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When a player gets hit from behind in a nationally televised game and goes awkwardly into the boards, we shouldn’t be too surprised when that player has a hearing with the NHL’s Powers That Be the following day.
We’ve seen how it works. Player hits opposing player, who careens awkwardly into the boards. If it’s a dirty hit, teammates react. Then, a major penalty. Maybe a game misconduct. Maybe the player who gets hit stays down, maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he’s hurt, maybe he’s not. And the next day, the NHL’s hammer of justice comes down. (Wonder if I can buy one of those at the NHL store?)
See for yourself.
Wait. Wrong clip. Re-rack. Here’s the right one.
Differences? Well, for one, Mike Knuble goes right after Craig Adams. That is how hockey works. Or is supposed to work. If there’s a dirty hit on a guy whose sweater is the same as yours, you go after the guy who did it.
That didn’t happen in the second example, not for a long time. Not until after the trainer was on the ice. Maybe the Blackhawks didn’t see the hit as dirty?
I wasn’t on the ice, I don’t know. Thing is, if one is a dirty hit worthy of suspension, the other should be as well. One is a penalty and a two-game suspension. One is nada. Zippy. No penalty, no hearing.
I love hockey. I’ve loved hockey as long as I can remember. But the more I watch it, the less I seem to understand certain parts of it. Doesn’t seem like that’s how it’s supposed to work.
DrinkLikeLangway
/ March 16, 2010Everyone,
Rest easy. I find comfort in knowing that while Ovechkin may loose two games to a questionable call, Colin Campbell is the one who’s really on the hot seat. EVERYONE has been calling for his head recently, and rightfully so. He’s turning the sport into a joke, and he needs to be removed.
Ovechkin will be in the league for at least another decade. I would be surprised to see Campbell in this job next year. He’s far too inconsistent. I’ve always thought it was a little strange having Colin Campbell in charge of discipline for the league. The man earned 196 PIMS in 1979/1980.
S.Mckinley
/ March 16, 2010I am surprised everyone is just using the Craig Adams hit as an example. You are off here Vogel otherwise explain to me h0w Matt Cooke was not suspended recently for that elbow he clearly went out of his way to give? Not near the puck, hit to the head- which the nhl is supposed to be enforcing the most- and most malicious i have seen all year. Clearly the NHL has something against Alex and it is more than obvious. When he is raking in more bucks for them than anyone in the nhl pittsburgh was already a hockey town, Alex turned Washington into the perfect example of what the nhl should want from a player, emotion, that is why we are now a hockey t0wn, I have not missed a game since i was 5 and have never seen anything like this the commissioner is treating a star who everything looks up to like a Donald Brashsher or a Matt Cook. The Caps hardly ever fight which is enforces violence the NHL says that’s ok but not a shove in the back, come on Mike!
ZACKS A FAG
/ March 16, 2010zack, so ovi and crosby have the same amount of goals huh? well how about we look at games played. You know what? lets look at points also. Shut ur mouth and get off the caps website if you like shittsburgh.
MyTeamMyBloodMyCaps
/ March 16, 2010After going through pages and pages of the constant argument with the call and the rivalry of Caps fans and Pens fans go at it (which I rather enjoyed btw) As a Caps fan, I figured I’d put in my two cents, read it or not, here it is.
After watching the hit, in my view, Ovi nudged him and he went into the boards all wrong. I understand the penalty, and the fine ($100) makes me crack up. When it comes to the Caps and the Pens, there will always be a spotlight on each one of them, because they have the two best players in the League today! Both teams worship eachother’s players like a god, and because of that, both cities have gotten a lot of bandwagon fans. So as soon as one of these players slips up just a bit, it’s all over the news, blogs and I’m sure elaborated in several ways. The Caps are getting flack for Ovi’s hit, and recently the Pens, Sid has gotten flack for not appearing on Letterman. The NHL looks to make an example out of the whole league by giving these two the amout of attention us as fans do. It’ll always be like that, till the next star comes along and changes Hockey. These two have changed Hockey and people are always afraid of change. It’s apparent both teams will be in the playoffs, if they cross paths, this blog will be clouded with content. Vogel, I give you props for keeping this up and responding to us fans.
Now I shall Unleash the Red for my fellow Caps Fans (Pens fans, you might wanna look away, the truth hurts)
The Caps will get by this fine w/o Ovie, and why I say that, Our Secondary Scoring!
Face it guys, with that, we’re stacked, and with the additions of Walker, Belanger, Corvo, and the reaquaintance with “Juice” it makes our team even more deadly. No team in the NHL thinks we’re a “pushover” that we once were. We scare every team we face, and all the teams are not looking forward to seeing us in the playoffs. The best thing right now that makes being a Caps fan awesome, is that right now, we’re a Clutch team, or what I like to call, Possum Players. When you think we’re down and you start to lose hope, something happens to our team and it’s like we get a second life, it’s like we play great under pressure. I look at NHL headlines daily and it seems nobody talks about our team anymore, while all the while we’re at the top of it all, the division, the conference, and the league. Yes Pitt is behind us in the conference, but they, last time I checked are around 6 games behind us. We keep this pace up, we WILL win the conference! We’re always underdogs in my view guys, we always go under the radar, and what happens WE SHINE! so let us go under the radar again, we’re taking it game by game. I do feel sorry for Gaby having to shuffle the lines the way he does cause of all our talent, but at the end, We will still Rock the Red, and still UNLEASH THE FURY!
IRD
/ March 17, 2010The only reason Ovi got suspended is that league wants Crosby to get an MVP award this year. However he would not be able to beat Ovi on that. Soooooo, the only way to bump Crosby up is to eliminate Ovi from the game.
Some people call Ovi dirty player – no way he is. Even though the push was not right, it was late and it was to the boards I still would say it does not happen with Ovi often.
He average 10 hits a game, this makes 820 hits a season. Just a few – 3-5 out of 820 come out wrong. Think about it before calling him dirty player.
BC BLack
/ March 27, 2010MyTeamMyBloodMyCaps
Nice post……I am with you 100%……..I see it exactly the same way you do…. We need Brooks back in the line up. I didn’t realize how much of a spark he was to our team, until we missed him for to straight. Looking like it may lead to 3 or 4 now. Ovi needs to get back to himself in pre-Olympic form. the team has held up very strong through all. I am not happy about 2 in a row down to Carolina. I still can’t believe they are not really in the play off race…..They are a strong squad IMO……Let end the season on a positive note.
mike
/ April 1, 2010Caps fans you gotta check out these awsome Ovi shirts on ebay. Search “Russian Wrecking Ball” on ebay and check out these bad ass t-shirts. Ovechkin is king! Go Caps!!!