Facetious Ferocity

NEW YORK--Does anybody actually believe Martin Brodeur, at the age of 40, has become a headhunter?

Of course not.

But with the New York Rangers making every game they play about shot-blocking - how uncomfortable it must feel when the puck is actually on their sticks - it had to happen. There had to be some controversy, real or manufactured, erupt from blocking shots.

And so it did today. Well, for one day, anyway.

Brodeur was in a surprisingly jovial mood after New Jersey's 3-0 loss to the Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Monday. He talked about being unable to see Henrik Lundqvist 90 per cent of the time because so many Rangers were packed in the shooting lanes in front of him, and then added, "Hopefully we'll be able to hurt a few guys (by) getting one-timers in the foot or their head or something."

Anybody who was actually there listening would know that Brodeur was joking. Whether it was funny or not, that's up to the individual. But he wasn't seriously suggesting the Devils should attempt to injure Ranger shot-blockers by aiming for their craniums.

But some are taking it that way. Or twisting it that way. The headline in today's New Yorkk Post is "Ready, Maim, Fire." Heck, it's as good an off-day story as there is in a series that started off very dry on Monday and may well stay that way.

The reality is the puck is a lethal weapon and shooters fire high, or at the heads, of well-protected goalies all the time to soften them up. But that's with a standing target. There's not really a way to target a moving, diving shotblocker. More to the point, people who understand the game know that shooting high through a crowd endangers your teammates as much as your opponents, which is why its not done, or is very much frowned upon.

As far as players who dive or use all manner of unconventional body parts to get in front of shots, they deserve pretty much what you get. Rangers forward Brian Boyle narrowly avoided getting a shot in the face last series, but his "technique" of trying to get in the way of the shot was so absurd that he was putting himself in danger, rather than anything the shooter might be doing. When you see Ilya Kovalchuk fire a missile from the blueline to the top corner as he did in the clinching game against Philly, it does make you wonder what would happen if an opponent had tried to block it.

Quite frankly, its absurd and boring the way in which blocking shots have become such a big story. It has made goal-scoring almost an accident, a fortunate ricochet, like if the NBA had no rules about swatting the ball away above the cylinder.

It terms of pain tolerance, it is quite amazing what players are willing to take to block a shot. Turning it into an attempt to injure, however, is rather ridiculous. If Ryan Callahan or Dan Girard throws their body in front of a shot and takes it in the throat, will there be calls for the Devils to be penalized or suspended? C'mon. This is a classic example of the propensity of people, sports fans or otherwise, to be outraged just to be outraged.

No wonder that Brodeur, for the first time in his career, is now declining to speak on the morning of games. He's more available than most anyway, but when he's clearly joking and its turned into a threat, you can understand his frustration. 

 

Comments

[Ron]

Hey Damien, if the Department of Player Safety or whatever it is called can't figure out that running a guy and driving his head into the boards is legal or not do you really think they would be able to figure out whether a guy really shot at someone's head? I mean, come on, these guys are so screwed up on making decisions I belive they would call it a hockey play....isn't that the catch all phrase they use when they don't want to make a call?

[tag09]

"As far as players who dive or use all manner of unconventional body parts to get in front of shots, they deserve pretty much what you get..." The same can be said for players who skate with their heads down and/or admire a pass, they deserve pretty much what they get!

[NP_TO]

I wonder if the shot-blocking phenomenon has gained momentum due to:

(1) the body-armour that hockey players wear these days (which makes them think they are invincible);
(2) the lack of serious injuries in recent years (I recall that in the 70s, people used to break their ankles, and worse, while diving to block shots); and
(3) "Blocked Shots" have become a statistic that has more recently become highly tracked and touted, causing players to want to lead this category (like "hits").

[Tom]

I have to agree that the current obsession with shot blocking is making the game boring, and frustrating. But, for every strategy there is a counter-strategy...I think teams will try to score more off the rush, and to work more from below the goal line (cycling etc.) to generate quick one-timer opportunities from closer to the net

[Chilko]

Skating with your head and admiring a pass is not like blocking a shot and you do not deserve what you get.
Blocking a shot is putting yourself in harms way, or escalating the harm that might come to you. Skating with your head down is not consciously putting yourself in the same level of harm. Most have no idea they are going to plastered. A shot blocker knows full well ..this is gonna hurt, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Good blog Damien! Not sure what has happened to you, but, this last year has seen a marked improvement in your writing. Fair, equitable, non-sensationalism.(is that a word?) writing.
Marty has been a good person for his entire career, to even think he would promote shooting a puck at someones head is stupid. I knew he was joking before I even read the whole story. Anyone who knows anything about NHL hockey, knows Marty Broduer,, one of the best to ever play, would never promote that. Yep, sometimes it's easy to dislike the media.

[KD]

These are shots that would happen "in the heat of the game" and the league would be reluctant to punish anyone for them. It isn't like the obviously intentional shot that Alfie aimed at Niedermayer a few years ago in the playoffs. That's not what Brodeur was suggesting either.

[Conn Smythe]

'Skating with your head down is not consciously putting yourself in the same level of harm. Most have no idea they are going to plastered.' What? When you skate with your head down with the puck, you should know that you increase your chances of getting hurt because you are in a vulnerable position.