[NHL] Boring Trade Deadline, since it wasn't last week..

Corvus

Yeah, the Penguins performance sans Crosby and Malkin isn't really being talked about enough in the hockey media I think. I shudder to think what would happen to the Canucks with say, Henrik and Kessler hurt.

enlightenedbum

Aegis wrote: »

Does Chara have a history with hard hits? I didn't think he did all that much, just that he's huge and thus normally gets off better when there's ever a position for him to throw a check.

On the other hand, he's really got to know where he is on the ice. I mean, why throw a hit there anyway as he was initially right beside the player's bench, so all that would have happened was him throwing the player into his own team.

Hard hits, but not really dirty ones. I think that helps him. He'll probably get a few games though.

tofu

Corvus wrote: »

Yeah, the Penguins performance sans Crosby and Malkin isn't really being talked about enough in the hockey media I think. I shudder to think what would happen to the Canucks with say, Henrik and Kessler hurt.

The eastern conference sure is tough *snicker*

Matrias

That certainly helps them, but Blysma is probably a good coach too.

Are they riding Fleury pretty hard?

facetious

Fleury's been playing outstanding, but the team as a whole has been playing with an almost playoff-style mindset. Their forecheck and neutral zone pressure have been particularly great - they're just difficult to play against. They just can't put up a ton of goals with so much offensive talent missing, so every night is tense (and intense).

If Bylsma doesn't win coach of the year it will be a fucking travesty.

tofu

Lemaire...

3v

If the Devils make the playoffs after their amazing .286 winning % in the first half.. then ya he deserves it.

Sharp101

Aegis wrote: »

Does Chara have a history with hard hits? I didn't think he did all that much, just that he's huge and thus normally gets off better when there's ever a position for him to throw a check

There was those two scary hits on Grabo a few weeks back. That's all that immediately came to mind.
But those were kinda because he was so big and Grabo is so small.

Still, lastnight's hit was nasty.

Burtletoy

tofu wrote: »

Corvus wrote: »

Yeah, the Penguins performance sans Crosby and Malkin isn't really being talked about enough in the hockey media I think. I shudder to think what would happen to the Canucks with say, Henrik and Kessler hurt.

The eastern conference sure is tough *snicker*

And the Western Confrence has St. Louis, Colombus, Calgary, Minnesota, Chicago, Colorado, and Edmonton.

All bad teams by most peoples standards.

I'll give you that the Pacific looks pretty good, however. None of the other divisions do though.

NailbunnyPD

LordSolarMacharius wrote: »

Suspendable?

I think so. I don't think it was intentional, but he really should have been aware of his location on that hit. If Chara had maintained the perpendicular angle to the bench and gone for the hit initially, that would have been an entirely different result. Instead he curved in, and the puck was already gone when he hit him.

Aegis

Yea, that's basically MacKenzie's take on it over at TSN. It was a clear cut interference call, injury or not, but because of the injury, intentional or not, that's a major penalty (which was what was called) and probably ~2 games due to being unintentional.

NailbunnyPD

I was just going to post that quote from Puck Daddy. Its basically how I feel about it.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was one of the first major voices calling for Chara to be suspended for his lack of responsibility on the hit:

Certainly, if the partition weren't there, it would have been no more than a two-minute minor for interference and there almost assuredly would have been no injury on the play. But the partition was there and, ultimately, Chara is responsible for the outcome. He made an illegal play that caused injury and even if there was an absence of malice, Chara is still responsible. Them's the breaks, so to speak.

It's no different than when a player goes in to make a shoulder-to-shoulder check on another player by the boards. If the hitter makes contact forcefully enough and the player being hit has his head rap off the glass, causing obvious injury, that player doing the the hitting is going to be assessed a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct and is quite likely to get a suspension. Intent doesn't always have to be the critical factor. Outcome often works as well.

(edit) ugh.

Lail

After watching it a couple of times last night my opinion was that it was an interference penalty gone wrong, and that it was just a combination of a significant size difference between the players and horrible timing/location.

But god that picture sure makes me question what Chara was thinking...

Aegis

TSN noting that the injury is a severe concussion and a fractured vertebrae.

NailbunnyPD

Lail wrote: »

After watching it a couple of times last night my opinion was that it was an interference penalty gone wrong, and that it was just a combination of a significant size difference between the players and horrible timing/location.

But god that picture sure makes me question what Chara was thinking...

I have a hard time giving Chara the benefit of doubt here. Ultimately, its the hitter's responsibility to be aware of their location. Even if he had a momentary lapse in spacial awareness, it should have been obvious that they were skating parallel to the benches. That's not the location to go for such a hit. Like I said previously, had he gone for the hit initially when he came in perpendicular, Pacioretty would have been sent into the bench and not to the hospital.

It may not have been intentional, but its pretty damned negligent.

3v

Pull out the wheel gentlemen and give it a spin.

tofu

3v wrote: »

If the Devils make the playoffs after their amazing .286 winning % in the first half.. then ya he deserves it.

Even if they don't make the playoffs the turn around is still amazing

5 games for Chara is my guess

enlightenedbum

Chara gets no suspension, no fine.

tofu

Just saw that

Ridiculous

Aegis

I'd have figured 1-2 games. And it wasn't even Campbell that made this decision since he can't rule on Boston-related teams.

quovadis13

Wow, kind of shocked by that one. Chara basically got away with murder.


Who wants to see Montreal v Boston in the first round of the playoffs now??

Jean

If you do that to someone in the street, your ass will end up in jail yet in NHL world thats not even worthy of a fine? What a joke.

He just ended his career for fuck sake and nearly killed him!

I dont think I ever been that furious over a NHL related incident before.

tofu

I wonder what the next Boston/Montreal game will be like

This league is so dumb

NailbunnyPD

Is there something in the NHL contracts that prevents players from suing each other over injuries?

tofu wrote: »

This league is so dumb

Indeed.

Sevorak

Nope

Rikushix

I'll basically echo what Bob McKenzie said: regardless of Chara's clear non intent to injure, normally one would expected a few games suspension (between 1 and 4) for injuring someone by way of a minor penalty.

Burtletoy

If it had been on the other side of the boards, chances are good it wouldn't have evenbeen a 2min penalty.

Can't say I expected a suspension, nor do I think he deserved one.

[Tycho?]

NailbunnyPD wrote: »

I was just going to post that quote from Puck Daddy. Its basically how I feel about it.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was one of the first major voices calling for Chara to be suspended for his lack of responsibility on the hit:

Certainly, if the partition weren't there, it would have been no more than a two-minute minor for interference and there almost assuredly would have been no injury on the play. But the partition was there and, ultimately, Chara is responsible for the outcome. He made an illegal play that caused injury and even if there was an absence of malice, Chara is still responsible. Them's the breaks, so to speak.

It's no different than when a player goes in to make a shoulder-to-shoulder check on another player by the boards. If the hitter makes contact forcefully enough and the player being hit has his head rap off the glass, causing obvious injury, that player doing the the hitting is going to be assessed a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct and is quite likely to get a suspension. Intent doesn't always have to be the critical factor. Outcome often works as well.

(edit) ugh.

I think the hit was unintentional... but damn. That looks really bad.

enlightenedbum

Nah, that's interference in the new NHL. Unless Hal Gill does it in the SCF. Would have been a minor anywhere else though.

Chara's awareness means he knew where he was though, and that's where the suspension came in.

Burtletoy

Lidstrom is the king of the clutch and grab.

enlightenedbum

Perhaps, but he's subtle. And it's mostly his stick.

JustinSane07

quovadis13 wrote: »

Wow, kind of shocked by that one. Chara basically got away with murder.


Who wants to see Montreal v Boston in the first round of the playoffs now??

It'll be a nice to have another 4-0 sweep in the first round.

Sevorak

I bet that's what the Capitals thought last year.

OSUJumpMan

JustinSane07 wrote: »

quovadis13 wrote: »

Wow, kind of shocked by that one. Chara basically got away with murder.


Who wants to see Montreal v Boston in the first round of the playoffs now??

It'll be a nice to have another 4-0 sweep in the first round.

as opposed to a 4-1 sweep? or maybe a 1-1 sweep?

also: hubris.

3v

OSUJumpMan wrote: »

JustinSane07 wrote: »

quovadis13 wrote: »

Wow, kind of shocked by that one. Chara basically got away with murder.


Who wants to see Montreal v Boston in the first round of the playoffs now??

It'll be a nice to have another 4-0 sweep in the first round.

as opposed to a 4-1 sweep? or maybe a 1-1 sweep?

also: hubris.

Hard to see the bruins sweeping anything after getting swept out of the playoffs last season.

Matrias

damn.

Don't want to watch that game, no sir.

Aegis

Huh, so not only is Pacioretty "disgusted" at the lack of suspension (no surprise there), but CBC is reporting that at least some NHL backers are rather pissed at the league over this. Air Canada has sent word that it's increasingly uncomfortable with the NHL's inability to deal with the headshot issue.