Kukla's Korner Hockey
Time For The NHL And NHLPA To Put Safety First
by Paul on 12/08/13 at 12:54 PM ET
Comments (6)
from Kerry Fraser of TSN,
There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston.
It's high time for the NHL brass, their Officiating Department and the NHLPA to put their collective heads together to provide meaningful player safety measures that aren't being achieved through current attempts. Consistently applied player suspensions aren't the only tool to curb dangerous and unwanted hits to the head. We need to take a step back and have a serious discussion, recognizing that education will be the key to effectively changing this destructive culture at all levels of the game.
Players often seek out retribution for hits, even those deemed legal, that are delivered to one of their teammates. Following a "big" hit, the temperature of the game can immediately elevate to the near boiling point. At such times, the referee's primary job is to take whatever measures necessary to control the environment. To do that, he has to have a "feel" for the game and what is required. A better job could have been done by the refs in that regard after Orpik delivered a hard, legal open-ice check that knocked Loui Erisksson out of the game on the very first shift.
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.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) ABSOLUTELY & amazingly all the Clown Farts who basically said Orpik deserved it because he would not Fight Cro Mag Thornton after a clean hit are AWOL on this thread color me Shocked
NOT REALLY
Posted by Evilpens on 12/08/13 at 04:27 PM ET
Orpik NAILS a guy who doesn’t have the puck! The puck comes off the boards, Ericsson tries to play it, but he doesn’t touch it. This started everything. Kerry missed this in his otherwise excellent diatribe. Give Orpik a major and game misconduct for intent to injure on Ericsson and this nips most of it in the bud.
Posted by wolverine on 12/08/13 at 04:45 PM ET
As Fraser says, I was pretty gobsmacked that the officials didn’t give Thornton a 10 minute misconduct penalty in addition to his two-minute minor for his first attempt at goading Orpik into a fight. It was a clear sign that these officials had very little problem with the players “taking revenge into their own hands”—over a hit (Orpik’s) that they deemed legal!
None of it made sense. The situation Dallas, with Rinaldo’s freak-out attack on Roussel, was an example of how this situation should be handled. Goons with blood in their eyes shouldn’t be allowed back on the ice.
Posted by nosferatu from Albany, NY on 12/08/13 at 05:19 PM ET
wolverine You Idiot the puck was right next to Ericcson Might want to put the Crack Pipe down ............................................................ For Good this time
Yep Fraser missed i9t, But Genius Wolverine caught what no one else caught, Good Lord Get over yourself
Posted by Evilpens on 12/08/13 at 05:39 PM ET
Orpik NAILS a guy who doesn’t have the puck! The puck comes off the boards, Ericsson tries to play it, but he doesn’t touch it. This started everything. Kerry missed this in his otherwise excellent diatribe. Give Orpik a major and game misconduct for intent to injure on Ericsson and this nips most of it in the bud.
This^^^^^^^
Interference rule 56.1
Possession of the Puck: The last player to touch the puck, other than the goalkeeper, shall be considered the player in possession. The player deemed in possession of the puck may be checked legally, provided the check is rendered immediately following his loss of possession.
Eriksson never touched the puck. He was never in possession. Orprik should have been penalized and kicked out of the game for the principle head shot. Then he would have left the game under his own power.
Posted by WingsFanInBeanLand from where free agents no longer dare. on 12/09/13 at 10:24 AM ET
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This is exactly what happens when you allow the players to police themselves.
The NHL needs to finally decide once and for all how they’re going to handle disincline.
Either let the players do it all, without any penalties for fighting and retribution, or do what the NBA had to do 30 years ago - take full control and start handing out suspensions that actually deter idiots from doing stupid and dangerous things.
I guarantee if a first-time head-hit resulted in a 10-game suspension, they wouldn’t happen nearly as often.
Start cracking down hard on head-hits, stick work, hits from behind, kneeing, etc, etc.
No more of these sackless 3-game suspensions like the one Brad Stuart received or the one Jared Cowen didn’t receive at all.
Both the NHLPA and Shanahan deserve to be put through the coals for what happened Saturday night.
Posted by Hank1974 on 12/08/13 at 03:32 PM ET