Cleary's hit on Joe Thornton

[T.Low 1,011]

Soultrain's post made my think of this hit from last niight and the response it got from the Sharks color commentator (the bald guy, whatever his name is).

As soon as i saw it I thought Joe was playing pretty koy about it and his strategy backfired on him. He looked over his shoulder to see how much time he had and from where the hit was gonna come from (standard procedure) and then you know he sees Cleary in his perifery, and chooses to turn his back as Cleary is already committed to the hit because it would have been from the side.

1) Please correct me if I'm wrong about that scenario.

2) The frikin Sharks color guy wouldn't let it go. He kept on about it being a nasty, illegal hit, and couldn't believe that Cleary only got 2 minutes for it.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but most announcers would say that Joe Thornton should know better than to turn and take a hit like that, what was he thinking?

Yes, i appreciate hometown announcers being fans of the home team, but not to a ridiculous degree like that.

I think if a Red WIng had done the same thing Thornton did, Mickey would be riding him that you cannot do that in the National Hockey League and expect not to get hit. If it would have been a young player, Mickey would say hopefull he learned his lesson. If it were a veteran, I think he would say it was a major lapse in judgement, and that's why the team is getting dominated tonite.

Like I said, please correct me if i'm wrong; if I'm seeing hockey thru Red Wing colored glasses

Edit: Want to make it clear that it looks to me like Thornton turned his back on Cleary almost taunting him as if to say "You'd better not hit me from behind!". And, in the time it took Thornton to turn his back, he could have just taken half a stride to get out of Cleary's path altogether.

Edited February 26, 2009 by T.Low

[Reds4Life 51]

It was very bad hit by Cleary. Definitely dirty.

[esteef 2,679]

Joe saw it coming and turned away, f*** him!

esteef

[Glubki 17]

He definitely earned two minutes for that penalty - I think the only reason he didn't get 5 was because Joe turned right before he hit him.

[henrik40 76]

How can you say that was definitely dirty? It clearly wasn't dirty in the eyes of the ref or else he gets 5 for that. Thornton saw him coming then turned his back and Cleary appeared to let up which was the reason he only received 2 minutes.

[Zion 93]

It was very bad hit by Cleary. Definitely dirty.

Please tell me you're kidding.

[WingsZR2 1]

Anyone have the video?

[Guest tini]

How can you say that was definitely dirty? It clearly wasn't dirty in the eyes of the ref or else he gets 5 for that. Thornton saw him coming then turned his back and Cleary appeared to let up which was the reason he only received 2 minutes.

Agreed.

[hillbillywingsfan 794]

it was certinly not a "dirty" hit. it was a bad it which in case anyone that would have made the same should have gotten 2 for. as far as the 5....it could have been cause he turned rigth before the hit and there was not blood or injury.

[T.Low 1,011]

Edited OP to include clarifier:

Edit: Want to make it claer that it looks to me like Thontron turned his back on Cleary almost taunting him as if to say "You'd better not hit me from behind!". And, in the time it took Thornton to turn his back, he could have just taken half a stride to get out of Cleary's path altogether.

[maltbymaniac 13]

Please tell me you're kidding.

+1

didnt look all that bad to me.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

My 2cents

Joe saw it coming and he hammed it up for the refs, pretending to be hurt. The hit wasn't particularly hard and he acted like he just got steamrolled. I don't believe for one second he was even the slightest bit woozy from the hit, just trying to eek out the biggest penalty he could get.

Danny boy is not a dirty player so I wouldn't call the hit a dirty hit. I would call it just one of those things that happens in hockey. You line a guy up, he turns on you, you hit him in the back. That's not a penalty if Thornton is up against the boards. Since he was off the boards a few feet he got to "fly" into them and make it look bad. Regardless, you can't hit somebody in the numbers so it deserved a 2 minute penalty. The refs got that right IMO. As much as we want to absolve Danny, it's a hockey play and in reality it cannot always be prevented.

As for the announcer, holy frickin homer Batman! Although, if you want to hear terrible, god awful, homer announcing, listen to that f***stick in Boston. Jeezus he is the worst ever.

If there's a fight he will scream every time a Boston player throws a punch, even if he misses or barely connects, he'll say something like "he's just raining down the punches!!", just screaming at the top of his voice.

Then, if the opponent lands a bomb and KO's the Boston player or puts the Boston player to his knees, he totally clams up and doesn't say anything about his guy just getting knocked the f*** out. Instead, he'll say something like "what a fight!" or "2 guys gettin' at it" or something. I swear, even if the Boston player was laying in a pool of his own blood, asleep from a punch, that ****** bag wouldn't acknowledge it, he'd pretend it didn't happen and call the fight a draw or something. I thought the Nashville guys were the worst until this season. That guy in Boston, I just want to punch him in the face repeatedly until my arms are tired from swinging.

[deltsig87 3]

Very low class and dirty hit, in fact right on level w/ claude's hit on draper.....NOT!!!!!

Sharks the best team my @$$!, the Wings always have been and still are currently THE best team in the league this season!

[Zion 93]

What else would you expect from Boston? Their fans are obnoxious, why would their announcers be any different?

Don't forget that Thornton didn't miss a shift after the hit.

[commadore183 103]

I agree with most who say it was a 2 min penalty, but that's it. Could Thorton have moved a bit more out of the way to avoid it? Sure, but I guess it was a risk he though was worth it. Could Cleary have let up/avoided the hit? Yep, but I don't think he had the time to do so. Thorton seemed a bit surprised at the hit other than hurt, IMO.

Again, that was the right call to make on Cleary, but anything more would be stupid on so many levels of suck (like the Lilja's GM penalty on the boarding )

[Guest Shoreline]

Usually the Sharks broadcasters (Hahn and Remenda -- Remenda being the bald guy) are not homers and for some of this game they were hard on the Sharks as they should be. However, regarding Thornton and the no goal they just would not stop whining! Was rather disappointing because not only did they come off there as homers, but morons as well. The puck wasn't even over the line, and Thornton DID see the hit coming. I know they get into the games and all that but they were complaining the ENTIRE game about those. Then turn around and justify a s***ty penalty on the Wings as being okay because McLellan yapped to the refs. Um, what? Just previous to that they were complaining about chincy penalties being on par to the Thornton hit-from-behind (2 minutes), then turn around and say that. Very unlike them.

This shouldn't change people's opinion about how good of announcers they are. They are very good. This was just a rather horrible play by play on their part.

Edited February 26, 2009 by Shoreline

[umredwing11 2]

How can you say that was definitely dirty? It clearly wasn't dirty in the eyes of the ref or else he gets 5 for that. Thornton saw him coming then turned his back and Cleary appeared to let up which was the reason he only received 2 minutes.

Agreed

On top of all of this, it isn't exactly like Cleary has a history of dirty plays. He is a gritty player and he went in for the hit, and unfortunately for Thornton, he turned at the last minute. I think it definitely looked worse than it was.

All Wings fans know that Cleary would never go into a hit with the intent to hurt someone, so I don't really give a crap what Boston commentators say.

[Elshupacabra 0]

Thornton saw him coming and Cleary figured he would brace himself. It's Cleary's fault for not letting up on the hit and allowing Thornton to give that performance. Two minutes was the right call. No more, no less.

Edited February 26, 2009 by Elshupacabra

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

So, out of curiosity, i went to letsgosharks.com just to read some articles on last nights game from the opponents perspective and I'm appauled at what I just read. It seems as though all the sharks fans think the refs gave us the game, or that Because cleary hit thornton in a "Hit reminiscent of Claude Lemeiux's on Draper", that caused thornton to play crappy and the team to follow. Here is a sample of tihs article with the link to the full thing following:

---Detroit beat the Sharks by flat out dominating them in just about every facet of the game. The Red Wings set the tone early when Dan Cleary tried knocking out the Sharks top centerman, Joe Thornton, with a cheap shot that was reminiscent of Claude Lemieux’s hit on Chris Draper in the playoffs several years ago.

Cleary nailed Thornton in the numbers, forcing the centerman’s head into the glass. Thornton was a non-factor in the game from that point forward. Rather than rally around their fallen leader, the Sharks seemed to go into a shell. They would spend the remainder of the game chasing the Red Wings, rather than dictating play. The Red Wings were aided by the on-ice officials inability to call anything more than a minor penalty for boarding. ---

Source: http://www.letsgosharks.com/story/2009/09-0225-01.htm

I'm not suggesting anyone go on there starting stuff, and I am not posting there either. I just found this to be a joke. A joke from some sore losers who can't admit that they were just purely outplayed and not make excuses for why they were. Let me know what you all think.

[therock48880 14]

That WAS boarding. I can't see how anyone could say any differently. Yes, he looked over his shoulder, and that's probably why it wasn't 5 minutes. But it was still boarding.

Edit: I agree that Thornton was acting, though.

On a somewhat related note, why is diving never called?

Edited February 26, 2009 by therock48880

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

Sorry if a mod took my previous post of this down for some reason...but I went to check on the thread and It was gone, so I am thinking there was an error? If not why would it be deleted? Just wondering, and sorry for posting twice if I did somethin wrong to get the post removed.

So, out of curiosity, i went to letsgosharks.com just to read some articles on last nights game from the opponents perspective and I'm appauled at what I just read. It seems as though all the sharks fans think the refs gave us the game, or that Because cleary hit thornton in a "Hit reminiscent of Claude Lemeiux's on Draper", that caused thornton to play crappy and the team to follow. Here is a sample of tihs article with the link to the full thing following:

---Detroit beat the Sharks by flat out dominating them in just about every facet of the game. The Red Wings set the tone early when Dan Cleary tried knocking out the Sharks top centerman, Joe Thornton, with a cheap shot that was reminiscent of Claude Lemieux’s hit on Chris Draper in the playoffs several years ago.

Cleary nailed Thornton in the numbers, forcing the centerman’s head into the glass. Thornton was a non-factor in the game from that point forward. Rather than rally around their fallen leader, the Sharks seemed to go into a shell. They would spend the remainder of the game chasing the Red Wings, rather than dictating play. The Red Wings were aided by the on-ice officials inability to call anything more than a minor penalty for boarding. ---

Source: http://www.letsgosharks.com/story/2009/09-0225-01.htm

I'm not suggesting anyone go on there starting stuff, and I am not posting there either. I just found this to be a joke. A joke from some sore losers who can't admit that they were just purely outplayed and not make excuses for why they were. Let me know what you all think.

[Yzersyukstromberg 0]

It was a great hit by Dapper Dan, and I'm glad he came out with the physical play early on. If Joe T wants to turn his back and get boarded when he sees a train rolling down the tracks, that's his issue. Good play Danny boy.

[Electrophile 3,554]

Of course they're the same. You saw how Thornton had to be taken off the ice bleeding heavily and then just today we heard how he needed reconstructive facial surgery.

Quite clearly the same thing.

Who comes up with this s***?

[puckloo39 5,686]

Of course they're the same. You saw how Thornton had to be taken off the ice bleeding heavily and then just today we heard how he needed reconstructive facial surgery.

Quite clearly the same thing.

this. I assume the Sharks fans who posted the comparison never saw the Draper incident or aftermath, damage to Draper's face. They need to do their homework.

Besides, Le-pew isn't worth defending. Waste of time.

edit: Thorton wasn't a non-factor. He just sucked. He couldn't keep his composure after Cleary nailed him, even when his coach asked him to calm down and stop making mistakes that landed him in the box.

Edited February 26, 2009 by puckloo39

[Guest Shoreline]

Of course they're the same. You saw how Thornton had to be taken off the ice bleeding heavily and then just today we heard how he needed reconstructive facial surgery.

Quite clearly the same thing.

Who comes up with this s***?

It was so horrendous Thornton came back out on the ice some 30 seconds later, after extensive facial surgery. f*** Cleary. He should have got a 5 minute for boarding, 2 for dirtying the glass, and a match penalty for pissing off the Sharks announcers.

This is liek, another Lemieux hit on Draper and stuff..

Edited February 26, 2009 by Shoreline