some never learn…

Posted by PierreC from Montreal, Canada on 03/15/18 at 08:44 PM ET

Video added to the post

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 03/15/18 at 09:01 PM ET

Go for the puck.

Posted by ilovehomers on 03/15/18 at 09:12 PM ET

What I find astonishing is the Boston broadcasters can’t believe it’s a penalty.

It is a freaking hit to the head!

Posted by TreKronor on 03/15/18 at 09:32 PM ET

The head wasn’t the primary point of contact and the only reason there was any head contact is because Trocheck has his head down looking at the puck while trying to dangle in the neutral zone.  Now in this league if you have the puck you should just turn your back to the opponent on the boards and skate with your head down in the neutral zone because you won’t be eligible to be hit. The pussification of the NHL has trickled down to the fans now saying a player should fish for the puck instead of playing the man.

Posted by fallenaeon on 03/15/18 at 10:48 PM ET

You don’t run a guy right in the head, period.

And yeah, I’m sure if head-hunting is called, players will start skating around staring
at the ice all of the time just so no one can hit them in the head specifically?

Yeah that’ll happen.

Games will cease as players turn their backs to the boards, knowing that they can’t
be boarded specifically.

Also, sure to happen.

Backes is a repeat offender - he just was suspended three games for head hunting.

It’s also funny hearing Jack Edwards’ voice crack, he’s so outraged at a player responding to (a Bruin’s) obviously dirty hit.

Speaking of “pussification”, that’s Backes for you. Seems like he’s taken to crossing the line even more often on a team with a bunch of tough guys to back him up.
Instigator? When you head hunt, you surely know someone’s coming after you.
Is Mike Matheson that scary that he has to take an instigator to fight Backes?

Anyway, thanks for your valuable contributions, fallenmoron

Posted by Lefty30 on 03/15/18 at 11:39 PM ET

I can’t give Backes the benefit of the doubt there because he’s done dumb stuff like that in the past….BUT…Players are putting themselves in absolutely terrible positions what seems like much more frequently. Players turning their backs against the boards, stick handling with your head down in the neutral zone. 6-3 Backes vs 5-10 Trochek….looked more like shoulder was main point of impact but yeah it was high and he’ll get 2-4 games. Easy to blame Backes and call him a goon, but trochek did himself no favors

Posted by MZ2215 on 03/16/18 at 07:20 AM ET

Yes, he should have gone for the puck. Lol

Posted by ilovehomers on 03/16/18 at 07:42 AM ET

It seems that it would have been just as easy for Backes to go for the puck as make the hit.  While the hit is definitely high, as mentioned above guys seem more inclined these days to put themselves in vulnerable positions on the ice.

Posted by Steve1306 on 03/16/18 at 08:22 AM ET

According to a few reports on Twitter this morning, looks like no further action will be taken.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 03/16/18 at 08:26 AM ET

According to a few reports on Twitter this morning, looks like no further action will be taken.

Only because Trocheck is not hurt, I suspect. Backes has been a POS for a long time.

Posted by duhduhduh on 03/16/18 at 08:37 AM ET

Michael Hurley of CBS Boston,

“I won’t bother to guess,” Backes said when asked about what the NHL department of player safety might think of the hit. “It’s the kind of hit that I’ve been doing for years. So if this is kind of the new NHL, the new standard, then I hope I can have my league back.”

Backes admitted that he may need to make some adjustments to his own game, but he did stress the importance of physicality in the sport of hockey.

“I’ll tell you, if I try to get in a toe drag competition with guys like Trocheck, I’m going to lose,” Backes said. “So I think the physical part of the game still needs to be there. I don’t know.”

Backes said he wasn’t sure what message, if any, might come from the NHL’s department of player safety. But he did seem to offer up his personal defense when speaking to the media.

“He kind of just turns right into me. I feel like my shoulder’s down. I hit him right through the shoulder, and he’s much smaller than I am,” Backes said. “But I think probably the good thing is he finishes the game, he’s back out there next shift and not injured on the play. But I guess they saw enough to give me a match penalty for it.”

more

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 03/16/18 at 11:51 AM ET

You don’t run a guy right in the head, period.

He didn’t.

Posted by CharDeeMacDennis on 03/16/18 at 12:17 PM ET

I think Backes is being pretty honest there.  He tried to get low, and the glove tap at the end looked like a “that was probably illegal but I wasn’t trying to kill you” statement to me.

Posted by EthrDemon on 03/16/18 at 07:59 PM ET