To me, it looks as though Rob Niedermayer keeps his elbow down and makes a clean play, but the same can't certainly be said for Chris Pronger:
by James Mirtle @ 12:59 PM
Trackbacks
| Permalink |
24 comments
** Note that I haven't posted regularly on this blog since October, 2008. My work can now be found at globesports.com **
A sportswriter at The Globe and Mail, James covers the NHL and blogs regularly at Globe on Hockey. James is also a member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, a senior editor with McKeen's Hockey and was the NHL network manager at SB Nation from 2008 to 2010. A graduate of Thompson Rivers and Ryerson universities, he grew up in Kamloops, B.C. — one of Canada's great hockey cities — and was a season ticket holder in the Blazers' glory years.
► Find great seats to Texans
vs Bears,
Wizards
vs Suns, and other sports tickets at
SportsBreath.
► Buy tickets from the best: We have cheap Super Bowl tickets, Patriots playoffs tickets, MLB baseball tickets, and Olympics tickets.
Get Sports Betting Predictions including NHL Picks, NHL Odds, NHL power rankings and daily updated NHL Team Schedules.
Blog content © James D. Mirtle
"James Mirtle is good enough to challenge ... as the best hockey blogger out there."
"James is the Sidney Crosby of hockey blogging."
"His performance during this year's Trade Deadline became its own tribe in Brazil."
"My favorite blog and website on the ‘net."
"One of my favorite spots on the internet is Mirtle's site, I won't lie. Guy knows his stuff and is an excellent writer."— Lowetide
"Mirtle looks like the kind of guy who would like to take you out to a nice dinner and talk hockey to you all night long."— hot oil
"Always interesting, intelligent and entertaining. A daily read."
"James Mirtle is battling Off Wing for the title of "most prolific" hockey blogger."
"James Mirtle bats out one heck of a hockey blog."
"Hockey journalist extraordinaire and hockey blogger supreme."— Boltsmag
"Want to know what sports blogging can look like when it's in the hands of a real journalist?"
"James Mirtle is the purveyor of some new hockey blogginghotnesscoolness."
.
24 Comments:
Here's a link.
This actually was the first I'd seen of it (despite attending the game). I dunno whether a suspension is coming or not, but it definitely could merit one.
Doesn't matter that much though. With or without him, the Ducks as a team need to step up in G4. Embarrassing showing, all around.
If Niedermeyer really was the culprit, he'd get 3 games. But since it's Pronger, he might get one, or just as likely, zero.
I wouldn't think of a suspension for this. If Niedermayer isn't there to ram Holmstrom into the glass, it's a 2-minute elbowing or roughing penalty for Pronger and nothing more. Either of the hits on its own would be clear penalties, but hardly suspension worthy, and you can't penalize one guy's hit just because it happened at the same time as another guy's hit. Holmstrom caught a bad break by getting sandwiched between them.
yeah what a bad guy that pronger is. I hear he cheats on his wife.
*ducks*
Obviously a fair and proportional response would be to suspend Pronger from hockey for the rest of his natural life.
Pronger's elbow was to the head, intentional and from behind. he deserves a game. I would rather see this called than most of the phantom hooking penalties we're seeing.
To me, Niedermayer's hit reminded me of Radulov's hit on Bernier in the Nashville/San Jose series, not the nastiest thing in the world but definitely "five and a game" worthy. Pronger's, however, was directly to the back of the head as he drove it into the glass, and you'd think with all the hubub about head shots it would be taken more seriously.
I'd be stunned, however, if anything more than a game each to Niedermayer and Pronger resulted.
I don't think Niedermeyer really did that much... Pronger on the other hand, elbowed Holmstrom's head into the glass. Holmstrom could have very easily been out for the rest of the season because of it, and I think the league should rule accordingly.
Anaheim knew the game was lost and felt that they had nothing to lose... Giving them a free ticket to try and injure Holmstrom out of the playoffs?
I honestly don't expect much though... Calgary punched a concussion into Lebda during the first round with no repercussions... I don't see why the league would act any differently here.
1) One has to wonder how 4 officials couldn't get the call correct here? Even on real time it was clear that Pronger initiated the injury causing part of the collision
2) There is NO doubt that in the regular season this would garner a suspension. Will the NHL show some gonads and suspend Pronger? We doubt it!
Even though it was clearly CFP doing the dirty work, and even though the man should burn in hell for all eternity, I'm betting the Colin Campbell Wheel of Justice avoids giving him a suspension. Because there are rules, and then there are rules.
Guys should be suspended for stupid post-game comments. Like Pronger, last night, saying "You hate to see a guy get hurt like that."
So why'd you elbow him in the back of the head, and drill him face first into the glass?
What a tool.
What most people fail to realize is that Chris Pronger is tall. He can't help it if all he needed to do was lift his elbows in order to drive someone's head into the glass from behind. If he were short he would have had to leave his feet AND raise his elbows which takes a lot more coordination.
What most people fail to realize is that Chris Pronger has been tall for his entire NHL career. He can very easily not raise his elbows to hit someone. In fact, not raising his elbows is easier than raising them.
Blaming his thuggish behaviour on "being tall" is garbage. He deserves at least a game suspension.
I don't have a dog in this fight, but I think it was a dirty hit all around. And let me say as a Canucks fan that Rob's hit to end the series was clean, IMHO. But here, sure he kept his elbows down, but then drilled his shoulder into Tommy's head.
Both of them went for the head, not even attempting to get anything else.
Still, I think the 5 and a game for Rob was enough. Pronger's was more like intent to injure, and I think a suspension is warranted.
How about a 2 game suspension to Babcock for leaving the bench? ;)
If you can't beat them, hurt them. Attempt to injury. 3 games suspension. Not gonna happen though. Sad, but true.
Pronger gets a game. Wings will take it.
Just because holmstrom's head is so thick doesn't mean you can plaster it to the glass.
Pronger was considered a "repeat offender" when he diced Brendan Morrow's face with the stick when he was a Blue...
At what point does the league start noticing headhunting disciplinary hearings as a trend with this tall fellow?
Pronger should be banned for the rest of the playoffs and all of next season. Holmstrom should file a 19.5 million dollar lawsuit against Pronger, Neidermeyer, Carlyle and Brian Burke for the obvious conspiracy that led to this cheap and unwarranted attack.
Even though it was clearly CFP doing the dirty work, and even though the man should burn in hell for all eternity, I'm betting the Colin Campbell Wheel of Justice avoids giving him a suspension. Because there are rules, and then there are rules.
It's funny how Campbell's Wheel of Justice has so many different outcomes for the same thing, while Stu Jackson's is just 360 degrees of "One Game Suspension."
One game is fair. Pronger isn't a two cent thug like Bertuzzi.
Pronger is more like a $6.25 million thug.
Dirty hits from behind into the glass by both of these clowns. As usual, the NHL encourages potentially career ending injuries by not protecting players. 1 game? what a joke. It's only because Pronger is a superstar. They both should be gone.
Brad. You missed the sarcasm. I was preempting the Pronger is tall defense.
Funny how nobody noticed that Holmstrom's helmet fell off 4 times in that game...
I think he should be penalized for diving, because he knowingly wears his equipment improperly to make the hits look worse.
Prongers forearm ran up Holmstrom's shoulders into his head because of the angle, his elbow wasn't involved much at all... Pronger just happened to hit Holmstrom's shoulders which were angled in a way to through his arms up. It happens, but next time Holmstrom should remember his training from Pee-Wee's and put his helmet on right...
Post a Comment
<< Home