Sens v. Sabres: The drama continues
Well, I know what game I'll be tuned into tonight. Tom Benjamin sums up what's at stake nicely in his piece from this morning:
Colin Campbell should get Lindy Ruff and Bryan Murray on a conference call and say, "Boys, I've got two words I want you to pass on to your teams before tonight's game...Now that is a very good point.
"Todd Bertuzzi."
The general consensus (outside of Buffalo, that is) is that Chris Neil's hit on Chris Drury was a legal one, but to me the question is 'should it be?'
by James Mirtle @ 6:18 PM
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14 Comments:
So it's legal to...
-- hit from behind
-- take five strides to hit a player
-- hit a player in the head
Man, things have changed since I was a referee...
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http://www.wgr550.com/sabres/fullstory.php?id=2195
this is the letter golisano wrote to bettman. and i believe many in buffalo agree that it was a "legal" hit, however, that does not make it a "clean" hit which is where the views of buffalo fans and many others diverge
CBC has to change their schedule once in a while, it is ridiculous not to show the Ottawa/Buffalo game as opposed to a Toronto/Philly. It doesn't make any sense.
why is my comment deleted, it wasnt bad.
How many of the latest string of injuries/concussions (Drury, Shanahan, Lupul, Gilbert, etc) were really the result of the impact of the hit? Watch the replays and note that since these guys are too cool to do up their chin straps properly they end up smashing their skulls into the ice as they fall. No one wants to see injuries like Drury's, but since Neil didn't contact him in the head to begin with it's a bit disingenuous to suggest that he was going for blood. First rule of contact hockey - keep your head up. Drury didn't and got nailed for it - cleanly.
-BDV
The hit wasn't late, it wasn't (really) from behind, and yeah maybe Drury should watch his chin strap more. But Neal, without question, put his shoulder right into Drury's head. THAT is what makes it a dirty hit. If he wanted to finish his check by hitting Drury in the shoulder or even in his back, it's fine. But watch it again, he puts his shoulder right into his head. And Neal has thrown enough checks in his life to know what he was doing, it wasn't a mistake.
I guess if he had peripheral vision like a lizard he could have seen the hit coming... but Bettman only wants one cold blooded creature in the league...
So it's legal to...
-- hit from behind
-- take five strides to hit a player
-- hit a player in the head
It'a legal to...
-- hit from the side
-- finish a check (watch a replay, he did NOT take 5 strides, his legs were widely separated traveling on speed he's accumulated before Drury even touched the puck)
-- hit a player with his shoulderpads.
Of those, I have a problem with the third. It's not always avoidable, but in this case it most probably was. Do I know for sure? No, I can only theorize along with everyone else. Even Neil said after the hit that he wasn't sure if he had put his elbow into Drury. If he not sure about his elbow...
Back in the day, hitting separated the man from the puck. Now, if the puck is, let's face it, on the same playing surface, everybody's fair game. Neil's hit, like many that are delivered each game, was a dangerous, blindside cheapshot. No amount of parsing the letter of the law can change that. Drury is not a bird with eyes on the side of his head. With no call forthcoming from the blind zebras, Buffalo had every right to take matters into its own hands. Worse, One-Eye, Back-Pass, Screwdriver, Whiner and Caboose were all too cowardly to defend their only decent goalie. What a sorry excuse for a hockey team.
I know I can't be the only one that sees the irony... some Buffalo fans went to the extent to make videos of the Umberger hit last season.
Now the same thing happens to their captain, and the world is about to collapse!
I said last year that it's not too hard to hurt someone when you go up high and hit them with your shoulder pads. At that time, quite a few Buffalo fans were too busy making their clip compilations to notice.
So I think it's pretty ironic that almost the same exact hit is cause for such outrage.
The homers broadcasting for MSG in Buffalo put their own spin on the horrific-ness of the hit, and it sounded like a bunch of whining. Although the hit might have been a little late, it was not dirty. Hockey is still a contact sport. That being said, Ottawa and Buffalo will be a most entertaining series should they meet in the post season.
The legality of the hit can be debated for eternity given the current rules, but a simple rule should be that any hit which makes contact with the opponent above the shoulders (ie. neck upwards) should be ruled an illegal one.
That would end the legal/clean debate.
The CHL and CHA have a rule for this sort of thing. Any hit to the head - be it a stick, elbow, shoulder - is penalized with an additional 10 minute misconduct on top of whatever penalty (if any) was assessed on the play.
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