Dedicated to coverage of UND Hockey; aka the team formerly known as the Fighting Sioux. More specifically, WCHA, NCHC and college hockey news stories in general. I post stories on the NHL, to include my favorite hockey teams, the Boston Bruins and the Minnesota Wild… I will post anything that happens that’s big in NHL hockey, hits, fights and suspensions. This is also an unapologetic UND hockey site. This site has no official connection to UND hockey, but we have been accused of being toadies.
Cry me a river, don't do the crime, if you don't want to do the time. This is why people hate/despise the Vancouver Canucks. You're responsible for your actions on the ice.
Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun --- Through 129 AHL and 286 NHL games, the Vancouver Canucks winger liked to think he had earned a reputation as a hard-working, honest player who played the game the right way.
So Hansen was more than a little disappointed about the one-game suspension he served Thursday night for his hit two nights earlier on Chicago forward Marian Hossa.
Sure, the $7,297.30 Hansen forfeited for sitting out Thursday night's game hit him right in the wallet, but Hansen said he's more concerned about having that mark on his record.
"Of course, you know that you are a repeat offender now if something happens again," he said after participating in Thursday's optional game-day skate at American Airlines Center. "You are trying to play an honest game and play the right way and not step too far over the line and it's unfortunate. But that's the way it is right now."
Other than the video that the NHL posted on its website, Hansen said he received no further explanation for the suspension.
Hossa: "(Hansen) said he was reaching for the puck. I didn’t buy it. When you reach for the puck you don’t hit s'one that hard in the head."
— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) February 21, 2013
I am tired of watching the NHL Department of Player Safety go light on players that should be suspended for multiple games, this was a situation, that I believe warranted a 2-3 games suspension. By going light on Jannik Hansen you pretty much guaranteeing he's going to be a marked man in the next game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks.
In summary, there is "no" justification for that dirty, bush league hit, and I don't care what anyone says,you can not defend that dirty hit either. I don't care what Jannik Hansen is doing. Everyone knows that Marian Hossa has just returned from a concussion and you can connect the dots, the Blackhawks are the best team in the Western conference. This was a definite attempt to injure another player.
During last night's game, Vancouver Canuck forward Jannik Hansen hit Chicago Blackhawk forward Marian Hossa's in the head with this dirty hit. This play needs to be reviewed by the department of players safety. There is no doubt that this hit and should have been more than a two minute minor penalty, in my opinion.
48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.
Torres
appealed the suspension, and the NHL reduced his suspension to 21 games. Torres
is now back playing with the Coyotes after serving his long ban.
I
guess you could say that we all knew that this day would come, and the first
time that the Phoenix Coyotes played the Chicago Blackhawks, Torres would have
to answer the bell against the one of the Blackhawks players. The hockey code demanded it. Torres didn't turtle, he answered the bell, and did quite well against Jamal Mayers.
Sources say Gary Bettman has reached a decision on Raffi Torres suspension appeal.
Expected to reduce suspension by 4 games. 12 down to 8. ... Torres was suspended 25 games after a hit on Chicago’s Marian Hossa in game 3 of 1st round of the playoffs. ...
To be clear, my math shows Torres had 12 games remaining in suspension. Reduction by 4 and 8 games remain next season
So the NHL is saying by reducing this suspension that they don’t care about “Player Safety.” If not, what statement are they trying to make? You have a player in Raffi Torres that is the poster boy of what is wrong with the NHL. Torres is a dirty player that skates all over the ice taking runs at players and many times making contact with the head.
I think
this is the right decision, it looked like a good hit, Boyle had just released the puck and Neil kept his elbows down and didn't leave his feet to lung at the Rangers forward. In my opinion, theChris Neil hit on Brian
Boylewas a good legal red
light hit. The New York Rangers coach John Tortorella was not happy with
the hit last night and compared Neil’s hit on Boyle to the Raffi Torres hit on
Marian Hossa.
Katie Strang, ESPN --- Well they have the
blueprint," Tortorella said in his postgame news conference. "It's
the exact same hit as Torres' -- a different part of the ice -- but he launches
himself, head shot, (the) puck's at the goal line, and he's hit. So, the
blueprint's there.
I'm sure he's a repeat offender, too. Not much research to
be done there."Neil
is not a repeat offender, however, a critical distinction between Neil and
Torres. But Boyle suffered what could potentially be a very serious injury, a
fact that will be taken into consideration when the league review the play.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney has issued the following statement regarding Coyotes forward Raffi Torres’ 25 game suspension that was announced today by the National Hockey League.
“I want to thank Brendan Shanahan and his staff for their thorough review of this incident," said
Maloney. “The ruling is very severe for Raffi and our Hockey Club. Raffi plays a hard, physical game yet this contact crossed the line on what is acceptable in our game today. We hope Marian Hossa makes a full and speedy recovery as we all enjoy watching him perform. The Club accepts the NHL's decision and will focus on our game tonight.”
Marian Hossa during pre-warm-up at HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This ruling by the NHL seems to be a bit of a head scratcher. Makes you wonder what kind of a ruling is coming down the pike tomorrow. I still think that Raffi Torres is going to get long suspension for his brutal hit on Marian Hossa.
NHL.COM --- National Hockey League Senior Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan will announce Saturday whether the NHL Department of Player Safety will assess further supplemental discipline to suspended Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres.
Torres was suspended indefinitely Wednesday, pending an in-person hearing held today at the NHL's New York Office, for a hit on Chicago forward Marian Hossa 11:42 into the first period of Game 3 of the teams' Western Conference Quarterfinal series in Chicago on Tuesday, April 17.
On the surface this decision would seem like a slam dunk, Raffi Torres is a repeat offender that has been suspended twice in the last 13 months. To me this case seems to be an easy 5-10 game suspension. Shanahan could easily suspend this guy and make it hurt, but maybe there is more to it than meets the eye. Only thing I can think of is that NHL Vice President of Player Safety, Bredan Shanahan is consoling with other hockey minds from around the NHL.
NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman in 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this one. I mean seriously, you can’t make this stuff up; this is the ultimate display of buffoonery in action. Does Gary Bettman not get it? This is why many people, fans, coaches and players look at the NHL commissioner and the NHL League front office as a gong show.
NEW YORK (AP) - NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman calls teams' complaints about player suspensions during the postseason "gamesmanship."
Bettman said Friday that criticism of the league's disciplinary decisions as inconsistent simply reflected clubs disliking rulings that hurt them. He used the one-game suspension of Washington center Nicklas Backstrom for an illegal cross-check as an example. Bettman says of the Capitals' disagreement: "That doesn't mean anything; they didn't like it."
Bettman says he has confidence in league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan. The commissioner spoke at an Associated Press Sports Editors meeting shortly before Shanahan was to hold a hearing with Phoenix forward Raffi Torres. Torres is suspended indefinitely for launching himself into Chicago's Marian Hossa on Tuesday.
Nine players were issued suspensions through the first eight days of the playoffs.
The reason the team’s management, the players and fans of various NHL teams are upset is that they see the current state of affairs in the NHL to be disgusting. I don't mind the rough stuff and the after the whistle stuff because it adds to the drama and the rancor, however, when a a player drive another players head into the glass and only get a $2,500.00 fine, you have to think that something is wrong here. Then other players get a random one game or a three game suspension, it's like the Wheel of Justice is back in the NHL.
Then we have star players getting off without even getting a fine for acts that would get other players a two to three game suspension.
