Am I nuts? I didn't think the hit was dirty... He kept his elbows down... He didn't leave his feet.... He didn't charge... He didn't hit him from behind... Yeah, he caught him not looking, but is that Richards fault? Is he supposed to not hit guys clean if they aren't ready?
Fwiw, Shawn Thornton threw the same hit tonight against Ottawa, it didn't result in injury. (And Carkner jumped him for it, yet somehow there was no instigator penalty... but Begin got one for jumping Neil.)
``The guy had his head down, in vulnerable position and Richards knows it,'' Ballard said. ``He went after him. He's done it before. It's the same thing [the NHL] is trying to put an end to. He tried to hurt him. [Booth] was looking the other way. . . . We had a five minute power play. We didn't score, didn't hit anyone. We didn't do anything. We needed to pick something.''
Am I nuts? I didn't think the hit was dirty... He kept his elbows down... He didn't leave his feet.... He didn't charge... He didn't hit him from behind... Yeah, he caught him not looking, but is that Richards fault? Is he supposed to not hit guys clean if they aren't ready?
Fwiw, Shawn Thornton threw the same hit tonight against Ottawa, it didn't result in injury. (And Carkner jumped him for it, yet somehow there was no instigator penalty... but Begin got one for jumping Neil.)
It's not about being legal or not...It's the fact that I see this type of hit possible DOZENS of times per game and real humans pass up the chance to destroy the opponent. The puck was gone 1.5 seconds, and Richards had time to pull up or even to aim the shoulder into the chest (like it's suppossed to be done BTW), but no, he let his incredible hulk shoulder pads crash into the head of the player.
It's about having respect for your fellow player and let him make a living. The object is too ram shoulder into chest, not shoulder into head.
Again, legal, yes, but dirty all the way and very poor judgement used IMO...the coach is a d-bag and so are many of his players....Flyers are famous for having ZERO regard for players welfare...and it's been proven over and over.
Am I nuts? I didn't think the hit was dirty... He kept his elbows down... He didn't leave his feet.... He didn't charge... He didn't hit him from behind... Yeah, he caught him not looking, but is that Richards fault? Is he supposed to not hit guys clean if they aren't ready?
Fwiw, Shawn Thornton threw the same hit tonight against Ottawa, it didn't result in injury. (And Carkner jumped him for it, yet somehow there was no instigator penalty... but Begin got one for jumping Neil.)
Totally clean hit. Maybe two tenths of a second "late." But totally clean hit.
The NHL doesn't need to be policing this ****, it needs to set a clear standard as to what is legal and what is illegal. That blurry line is what's going to kill somebody.
As for "headhunting," I disagree. When you see the real hit in real time, it's clear that Booth wasn't in the position Richie lined him up in. Booth moved, Booth paid the price.
The Flyer 'captain' is now trying to freeze out the Philadelphia media by answering all questions with monosyllabic responses.
What a punk this guy is.
I don't think you could be more wrong. Richards really is a good guy and the Bruins would be lucky to have someone of his caliber and integrity on the team. I don't think he's the best for for captain in Philly, but he's still a very good guy and a great player.
Not all 5 match penalties are genuinely illegal (see: Thornton on Gill).
Not all illegal penalties are called (see: Walker on Ward).
Yet the penalty was called and the league is reviewing so the burden of proof should be on those who suggest it wasn't illegal because as it stands, it was.
He knew what he was doing when he threw his shoulder into his head. It reminds me of the Bergeron hit in that yes, you can find yourself in the position of hurting someone without trying to, but its the followthrough, the finish that sets it apart from a simple accident. Jones extending his arms into the back of Bergeron's head, Richards throwing his shoulder at Booth's head. That part of it was well within their control.
It wasn't just that he collided with his head, he went for his head.
He didn't bring up the elbows but it was still a blow to the head. The NHL really needs to ditch the "rule" that says "as long as it's not an elbow or stick to the head, then it's OK". The NFL has rules against hits to the head and they wear more padding than the NHL! Come on NHL! Get your head out of your a$$ and protect your players since they are too bloody stupid to do it themselves! I, for one, can live without seeing a young man laying motionless on the ice. There is just no need for it.
It was definitely late but why you're bringing it up as a point of topic or discussion as a member of the press is a bit disconcerting.
The "rank-and-file's health and welfare" has never been, and will never be a concern as long as the players are making a ridiculous amount of money.
Regardless of what hubofhockey's job is OFF of this board he is a member here and is entitled to discuss this topic just like the rest of us. No need to take a shot at his job for bringing up a topic that is currently a problem in the NHL.
Am I nuts? I didn't think the hit was dirty... He kept his elbows down... He didn't leave his feet.... He didn't charge... He didn't hit him from behind... Yeah, he caught him not looking, but is that Richards fault? Is he supposed to not hit guys clean if they aren't ready?
Fwiw, Shawn Thornton threw the same hit tonight against Ottawa, it didn't result in injury. (And Carkner jumped him for it, yet somehow there was no instigator penalty... but Begin got one for jumping Neil.)
He did a pretty good job of putting his shoulder into his chin. Other than that, great hit. Want to tell yourself that part isn't deliberate, fine, not going to argue.
But that's what is causing the damage here. Neil's hit in my opinion was high too, at least from the angle I saw. Also remember him hitting Drury in much the same way Richards caught Booth, blindsided. Coincidence?
Lucic catches someone like that, we're talking road pizza, hopefully with a pulse.
He did a pretty good job of putting his shoulder into his chin. Other than that, great hit. Want to tell yourself that part isn't deliberate, fine, not going to argue.
But that's what is causing the damage here. Neil's hit in my opinion was high too, at least from the angle I saw. Also remember him hitting Drury in much the same way Richards caught Booth, blindsided. Coincidence?
Lucic catches someone like that, we're talking road pizza, hopefully with a pulse.
not to mention colin cam would have lucic sacrificed on the ice right then and there.
Yet the penalty was called and the league is reviewing so the burden of proof should be on those who suggest it wasn't illegal because as it stands, it was.
He knew what he was doing when he threw his shoulder into his head. It reminds me of the Bergeron hit in that yes, you can find yourself in the position of hurting someone without trying to, but its the followthrough, the finish that sets it apart from a simple accident.
It wasn't just that he collided with his head, he went for his head.
I dispute the first claim by pointing to the completely arbitrary line that is drawn in cases where a hit results in an injury. Had Bergeron gotten up and skated off in the Jones situation, Randy Jones would be just any other career 'tweener. Had Darcy Tucker not been hurt by Tuomo Ruutu, Ruutu would've gotten off without a question. Too often, the NHL office is disciplining based on the injury, which is a scary, scary slope to follow down.
The second portion: part of it is that Booth moved after Richards had lined him up. Once you've lined yourself up for the open-ice hit, you'd better take it. Booth, as his pass went through, transitioned his weight from his front foot to his back foot. This happens all the time, but in most cases the player is balanced enough for the hit to bounce off him. In this situation, Richards caught him at the point where he had no inertia and was just kind of caught flat-footed. In addition, the spot for Richards to aim and hit his shoulder had moved in those last, final steps - the steps where you're going into the hit and bracing yourself. A head hit? Yes. Deliberate? No.
I think we're having the same argument as when McSorely slashed Brashear. Did he go for the head or didn't he? In this case, it's the same thing as those who made the argument that the stick glanced off Brashear's shoulder and that his shoulder was the original target.
No need to take a shot at his job for bringing up a topic that is currently a problem in the NHL.
What exactly is the problem in the NHL? Head shots or heads down? I don't recall this problem in the 70's, 80's or 90's (well, Lindros' but they were the exception).
The problem is that you tweak it one way and it is off-balance another. What is the happy median? I feel for anyone that has had their bell rung. It happens in a lot of levels of sports and may never be resolved. The risk will always be there. It's up to the participant to conform/adapt/keep their head up or not play.
He didn't bring up the elbows but it was still a blow to the head. The NHL really needs to ditch the "rule" that says "as long as it's not an elbow or stick to the head, then it's OK". The NFL has rules against hits to the head and they wear more padding than the NHL! Come on NHL! Get your head out of your a$$ and protect your players since they are too bloody stupid to do it themselves! I, for one, can live without seeing a young man laying motionless on the ice. There is just no need for it.
The NFL is no example of best practices when it comes to rules enforcement. Holding happens on every play, defensive pass interference occurs more often than not, and "roughing the passer" is enforced by how bad it looked as opposed to how much danger could have been done by the hit. Generally, a tackle in which you hit a guy in the thighs and drive him into the ground is the safest method, but since Pollard fell on Brady's calf, the NFL has outlawed any hit on a QB below the waist. So you can't hit him below the waist (50% of hits), you can't go for a bigger hit on his blind side (25% of hits), you can't wrap him up and drive him into the ground (12.5% of hits), so suddenly you're talking about an imaginary force field around the QB, and that just isn't conducive to good football.
It's not about being legal or not...It's the fact that I see this type of hit possible DOZENS of times per game and real humans pass up the chance to destroy the opponent. The puck was gone 1.5 seconds, and Richards had time to pull up or even to aim the shoulder into the chest (like it's suppossed to be done BTW), but no, he let his incredible hulk shoulder pads crash into the head of the player.
It's about having respect for your fellow player and let him make a living. The object is too ram shoulder into chest, not shoulder into head.
Again, legal, yes, but dirty all the way and very poor judgement used IMO...the coach is a d-bag and so are many of his players....Flyers are famous for having ZERO regard for players welfare...and it's been proven over and over.
What exactly is the problem in the NHL? Head shots or heads down? I don't recall this problem in the 70's, 80's or 90's (well, Lindros' but they were the exception).
Head shots. They are dangerous and should be illegal. You can't deny that it is happening more frequently than in past years.
