Throwing It all Away

It seems unthinkable that Brendan Shanahan would throw away the approval ratings he earned with the Raffi Torres decision on Saturday.

But apparently that's what the Shaky Sheriff has in mind.

After banning Torres for 25 games early in the day on Saturday, Shanahan was, just hours later, presented with another potential disciplinary decision regarding a high hit by Ottawa's Chris Neil on Brian Boyle of the New York Rangers.

No penalty was called on the play. Boyle was cutting from right to left high in the Ottawa zone when a backchecking Neil swooped in and caught Boyle with a crushing hit that a year ago, before changes in the NHL rulebook, would have been legal.

It was from the blindside, as Boyle didn't see the Neil train coming. The impact point was Neil's shoulder to Boyle's head, although Neil didn't leave his feet and kept his elbows down. The hit was also not late, although Boyle didn't have the puck.

Boyle was stunned, got to his feet, finished the game but now may have a concussion that will keep him out of Game 6 on Monday.

The hit was not comparable in any way, really, to Torres' dirty hit on Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks. But it did have one element the Torres hit did not, and that's the suggestion of premeditation.

In fact, the reaction of many initially was that Boyle was again getting his just desserts for mussing the hair of Ottawa star blueliner Erik Karlsson in Game 1 of the series. In Game 2, Boyle was attacked by Senators goon Matt Carkner early in the first period, with Carkner - abandoning the always mysterious "code" - continuing to rain punches on Boyle even though the Ranger forward didn't fight back and even after he had been knocked to the ice.

So was Saturday night's hit more retribution on Boyle?

Regardless, New York's Carl Hagelin was suspended in Game 2 for three games for a head shot on Daniel Alfredsson of the Senators, who has not yet returned to the series.

It seems unthinkable, given all the circumstances, that Shanahan would now, after laying down the law so heavily on Torres, permit Neil to walk away unpunished for his head shot on Boyle, a hit that certainly appeared to break Rule 48. Consistency is what hockey fans seem to want, and there can be no consistency when one player - a multiple offender - is getting 25 games for a head shot while another gets nothing for a head shot of his own. Yes, Neil would at least in theory be a first time offender; then again, so was Hagelin.

Any reasonable person would suggest Neil should at least get one game; reports that Boyle's head was not the principle point of contact are laughable.

Neil, however, seems to lead a charmed life on these matters. He walked when he walloped Chris Drury with a dirty head shot, and the law never seems to catch up with him.

Early reports are he'll get off on the Boyle hit as well, probably escaping even without the Shea Weber ($2,500) slap on the wrist treatment. Assuming that's the case, Shanahan's best work will have been undone in 24 hours.

Twenty-five games to no games in one day. Hard to believe. Hagelin, meanwhile, is now the beast that needs to be caged, Neil just a good old Canadian boy playing the game hard and Boyle needs to keep his head up.

"Not sure how we teach our players to look at the net, shoot the puck and then check out the danger at 45, 90 and 180 degrees in one motion," said one disgusted former NHLer this morning. "We cannot just say the game is hard and concussions happen. It's not right."

Such a shame. Briefly, it sure seemed like Shanahan was up to the task. One thing's for certain; if Torres chooses to appeal, his case just got a little stronger as darts-at-a-board NHL justice strikes again.

 

Comments

[dude]

clean hit , open ice good old fashioned hockey hit.

[Dave]

You can't compare the 2 hits. Torres hit was cheap and dirty, Neil's was hard and clean. Stop trying to make a story out of a normal, legal hockey hit. To even suggest premeditation is ludicrous, and only further suggests that you have absolutely nothing else better to complain about. Why not report something newsworthy, like the Sens amazing play, or the Predator's great series win, instead of stirring up controversy out of thin air.

[Shanny the Nanny]

Well your article could be right, if it wasn't for the fact that it wasn't a head shot.

[Geoff M.]

Nothing wrong with the hit

[Steve]

Omg!

A clean hit with unfortunate consequences. To suggest premeditation in a game being played that fast is shoddy and unprofessional journalism.

Disappointed with Cox as he is usually much better.

[John]

Sorry Damien, but I have to disagree with you on this one (although I usually agree 100%, so we're down to 99%).

Boyle is much, much taller than Neil, so the only way Neil could hit Boyle's head was if Boyle was bent over, much like Spezza when he got nailed in the head in this series with no penalty called. I'm not trying to blame the victim here but everyone knows cutting across the ice like that is one of the most dangerous moves in hockey because it opens you up to these types of hits. I don't know what you could have asked Neil to do differently; he didn't charge, he didn't raise his elbows (if Hagelin hadn't raised his elbow, he wouldn't have been suspended) and a check has to be made because if you don't, it is likely a good scoring chance will result.

In addition, we need to stop acting like Boyle is some goody-goody who is being eaten alive by the lions. If the referees are not going to penalize Boyle for punching Karlsson in the head multiple times (and the correct penalty would be 5 minutes for fighting and an instigator suspension) then a fight is going to break out. The only reason Boyle didn't fight back was that he was trying to draw a 5 minute major on Carkner.

Otherwise, I like your work.

[John Chow]

Referees let these develop. A clear example everyone try to sweap under the carpet is how
Daniel Sedin went after the head of Duncan Keith, before Keith deliver him the elbow. Had the refs punish Daniel Sendin by calling a penalty, he wouldn't have suffered the concussion due to Duncan Keith'd retribution. When players feel they are being wronged & ignored by refs they take justice to their own hand.

Since all playoff are being watched/monitored by Video judges in Toronto, WHY NOT let them communicate to the on-ice refs IMMEDIATELY for those missing calls? or at least review with video judges.

Whats wrong with someone admintting that they missing the called?

I do hope that some day a coach or player will take NHL to courts on depriving them to express their thoughts when they feel wronged. Sameway Big Bert was initally charged for attaching Moore from behind, other injustices are being carfully watched & send warning to NHL by attny general of provinces & states, we will see drastic improvements.

NHL is sold as a TEAM SPORTS. All proclaim that they WIN as a Team, ^ Loose as a Team. Why NOT give the opposing team an option to choose on who should serve the penaly? For Marian Hossa hit, allow Chicago to choose a player from Phonix, that would be Shane doan, then the message is delivered very clear. You will rarely see headshot, kneeing, or any cheap shots in this sports. All it takes is the will of Board of Governers or Attny General of Provinces & States to implement.

[Phil MaSkates]

If you don't want hitting, go watch golf. Hockey is a contact sport. If Neil gets zero games and zero fine, I'll agree with it because the hit was a) not an intent to injure, b) not targeting the head and c) not late. I would ask the following - given that Neil hit Boyle within half a second of releasing the puck, what else was he supposed to do? Contact was going to happen either way, and the hit was within the rules of the game.

If you're going to suspend Neil for this one, suspend Staal for the hit on Spezza earlier in the series. It was the exact same thing - a hit that happened to contact the head.

[Mac Sheahan]

For the longest time the problem of discipline in the NHL has been the lack of consistency. Now that Mr. Shanahan has indicated that a head shot is worth 25 games that should be the norm. Respect for other players has been a problem in the NHL for a very long time which has included the shot by Mr. Stevens on Mr Lindros. If some viewers only watch hockey for this type of violence, the game of hockey is headed towards roller derby status.

[Emm]

I don't know. The 2 hits were clearly very different and Neil's technically was a clean hit even in this new NHL. He wasn't aiming for the head; it was a solid body-check that wasn't late. The fact that Boyle got a concussion is terrible (obviously) but it's part of the game. Unless the league abandons body-checking altogether there are going to be issues where even clean hits cause injury. So it's a matter of what the league wants to do. Do we eliminate hits altogether for player's safety, or do we monitor and get rid of dirty hits while keeping clean hits in the game? Simple really.

[Faraz]

If Torres deserved 25 games like you profess Damien, and Neil is worthy of at least 1-3 games as you have built your case here, then why are NHL panels across the border (with Paul Maurice) and many Canadians term the Curtis Brown hit Game 3, on Henrik Sedin as "beautiful violence" - the hit came after the puck was gone, Sedin was in no way expecting it, there was massive intent/ it was premeditated, Sedin is a star player and most of all, HE IS COMPLETELY VULNERABLE TO SERVER INJURY, this then violates at least three rules, but Brown is labeled as "oh he finishes his checks" Sedin is a chivalrous guy, so he will not cry about it but it is the league's job to set the TONE. Also why no one seems to talk about Zack Rinaldo (PHI) repeated blows to the head of Michalek? Backstrom will get a game, Carkner will get a game, James Neal got a game, Asham got a game, but we are shoving this under the carpet with a simple game misconduct on Rinaldo?? So, if Neil deserves 1-3 games, then so does Curtis Brown and so does Rinaldo. In my opinion both Brown and Neil actually deserve close to 25 games as they are predators and have been delivery head shots for quite some time. Rinaldo needs to be suspended at least 50 games so this stick to the head violence will never resurface and they need to make an example out of a first time offender for these shenanigans to go away for good, and start punishing INTENT not if there was injury. Marian Hossa got what was coming to him, karma! I still remember the night when he destroyed in one careless swipe of his stick, a beautiful career of one amazing Leaf Brian Berard - a defenceman who in my opinion would have been better than Nick Lidstrom

[Braco]

People on this and other boards are hockey problem.It is hit to the head.This is how it should be.Webber 30 games for breaking Zettebergs neck.Haglen 50 games for hit on Alfre. and you increase it for 20 games every time another thing happens.Legwand, Rinne and Trotz a year out of the sport for intenationaly cheating during the game.That is how it works in NFL.Then they will think 50 times before you do anything sstupid!

[tmd39]

It's a shame most of you can't see the forest for the trees. It's a late, blindside hit that targets the head. He stalked him from the other side of the ice. And it has resulted in injury, which is important to the Dept. of Player Safety. It all adds up to long suspension. And you guys want to compare this to Staal's hit on Spezza? Get a clue.

[Caleb]

Did you even see the hit? Neil didn't leave his feet, didn't target the head and it wasn't a late hit. Eventually we need to hold the players getting hit accountable as well, you can't expect to expose yourself so carelessly crossing your opponents blue line and expect anything that happens to be punishable.

[Jeff Allen]

Neil's hit on Boyle was clean and legal.
Cox's shot at Shanahan was cheap and contemptuous.

[James]

Cox won't be happy until their is no hitting and the NHL goes bankrupt...

[Scott Robbins]

There is one annoyingly obvious element to all this and that is the fact that Damien Cox has turned from reporter on the game to emotional, overly opinionated judge and jury. I'm really not interested in what any observer feels as to how the NHL should operate, proceed and evolve. I AM interested in reading the work of people who "report" ( as reporters are supposed to do ) the thoughts and opinion of those generally accepted as name brand experts such as players, coaches, managers, owners and league officials. Damien has, as of late, been clearly and often crossing this line with his personal rants against Burke, Cherry, individual players, Head Shots, and goings on in the leauge in general. It seems he feels his name should be added to the above group of experts. Mr. Cox, please just report and save your emotional and boisterous opinion for your own living room in front of your own TV like the rest of us. Present the facts. We are quite capable of making a decision as to what is right and wrong with the NHL without you trying to push us toward your 'position of the day' and ubusing the power of your public pen to try and single handedly dictate the future of individuals within the league and the future of the NHL in general.

[Braco]

John Chow, he was suppose to play THE PUCK, PUCK NOT Boyels head.That is what he was suppose to do!!

[Mike]

Hagelin - elbow. Neil - shoulder. No comparison.

[Chris S.]

Sorry, the Torres hit did not look bad at all. He got 25 games based on past goonery, not the severity of this hit.

But how about this. This would work only in the playoffs were the same two teams are competing for 4 to 7 games. Alfredsson be may an old man by hockey standards, but he is still a dynamic offensive player that Ottawa surely misses (though they might pull the upset on the Rangers, which I am rooting for). The suspension against the offending player is fine and all, but does not negate Alfredson's absence.

Here is what might. Take the average offensive output of Alfredsson over all his games against the Rangers this season. Let's say it is .5. Every two games, add a goal for Ottawa at the beggining of the game. Then the Rangers are down 1-0 to start and at a deserved disadvantage.

OR (and I like this one more) Every game Alfredsson (or any player) sits out due to injury caused by an illegal hit, open every game with the team with the lost player getting a penalty shot. This again could lead to to a 1-0 advantage before the first period even starts. I think this is a meaningful way of punishing the player and the team that played dirty.

[Joe]

Can't we just talk about the hockey game. Cox, CBC and some other media is obsessed talking about every suspension.

[Steve Sanyal]

Damien... I think since Neil's hit is clearly clean premeditation is irrelevant because it's not illegal to target players on the other team. It's like saying linemen shouldn't target a quarterback for a sack.

I think the hit was clean because Neil never left his feet, the hit was right after the shot and the only reason for head contact here is because Boyle's head was leaning in Neil's direction.

That said, the NHL's record for cracking down on hits is so inconsistent that it's a joke. A player like Torres loses $20k per game, but high end players would lose much more, and I'm sure that comes into play somehow. I'm all in favor of a grassroots movement to clean up our great game, but let's make sure it's not a witch hunt.

[Mark]

I guess common sense isnt common! There is no way you can compare the two hits. If I was Bob McCowan I would kick you off my show.

[Ron]

Damien, I didn't see the hit but if he hit his head then he did. What surprises me is that these players are so brain dead that they would take a run at a guy after Torres just got 25 games. I mean did they attend school at all when they were growing up? The only way to cure this is a set schedule of suspensions regardless of injury or intent or if the sun is shining or it's raining or whatever.. This is not rocket science. The NHL is a pathetic example of a poorly run business where clearly defined rules do not exist so employees understand what is and is not acceptable.

[Dave]

Wasn't late. Didn't leave feet. But it was a premeditated, blind side, predatory hit targeting the head of opponent. Watch the video. Neil stalks Boyle from across the ice before leveling Boyle. It was specifically the kind of hit that forced the changing of the rules from the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard. The action was premeditated from across the ice because it was Boyle and it resulted in a shot to the head even if not intentional.