Another guy who is quick with the videos is Hockey Highlights in HD, check him out at YouTube.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 03/03/13 at 10:52 PM ET

That looks like a broken collar bone

Posted by MoreShoot on 03/03/13 at 11:25 PM ET

nudges him right on Richard’s follow-through.  timed it perfect.  that’s premeditated. intent to injure. Kaleta is gar-bage.

Posted by HockeytownOverhaul on 03/04/13 at 12:13 AM ET

Again…these Shanabans are not getting through. Crank it up. 10 games. Time to send messages.

Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 03/04/13 at 01:44 AM ET

Brutal. Throw the book.

Posted by awould on 03/04/13 at 03:21 AM ET

Crank up the suspensions, 10 games, minimum. That’s potential paralyzing right there, he just moves his head at the last minute.

Posted by phillyd from Southern New Jersey on 03/04/13 at 07:58 AM ET

WTF?
The dude was barely touched… How come everyone is calling for suspension?
There is no way the rangers player gets hurt, if he doesnt throw himself to the boards here…

Posted by Zqto on 03/04/13 at 08:47 AM ET

Posted by Zqto on 03/04/13 at 07:47 AM ET

Can’t tell if that was sarcasm… assuming it isn’t, one of the cardinal rules of hockey that all these guys learn from the first time they play an organized game is that if you see a guy’s numbers, you don’t hit him. This is the exact reason. You only have to be a little off-balance. Also, it’s pretty asinine to think Richards would throw himself into a potentially severe neck injury.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 03/04/13 at 09:15 AM ET

My feeling?
  There’s more dangerous shit that goes on every game and the league doesn’t do anything about it. They have already said suspension is not going to be based on injury but will instead be based on the hit. This tap on the hip showed no “premeditated intent to injure” as kaleta barely touched his hip. I think it was flukey that Richards fell and would be amazed if there is any suspension.

Posted by teldar on 03/04/13 at 09:33 AM ET

Injury? He was back on the ice within a few minutes. He played on the ensuing power play.  Kaleta will be suspended because he’s a repeat offender, but I’d be SHOCKED if it were more than 3 games.

Posted by NHLBS on 03/04/13 at 09:50 AM ET

Kaleta has an afternoon phone call meeting with the NHL.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 03/04/13 at 09:54 AM ET

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet!

He didnt “hit him”
He barely touched him… It was a nudge
I understand richards probably wouldnt throw himself to the boards, but seriously, can you watch that play again and say it was Kaleta’s pushing that threw Richard over the distance they were to the board?

- They didnt have speed
- Kaleta’s body didnt even touch Richard’s… And his arms almost didnt move. There’s no way that hit had that much force behind it

You can say Richards tumbled and fell awkwardly, but is that reason for a suspenion, now?
You might as well take out all contact on hockey, if that’s the case…

Posted by Zqto on 03/04/13 at 10:12 AM ET

You can say Richards tumbled and fell awkwardly, but is that reason for a suspenion, now?

I agree that it didn’t look lie much, but if they don’t want hitting from behind in the game then they have to have a zero tolernace policy.

You might as well take out all contact on hockey, if that’s the case…

OK.  Now you’re just an *#$%@&.

Posted by Garth on 03/04/13 at 10:38 AM ET

It looks like a modest cross check in a bad location with some flukey results. That being said, it was irresponsible and should get a one game suspension, in my opinion.

Posted by timbits on 03/04/13 at 10:42 AM ET

He didnt “hit him”
He barely touched him… It was a nudge
I understand richards probably wouldnt throw himself to the boards, but seriously, can you watch that play again and say it was Kaleta’s pushing that threw Richard over the distance they were to the board?

- They didnt have speed
- Kaleta’s body didnt even touch Richard’s… And his arms almost didnt move. There’s no way that hit had that much force behind it

You can say Richards tumbled and fell awkwardly, but is that reason for a suspenion, now?
You might as well take out all contact on hockey, if that’s the case…

Posted by Zqto on 03/04/13 at 09:12 AM ET

Well, he did cross-check him. You can debate how forceful you think it was, but the bottom line is that hitting from behind has always been one of the absolute red lines in hockey that you are not supposed to cross, and Kaleta crossed it.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 03/04/13 at 10:54 AM ET

Garth, you are really gonna categorize that as a “hit from behind”?
I agree it was a crosscheck, and I think the 5 min major above the punishment Kaleta should get, on this case

Logical steps on this:
1) Was the crosscheck/bump enough to get richards all the way to the boards? Remmeber they were almost stopping before “contact”
If YES, which I can’t see how that can physically happens, I agree there should be a suspension

if NOT, then:
2) did Richards tumble or throw himself at the boards?
Does it even matter? Kaleta shouldnt be penalized in either situation…

Posted by Zqto on 03/04/13 at 12:14 PM ET

BTW, if anyone gonna categorize this event as a “hit from behind”, every NHL game has around 20-30 hits from behind happening, then

Not all of them are close to the boards, and almost none make the other player fall like a pile of garbage, but it happens every single game

Posted by Zqto on 03/04/13 at 12:16 PM ET

It’s not about the tap, it’s when he did it.  He watches the puck come up, watches Ricahrds swing back and just as Richards is on his follow through he throughs a just enough to send him down.

If you’re every fought before you’d see it plain as day.  Entire martial arts are based on this actual philosophy, get your opponent off balance and it increases your force effectiveness. 

To hit him at the perfect time as he watching the play develop, the only result you’re going to get is Richards head first into the boards.  That’s the beauty of hitting him when he did, looked like a nudge and he could’ve taken out NY’s top playmaker.

Are people seriously going with the Richards threw himself headfirst into the boards dive?

Posted by HockeytownOverhaul on 03/04/13 at 01:01 PM ET

Garth, you are really gonna categorize that as a “hit from behind”?

I’m not categorizing anything, it is a hit from behind, period.  You accept that it is a cross check, but the fact that it is a cross check directly to Richards’s numbers somehow escapes you?

Not all of them are close to the boards, and almost none make the other player fall like a pile of garbage, but it happens every single game

So does this type of hit happen “every single game” or is like “almost none” other?

The fact that it was a cross check, from behind, into the boards is the problem.  Not the fact that it was either of the three, but ALL of the three is what’s wrong with it.

Posted by Garth on 03/04/13 at 02:29 PM ET