Cal Clutterbuck check on Torey Krug (video)

This is the hit that New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck put on Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug. If you watch the video, Krug never had possession of the puck at anytime. The hit stunned Krug, but he was able to return to the game.

Should this have been an interference penalty? What do you think?

The Wild make some Wild moves (RW77) - UPDATED

Alternate logo since 2000. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Free Agency has started and with it comes some interesting moves.

First, the Wild traded away Devon Setoguchi for a 2nd round pick, but that's a "who cares" kindof trade.  The big news?

THE CHEAPEST HACK IN THE NHL IS NOW A MINNESOTA WILD!

Matt Cooke, more famous for ending careers than winning games, signed a 3 year contract with the Minnesota Wild.


Ok, the upside to this:  Matt Cooke is a big hitting forward that is an obvious replacement of Cal Clutterbuck.  He has been on winning teams in the past.  He can score goals on occasion.  He was nominated for the Masterton and lost to current Wild Josh Harding.

The downside?  This is a player that is almost universally reviled.  I say almost because the Pens fans still defend him for the same reason, invariably, that Wild fans will inevitably defend him:  He's on your team.  Another downside?  He's one blindside Savard-esque hit from being McSorley'd.  This guy skates on thin ice everywhere he goes.

CORRECTION:  3 years $7.5 million contract or $2.5 million a year.  THAT, my friends, is OVERPAYING worse than Stalberg's new contract.

He did have a decent year last year blocking shots but then again, someone had to because Marc Andre Sievry couldn't.

Trust me when I say it:  This was a BAD idea.  If the Wild really did want Cooke's services, they should have gone for a 1 year contract with a club option (if that's possible) for a second year.  He may have only had 36 PIM in 48 games last season, but he's still one of the most if not the most dangerous skater in the NHL and that's saying something (as a Red Wings fan who couldn't defend the Wings' signing Bertuzzi).

Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) on Twitter said it best:  The Wild traded 1 year contract of Devon Setoguchi for 1 2nd round pick and 3 years of Matt Cooke.

Be Proud Minnesota.

Cal Clutterbuck to the Oilers… Ouch!

A while back I took some heat on twitter for suggesting that the Minnesota Wild let Cal Clutterbuck walk, when the season is over. Now we have an Oilers beat writer from the Edmonton Journal suggesting that the Edmonton Oilers trade for Clutterbuck. Yeah that’s going to play well for Oilers and Wild fans. Not!

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal – The Minnesota Wild likely can’t re-sign disturber Cal Clutterbuck for salary-cap reasons, so they will try to trade the restricted free agent this summer. As much as Clutterbuck doesn’t fight, which irks people when he runs them, the Edmonton Oilers should be all over this one. He could be a third-liner, for sure, and he provides energy, which was in very short supply this past season.

It will be interesting to see where some of the players on the Wild end up at the end of the season. Like I have said in the past, there are a lot of moving parts for the Minnesota Wild, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Matt Cullen are unrestricted free agents and you have to think that PMB is going to be gone, based on the unproductive and unimpressive season that he has had. Who knows with Cullen? Clutterbuck, Justin Falk and Jared Spurgeon are Restricted Free Agents; I can't imagine the Wild letting all of these players walk.

Next season, the salary cap for the Minnesota Wild is going to be 64,300,000.00 currently, the Minnesota Wild are sitting at about 70,120,744.00. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune has said in the past month, that Dany Heatly is likely amnesty buyout candidate this summer. So we will see. Like I said, there are a lot of moving parts.

Harry Zolnierczyk knee on Mathieu Perreault

From the replay, it does look like the Flyers forward Harry Zolnierczyk catches Capitals forward Mathieu Perreault with a "dirty" knee check, just like Taylor Hall hit Cal Clutterbuck. It's a bit of a different angle so it's not as cut an dry in my opinion. If I was a betting man, and I am, I think a suspension is coming for Zolnierczyk

I would imagine that The NHL's Department of Player Safety will take a look at this hit. It's an unnecessary hit at the end of the game.

Oilers' Hall suspended two games for kneeing

Personally, I would have like to have seen Hall suspended for three or four games. Oh well. Justice has been served. I also don't believe the logic that you can't hit someone in the open ice, going forward. Just don't lead with your knee. In my opinion, this was a deliberate attempt by Hall to hurt Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck didn't even touch the puck, go back and watch the video, he was in a vulnerable position.

#Oilers GM Steve Tambellini: "We respect their decision and will make the appropriate lineup changes for tomorrow's game against Phoenix."
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 23, 2013

Brad May was awesome on the Hall hit last night and playing against Clutterbuck. "I hated Cal Clutterbuck's guts..." 630ched.com/insidesports/e…
— Dan Tencer (@dantencer) February 23, 2013

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Oilers' Taylor Hall faces hearing for dirty hit on Clutterbuck

Let’s see if the league has two sets of rules again, one set of rules for super stars and one set of rules for goons and third and fourth line players.

Taylor Hall might be a super star, but if a star starts racking up questionable and dirty hits, his actions will start catching up with him. Hall is also starting to develop a history with the Wild players as he also was also the guy that broke Wild Defenseman Jonas Broden's clavicle back in November with a shoulder-to-shoulder check. I do expect that it’s time for Hall to answer the bell for that dirty hit on Clutterbuck, the hockey code demands it.

NHL.COM --- Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall faces a hearing with the National Hockey League Department of Player Safety Friday afternoon for a kneeing/clipping incident in Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Wild.

Hall was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck at 17:27 of the third period. Clutterbuck was helped from the ice and did not return.

It will be interesting to see how the Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan deals with this hit by Taylor Hall. It’s time to step up and make the right call. There is no excuse for this hit.

(VIDEO) Taylor Hall cheap shot on Cal Clutterbuck

First off, this is a text book knee-on-knee hit, it's a bush league hit, it's dirty and it deserves a suspension. I do not care that Taylor Hall is a super star.

I also, find it hilarious that Edmonton Oilers fans are defending this hit on twitter tonight. Second; would the NHL referees, please stop rescuing the players that do these hits on the ice. Whenever Matt Cooke or some other hack does something like this, the refs and linesman immediately come to their aid, don't. Screw-em  they deserve what they get. They just hurt someone, they deserve what they get. Hall didn't care about Clutterbuck as he was trying to end his season with that dirty leg check.

Let the players have some say on the ice before you throw them in the box or send them to the locker room. The hockey code demands that an act this be answered to, if not this kind of stuff will fester for a very long time, until you end up with Todd Bertuzzi type incidents.

First point of contact on Hall vs. Clutterbuck after replay showed in press room. Knee on knee
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) February 22, 2013

Brodziak on Hall: "First thing I did was ask the refs if it was dirty. They said yes. We just hope (Clutterbuck's) all right."
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) February 22, 2013

Buffoon of the day (from a comment on Sports Net)

tbizz17 Feb 22, 2013 9:54 AM in response to: sportsnet_ca Re: Oilers' Hall delivers questionable hit

Clutterbuck's one of the dirtiest players in the league...he deserves every bit of that. If the guy didn't bail out at the last second that's a clean hit...it's when guys start jumping out of the way that knees get tangled...a guy like Clutterbuck should have his head up all the time....he would have done the same thing to Hall if it's the other way around. I'm not a fan of either team, but sometimes you reap what you sow and Cal learned that. He won't miss a game...it's his thing to role around on the ice for a while after a hit...

Cal Clutterbuck goal against the AV's

On the score sheet it will read; Cal Clutterbuck (10) Wrist Shot - Assists: M. Koivu (21) & D. Heatley (15). What a great effort by Koivu and Heatly down low to get the puck to Clutterbuck who shot the puck past the Av's goalie Semyon Varlamov. That is the 10th goal of the year for Cal Clutterbuck. I am sure that Adrian Dater head spun because his favorite Wild Player Cal Clutterbuck has scored.

Whitney knees Cal Clutterbuck.

This was a blatant knee on knee hit, there is no room in the game for this kind of crap and the NHL should throw the book at Ryan Whitney. There is no way you can defend this hit, and Ryan Whitney should be getting a call from Brendan Shanahan tomorrow morning.  Below is the screen shot of what Michael Russo had to say on the hit.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard

The Wild stopped a two game losing streak with this highlight goal from Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard. For the Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck is starting to get it going offensively and added another shorthanded goal tonight, if anyone is keeping track, that means that two out of last three goals that Clutterbuck has scored have been shorthanded goals. Cal Clutterbuck also has five points in his last five games.

Cal Clutterbuck short handed goal.

This is the crazy short handed goal that Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck scored against Nashville Predator goalie Pekka Rinne.The goal by Clutterbuck gave the Wild some breathing room who got into penalty trouble shortly after.

The NHL throws the book at James Wisniewski

I must applaud NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan for suspending Columbus defenseman James Wisniewski, first, this is a senseless move because the game is officially over and there is no reason to make that gutless play. Second, Columbus is a conference opponent so Wisniewski will have ample opportunity to get another crack at Cal Clutterbuck and if he must challenge him to a fight. Third, Wisniewski needs to learn how to take a check and get over it, I am sick and tired of this mentality that if you get hit by someone with a legal check that you need to fight them. Take their number and get them back later. There is no room for these kind of hits in the NHL and they are being dealt with. In reading the Columbus Blue Jackets beat writer blog and the comments of the Columbus fans it would appear that the Columbus Blue Jacket nation does not agree with the ruling.

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