Phaneuf destroys Kopitar

This was the hit that everyone was talking about last night. I was watching this game last night and I came to the determination that this why some will call for the no touch icing to become the rule of law in the NHL. While Dion Phaneuf absolutely destroys Anze Kopitar and the hit looks really violent, I don’t know if a five minute major and a game misconduct was the right call. What do you think? Interference is what most are saying the call should have been.

John Boychuk Hit On Matt Stajan

I don't think that Boychuck will get suspended by the NHL for his hit on Stajan. It's a legal legit body check, when I first saw the hit I thought Boychuck had left his feet but I don't think so. Second, I am a big time Boston Bruins fans and while some might think this hit probably is in the questionable range, it is a perfect example of why you don't skate with your head down. From the video you can see that Matt Stajan skated across the blue line with his head down.

The Leafs head coach Wilson was upset with the hit and if you read his lips you will see him say it was a head shot. Of course who knows what will happened because there does seem to be a lack of logic to the NHL disciplinary system. We will have to see where the Wheel of Justice takes us.

Here is what the Stanley Cup of Chowder had to say on the hit:

- I thought Johnny Boychuk's hit was clean. He only left his feet after the initial contact . Stajan got caught with his head down in the neutral zone and unfortunately in the path of a big kid who is trying to make an impression at the NHL level.

Henrik Zetterberg hurt by Ohlund hit.

Check out this hit that has to have Redwings and Swedish Olympic fans worrying about the health of one of their stars Henrik Zetterberg. As far as I can see it's legal and legit hit. Nothing dirty about it. Mattias Ohlund also smoked Phil Kessel earlier in the season with another big hit. Word is that Zetterberg will be out for two weeks with a slight shoulder seperation. [SI]

Bleacher report on checking from behind plays.

It would appear that this is a hockey wide problem and not just indicative to the NCAA. It almost seems like someone is going to have to get killed before something is ever done about the checks from behind. I do not want to see that happen.

The NHL has been handing out suspensions like candy lately, but none seem to be from behind the back.

Joe Thornton got sent out for 10 games for the same hit Minnesota's Voros put on Eric Staal.

Watch the hit here.

So my question is: What is with the NHL's check from behind rule?

It seems like the player has to get hurt for it to be called, which is totally ridiculous. In every game players are getting cross-checked or checked from behind. It seems like the NHL wants people getting hurt.

The NHL needs to open it's eyes and fix the rule. If the rule states that a hit from behind—hitting somebody when their number is facing you—it's a penalty. Then the penalty should be called for a check from behind.

Every other rule is called but this one, and it is going to leave somebody seriously hurt or even worse paralyzed, as Erik Cole almost was.

So NHL, unless you want a player getting paralyzed and their life put into ruins, fix your rule and call the penalty as it is!
[Bleacher Report]

David Koci boards Mike Green and fights John Erskine

In my opinion this was another dirty hit and will be the on the next installment of the Colin Campbell Wheel of Justice. I am thinking 2-3 games for this one. I have to give Erskine credit he came right to the aid of his fellow teammate after he was checked through the boards with a downright dirty hit. Koci is nothing more than a cement head.

I do have to agree with some of the posters on Hockey Fights the Capitals really don't have a heavy weight to protect their star players. Sounds like the Captials head coach Bruce Boudreau was not impressed with the hit; rightfully so.

The game was marred by a major boarding penalty by Avs enforcer David Koci to star Washington defenseman Mike Green in the second period, a hit from behind that left Green down for a few minutes, bleeding from the head. Koci almost surely will face a suspension from the NHL over the hit, and Washington coach Bruce Boudreau was livid over it.

"Please, the guy's got one goal in six years. He couldn't play in the American League," Boudreau said. "I've faced David Koci an awful lot, he might be a nice guy, I have no idea. I'm glad he's making a living, but if this is any game, he gets on the ice for the first three minutes, he gets into his fight with the guy and then he sits at the end of the bench, so what good is he?


[Read the rest of the article]

Richards will not be suspended.

Flyers forward Mike Richards will NOT BE suspended for his hard hit on David Booth. In looking at this hit initially I had incorrectly thought it was a dirty hit but after further review I think it was the classic example of a player skating across the blue line with their head down skating and getting pummeled by the opposition. A player needs to know where they are at all times in reference to the opposition. You can not skate with your head down accross the oppostion's blue line, that is a cardinal sin.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly had informed him that Mike Richards would not face any discipline for his hit on David Booth of the Florida Panthers last night. [Puck Daddy]

Tuomo Ruutu suspened for CFB.

First off I hate checks from behind and I am not a big Darcy Tucker fan but that check was unnecessary. Tuomo Ruutu has been suspended by the NHL for three games for his check from behind on Darcy Tucker. I think it's even funnier when listening to the TV announcers trying to tell us that Tuomo Ruutu is a hardnosed hockey player, in my opinion he is a hack and a thug. Then the ref rescues him before the Av’s can take a pound of flesh from him.

Keep your head up.

Former Fighting Sioux hockey star Joanthan Toews gets clocked by former Wild and Current Vancouver Canuck defenseman Willie Mitchell during last nights games. No word yet on Toews's status. There is an interesting discussion over on Kuklas Korner on a player made a legal hit and smoked a guy and now he has to fight. I would be willing to bet that Toews wil be a little more careful next time he is skating through the neutral zone.

Patrick Kaleta smokes Petr Prucha

Holy Cow! What a hit. That was right on the line of being a questionable hit, it probably would be classified as interference because it looks like the puck isn't on Prucha's stick when he gets smoked.

Check out this scrum.

I saw this game's highlights on TV tonight and I thought it was worth a look. The the Broad Street Bullies are up to their old tricks again. Check out this scrum at the end of the Flyers and Penguins game. Edit: It was Mike Richards that ran over the Penguins goaltender, now that is a bush league move. I wonder if they league will review this tape.

Downie the hack gets his...

There is an old saying in hockey, ‘live by the sword, and die by the sword.’ Finally Steve “the hack” Downie got what was coming to him when Chris Neil got him last night. Eventually if you run around the ice dishing out cheap hit someone is going to smoke you. I still think that Jack Johnson did the hockey world a favor when he elbowed Downie in the World Junior Championship in 2006. While people say it was a cheap shot, what they didn't talk about was how Steve Downie was hacking Johnson with his stick before that.

REGINA — The Senators finally got even with Steve Downie.

Dean McAmmond might be long gone, but Downie’s cheap shot from two years ago (earning him a 20-game suspension) wasn’t forgotten last night. Chris Neil nailed Downie, a Tampa Bay Lightning winger, with 6:04 left in the third period of a 3-1 pre-season win last night in front of a packed house at the Brandt Centre.

Neil was given a charging minor and game misconduct for his hit along the boards in the dying minutes.

“I didn’t get him as good as I would like to have,” said Neil. “He drops his gloves with me and then he says, ‘Oh, I’m not fighting.’ He tried to flip me. I got him with some good ones. I wish I got him with some better ones.

“I’m not concerned at all (about supplementary discipline). I finished my check. It might have been a little late. It was a clean hit. It’s one of those things. He was just lucky he was able to get me down before I got going.”

Asked if he thought he would hear from the league, Senators coach Cory Clouston said: “I don’t think so.”

Dion Phaneuf hammers Kyle Okposo

This is the hit that everyone has been talking about since last night. I looked at the hit a few times and the appears to be clean but kind of questionable, I think the hit is in the grey area, one could make the argument that it was a head shot, it does appear from the video that Phaneuf lead with his elbow when he hit Okposo. Now on the other end of the hit, Kyle Okposo never, never, never skate with your head down with the puck especially with Dino Phaneuf on the ice. Thank God, that Okposo is ok and was cleared to fly after the hit.
Props: [Light House hockey] [Two Line Pass] and [Puck Daddy]