NHL Season 2011-2012

[TheProwler]

also, that first Briere goal was complete shit. Fucking offsides

Linesman looked like he was going to blow the whistle...then changed his mind.

I do that probably 5 times a games when I'm lining. You want to be quick on the whistle to kill the play before someone gets rocked...a lot of big hits happen just inside the blue line. So you are ready to blow it, and you don't if the play is onside. In this case, the linesman made an awful non-call.

[Serbia]

Speaking of officiating... the game in Nashville was horrible. Now I'm not going to go so far as to blame the refs on the Wings losing, but the calls were brutal. Also, anyone have any thoughts on Weber's head slam on Zetterberg?

[TheProwler]

Speaking of officiating... the game in Nashville was horrible. Now I'm not going to go so far as to blame the refs on the Wings losing, but the calls were brutal. Also, anyone have any thoughts on Weber's head slam on Zetterberg?

I just YouTubed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9vYuFaS-1k

A match penalty should be called (probably was?). I have no idea what kind of suspension he'll get. I doubt Zetterberg is seriously hurt.


This is all a by-product of taking fighting out of the game (by over-penalizing fighting). Zetterberg hit Weber high. What should have happened is Weber drops his gloves and gets the first one or two shots in and they have a fight. Or, if Weber is not a fighter, then a fighter on the team jumps in. Or, if a fighter is not on the ice, then a fighter squares off with Zetterberg the next time they play. If Zetterberg doesn't want to fight, too bad. He shouldn't be making high hits if he's not prepared to answer the bell.

The league is full of cheat shots now because they are over-penalizing fighting. It's also full of huge, clean, open-ice hits because they over-penalize obstruction type interference and they took out the two line offside and they over-penalize fighting. It's also full of huge, clean, hits along the boards because they over-penalize obstruction type interference and they over-penalize fighting.

Also, players don't seem to protect themselves as they should along the boards. I attribute a lot of that to the changes in minor hockey when they introduced Checking From Behind and Check to the Head penalties years ago.

Hockey has always been a violent, somewhat dangerous game. With what they have done to the game, they've shifted the violence towards a higher number of big hits (both clean and dirty) and away from fighting, and they have made the game significantly more dangerous.

[xeno]

f*ck this sport. That is all

[oVo]

Game One's Home Ice News...
Penguins surrender a 3 goal opening period lead and lose in OT.
Kings upset Canucks in Van...

Shea Weber does something stupid at the end of Game 1 in Nashville and it should cost him and his team. I agree with the penalties and prefer less fighting. If I want to see a good fight I'll go elsewhere. A cheap hit should be reciprocated in time, in baseball a hit batter usually results in one from the other side when they take the field or a bench clearing brawl with players ejected.

I like hockey for the game and not to watch two players drop gloves, toss a few punches and take a seat in the sin bin with a bloody nose. It's a tough sport and there will be no shortage of violence in the game without fighting (to avoid penalties) in the Cup Playoffs.

IF there's cheap shots taken I expect to see retaliation from the other team and if that crap continues? Empty the benches and have at it. I prefer Playoff Hockey simply for the focus on play and general lack of peripheral on ice bullshit.

[ben79]

Speaking of officiating... the game in Nashville was horrible. Now I'm not going to go so far as to blame the refs on the Wings losing, but the calls were brutal. Also, anyone have any thoughts on Weber's head slam on Zetterberg?

shanahan right arm ( stephane quintal ) said in an interview that the suspension thing would slow down in the playoffs, and that the reffering was going to be less call ( too let the players play ) i personnaly think it's bullshit,

p.s. = 2500 $ for weber move on zetterberg lol good luck beating nashville !!

[TheProwler]

I agree with the penalties and prefer less fighting. If I want to see a good fight I'll go elsewhere. A cheap hit should be reciprocated in time, in baseball a hit batter usually results in one from the other side when they take the field or a bench clearing brawl with players ejected.

I play both hockey and baseball and I officiate both games too. To compare the two games in this way is ridiculous. Not only that, you actually contradict yourself: A bench clearing brawl is fighting on a much larger scale (sure, it rarely amounts to anything with baseball players because the game itself is not one of violence, but you seemed to endorse it).

I like hockey for the game and not to watch two players drop gloves, toss a few punches and take a seat in the sin bin with a bloody nose. It's a tough sport and there will be no shortage of violence in the game without fighting (to avoid penalties) in the Cup Playoffs.

You obviously don't understand the game very well. The intent of fighting is not to bring more violence, it is to bring less severe violence. You say there "will be no shortage of violence" like that is necessarily a good thing. Big hits, high elbows, throwing guys into the boards in a dangerous way, etc.. - these are all much more dangerous than a fight. And fighting used to keep these kinds of dangerous situations somewhat contained because guys are unlikely to do it if they know they are going to get punched in the face for it.

The problem with suspensions is that they are a logical reason for a player to control himself and not do something reckless to an opposing player. In the heat of the game, it is all about emotion. So the logical part of the brain doesn't factor in. But the emotional part does. The fear of getting punched out is more of a primal, emotional fear. That's why it used to work as a deterrent during the heat of battle. You think suspensions are working? Hahahaha!! There's been an increasing number of serious injuries year after year from dangerous plays.

IF there's cheap shots taken I expect to see retaliation from the other team and if that crap continues? Empty the benches and have at it. I prefer Playoff Hockey simply for the focus on play and general lack of peripheral on ice bullshit.

And you're getting what you want during the playoffs and the regular season. Oh, plus a shitload of serious injuries because the NHL has been trying to cater to an audience that doesn't understand the dangers of the game.

BTW, it isn't just "cheap shots". Good, clean hits can be very dangerous too. How many times did Gretzky get creamed? Rarely, if ever. Thanks to Semenko and McSorley. How about Yserman? Same answer, thanks to Probert and Kocur. You have to curb the violence that is within the rules, too. And the threat of getting punched out at center ice for your dangerous play was a great deterrent.

Enforcers make the game safe. When did Gretzky's back problems start? When Gary Suter hit him from behind in a Canada vs. USA game at the Canada Cup. Do you think he would have done that if Probert was there? No chance.

But the way the rules are now, enforcers are way less effective. And the game is even more dangerous because they over-penalize obstruction type interference and they took the two-line offside out.

The NHL game is too dangerous. But the Americans are loving it.

[Army of GOD]

Sharks vs. Blues is a great game.

Can't watch any of the games on NBC Sports because I don't fucking get that channel, but whatever (I watch the Penguins on my computer though...no way I'm missing their game).

[Army of GOD]

And personally I think fighting is very important to what hockey is. I'm not sure whether or not it's more dangerous with or without fighting, but fights can really change the momentum of a game.

[gannable]

ironic that a pen fans cries about the officiating when everyone knows there is a strong bias in favor of the penquins

[Army of GOD]

ironic that a pen fans cries about the officiating when everyone knows there is a strong bias in favor of the penquins

haha







...

[Army of GOD]

I seriously don't know how you can say that without trolling. The offsides call is completely objective..there is no "oh the refs are favoring this team" or shit. He was clearly offsides, there wasn't a call, and then the Flyers built momentum off that goal.

[whitestazn88]

I know the caps are underdogs. And the game was in boston. And Braden Holtby played a solid game. But we gave up way too many shots. And squandered a good goalie performance. Put one in the fucking net. Ovie and Semin need to step it up in the playoffs this year to prove the worth of russians in the NHL. Matty P and MoJo90 are good, but still young, nevertheless attack more.

I didn't get to watch the game. I've recently switched coasts, so they don't show dc games here, and I don't have nbcsn, and the time difference means I'm working during the games most of the time... sucks.

How bout them nats though?

[keiths31]

Good night of playoff hockey last night. Sens showed some life in the third, making a statement they won't be taken lightly. I expect a better 3 period effort Saturday with them winning. Blues/Sharks, the Blues deserved a better fate. They'll bounce back to tie up the series. Coyotes/Blackhawks, Smith was excellent and if he can play like that next game the Coyotes will easily be up 2-0.

Can't wait for tonight's games. My playoff widow on the other hand...

[Serbia]

Good night of playoff hockey last night. Sens showed some life in the third, making a statement they won't be taken lightly. I expect a better 3 period effort Saturday with them winning. Blues/Sharks, the Blues deserved a better fate. They'll bounce back to tie up the series. Coyotes/Blackhawks, Smith was excellent and if he can play like that next game the Coyotes will easily be up 2-0.

Can't wait for tonight's games. My playoff widow on the other hand...

I switched off the Sens once the Rangers built a big lead. Most of my attention was on the Blues and Sharks, and you're right, I really thought St. Louis was going to win that one. Tough break for them. Saw a little of the Caps and Bruins, not surprised that ended up 1-0. Phoenix looked good.

[Army of GOD]

Jesus fucking Christ. No defense whatsoever, and we can't seem to find the net when we need to score.

We have to change our shit quick. It's annoying when there's no defense because that pretty much just means a lack of hustle and a lack of awareness.

[Army of GOD]

reminds me of the series two years ago against the Canadiens were Halak just wouldn't let anything past him. Granted, we're scoring a lot of goals, but Bryzgalov made gargantuan saves when he needed to.

And Fleury has been bleeding goals into the net. He needs to step up.

[Symmetry]

And personally I think fighting is very important to what hockey is. I'm not sure whether or not it's more dangerous with or without fighting, but fights can really change the momentum of a game.

When hockey is played without fighting, say at Olympic level, or within the bounds of field hockey, would you say it's more dangerous? No- fighting is used to hurt players and break up momentum. There really is no need for it. It's not part of the sport, as games outside the NHL show, and it's not a necessary part of ice hockey. It's part of the weird culture of the way the NHL plays the sport.

[Army of GOD]

And personally I think fighting is very important to what hockey is. I'm not sure whether or not it's more dangerous with or without fighting, but fights can really change the momentum of a game.

When hockey is played without fighting, say at Olympic level, or within the bounds of field hockey, would you say it's more dangerous? No- fighting is used to hurt players and break up momentum. There really is no need for it.

I don't have statistics as to whether or not fighting is more dangerous (and since you seem to know, it'd be interesting to see what stats you have), but to say it breaks momentum is obviously true, if it creates momentum for the other team.

If you're a team with the momentum, you shouldn't go into a fight...yet people do it.

[Symmetry]

And personally I think fighting is very important to what hockey is. I'm not sure whether or not it's more dangerous with or without fighting, but fights can really change the momentum of a game.

When hockey is played without fighting, say at Olympic level, or within the bounds of field hockey, would you say it's more dangerous? No- fighting is used to hurt players and break up momentum. There really is no need for it.

I don't have statistics as to whether or not fighting is more dangerous (and since you seem to know, it'd be interesting to see what stats you have), but to say it breaks momentum is obviously true, if it creates momentum for the other team.

If you're a team with the momentum, you shouldn't go into a fight...yet people do it.

I would have thought it obvious that fights are dangerous. Why do you want stats? If they weren't trying to hurt the other player deliberately it wouldn't be a fight, surely?

[Army of GOD]

And personally I think fighting is very important to what hockey is. I'm not sure whether or not it's more dangerous with or without fighting, but fights can really change the momentum of a game.

When hockey is played without fighting, say at Olympic level, or within the bounds of field hockey, would you say it's more dangerous? No- fighting is used to hurt players and break up momentum. There really is no need for it.

I don't have statistics as to whether or not fighting is more dangerous (and since you seem to know, it'd be interesting to see what stats you have), but to say it breaks momentum is obviously true, if it creates momentum for the other team.

If you're a team with the momentum, you shouldn't go into a fight...yet people do it.

I would have thought it obvious that fights are dangerous. Why do you want stats? If they weren't trying to hurt the other player deliberately it wouldn't be a fight, surely?

Read TheProwler's previous comment for a theory as to why it might be less dangerous with fighting. Just because you think it's more dangerous doesn't necessarily mean it's more dangerous.

[Symmetry]

I've read it, and respectfully disagree. Sorry, but there are plenty of examples of how to play the game within the rules. Seems like it's the culture of the NHL which is wrong- the idea that dirty hits should be punished by players who are on the team solely to fight.

This isn't rocket science. Watch some non-NHL ice-hockey, or a field hockey game. Dirty hits should be dealt with by the ref and the league. Harshly. Not by a guy who's only on the team to beat people up.

[Symmetry]

Link

DEREK BOOGAARD was scared. He did not know whom he would fight, just that he must.

Over six months, The New York Times examined the life and death of the professional hockey player Derek Boogaard, who rose to fame as one of the sport's most feared fighters before dying at age 28 on May 13.
This article, the first of a three-part series, revisits Boogaard's childhood in the rugged youth and junior leagues of western Canada and his progression from physically awkward boy to renowned brawler on the ice.

Bigger than teammates and opponents, Boogaard forged a role with his fists in Prince George.
Opportunity and obligation had collided, the way they can in hockey.

His father bought a program the night before. Boogaard scanned the roster, checking heights and weights. He later recalled that he barely slept.

A trainer in the dressing room offered scouting reports. As Boogaard taped his stick in the hallway of the rink in Regina, Saskatchewan, he was approached by one of the few players bigger than he was. Boogaard had never seen him before. He did not know his name.

“I’m going to kill you,” the player said.

The scrimmage began. A coach tapped Boogaard on the shoulder. Boogaard knew what it meant. He clambered over the waist-high wall and onto the ice.

He felt a tug on the back of his jersey. It was time.

The players flicked the padded gloves from their hands. They removed the helmets from their heads. They raised their fists and circled each other. They knew the choreography that precedes the violence.

Boogaard took a swing with his long right arm. His fist smacked the opponent’s face and broke his nose. Coaches and scouts laughed as they congratulated Boogaard.

He was 16.

Boogaard was exhilarated, exhausted, relieved. Maybe the fear was extinguished, but it always came back, like the flame of a trick candle. One fight ended, another awaited. It was a cycle that commanded the rest of his life.

There is no athlete quite like the hockey enforcer, a man and a role viewed alternately as noble and barbaric, necessary and regrettable. Like so many Canadian boys, Boogaard wanted to reach the National Hockey League on the glory of goals. That dream ended early, as it usually does, and no one had to tell him.

But big-time hockey has a unique side entrance. Boogaard could fight his way there with his bare knuckles, his stick dropped, the game paused and the crowd on its feet. And he did, all the way until he became the Boogeyman, the N.H.L.’s most fearsome fighter, a caricature of a hockey goon rising nearly 7 feet in his skates.

Over six seasons in the N.H.L., Boogaard accrued three goals and 589 minutes in penalties and a contract paying him $1.6 million a year.

On May 13, his brothers found him dead of an accidental overdose in his Minneapolis apartment. Boogaard was 28. His ashes, taking up two boxes instead of the usual one, rest in a cabinet at his mother’s house in Regina. His brain, however, was removed before the cremation so that it could be examined by scientists.

This kind of story is becoming more and more of a pattern, particularly with regards to NFL players, but also NHL players, Getting hit in the head a lot isn't safe.

[gannable]

oh well so much for the Flyers are not talent goon rhetoric

[Army of GOD]

Link

DEREK BOOGAARD was scared. He did not know whom he would fight, just that he must.

Over six months, The New York Times examined the life and death of the professional hockey player Derek Boogaard, who rose to fame as one of the sport's most feared fighters before dying at age 28 on May 13.
This article, the first of a three-part series, revisits Boogaard's childhood in the rugged youth and junior leagues of western Canada and his progression from physically awkward boy to renowned brawler on the ice.

Bigger than teammates and opponents, Boogaard forged a role with his fists in Prince George.
Opportunity and obligation had collided, the way they can in hockey.

His father bought a program the night before. Boogaard scanned the roster, checking heights and weights. He later recalled that he barely slept.

A trainer in the dressing room offered scouting reports. As Boogaard taped his stick in the hallway of the rink in Regina, Saskatchewan, he was approached by one of the few players bigger than he was. Boogaard had never seen him before. He did not know his name.

“I’m going to kill you,” the player said.

The scrimmage began. A coach tapped Boogaard on the shoulder. Boogaard knew what it meant. He clambered over the waist-high wall and onto the ice.

He felt a tug on the back of his jersey. It was time.

The players flicked the padded gloves from their hands. They removed the helmets from their heads. They raised their fists and circled each other. They knew the choreography that precedes the violence.

Boogaard took a swing with his long right arm. His fist smacked the opponent’s face and broke his nose. Coaches and scouts laughed as they congratulated Boogaard.

He was 16.

Boogaard was exhilarated, exhausted, relieved. Maybe the fear was extinguished, but it always came back, like the flame of a trick candle. One fight ended, another awaited. It was a cycle that commanded the rest of his life.

There is no athlete quite like the hockey enforcer, a man and a role viewed alternately as noble and barbaric, necessary and regrettable. Like so many Canadian boys, Boogaard wanted to reach the National Hockey League on the glory of goals. That dream ended early, as it usually does, and no one had to tell him.

But big-time hockey has a unique side entrance. Boogaard could fight his way there with his bare knuckles, his stick dropped, the game paused and the crowd on its feet. And he did, all the way until he became the Boogeyman, the N.H.L.’s most fearsome fighter, a caricature of a hockey goon rising nearly 7 feet in his skates.

Over six seasons in the N.H.L., Boogaard accrued three goals and 589 minutes in penalties and a contract paying him $1.6 million a year.

On May 13, his brothers found him dead of an accidental overdose in his Minneapolis apartment. Boogaard was 28. His ashes, taking up two boxes instead of the usual one, rest in a cabinet at his mother’s house in Regina. His brain, however, was removed before the cremation so that it could be examined by scientists.

This kind of story is becoming more and more of a pattern, particularly with regards to NFL players, but also NHL players, Getting hit in the head a lot isn't safe.

Interesting story, but in this little segment that don't say anything about a drug addiction (I didn't bother to read the whole thing). That might've affected his brain as well as the concussions from hockey.

But it's not like fighting is the only way to get concussions in hockey. Sidney Crosby sat out the last year because of a concussion and he's hardly a fighter.