Imagine If They Had "Skill"

For a national junior team that isn't supposed to have a lot of skill, this year's Team Canada isn't having much trouble putting pucks in the net.

Try 13 in two games, much of it with a lethal power play. These weren't weaklings the Canadians were playing, but rather the Russians and the Czechs, both overwhelmed as Canada enjoys home-ice advantage on small ice for a third straight winter in what is purported to be a "world" tournament.

Brayden Schenn, a pro among boys, looks lethal, and one by one the Canadians are finding their roles, figuring where they fit in.

Then there's Zack Kassian.

There was always a risk putting Kassian on the team, always the chance that at some point he would disengage from the team concept and do something selfish and violent that would put his team at a disadvantage.

That happened Tuesday night in Buffalo when Kassian delivered a vicious blind-side hit to the head of Petr Senkerik of the Czech Republic, who was, it appeared, knocked cold, and then taken from the ice on a stretcher.

Some saw it as a shoulder to Senkerik's chest. Careful examination of the replays, however, showed that the cup of Kassian's left shoulder pad clearly made the initial impact with Senkerik's jaw, causing his head to snap back violently in a way it wouldn't if the initial impact was to the chest. It was a hit delivered from a lateral path, a classic violation of the NHL's new head shot rule.

But this isn't the NHL. So who knows what will happen?

Kassian will be suspended for at least Wednesday's game against Norway, that we know. If it were the NHL, it would be at least a three-game suspension. But what does that mean in an IIHF tournament?

Kassian is a repeat offender. He got 20-games for a truly dangerous hit of a similar fashion in the OHL last season.

So we'll see. To me, it's the kind of play that should see a player, any player, booted out of the tournament entirely, but I understand most hockey fans prefer lesser penalties, particularly when their team or their country is involved.

In a way, it's too bad for Kassian, who has cut back on his reckless play in the Ontario league this season. He's a big guy with good skill and a chance to be a significant NHL player.

But if you're Canadian coach Dave Cameron, how do you know when this young man is going to make that kind of decision again? What if it's in a semifinal or a final, a one-game do-or-die scenario? 

Kassian will almost certainly be back in this tournament. But even though the five-minute major he took for the Senkerik hit didn't hurt Canada - the Canadians actually scored shorthanded - he's clearly one of those players who is capable of doing something in the heat of the moment that could do severe damage to his team.

You can debate whether it was a head shot if you want. But nobody can debate that it was totally unnecessary.

 

 

Comments

[Biff]

I thought it was a late hit. This is what people mean when they talk about respect in hockey. A player with respect eases off in this position and does not paste the guy in the head - especially after the puck has been gone for two beats and Kassian can clearly see that the guy does not know he is coming.

[Pete]

Sigh...why don't we just skip years of arguing and ban hitting in hockey altogether, and then we can make the sticks out of foam and the puck a whiffleball...let's protect all the delicate flowers in the game.

The hit was clean...if you have to watch a super duper slow-motion to find something, chances are it wasn't there to begin with...I have no idea what Damien is talking about, I saw the hit 20 times and every time it looked clean. I can't believe we're even talking about such a great clean hit. This is yet another case of the results dictating the reaction. If the Czech player got up immediately everyone would be saying what a great hit it was. The refs only called it when they saw he didn't get up. There's a difference between protecting the players and taming the game to the point where you rob it of it's hitting and intensity.

[Greg]

Damien;

Was it a late hit? That's debatable.

Was it unnecessary? Also debatable.

Was it a "blind-side hit to the head of Petr Senkerik," as you, a professional, fact-finding journalist proclaims? No chance.

Watch the clip. You either weren't at the game or have yet to see the clip.

Kassian doesn't connect with his head. Kassian's elbows and hands are down. And Senkerik is looking at his pass and a teammate rather than being aware of his more important surroundings (i.e. the opposition and, in particular, who of that opposition is on the ice).

Your description of "a blind-side hit to the head of Petr Senkerik" is factually wrong. This has nothing to do with your opinion. You're wrong. Period.

Watch the clip. Change your wording. Stop fabricating something that wasn't there to make your point. You're a pro. Act like one.

[Chad]

Pierre McGuire's repeated assertion that this was a shoulder to the chest is negligent and is symptomatic of the "old hockey guy" mentality. However, this isn't a "blindside" hit at all. Kassian and the Czech player are both moving "east-west" in the moments leading up to contact.
To state, with certainty that this is a vicious and illegal check, is confusing because these types of hits were common during the 80's and 90's. This tournament especially used to be more physical.

[Alex]

Totally agree with Pete on this one. I watched the hit several times too, and it looked good to me. It _may_ have been a touch late, but this is hockey. Anyone who ever played competitively knows that if you admire your pass for too long you pay for it with a headache. I personally hate the all star game and don't want to see competitive hockey turn into that crap.

I will say that Damian deserves some props for crediting Kassian's improved disciplinary record this year. Kassian has a well earned rep for losing the plot with ridiculously over the top hits -- the one that earned him 20 games last year is a case in point -- and it would be easy to look at that and say case closed. On the other hand, I am a little disappointed by the way the rest of the article seams to flow. You paste Kassian into the boards for a hard hit (which is the way those of us who pay to watch hockey like it (if we didn't we'd go watch baseball), but the refs called a penalty that they clearly did not see. I am a soccer ref and I can testify to the fact that you can never, ever make a call you didn't see. Apart from the fact that you'll almost certainly get things wrong and end up in hot water with the bosses who will go over every second of the game with the video to decide if you should get another assignment, making such a call is dishonest and in soccer lingo, "brings the game into disrepute."

[Ryan]

I think there are a couple other issues to bring into this discussion. For one there is a great disparity in stature between the two players(5'11 180 vs 6'3 215). While this is neither player's fault it does explain why Kaissian got a piece of the guy's chin. It looked to me like he got some chin but mostly plowed through his chest. The other thing I noticed was that Senkerik was caught watching the puck he just lost as much as Kaissian Blind sided him. It didn't look like Kaissian was out to hurt him but you can bet next time Senkerik is skating through the neutral zone he'll keep his head up.

[Al]

He hit him with the shoulder - isn't that what you're supposed to do? He didn't jump and didn't elbow.

The game is fast, the hit was legal, and a guy playing a contact sport got hurt.

[mark mccourt]

Looked good to me and i watched it super slo mo,i cant see on my 50 inch tv that the chin was touched by the shoulder, the head snapping back likes a reaction on the players part to avoid the hit. I think it could be argued it was a late hit, but there are lots of those in a game,

[snacker]

The hit was a bit late, but it wasn't as bad as some people think. The nanny-state is starting to win out in hockey nowadays and that's sad. My question is what are these kids out there watching? Back in my day, you would look over your shoulder when a big nasty kid, like Kassian was on the other team and you made sure you knew where he was on the ice, always! I played tier 2 junior A and hits like this happened. They didn't happen as badly because we learned to watch what was going on around us and we didn't stick around to watch our passes (exactly what the Czech kid did). Hockey is played at high speeds with big contact - these kids need to take a page from hockey 101 and start picking their heads up and watching the play!!! Hockey is quickly turning into girls lacrosse...at this level, these guys should be paying attention!!!

[Russ Calow]

5 minutes and a game for fabrication Damien! Kassian's hit in real time clearly was not a deliberate intent to injure, nor late. Once agian you are picking unrelated facts and stretching the truth to substantiate one of your pet peeves. Too bad journalists could not be sent to the dressing room for "conduct unbecoming"!

[Puckhead]

Please define 'unnecessary'? I really don't get this. Should Kassian have left the guy to skate into Canada's zone untouched? What if a goal had resulted?
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That's the thing. Too often now, a player is supposed to 'let up' because the other guy is 'vulnerable (re head down), but alternatives are never offered. We just assume if the hit didn't occur, that nothing bad would happen such as sustained pressure in the Canadian zone or perhaps a goal. But Kassian should just have 'let up' because the hit was 'unnecessary'? Makes no sense.
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Kassian did exactly what he was supposed too, let the guy know he was there. The next time a Czech player got the puck, maybe he gets rid of it a bit early because he knows a Canadian steamtrain is about to roll over him.
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Yes, physical intimidation is a legitimate strategy in hockey, always has been & always SHOULD be. Somehow, in the last two years of 'headshot paranoia', hitting has somehow become unnecessary?
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After you make a pass, keep your head-up! Hockey 101 ....

[Puckhead]

Far too often these days, we penalize the result - not the action itself.

[Brad McLean]

It was probably a bit late, and definitely a blind side hit, but to say it would be a 3 game suspension in the NHL is ludicrous. This is the perfect example of the "blindside" hit but the NHL has yet to suspend anyone for hit exactly like this. Right call by the books, but debatable rule for sure.

[Nathan Pfrimmer]

He got the head...check out 48s in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lcUUZDxNZQ.
It's not clear from any angle but that one.

[InSENSitive]

It's a joke that we're even talking about this hit. Like other people said, if the guy had gotten up right away, it was over and done with. The second the stretcher came out, you knew a suspension wasn't far behind. It's so easy to hit the head if you're going for the shoulder.

[Suze]

Not sure what you were watching but he hit his body not his head. Nice clean check as far as I am concerned. Did you really watch the replay???

[kitkat]

This loose cannon should be booted off the team.

[Stefan Bruggemann]

I watched the game yesterday, watched the replays as they were shown live, and now watched the hit again on YouTube. The video shows that the hit happened almost immediately after it came off Senkerik's stick. It was one steambolt at most. It also shows that Senkerik, although not looking at Kassian, was facing him.

If you can't hit this way, how can you hit? It's open ice. It's not like he pushed him into the boards from behind. His arms are down and his elbows are tucked in. Hockey played at the highest levels is a fast game. Since he's a bigger player, what more should Kassian have done? Ducked? Crouched? Just stop hitting altogether?

What if Senkerik was 6'6'' and 230 pounds and he got up after the hit? The hit is the same but the player isn't injured. It seems that Kassian is being punished for being a big player and because Senkerik was injured. He's being punished for a clean hit and for wearing modern hockey equipment.

[Matt B]

I think it was borderline. Watched it over and over again, and I think it was a hit that caused an injury, as opposed to a dangerous hit. Size mattered in this collision and the Czech player was admiring his pass — this wasn't a case of head-hunting or a reckless hit. I thought the refs did what was appropriate with what they saw; but I disagree with the tacked on suspension.

[Andy]

Thank you, Damien, bang on the mark. Pierre Magoon has convinced all the neanderthal boneheads out there that this was a clean hit. If a player puts himself in a situation where he is a hair one way or the other from concussing his opponent, that is not a clean hit. He should know better, and take his punishment when the rules are broken. The whole point of hitting is to separate man from puck, anything beyond that is goonery.

[Charlie]

Mr Cox

It is very unfortunate that you are not a hockey fan. Seems like every time I read one of your articles you are crying about the violence in hockey. This hit could easily have gone either way. If Zack had of been just an inch shorter his shoulder pad would not have made contact with this young fellows jaw but probably would still have done as much damage.
A very unfortunate incident indeed, but not an infraction that should see the young man kicked out of the tournament. In fact, neither of the referees had even called a penalty until the player had been laying on the ice hurt. And look at the replay...the ref had a perfect view of the incident.
I suggest you start writing about figure skating or another non contact sport as that is all you seem to enjoy watching.

[Phil]

This guy is a "head hunter" and hits guys in a vulnerable positions. Just look at his record. He wouldn't do this stuff if he wasn't the biggest guy on the ice. He better keep his own head up when/if he plays for Buffalo in the NHL as somebody will run him soon enough. There are a lot better skilled players who were "cut" in favour of this guy!...Phil

[Simmer]

I don't think it was a head shot at all. The kid that was hit had his head down and some responsibility has to fall back on the person being hit.

It was however, a very late hit. The person being hit had not only passed the puck, but the player who he passed it to had released the puck as well by the time the hit happened.

I'm glad there is a hard stance on head hits, no player should have their well-being comprimised over hockey, but how many times did it look just like this hit when Lindros was laid our by Stevens?

[Gord]

Damien
You're absolutely right, it was an illegal hit. His shoulder did ciontact the jaw. All the posters here that can't see that in the replay either don't have the angle or are using Canadian coloured glasses. I doubt Kassian intended to hit the guy's head, but that is irrelevant, every player has to be held responsible for what they do on the ice. No head shots, period. Kassian probably couldn't have avoided contact once he committed like that, but he would have done better to have thrown a hip check into him. Like they've been saying for years, it's eventually going to cost someone their life.

[jim baker]

I am sorry, this is ridiculous. The hit was so clean it hurts. It upsets me to read Damien's comments. It reminds me of 20 yrs ago when we were generally embarrassed as Canadians to stand up for ourselves. Give it up.