The National Hockey League has dedicated itself to improving player safety on the ice, specifically, with the hope of eliminating malicious head contact. (head-shots) Hockey players at all levels have dealt with the results of illegal, or dirty body checks for years. There's no place in our game for hits that target an opposing players head or neck. During the 1990's, hits from behind were drawing a lot negative attention, so much so that Minor hockey here in Canada went as far to sow STOP sign patches on the backs of player jerseys. I don't think we'll ever see STOP decals on the side of player helmets anytime soon, but I suppose you never know. There's no question that what Sidney Crosby went through dealing with his concussion over the last year has positively influenced the league and it's players with regard to concussion awareness, and more specifically, it has casted a very bright light on hits that target the head. However, there is a major difference in my opinion, between a targeted "head shot" and any head contact made during a body check. A player using his elbow to contact a player in the head during a check is what the league needs to be cracking down on. Example, Matt Cookes now infamous hit to the head of Marc Savard.
Marc Savard's career appears to be over because of this hit. There have been several examples of hits very similar to this that have taken place since the beginning of the 2011 season under the watchful eye, (sometimes cross eyed), of Brandan Shanahan. Here is where we are running into a growing problem. The league is now suspending players for hits which NO PENALTY is called, and based on whether or not the player who receives the hit, was injured or not. First of all, if the on ice official does not call a penalty (elbowing, charging, boarding, etc ) then how can we argue that the hit is suspendable? We are now resorting to Brendan Shanahan sitting in an office watching the replay in super slow motion to determined whether or not something illegal took place during the hit? Some cases are a little murky, others don't take much of a magnifying glass to see that all that happened in reality, was someone got rocked. No one will ever be able to completely eliminate all contact to the head in the game of hockey, it's just not possible without removing hitting from the game. The fact is, when a player is hit hard chances are his head is going to receive some of that force. Whether it be his neck whipping into a player who has hit him, his head contacting the boards, or his head hitting the ice after the hit is delivered. If a player delivers a clean body check that subsequently results in the other players head contacting his shoulder, where's the foul? The head received contact, but it's not a head shot. What happens when Andy Sutton hits Jeff Skinner? I will tell you, Skinners head is going to be contacted with almost 100% certainty given the difference in size between the players. When a player has just completed the act of shooting, and is then hit, given the lowered position of his body, chances are the player delivering the hit will make head contact. If the check is legal however, ( no elbow, wasn't a charge didn't leap up into the player to deliver the hit.) No foul has occurred. This would be an example of that.
A thing of beauty! Which Fistric was wrongly suspended 3 games for. Fistric delivered a completely clean body check, elbow was down, lead with his shoulder and finished the check. Nino Niederreiter has an obligation to protect himself on the ice, something he did not do. Nino attempted to make a play along the boards to advance the puck, in doing so he left himself wide open to be closed off along the boards, he actually waffles just as he gets to Fistric, clearly then aware that a hit would be delivered. Fistric the far more physical of the two was merely the brick wall in this collision. So Shanahan determines that Fistric launches himself because his feet left the ice for all of 0.5 seconds. ( Something that I am willing to be takes place on a good number of hits delivered at the NHL level ) The reality is, when contact is made Fistric still has his skates on the ice. When you slow a video down to 25% of it's real speed, sure you can say "Hey look! his feet left the ice for what is a fraction of a second, he "launched". It's just not the case. So this justify's a 3 game suspension..
This however, is only a 1 game suspension.
So Leino clearly shoots his elbow out striking Matt Read in the head, can't really say it was anything but intentional. As I said, a 1 game suspension for Leino. Here's Shanahans explanation.
Shanahan actually states, " Even though we view this not as an intentional check, but rather one player stealing the puck from another ". Flabbergasted. Shanahan also mentioned that he took into account the fact that Read was not injured on the play. So if he was? Say seriously concussed, it would then be a 3-4 game suspension? More? How does the result of the hit have any baring on whether or not the ACTION of the player is suspendable or not?
Are we scratching our heads yet. Let's take a look at a hit that is apparently completely legal.
Anyone care to try and explain that one for me? Shanahan gave it his best shot in one of his now patented face time videos but those videos now more closely resemble someone speaking an 8th century Mandarin language than a Vice President giving an explanation.
Here's a list of the suspended players this year, and how many games they received. (Linked to www.hockeysfuture.com ) I challenge you to watch these yourself and put them in order of worst (most illegal) to the least illegal offense (less suspendable, or not at all) Then see if the numbers of games handed out match up correctly with your list, or look more like the Matrix binary code.
2011 NHL Suspensions
The underlying problem here is consistency. I could probably live with Shanahan if he was even slightly resembling rational thought when handing down his verdicts. I have yet to see it. He apparently has the ability to determine what a player is thinking, fractions of seconds before the receiving or delivering of these hits. His computer at the NHL offices must have some type of Professor Xavier style telepathy device built into his slow motion controls. Impressive. Like I said initially, I can see these suspensions coming a mile away, the predictability of it is laughable. If a player is hit hard, and doesn't bounce back up, chances are the Sheriff Shanny signal will be illuminated over Gotham City in no time. However, my hope is, that much like the ending of a horrible horror movie, this Sheriff will eventually end up getting axed as well.
The above picture clearly shows.
- No head contact, (Millers helmet flying off his HEAD was a camera trick)
- Lucic clearly did not extend his arms targeting the head area.
- Miller wasn't seriously hurt, and did not miss 3 weeks with a concussion
My head hurts.
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