Holmstrom Hit from Behind

[Gordie Howe hat trick 110]

Cheap shots are cheap shots, if the high stick to the face was intentional I would say suspend Maltby as well. Physical hockey is great, using enforcers to fight others to keep your star players from getting killed that fine too, enforcers know what they are getting into. But cheap shots are cheap no matter who does them and to whom.

Little off topic:

I still can't beleive the back up goalie for the Flames, (his name escapes me for the moment) only got 5 games. That is rediulous! If there is intent to injure like in that case, or Pronger's you deserve to sit out and cool off for a bit longer.

Little more off topic:

Matt that is actually a quote from Mark Twain

[hiuDUCKSfan 0]

I have no idea why Robby got tossed. I thought his hit was fairly clean. He at least somewhat came from the side and used his shoulder. I thought he was just finishing his check.

Chris Pronger on the other hand was clearly trying to do some damage. I lost what little respect I had for him tonight. Don't get me wrong, I am glad he is on our team, but there is no place for what he did. There were multiple times tonight when I thought Pronger was trying to hurt someone and that pissed me off. There is nothing I hate more than seeing someone trying to make a hit with the intent to injure.

I wish I could apologize for what he did but I know he doesn't care. So I am sorry that tonight the Ducks decided to be dirty and I hope that the rest of the series is clean.

Kudos to the Wings for not taking cheap shots and playing dirty.

[Elshupacabra 0]

I have no idea why Robby got tossed. I thought his hit was fairly clean. He at least somewhat came from the side and used his shoulder. I thought he was just finishing his check.

Chris Pronger on the other hand was clearly trying to do some damage. I lost what little respect I had for him tonight. Don't get me wrong, I am glad he is on our team, but there is no place for what he did. There were multiple times tonight when I thought Pronger was trying to hurt someone and that pissed me off. There is nothing I hate more than seeing someone trying to make a hit with the intent to injure.

I wish I could apologize for what he did but I know he doesn't care. So I am sorry that tonight the Ducks decided to be dirty and I hope that the rest of the series is clean.

Kudos to the Wings for not taking cheap shots and playing dirty.

Very, Very Classy post!

[#19forPresident! 1]

you both proved me wrong (in my belief that responsible duck fans were staying away from this thread) and right (that there are many respectable duck fans out there). i thank you for doing both.

I knew quality Ducks fans were out there somewhere, every team has good fans and bad ones. I'm just glad more of the good are coming around here. I don't want you guys to think we automatically despise all Ducks fans, you have just been misrepresented by a handful of ignorant people that happen to be bandwagon Ducks fans, or just fans that know nothing about the game.

Everyone who knows the game knows that Niedermayer took the fall for Prongs on that hit. They had no business tossing anybody but Prongs, but the cookie doesn't always crumble the way it should. Suspension or not the wrong call was made and the league will most likely rectify that somehow.

Also:

Demoliton man said in the postgame press meet that he took 13 stitches to the face in the dressing room after that. When asked if he thought the hit was dirty he implied in his classic Swedish accent that he DIDN'T see the hit coming, and had no idea what happened. Here's the video if you want to see him speak about it, also Val, Bert, and the coaches speak. Postgame Press Meet

[RoninJai 5]

I have no idea why Robby got tossed. I thought his hit was fairly clean. He at least somewhat came from the side and used his shoulder. I thought he was just finishing his check.

I'm pretty sure the ref didn't catch what happened as it happened, just the aftermath; they just knew something bad happened. Rob did cross the width of the ice to make that hit, so maybe that spurred their decision.

[Dabura 12,232]

Postgame Press Meet

Thanks!

Bert is such a mean-looking mofo. I definitely wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley....

Edited May 16, 2007 by Dabura

[MidMichSteve 1,115]

Pronger's done this his whole career. Whenever his team gets down in a game, he tries to take someone from the other team out. It's almost always an elbow too. He needs to just man up and take the loss, come back and try again next game.

One of my favorite hockey moments was when Pronger tried to do the same to Stevie Y. That bone-headed play turned the series around for the Wings.

BTW Stevie was our MVP at the time. Who has been our MVP on the ice during this year's playoffs?

Just a coincidence? We all know what his intentions were.

[Wings_Fan_In_Exile 3]

Thanks to the Ducks fans on here with the classy posts.

That hit reconfirms my strong dislike for Pronger. LIke everybody has said, Rob got the blame for a dirty play by Pronger.

I'm really happy Holmtrom wasn't hurt.

I hope Bertuzzi lays a nice CLEAN hit on Pronger and sends him flying in Game 4.

[russianswede919293 95]

Eh I didn't like my post after I made it.

Edited May 16, 2007 by russianswede919293

[Matt 1,049]

Chris Pronger on the other hand was clearly trying to do some damage. I lost what little respect I had for him tonight. Don't get me wrong, I am glad he is on our team, but there is no place for what he did. There were multiple times tonight when I thought Pronger was trying to hurt someone and that pissed me off. There is nothing I hate more than seeing someone trying to make a hit with the intent to injure.

Wings fans know all too well that this is Pronger's M.O. out there, especially playing against this club. He's had monumentous self-imposions in the playoffs against Detroit -- and it appears that 2006 was an exception to the rule regarding him.

"Oh, there goes Pronger, blowing his stack again..."

[Covenant 0]

I just hate it when a team has to go and ruin what was otherwise a perfect game of hockey. We kicked their cans all over the ice, only to have this hit kind of take me off my "high"..

But, looking at it with glass half-full,.. i think it will be Pronger that gets the suspension.. probably only one game, but it will eventually cost them a trip to the Cup Finals in my opinion. Any hit is reviewable I was reading, and just because Rob got the penalty, doesn't necessarily mean he will be the one that gets suspended.

Get well Homer - - go to the beach and get some rays or something.

[TheDude 0]

i have a feeling pronger won't get suspended. i'll eat my words gladly if i'm wrong...but given the fact that homer wasn't hurt and that pronger didn't get a penalty on the play...i'd be really surprised if they issued one. plus you know people would start shouting about the league determining the series by pulling a norris-nominated d-man from the western conference finals...even though that hit could have easily taken out one of our most effective players for the rest of the playoffs.

f*** 'em.

The fact that Pronger is one of the best Dmen in the league is exactly why the NHL really needs to send a message and suspend him. A suspension to Pronger would say to the players in the league that dirty play will not be tolerated regardless of who initiates it.

[Wings_Fan_in_KC 3]

Nice to see at least a few Ducks fans who are not blinded by outright homerism and Ducks colored glasses.

Bravo to you for not being inane asses like the other ones who say Pronger and Neidermayer did nothing wrong.

[A.T.Hun 0]

Wings fans know all too well that this is Pronger's M.O. out there, especially playing against this club. He's had monumentous self-imposions in the playoffs against Detroit -- and it appears that 2006 was an exception to the rule regarding him.

"Oh, there goes Pronger, blowing his stack again..."

You beat me to it, but you're exactly right. Every year you know that if the team that Pronger is on falls behind he will do something stupid--often profoundly stupid. If he ends up being suspended (and I'm not holding my breath on that one), his foolishness could be catastrophic for the Ducks.

[drwscc 212]

I was listening to XM Hockey this morning (stupid XM suspended O & A) and even the hosts there said that Pronger should be suspended, and they are as anti-Wings as can be. The one guy said Pronger should get 4-5 games to send a message, but they both agreed that he should get at least one.

[stormboy 47]

The fact that Pronger is one of the best Dmen in the league is exactly why the NHL really needs to send a message and suspend him. A suspension to Pronger would say to the players in the league that dirty play will not be tolerated regardless of who initiates it.

i agree (except for pronger being the BEST d-man in the league). i just hope the office sees it that way.

[ edit : content ]

Edited May 16, 2007 by stormboy

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

We always have to face teams that have bad temper tantrums, Iginla , Wilson , Now pronger

When are we gonna geta a clean hockey team ?

[SweWings 45]

When are we gonna geta a clean hockey team ?

Ottawa seems to be quite alright...Emery tends to get emotional but I doubt he'll do anything dumb this far into the play-offs...

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

I haven't read all these posts, so if I'm beating a dead horse, sorry folks.

Watching that hit live, and having the advantage of TiVo, it's clear that Robby shouldn't have been tossed. If Pronger had have hit Homer from behind, the hit from Robby would have been ok, at best a 2 minute minor. Pronger not only hit Homer from behind, but also drove his head into the glass with his elbow. He deserves to be suspended for at least one game.

IMO what Pronger did was worse than what Mclennan did, and Mclennan got five games, which is NOTHING for a backup goalie. I'd be shocked if Campbell, and Bettman have the balls to suspend a marquee player during a playoff run. It should happen, rest assured if it were Crosby or Ovechkin getting hit, there would be a suspension.

Sidenote: Good god did we had the Ducks some pie last night!! Is anyone else falling in love with lil' Flip?

[stormboy 47]

IMO what Pronger did was worse than what Mclennan did, and Mclennan got five games, which is NOTHING for a backup goalie. I'd be shocked if Campbell, and Bettman have the balls to suspend a marquee player during a playoff run. It should happen, rest assured if it were Crosby or Ovechkin getting hit, there would be a suspension.

i agree with you. franzen was not hurt by mclennan's hit, and he still got dished a suspension. still, two things go against pronger getting a similar suspension in my opinion. one, as you mentioned, he is a marquee player, not a back up goalie who never sees the ice. while that SHOULDN'T matter, i think it will. secondly, although as a human being watching the game you KNOW that pronger was trying to hurt homer, based on past experience / score of game in addition to the type of it hit was, there still are some ways (though they are dubious) to argue that pronger was just finishing a check. mclennan's hit was a clear use of his stick as a weapon, and after the whistle. although, in my opinion, pronger's hit was just as bad (considering it was a head shot compared to the torso shot on franzen), the slight chance (in the mind of those making the decision) that he was not trying to injure homer plus the fact that he's a norris trophy candidate...i don't think the league will have the balls to pull the trigger.

i hope i'm wrong.

[ZAMBONI 0]

i agree with you. franzen was not hurt by mclennan's hit, and he still got dished a suspension. still, two things go against pronger getting a similar suspension in my opinion. one, as you mentioned, he is a marquee player, not a back up goalie who never sees the ice. while that SHOULDN'T matter, i think it will. secondly, although as a human being watching the game you KNOW that pronger was trying to hurt homer, based on past experience / score of game in addition to the type of it hit was, there still are some ways (though they are dubious) to argue that pronger was just finishing a check. mclennan's hit was a clear use of his stick as a weapon, and after the whistle. although, in my opinion, pronger's hit was just as bad (considering it was a head shot compared to the torso shot on franzen), the slight chance (in the mind of those making the decision) that he was not trying to injure homer plus the fact that he's a norris trophy candidate...i don't think the league will have the balls to pull the trigger.

i hope i'm wrong.

I think Melrose really nailed it for once,he said it was worse then the Cheechoo hit that garnered a one game suspension,so i suspect we won't see Pronger in game 4. I thought it was an atrocious hit and careless and wreckless. Sad to see Pronger get the hook,but if it happened to one of my players i would expect the same.

[Disney is GONE 0]

i agree with you. franzen was not hurt by mclennan's hit, and he still got dished a suspension. still, two things go against pronger getting a similar suspension in my opinion. one, as you mentioned, he is a marquee player, not a back up goalie who never sees the ice. while that SHOULDN'T matter, i think it will. secondly, although as a human being watching the game you KNOW that pronger was trying to hurt homer, based on past experience / score of game in addition to the type of it hit was, there still are some ways (though they are dubious) to argue that pronger was just finishing a check. mclennan's hit was a clear use of his stick as a weapon, and after the whistle. although, in my opinion, pronger's hit was just as bad (considering it was a head shot compared to the torso shot on franzen), the slight chance (in the mind of those making the decision) that he was not trying to injure homer plus the fact that he's a norris trophy candidate...i don't think the league will have the balls to pull the trigger.

i hope i'm wrong.

How long to suspend Pronger for? I had to sleep on this. For the record, it's really hard to pull the Homer glasses off you head.

I had to ask myself what if that was a Duck being head smashed into the boards? I actually had a flashback to the Ducks-Edmonton series when he was doing those dirty runs at our players. I think they were repressed memories!

Deep sigh... I would support a suspension of at least 5 games. On one hand, I hope not. But the part of me that loves hockey more than I love my team, says 5 or more games.

This makes me sad just saying it. Hmph.

[Datzooky 0]

Much respect to hiuDUCKSfan, classy post.

I'm just sick of dirty hits like that regardless of what team is giving or receiving them. It really hits home when you see one of your own boys get clocked like that, and we already thought we lost Homer once this Season in the playoffs.

I can honestly say I was upset before I even knew what happened, just seeing Homer laying on the Ice bleeding and a 5 minute Major being called was enough to get my blood boiling. After seeing the replay it is just sickening. I'm glad they had an interview with Homer after the game and I had the opportunity to see that he was still smiling from the win and the goals he contributed, otherwise I'd still be fuming. I hope there is some punishment for Pronger, but for the big picture, they need a punishment that will deter this behavior no matter what the score is, or what game in the series it is. As things stands, it just seems like playing dirty is worth the consequences sometimes, and that should never be the case.

[Elshupacabra 0]

How long to suspend Pronger for? I had to sleep on this. For the record, it's really hard to pull the Homer glasses off you head.

I had to ask myself what if that was a Duck being head smashed into the boards? I actually had a flashback to the Ducks-Edmonton series when he was doing those dirty runs at our players. I think they were repressed memories!

Deep sigh... I would support a suspension of at least 5 games. On one hand, I hope not. But the part of me that loves hockey more than I love my team, says 5 or more games.

This makes me sad just saying it. Hmph.

Wow! you Ducks fans in this topic have turned my preconceptions on Ducks fans upsidedown, Verry, Verry classy people, most of you thank you!

As for Pronger, Should he be suspended? Yes, Will he be suspended No, I just cant see the NHL suspending such an impact player like Pronger in the Western Conference Finals, its just won't happen, and if by some miricale that it does,I will have gained more respect for Colin Campbell and the NHL.

edit = capitlaizing the "D" in Ducks

Edited May 16, 2007 by Elshupacabra

[justheducks 0]

ok 1st off i would liek to apologize to any wings fan that was offended by any of my post last night. i was not at all focused and was very distracted by alot of things going on. mostly just quick stupid replies to topics and your guy's replies.

secondly the hit was a lil over the top because pronger hit high and followed through with his elbow and glove. if he hadnt i think it would have been a clean hit. does he deserve to be suspended? yes for one game and a huge fine. i dont think he should be suspended for the rest of the playoffs and some of next season because thats just a ridiculous amount for one hit. Holmstrom is fine. nothing really came of it as of now and i believe that holmstrom coming back in the 3rd sealed prongers fait that he wont be suspended for that long if he is. The NHL is in a tough predictament here. do you suspend a top defensemen in the league in the western conference finals and give the wings the upper hand or let it slide and basically stat that unless you hurt the player then you wont be suspended?

frankly i think he should get 1-2 games and 100k fine and a public apology to the red wings organzation and holmstrom.

Edited May 16, 2007 by justheducks