2011-2012 NHL Thread

[Corn Flake]

No suspension...crazy
http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=380418

Honestly, as much as it was a solid hit on a goalie, I'm not sure it was suspension worthy. Lucic was chasing down a loose puck, which Miller moved out of the way a fraction of a second before impact. There was no way Lucic could have eased up in terms of his momentum - there just wasn't enough time - nor do I think he could have really avoided the collision. While he made no attempt avoid Miller and took advantage of the opportunity a little, he doesn't really make contact with Miller's head - the brunt of the impact is to the back of Miller's shoulder. I'd also be hard-pressed to say he targeted the head - doesn't raise his forearm particularly high (they're chest level at the moment of impact). Most of the damage here really stems from the fact that Lucic has almost 50 pounds on Miller and was legitimately coming in at close to full speed. With the rules as they are right now, I'd say this is the right call.

I think Gionta's was less violent looking but far worse/more intentional as he subtly stuck out the forearm/elbow on the way by and could have easily avoided the hit.. also crashing through the crease to do it.

 

[Corn Flake]

And without the instigator, Chara proceeds to pound every player on the Sabres team into the ice , two or three of them at a time. 

Its one of the reasons the Bruins are so damned cocky.. they know they have a 6'7" captain who nobody out there will fight.

So you can have frontier justice and players policing themselves but you better find someone who can take on Chara pretty quick, otherwise Boston wins every time.

Three fights and Chara gets booted from the game. Could be a potential strategy, if you've got 3 guys willing to take that kind of punishment. Though, the truth is, since becoming a premier defenceman in the NHL, Chara has stopped dropping the gloves, and certainly hasn't tangled with any real heavyweights - despite the fact his team was near the top of the league in fighting majors last season (2nd to St Louis) and is up there again this season (7th as of today). The real issue in Boston is that they have a bunch of other guys who are more than happy to drop the gloves, and are more than capable of holding their own.

Very true but going on the suggestion that if players policed each other, some guy takes the suggested cross check to Lucic's face, and Chara zooming in to do something about it wouldn't be surprising. 

Chara has averaged only 1 fight per year the last 4 seasons according to hockeyfights.com.  But when he does fight, look out.

 

[bustaheims]

I think Gionta's was less violent looking but far worse/more intentional as he subtly stuck out the forearm/elbow on the way by and could have easily avoided the hit.. also crashing through the crease to do it.

Yeah. I was thinking along the same lines. The biggest differences to me between the two, other than the context, was obviously the apparent force of impact (due largely to the size difference Gionta and Lucic), the position of the goalies (one standing, one crouching) and the impact to the head (one direct contact, the other a glancing blow). If Gionta's hit didn't warrant a suspension, then neither did Lucic's, as Gionta's hit was probably further in violation of the rules.

 

[oldman]

Mass murder!!

 

[sneakyray]

the thing that ticks me off is that lucic concusses a teams franchise player on an incidental hit...and yet in the interview after the game he is smiling ear to ear while talking about it.

maybe some concern should be shown on the part of the player who did the hurting...at least try not to look like a kid on christmas morning.

 

[Courtnall]

Well Sheriff shanahan set the bar now didn't he. Running a goalie a full speed is only a 2 min penalty. What a joke he's turning out to be. To me it looked like an intent to injure, why else do you charge the goalie without playing the puck. SusPend them severely in preseason just to let gutless plays like this to slide.
The sabers team should all hang there head in shame after not doing a damn thing afterwards.
Myself as a fan am both disappointed in sheriff shanny and the sabres team. Also, to see lucic dumb smirk afterwards talking about the hit was probably the worst for me.
Wilson should dress a goon to run the other teams goalie now and sacrifice the 2 mins.

 

[maplesyrup]

I say "boo" to the no suspension but whatever...

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I say "boo" to the no suspension but whatever...

Agreed. Like Ruff said, it basically says that goalies are fair game. I don't think that Lucic had every intention of knocking Miller out, but once he noticed that they were on a collision course he did very little to absolutely nothing to get out of the way.

 

[bustaheims]

I say "boo" to the no suspension but whatever...

Agreed. Like Ruff said, it basically says that goalies are fair game. I don't think that Lucic had every intention of knocking Miller out, but once he noticed that they were on a collision course he did very little to absolutely nothing to get out of the way.

The problem is that you can't hand out for suspensions for hits that you don't like when they don't violate the rules to the point of deserving a suspension. I'm not a fan of the hit either, but, based on the rules as they are, it's not suspension worthy.

 

[WAYNEINIONA]

Just when I was beginning to wonder if guys like Colton Orr were still necessary in the NHL something like this happens.

 

[maplesyrup]

I say "boo" to the no suspension but whatever...

Agreed. Like Ruff said, it basically says that goalies are fair game. I don't think that Lucic had every intention of knocking Miller out, but once he noticed that they were on a collision course he did very little to absolutely nothing to get out of the way.

The problem is that you can't hand out for suspensions for hits that you don't like when they don't violate the rules to the point of deserving a suspension. I'm not a fan of the hit either, but, based on the rules as they are, it's not suspension worthy.

I'll never be convinced he tried to get out of the way which the rule states he needed to. That said, there is no need for anyone to try. I'm past caring.

 

[bustaheims]

I'll never be convinced he tried to get out of the way which the rule states he needed to. That said, there is no need for anyone to try. I'm past caring.

He didn't, and that's why he received a penalty on the play. Not trying to get out of the way is, however, not a suspendible offence.

 

[maplesyrup]

I'll never be convinced he tried to get out of the way which the rule states he needed to. That said, there is no need for anyone to try. I'm past caring.

He didn't, and that's why he received a penalty on the play. Not trying to get out of the way is, however, not a suspendible offence.

I think he targeted the head which is a suspendable offense but I could be wrong... I only saw it once.

 

[bustaheims]

I think he targeted the head which is a suspendable offense but I could be wrong... I only saw it once.

I watched it a lot of times this afternoon, and I'm pretty convinced he didn't. In fact, he barely even made contact with Miller's head.

 

[maplesyrup]

I think he targeted the head which is a suspendable offense but I could be wrong... I only saw it once.

I watched it a lot of times this afternoon, and I'm pretty convinced he didn't. In fact, he barely even made contact with Miller's head.

See... I know I said I didn't care but I just went to the vid for poops and giggles and I replayed it over and over (even pausing at the precise moment of contact) and I see clear and solid contact the head.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Hard to tell how much of his head he hits, because Miller turns to shield himself somewhat and when he does that, Lucic hits more in the shoulder I think.

 

[bustaheims]

See... I know I said I didn't care but I just went to the vid for poops and giggles and I replayed it over and over (even pausing at the precise moment of contact) and I see clear and solid contact the head.

I don't see that at all. I see the brunt of contact with the back of Miller's shoulder and Lucic's shoulder making glancing contact with the chin of Miller's mask, knocking it off his head - especially when I watch the replay from behind Lucic, which is the only one that really gives you a clear view of where contact is being made. In order for Lucic to make clear and solid contact with Miller's head, his upper arm and shoulder would literally have to be inside of Miller's spine/back/ribcage. There may have been a glancing blow to Miller's head, but, that's more of a result of the way his body reacts after the initial force of impact than anything Lucic was trying to do.

 

[maplesyrup]

Maybe I need a better angle... or even better, a still picture of that angle at the point of contact and possibly a couple others very shortly thereafter. 

 

[Tigger]

The 'mistake', if you will, was made by the refs, if they'd given Lucic a major and a game misconduct for charging the league could have suspended him but he only received a minor.

I don't think it's completely clear that Lucic targeted Millers head, fwiw, Milan made no attempt on the puck and hit him high so I don't like the play but what's the league supposed to do?

The 'automatic' fine is a joke too, $100? Really?

 

[maplesyrup]

The 'mistake', if you will, was made by the refs, if they'd given Lucic a major and a game misconduct for charging the league could have suspended him but he only received a minor.

I don't think it's completely clear that Lucic targeted Millers head, fwiw, Milan made no attempt on the puck and hit him high so I don't like the play but what's the league supposed to do?

The 'automatic' fine is a joke too, $100? Really?

That's like a $1.50 (or somethig like that) fo me  ... Yeah, what a joke. Welcome back by the way.