Edler Suspension Aftermath.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From The Province:

Canucks coach John Tortorella has lauded Edler's play this season. He had no issue with the aggressive check in the neutral zone on Hertl that at first appeared to be more about the forward trying to avoid a check.

"I would teach that play to all our defencemen," said Tortorella. "The one he was suspended on we're teaching that. The league just happens to believe it's suspendable."

Is the quote just "Torts being Torts" or is he saying that the League screwed up on the call. In this particular case, who's more at fault: Edler, Tortorella or other?

[rick zombo 3,739]

These are my least favourite types of hits.

Take the friggin body. No more of these fly by shoulder glances to the head. It's a stupid play.

[jollymania 162]

These are my least favourite types of hits.

Take the friggin body. No more of these fly by shoulder glances to the head. It's a stupid play.

It looks like he was going for that and missed, it was jsut a poorly executed play. Lets see you try that one...

[rick zombo 3,739]

It looks like he was going for that and missed, it was jsut a poorly executed play. Lets see you try that one...

No offence, but that's a stupid thing to say. Anyway, like you know what he was trying to do. "Looks like"?

I know you're a big hit guy. Last time I checked, you were president of the Mark Fistric fan club. I'm surprised you'd disagree with my original statement. Especially in such a smarmy way.

Let me rephase. If you're not sure you're going to get the body, give up the hit. Otherwise, open your wallet and get used to wearing a suit when the puck drops.

[wingedominance13 112]

I am all for protecting players, however i do not believe this hit is "dirty". He goes to play the body and Hertl is hunched reaching for the puck. Both Hertl and Edler have a duty here. Edler should have recognized that Hertl was reaching and put him self in a dangerous position, however Hertl should have the awareness that if he reaches out like that to play the puck hunches over anyone over 6ft tall is gonna make some contact with the head. It is one of those plays that will always be there and the defensemen will always take the liability for.

[jollymania 162]

No offence, but that's a stupid thing to say. Anyway, like you know what he was trying to do. "Looks like"?

I know you're a big hit guy. Last time I checked, you were president of the Mark Fistric fan club. I'm surprised you'd disagree with my original statement. Especially in such a smarmy way.

Let me rephase. If you're not sure you're going to get the body, give up the hit. Otherwise, open your wallet and get used to wearing a suit when the puck drops.

That has nothing to do with it, he was stepping up to make a pinch, if he avoided contact hertl would have been gone. It was a split second decision by edler, again I don't think you understand the speed/decision making process involved.

[rick zombo 3,739]

So, make sure you at least get the head, in order to not get caught pinching?

I understand that things happen quickly, but Hertl was bent over from his own blue line to center ice. That's enough time to make an adjustment, if you're Edler.

I really don't care about this play that much, but these types of hits are useless, and it's a textbook example of what the NHL is trying to eliminate.

[RyanBarnes! 293]

Let me rephase. If you're not sure you're going to get the body, give up the hit. Otherwise, open your wallet and get used to wearing a suit when the puck drops.

Really?? Is that where we are at?? I dont like that because that would be a huge step towards eliminating hits. I dont think there is a dirty play and I definitely agree with Tortorella on calling the league out on that one.

[T.Low 1,011]

I am all for protecting players, however i do not believe this hit is "dirty". He goes to play the body and Hertl is hunched reaching for the puck. Both Hertl and Edler have a duty here. Edler should have recognized that Hertl was reaching and put him self in a dangerous position, however Hertl should have the awareness that if he reaches out like that to play the puck hunches over anyone over 6ft tall is gonna make some contact with the head. It is one of those plays that will always be there and the defensemen will always take the liability for.

Exactly. I'm with you and Torty on this one.

[St. Michael (the Red Wing) 422]

Edler imo had the chance to play the puck and didn't. Not a wise play by Edler. And if Torts is teaching all his d-men to play this way look out folks. Sheesh

[rick zombo 3,739]

Really?? Is that where we are at?? I dont like that because that would be a huge step towards eliminating hits. I dont think there is a dirty play and I definitely agree with Tortorella on calling the league out on that one.

It was an East-West hit. Direct shot to the head, and only the head. And it was borderline blindside. I don't think it was dirty, but these are exactly the kind of hits that the league's trying to get rid of.

That hit was of no benifit to anyone. There's no fan value because it was half-assed. It didn't do much for Vancouver either, because despite what some posters are saying, the play was at the center ice so it didn't prevent a goal, an odd-man rush, etc.

I loooove North-South hits. I love the type of hit along the boards that Ouellet made on Sheppard the other night. To me that's old-school. If you're a hockey purist, then you never want to see that taken out of the game. These East-West head shots are a relatively new thing. Eliminting them, or even a scenario in which they might happen (read: give up on the east-west hit when a guy's had his head down while skating 20-30 ft) , will not do anything to tarnish what makes hockey great, IMO.

[T.Low 1,011]

Edler actually got there first. All he did was go hard on the park and prepare for contact. Hertl was actually moving three-quarter speed not paying attention and not preparing for contact.

I can't think of a single Red Wing that would have been lax enough in that exact situation to actually take that hit. Easily sidestepped

It was an East-West hit. Direct shot to the head, and only the head. And it was borderline blindside. I don't think it was dirty, but these are exactly the kind of hits that the league's trying to get rid of.

That hit was of no benifit to anyone. There's no fan value because it was half-assed. It didn't do much for Vancouver either, because despite what some posters are saying, the play was at the center ice so it didn't prevent a goal, an odd-man rush, etc.

I loooove North-South hits. I love the type of hit along the boards that Ouellet made on Sheppard the other night. To me that's old-school. If you're a hockey purist, then you never want to see that taken out of the game. These East-West head shots are a relatively new thing. Eliminting them, or even a scenario in which they might happen (read: give up on the east-west hit when a guy's had his head down while skating 20-30 ft) , will not do anything to tarnish what makes hockey great, IMO.

I agree with your overall point of Eastwest headshot hits, but this simply is not one of them.

Edited October 23, 2013 by T.Low

[rick zombo 3,739]

Edler actually got there first. All he did was go hard on the park and prepare for contact. Hertl was actually moving three-quarter speed not paying attention and not preparing for contact.

I can't think of a single Red Wing that would have been lax enough in that exact situation to actually take that hit. Easily sidestepped

I agree with your overall point of Eastwest headshot hits, but this simply is not one of them.

Do you mean Edler didn't intend for it to be one? I can understand that. But to me, it looks like he comes with speed, parallel to the red line, and the only point of contact is the head. Is that not the definition of east-west-headshot?

[jollymania 162]

So, make sure you at least get the head, in order to not get caught pinching?

I understand that things happen quickly, but Hertl was bent over from his own blue line to center ice. That's enough time to make an adjustment, if you're Edler.

I really don't care about this play that much, but these types of hits are useless, and it's a textbook example of what the NHL is trying to eliminate.

You try to make contact with something, he clearly wants to go for the puck but switches when he believes hertl has a chance to pass him, i doubt he is looking at hertl being bent over, that play happened in a few seconds, that is not a huge amount of time. It was an unfortunate play, if you don't want it to happen then you have to take out hitting, it was a natural play.

[T.Low 1,011]

In my opinion, no he did not target the head.

The problem is, Edlers most successful option is to get there first and block Hertls path to the puck. But of course Hertl is leading with his head so any contact could very well be head contact

If Edler would have gone straight for the puck, then he would have taken the brunt of the impact. I can't see that play being taught any other way.

This is why it will be virtually impossible to get head contact out of the game. Head shots maybe. Head contact, No way.

Edited October 23, 2013 by T.Low

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

In my opinion, no he did not target the head.

The problem is, Edlers most successful option is to get there first and block Hertls path to the puck. But of course Hertl is leading with his head so any contact could very well be head contact

This is why it will be virtually impossible to get head contact out of the game. Head shots maybe. Head contact, No way.

I think the key is to make solid body contact. If you hit a guy hard to the body, head contact is legal. It won't take hitting out of the game. It should get hitting back to how it used to be. Skates on the ice, no exploding up, no fly by hits that only contact the shoulder/head area.

The league is trying to send that message but gets in its own way with the erratic suspension lengths. Grabner's hit, for example, should've gotten more than 2 games.

[T.Low 1,011]

I don't see how he could have made solid body contact without giving up his advantageous position, because of Hertls body being hunched over and leading with his head.

And like I stated in my edit above, if Edler would have gone straight for the puck then he would have taken the brunt of the impact by far.

Fwiw, Edler is angling slightly away from the red line

If you take that play out of hockey, you are making a major paradigm shift in the structure of the game.

When I played football and hockey, I really enjoyed hitting. One of my most memorable moments as a defensive back was a play similar to Edlers: I caught the ball carrier under the shoulder pads and sent him flying into his own Gatorade table, the whole thing collapsing down on him.

I suppose I should be on the forefront of changing these games I love, as I now suffer from an incurable fatal disease that the NFL says may be concussion related (ALS-Lou Gerhig's disease) but to me, hitting is an integral part of the game, even though I am convinced it causes CTE. Quite the catch 22.

But that's another thread...

Edited October 23, 2013 by T.Low

[Dabura 12,206]

The old "cold shoulder."

[kook_10 1,705]

Clear case of a rookie bending at the waist to poke the puck around a veteran defender who wasn't buying it. Keep your head up kids!

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I don't see how he could have made solid body contact without giving up his advantageous position, because of Hertls body being hunched over and leading with his head.

And like I stated in my edit above, if Edler would have gone straight for the puck then he would have taken the brunt of the impact by far.

I was speaking more of the general policy towards hitting, not so much Edler's hit specifically.

I had a much stronger opinion of the Edler hit when I first saw it. But after watching it multiple times, it's a tough one. Solid body contact there would've been boarding and likely even more damaging to Hertl.

Edler is sort of making a play on the puck, but sort of trying to hit Hertl. Hertl is reaching for the puck with his head low. In terms of protecting players there's a lot of flukey variables on this one but the hit does result in a headshot with almost no body contact.. Mcleod and Lapierre's hit were much more intentional. Edler may have gotten screwed on this suspension, but in terms of the larger implications this hit probably comes around once a blue moon.

[jollymania 162]

I think the key is to make solid body contact. If you hit a guy hard to the body, head contact is legal. It won't take hitting out of the game. It should get hitting back to how it used to be. Skates on the ice, no exploding up, no fly by hits that only contact the shoulder/head area.

The league is trying to send that message but gets in its own way with the erratic suspension lengths. Grabner's hit, for example, should've gotten more than 2 games.

Hitting has always been explosive, there always have been head hits, blindsides, and even back in the day they threw in elbows for good measure. Don't even act for a second like hits like this didn't occur previously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UWpW-Z3BmY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZCuZ5UWEV0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuTYwbLSoUQ

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Hitting has always been explosive, there always have been head hits, blindsides, and even back in the day they threw in elbows for good measure. Don't even act for a second like hits like this didn't occur previously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UWpW-Z3BmY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZCuZ5UWEV0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuTYwbLSoUQ

Yes, your three youtube clips have convinced me.

I'm not sure exactly what your point is here. Even in the hits with elbows, the guys skates are on the ice and there's pretty good body contact. But an elbow will always be an elbow. I wasn't saying that was a new phenomenon.

But for those who complain about hitting being taken out of the game, clean hitting used to be much more skates on the ice with solid body contact. But the trend of exploding up like Kronwall used to do and prevalence of fly by hits is a relatively recent development to the NHL. Maybe the past 15 years or so?

[sleepwalker 512]

This is a weird one, and I am shocked and disappointed there was a suspension handed out.

I watched the clip multiple times and I don't even see a hit to the head. I see Edler going hard for the puck and Hertle charging in from Edlers bling side and running head first into his shoulder. Not sure how that is Edlers fault...

Maybe there are other angles though that show something different than the clip in the first post of this thread does though.

EDIT: At second glance, it even looks like Edler sees Hertl at the last second and tucks his elbow in to try to avoid any harmful contact. Honestly, I think this one is all on Hertl.

Edited October 23, 2013 by sleepwalker

[jollymania 162]

Yes, your three youtube clips have convinced me.

I'm not sure exactly what your point is here. Even in the hits with elbows, the guys skates are on the ice and there's pretty good body contact. But an elbow will always be an elbow. I wasn't saying that was a new phenomenon.

But for those who complain about hitting being taken out of the game, clean hitting used to be much more skates on the ice with solid body contact. But the trend of exploding up like Kronwall used to do and prevalence of fly by hits is a relatively recent development to the NHL. Maybe the past 15 years or so?

ahha i could post 100s more. I just posted 3 clips that i found in about 4 seconds. Exploding high into hits has always been around, don't ******* kid yourself.

[Dabura 12,206]

Yeah, I dunno I'd feel comfortable saying the exploding thing is a relatively recent phenomenon. I think maybe we're just more attuned to it than we've ever been, what with the supensions and stuff.