I have taken bigger hits than that and never even looked around. The full dive was a bit much - I guess it's muscle memory!!