| 15 March 2010
Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin faces league disciplinary action. A consequence of the brutal hit he delivered to Brian Campbell this weekend.
Friend of the blog, Mark Buterbaugh of the DC Sports Report, takes a look at the other rough hits that have gone undisciplined by the league and makes the case that Ovechkin should not be punished either.
And if the NHL is seeking to maintain consistency, then by all means, you can't really punish Ovechkin if you don't punish Mike Richards of the Flyers or Steve Downie of the Lightning of Matt Cooke of the Penguins. As a Bruins fan, Cooke vicious hit on Savard is the worst of the lot. Savard is done for the year. More than that, the Globe and Mail notes his life has been upended horribly.
For days now, Marc Savard has stayed inside his Boston condo, unable to do much beyond eat and sleep. His friends and Bruins' teammates say he exists in a vacuum of silence – no TV, no music – with curtains drawn even in daylight.
They know this from his text messages and brief telephone calls since he was carried off the ice at Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena, his game and life interrupted by a head shot from the Penguins' Matt Cooke.
What the Bruins also suspect is that Mr. Savard, at 32 in the prime of a rebuilt career – from “me” player to team player – is done for the season, the playoffs too. They spoke of that yesterday after practising in Montreal, where Boston head coach Claude Julien registered blunt disappointment. “He's not well. Not well at all.”
That Mr. Savard's career has been jeopardized has sickened many in the NHL, including Mr. Cooke's Pittsburgh teammate Bill Guerin, who said the league should punish headhunters. Mr. Cooke got off scot-free, although the NHL is vowing to draft new legislation to ban blind-side headshots next season. Boston forward and former Penguin Mark Recchi was certain of one thing: “Once again it's a black eye for the NHL.”
Mr. Savard had just unleashed a shot on goal last Sunday and had his head down when Mr. Cooke, angling in from Mr. Savard's right, levelled him with what Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli dubbed “a very surgical hit to the head.” Video replays showed Mr. Cooke, an aggressive forward with a history of rag-dolling rivals, didn't leave his feet. The NHL reviewed the play, took into consideration there was no penalty called, took into account its previous disciplinary calls for other on-ice hits, and decided Mr. Cooke should not be suspended.
Does Ovechkin deserve a suspension? Weighed against precedent, no he doesn't. But in the calm analysis of fans watching the game, of course he does. Not as long as Richards or Downie or Cooke. And frankly, the Pens should bench Cooke for his own protection Thursday night. But yes, Ovechkin should have to watch a few games fromt he press box.
The only reason that Ovechkin might get an involuntary vacation, and I would consider it a travesty if he is suspended, is because the Capitals-Blackhawks game was on national television throughout the US.
The black eye Recchi refers to above is the blight of a cheap shot. Unfortunately the best defense against a cheap shot carries more severe penalties than the cheap shot itself. If someone levels your teammate, you run him. You drop the gloves and you bloody and batter him. Like this:
or this
or this
What made Cam Neely a fan favorite in Boston is that he stood up for himself. He stood up for his teammates. He recognized hockey was a brutal game and the rules were simple, be nice until it's time not to be nice. More than football, basketball or baseball, hockey's style of play allows for infractions that evade the watchful eye of the ref. When that happens, the defense of an skater or the goalie is left to his teammates. Those hits four hits Buterbaugh links to the vids would never happen if the perps knew they had to wrangle with somebody fearless like Neely. The officials may have called penalties. They didn't on Matt Cooke. But the best deterrence is getting your face belted by somebody who knows how to fight.
Sad part is Neely's battles would earn him a longer suspension than the players who merited his fury. Until the NHL recognizes that the players can police themselves better than Colin Campbell can cheap hits will be a part of the game. Which is worse a pair of guys goign round and round, or Marc Savard lost for a season.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
