Originally posted by Ian
I think that they got what they deserved for a part. Some of it was OTT for sure, esp the attempted sucker punch but they're the man utd of the NHL. Alright when it's all going for them, moaning when it's not. Some of their players were just as guilty on this night. Orpik is as dirty as they come but never seems to get called on it. However, I think the officials should've done their homework. They knew this was going to be a brutal matchup after the history 3 weeks ago and it's some of the worst officiating I've seen in watching NHL. I'm also still pissy at the pens moaning about the 'dirty hit' on crosby in the winter classic when it was fair and Sydney was playing with his head down and also the fact that Cooke is as dirty as they come. Good for a (near) neutral however :p
oh for sure. pitts is far from being an "innocent" team...but the isles are playing for pride. The Pens already lost their top 3 scorers to injury...and that cheap slash last night could have been number 4. Look at Gillis..he takes a run at a pens player, gives him a head shot and starts fighting a guy who is obviously already injured and can't really defend himself...the like a he taunts him from the players entrance as the trainer attends to the injured guy.
It isn't Johnson's fault Dipietro is hurt (yet again)...
The reality is the NHL can't go backwards. Skill players need to play the game, and be allowed to do so without being mugged...if not it is back to the dark ages of goonery and clutching and grabbing...which almost killed the sport in the 90's. A goon fights a goon...a guy who isn't a fighter should not be mugged...teams with 0 talent should not use goons to try and compete. They are there to keep people honest, not take over the whole game...leave that to the guys that actually know how to skate, you know?
ps ian..the crosby sho0t was a head shot and a non call. I hate the pens once again...but hits like that on the stars of the game have no place. These are the guys that sell the sport to the world, not the talentless players. A Sidney Crosby free NHL is not a healthy one regardless of your opinions of him. I hate him, but it is much more satisfying to hurt him on the scoreboard than in the head...the shame lasts longer. Look at the Bruins...after 39 years of getting owned by us, they finally lost their .
they do that in the playoffs and they will lose.
i find it funny that you compare pitts to Man U, but Washington is just as much of a bandwagon team...except they will never win anything:p
ps ian..the crosby sho0t was a head shot and a non call.
You talk a lot of sense again but not there. I've seen it over & over and it just looks to me like he's got his head down in the neutral zone and you shouldn't do that. He's not taken out, but he gets in the way and I think a lot of that on this occasion is his fault. He's a gifted player for sure but I think Malkin brings more to Pitts personally.
On the article, it's sensible but using the sid incident as an example shouldn't happen because as I said above, I think it was an accident and they happen. His fault imho, and that's not just my caps side talking but one which says that any player caught with their head down isn't doing it right. Even in football, you don't play that way because being aware of your surroundings is imperative to success. Hockey may be tough and it might need a bit of refinement but it doesn't need to go the way that other once 'physical' sports have. Football can be so with cheating & feigning from players and it's cringeworthy. I'd love to see players like Nani, Ronaldo, Alves and Totti having to play a sport where someone could pick a fight with them :haha:
Zyklon_Jay
how do i not make sense ian? no offense i've been watching hockey since birth and know the rulebook inside out from playing for 11 years.
is the puck near crosby? no...so not only is this an interference penalty..but an obvious hit from behind. You keep your head up when you have the puck...you don't need to have eyes in the back of your head while trying to follow the play because you are only allowed to hit the puck carrier. Crosby is looking at the puck carrier, not the guy about to blindside him.
Hockey is a man's game...i want the physical play, but it needs to be done within the rules. Taking liberties with star players is not good for the nhl. Crosby sells tickets in a country that doesn't give a or knows barely anything about the game. Dirty play only appeals to the nascar crowd, or inbred mics from south boston.
Ian
What you're saying does make sense, on all but that one issue :p From seeing the incident live to watching replays, I just see a guy going for the puck and then an accidental collision. The concussions afterwards are unfortunate but I don't think Steckel meant to hurt him on the play. Were he not skating towards the puck or if he made a beeline towards him or something then yeah but I rate it as a fair hit. As for last night for example, officiating let it get out of hand and really the league's got to look simply into what happened, incident by incident, punish the players but also work with the officials so that they're all better prepared for the future. I find hockey a very respectful sport overall and a lot of the policing is very well done, but obviously there will always be issues that come up and need to be dealt with. My biggest laugh last night was simply one point where a player from each side were standing, watching and chatting away.
Zyklon_Jay
once again "accidental" or not how can it be a fair hit if it clearly breaks the rules? crosby doesn't have the puck dude.
Ian
maybe 'fair hit' isn't the way to describe it then, but as it's an accidental collison (which I'm sure happens) then how would you call it? They make contact, hence why I said 'hit' but you do know more aboat the game :p
