The BS Suspension Thread

[dhabums]

McDonagh clearly should have ducked under the hit because that is what players should do to prevent guys from taking runs.

[coco_canuck]

I'm not sure Ference should have received 3 games, but like Tater says, the extra one is likely a warning to the Bruins more than anything else.

The one argument I don't get in regards to the Ference hit is that McDonagh put himself in a vulnerable position by slowing down and bracing for Ference to hit him...well no fucking shit. Does anyone really expect McDonagh to continue full-tilt into the boards and glass?

Typically, when guys go into the corner they brace for the a hit from a nearby opposing player, and to suggest that McDonagh put himself in a bad spot is asinine.

Ference's hit wasn't overly vicious, but he hit a vulnerable player going to the boards from behind, basically one of the most dangerous plays regardless off how vicious the hit was. You can't throw a player off balance who is heading face-first towards the boards.

This isn't about pussifying the game, this is about protecting guys from flying head-first into the boards. I have my quarrels with the new head-shot rules and how it's being penalized/punished, but I have zero time for hits from behind, and I've detested those hits since I can remember.

[Benjo]

The one argument I don't get in regards to the Ference hit is that McDonagh put himself in a vulnerable position by slowing down and bracing for Ference to hit him...well no fucking shit. Does anyone really expect McDonagh to continue full-tilt into the boards and glass?

I would argue that anytime you try to touch the puck vs the Bruins you're putting yourself in a vulnerable position. Pushing someone off balance when you are 4 feet away from the boards like that while skating full speed is ridiculously dangerous.

The purpose of hitting in hockey is to separate players from the puck which can also include hitting a player shortly after they pass the puck just in case they fake the pass. Hits like these which involve hitting players before they even get to the puck are not hockey plays. McDonagh had no reason to expect a hit or a strong push into the end boards before he even touched the puck. Ference could have easily put his arms up and used McDonagh to brace himself and then proceed to try to muscle him off the puck. Instead he chose to try and shove him through the boards, which to me is an easy decision for a suspension.

[Fred]

I've been watching for players starting to change their hits. Surprisingly there's a number that have. If you start to watch for it any number of players are not finishing their checks now and just riding into the guy. Maybe it's getting through. Let's hope Boston can change it's mode of operation

[Jovocop]

I've been watching for players starting to change their hits. Surprisingly there's a number that have. If you start to watch for it any number of players are not finishing their checks now and just riding into the guy. Maybe it's getting through. Let's hope Boston can change it's mode of operation

Chiarelli and Julien are just like bad parents. They never admit their kids making mistakes and hurting others. Instead they think the whole world is against their angels. How can you imagine a family like that will change overnight?? Philly is a good example. Bobby Clarke was finally let go in order to change the atmosphere in the organization.

[Listercat]

Yet Clarkie's replacement Paul Holgren was only in the NHL because he was an enforcer.

[Jovocop]

Yet Clarkie's replacement Paul Holgren was only in the NHL because he was an enforcer.

Unfortunately, Clarke was more than an enforcer...

[Fred]

Yet Clarkie's replacement Paul Holgren was only in the NHL because he was an enforcer.

Unfortunately, Clarke was more than an enforcer...

Clarkie was never an enforcer. A sh!t stirrer of huge proportion and a God in the Flyers roster, any one looked at Clarke and there was a free for all....but you rarely saw Clarke actually engaged himself. I'm sure there'll be a couple of occasion but 90% of the time it was Shultz & Co that stood up for him. Believe me I watched those circuses again and again until the league stepped in with the third man rule. Games with the Flyers often lasted for hours

[BladesofSteel]

I would love to see someone do the research (not me!) and post a list of all the Boston players with an up-to-date account of all their suspensions and fines! I think we would have hard evidence about just how dirty that team is. As far as Julien is concerned, the guy really is "stupid" if he continues to defend such blatant dirty play by his team.

Don't forget to include the malicious Chara shove on Patch and Lucic's hit on Miller that the league turned a blind eye to.

[Tciso]

The players make so much money that I don't think they care that they lose their pay for the games they sit. Personally, if the NHL wants the fines to be effective, I'd have the fine be double what the lost salary was. 21 game suspension would be 1/2 a season's salary. Run out of salary to fine, take their escrow, bonus, etc.

So, speaking of Boston, this brings their suspensions up to 3 for the season. Lucic's 1 game, Marchant's 5, and Ferrence's 3. Julien should be more worried about retribution amonst other teams than Poor little Shanny being unfair. Boston can expect a lot of shoulder injuries from hard clean checks and de-snottings from other teams over the next 30 games, is my prediction.

[wafflecombine]

The players make so much money that I don't think they care that they lose their pay for the games they sit. Personally, if the NHL wants the fines to be effective, I'd have the fine be double what the lost salary was. 21 game suspension would be 1/2 a season's salary. Run out of salary to fine, take their escrow, bonus, etc.

So, speaking of Boston, this brings their suspensions up to 3 for the season. Lucic's 1 game, Marchant's 5, and Ferrence's 3. Julien should be more worried about retribution amonst other teams than Poor little Shanny being unfair. Boston can expect a lot of shoulder injuries from hard clean checks and de-snottings from other teams over the next 30 games, is my prediction.

I am not sure I want to go with the 2 for 1 rule on the fines though I can see a case being made for it. My preference is less tolerance on the size of suspensions. Right now the pattern seems to be "a fine", 1-2 games, 3-5 games then 7-8 games. I would like to see these increased or that players start farther up the suspension food chain off the batt.

That aside, I also notice that Bruins seem to find themselves called to Shanny's matt more often. I wonder (and this is only speculation) if the management rants and lobbying pre/post incidents has finally soured the NHL brass to the point Boston has lost is favoured child status?

Just a thought.

[tantalum]

I think it wasn't so much the Bruins whining and pretending they don't do anything wrong, I think it was the 29 GMs that were upset when Lucic got nothing for running Miller. When the NHL blew that off, the GMs blew up! Things came to a head and all the past transgressions that went unpunished were brought up and looked at with regards to that team. All those "nothing" slashes and hits got looked at in a completely different light. The Bruins got characterized, and rightly so, as a bully team that can dish things out but can't take it.

I also very seriously doubt that more than a few GMs were happy with the officiating from game 7 of the Eastern final through to when the cup was awarded. The playoffs while more stuff is let go due to emotion etc, were actually officiated fairly tightly up to that game 7.

[Potatoe1]

I think it wasn't so much the Bruins whining and pretending they don't do anything wrong, I think it was the 29 GMs that were upset when Lucic got nothing for running Miller. When the NHL blew that off, the GMs blew up! Things came to a head and all the past transgressions that went unpunished were brought up and looked at with regards to that team. All those "nothing" slashes and hits got looked at in a completely different light. The Bruins got characterized, and rightly so, as a bully team that can dish things out but can't take it.

I also very seriously doubt that more than a few GMs were happy with the officiating from game 7 of the Eastern final through to when the cup was awarded. The playoffs while more stuff is let go due to emotion etc, were actually officiated fairly tightly up to that game 7.

I agree.

If players, media, and fans are openly questioning how the Bruins are treated by the NHL you can bet the other teams are asking the same questions.

My guess is that the hit on Miller brought a number of people together and that group basically read the riot act at the GM's meetings.

I said at the start of the season that the Bruins would need to watch it this season. They are a high profile team that seems to openly embrace the type of play the rest of the league is trying to move away from. You cant make the game safer and more main stream, if your cup champ is openly embracing goonery.

My guess is the Bruins get longer suspensions and more penalties called against them moving forward.

Last night against the Flyers, the Bruins were given the extra penalty every time they created a scrum, I would expect that the refs have been told to call it that way.

[tantalum]

This weekend I believe the Rangers got 6 straight PPs against the Bruins and the FLyers got 7 straight yesterday. Had the Flyers been healthy OR had reasonable goaltending the Bruins would have been blown out (goaltending is going to kill the Flyers again!). True the Bruins were playing there 5th in 8 days or something, but the officials have seemingly had enough with the Bruins right now. They are not and will not be getting the benefit of the doubt anymore. It will be sort of like Burrows and kesler when they don't get the benefit of the doubt because of a diving/embellishment history. The bruins will now be looked on as likely having been responsible for that scrum or that the retaliation against the Bruin was for a good reason. They will get the extra penalties going forward unless they clean up their act. And given Julien and Chiarelli continue to thumb their noses at the NHL that doesn't seem likely.

Yesterday they ran into a team that can make them die by the sword and lost 2 players to injury. Now i'm sure people will now be saying the canucks need a Parros because of it but what they need is a Hartnell...a guy that can play the game and do that. Even Sestito seems to be a reasonable 4th liner that can play a decent regular 4th line shift in the game and half I've seen him play (and he has decent AHL numbers the last couple seasons...50ish point pace).

Note: Parros is a great team player/community guy and having him on the team is not something I'm adverse to. I just don't think he does anything for the canucks chances in the playoffs or intimidates the other teams rats to stop acting like rats. He's too "honroable" to have that effect. A guy like Hartnell or Sestito could be effective in that role as they don't care who they are hitting or potentially hurting.

[Orcasfan]

I think it wasn't so much the Bruins whining and pretending they don't do anything wrong, I think it was the 29 GMs that were upset when Lucic got nothing for running Miller. When the NHL blew that off, the GMs blew up! Things came to a head and all the past transgressions that went unpunished were brought up and looked at with regards to that team. All those "nothing" slashes and hits got looked at in a completely different light. The Bruins got characterized, and rightly so, as a bully team that can dish things out but can't take it.

I also very seriously doubt that more than a few GMs were happy with the officiating from game 7 of the Eastern final through to when the cup was awarded. The playoffs while more stuff is let go due to emotion etc, were actually officiated fairly tightly up to that game 7.

I agree.

If players, media, and fans are openly questioning how the Bruins are treated by the NHL you can bet the other teams are asking the same questions.

My guess is that the hit on Miller brought a number of people together and that group basically read the riot act at the GM's meetings.

I said at the start of the season that the Bruins would need to watch it this season. They are a high profile team that seems to openly embrace the type of play the rest of the league is trying to move away from. You cant make the game safer and more main stream, if your cup champ is openly embracing goonery.

My guess is the Bruins get longer suspensions and more penalties called against them moving forward.

Last night against the Flyers, the Bruins were given the extra penalty every time they created a scrum, I would expect that the refs have been told to call it that way.

Well, I certainly hope that the league has finally seen the light! Apart from the outright goonery from the Bruins in the SCF, that the league turned a blind eye to, what really pissed me off was the decision to call zero penalties in the Eastern final. Since it had been the PP of the Bolts that had won games, the obvious direction from the league to throw away the whistles in that game 7, was a huge advantage for the Bruins!

One of the underlying problems may be the change that the league made a few years ago when it brought the referees under direct league control (this was the opinion of Kerry Fraser). With this set-up, the league (i.e.,whoever is wielding undue influence within the league power structure!), has a lot more direct control over how the refs call the game. While there may be benefits with this dynamic (like emphasizing what is not to be tolerated), it also creates that potential for other meddling.