50 replies to this topic

[Echolalia]

didnt Laraque get 5 games for the same freegin thing? like a week ago? NHL. gotta love the consistency!

Ovechkin's leg might be feeling better before 5 games. Can't have him missing any unnecessary ice time.

[akustyk]

amazed, that the league had balls to suspend to player. and glad it happened.

[cjm502]

amazed, that the league had balls to suspend to player. and glad it happened.

He wont be healthy for those games anyways. Its pretty much BS.

[Doggy]

Ovechkin is one of the most reckless players I've ever seen in my life. He'll his and/or someone else's career way short the way he plays. Probably both. I know Boudreau wishes he'd settle it down too.

[edicius]

True, but didn't a Penguins player (Cook?) just get suspended for the same hit?

And amazingly, didn't receive any discipline for a knee-on-knee hit on Shean Donovan, who's out for the next 4-6 months.

(And nope, not gonna let up on that. Annoys the crap out of me that the league didn't even review Cooke on that garbage.)

[vOrophin]

More than expected, less than deserved. Just glad that they're finally setting a precedent by actually suspending him. Although the precedent of "you can do this a couple times before getting suspended" is something that I hope will change. This is the first step in the right direction though.

[Doc Holiday]

The great Brad May with his opinion on the hit:

In an informal poll, TSN asked 25 NHL players whether they viewed Ovechkin as a hard-hitting player, or more often as a reckless and dirty player.....

*snip*

......Detroit Red Wings forward Brad May is one of the 17 players who participated in the anonymous poll, but May asked that his opinion on Ovechkin to be revealed.

He said he saw no reason for the NHL to suspend Ovechkin for the hit on Gleason.

"Incidental contact! Remember, it's a physical game," said May. "People forget that. I have no issue with him. He's fast and aggressive and stuff happens."

[Carman]

Wonder what he thinks about the Laraque hit?

Edited by Carman, 02 December 2009 - 12:02 AM.

[Doc Holiday]

Wonder what he thinks about the Laraque hit?

Probably the same thing.

Strange that he wanted his opinion to be known, though.

[KillerB14]

The great Brad May with his opinion on the hit:

It was incidental contact. After Ovechkin took his last stride he didn't change the position of his leg, it was already out there. Gleason tried to jump out of the way and jumped into Ovechkin's knee. Smart for either player? No.

This is entirely different then Laraque's. You can see Laraque raise his leg and stick it out to get Kronwall.

That's my opinion and I argued the same thing when it happened to Gonchar last year in the playoffs. His body position never changed. Maybe the two games is for the league saying don't lead into checks like that. I don't know.

I love everyone calling for blood because he's a superstar and they finally want something done to a superstar. I'd rather have the league wait to suspend a superstar when they actually do something wrong.

That check a couple games back when he got tossed, he hit the guy in the shoulder. The visor caused blood and made it look worse.

Most people are calling for his head. I'll go the other route.

[Carman]

Knee on knee's are always the fault of the aggressor. Ovechkin got beat, it wasn't intentional but he needs to back off on the hit. That's why he is getting suspended. You can't miss checks in the open ice like that and still try to make contact, it can end careers.

[finalfilppula]

does anyone think it'd be fair to instigate a rule where the suspended player comes back when the injured player comes back?

[Carman]

does anyone think it'd be fair to instigate a rule where the suspended player comes back when the injured player comes back?

No because I don't think most injuries from dirty plays are malicious enough to warrant 40+ game suspensions. Accidents happen.

[finalfilppula]

No because I don't think most injuries from dirty plays are malicious enough to warrant 40+ game suspensions. Accidents happen.

mm, yeah. perhaps in "special" situations, but that opens up a whole new world of determining intent.

[CMatt89]

not an intentional knee. he's the best player in the league, if Crosby did this exact same thing, they would see it for what it was. Ovechkin going kamakaze (sp?) to make a big hit, his usual, and Gleason trying to evade the hit, unfortunately their knees made contact. Wrongfully suspended.

[toby91_ca]

Laraque's was worse and he's been suspended before.

I thought Ovechkin's was much worse. Laraques was more of a reflex action to stick out your leg when someone is trying to get past you, believe me, it is actually difficult not to do and if you watch closely, a lot of the time, when guys get beat, their legs jump out, it's just most of the time, the other player is well out of the way, other times they might trip the guy and get a penalty and in Laraque's case, you have a freak injury that results.

I thought Ovechkin was much more aggressive in his attack. He doesn't technically have a history of suspensions simply because the NHL has let him get a away with a few things.....perhaps because he doesn't have a history of suspensions. Now that he technically has a history, will be interesting to see what happens when he does something borderline again.

[toby91_ca]

not an intentional knee. he's the best player in the league, if Crosby did this exact same thing, they would see it for what it was. Ovechkin going kamakaze (sp?) to make a big hit, his usual, and Gleason trying to evade the hit, unfortunately their knees made contact. Wrongfully suspended.

You said it yourself, that's the problem right there. Ovechkin plays too recklessly and they really need to reel him in for his own safety and the safety of others. Even his coach admitted the same and suggested now might be the right time to have a heart to heart discussion with him.

Edit: I think most agree that it wasn't an intentional knee to hurt someone....if the league felt it was that, I'm sure he would have gotten a much more lengthy suspension.

Edited by toby91_ca, 02 December 2009 - 08:52 AM.

[DMAC 25]

i'll bet crosby wouldnt get suspended

[OsGOD]

There should be a clause in the CBA stating your suspension starts once you're medically cleared to play. But oh well. Definately deserved a game or three, gladd the NHL had the balls to do it

good point...

what good is a 2 game suspension if a player going to be out for say 2 games*.

Seems a little redundant and a faux way of punishing a star without really punishing him

*saying that he would be out for any amount of games due to injury

Strange that he wanted his opinion to be known, though.

Prolly is just auditioning for a job as Ovies body guard when his gig with the wings is up.

Edited by OsGOD, 02 December 2009 - 09:36 AM.

[hak]

Find a good post on HFboards about this incident

Now, Alex Ovechkin is "dirty"....As well as 600+ NHLers, according to some here at HF. Richer yet, these same people want/expect 600+ "clean, gentlemanly, "classy" individuals on the croquet field, er ice surface.

This board would have hated Howe, Orr, Clarke, Potvin, just as more recently they hated Messier, Scott Stevens, Forsberg and other "dirty" types.

See a pattern? All great players. All would punish you and frighten and offend some fans in the process. That bugs 'ya? Their response: Too bad.

No one is condoning Ovechkin's action last evening, though it has been blown way out of proportion here, predictably.

It's the premise on which some of these humorous claims are made. NHL hockey is not squeaky clean and never will be. Regardless of the endless, silly declarations of "dirty".

Thankfully.

If AO is "dirty," then so too is the NHL. Neither he, nor it is. It's a violent game played at warp speed. These things happen and have forever. Best to get use to it.

Just my opinion.

Hard to disagree imo