Rangers Carcillo Does Something Stupid That Could Cost

((HT: SomeHockeyVideos/CBC))

The New York Rangers Dan Carcillo could be gone for a while...
You, simply, do not do this...


Carcillo, understandably, got an ejection for that from linesman Scott Driscoll. And it will be Driscoll's report to the league office that will determine the length of any suspension. Some people are talking ten games, some twenty games.

Keep an eye on any references to rules 40.2 and/or 40.3
From the league rule book:

40.2 Automatic Suspension – Category I - Any player who deliberately strikes an official and causes injury or who deliberately applies physical force in any manner against an official with intent to injure, or who in any manner attempts to injure an official shall be automatically suspended for not less than twenty (20) games. (For the purpose of the rule, “intent to injure” shall mean any physical force which a player or goalkeeper knew or should have known could reasonably be expected to cause injury.)

40.3 Automatic Suspension – Category II - Any player who deliberately applies physical force to an official in any manner (excluding actions as set out in Category I), which physical force is applied without intent to injure, or who spits on an official, shall be automatically suspended for not less than ten (10) games.

With Montreal now only down a game, it will be interesting to see how much the suspension will impact the Rangers plans from here forward in the rest of the series.

Tim Thomas Crowns Soderberg In His Return To Boston

((HT: FS Florida))

Florida Panthers goalie Tim Thomas returned to Boston tonight and is known for always protecting his crease and his teammates...

The game was out of hand, down 6-2 very late, as Thomas had a rough night...
So, he ended it this way with a right cross for Carl Soderberg...


New uni, same old crotchety Tim Thomas...
And we're better for it...

ClubberSpeak: The Kadri Files

((HT: Jim Lang Blog))

It's Thursday, and he's prolific...

And it's all based on this...
((HT: NHL on TSN))


In the third period of Wednesday night’s loss to the Wild Leafs forward Nazem Kadri was given a match penalty and kicked out of the game after he hit Mikael Granlund.

Which raises the question; what happened to hitting in hockey?

Now I am not talking about “Matt Cooke” type cheap shot elbows to the head. I am talking about good, hard bodychecks.

There is no doubt it was a hard hit by Kadri; but a hit worthy of a match penalty? Not a chance.

Kadri’s elbow was down and his stick was down and he made contact with his shoulder. I see dozens of hits every week in the NHL that are worse than that and they don’t result in a match penalty.

Now earlier in the game Kadri collided with Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom in the crease and Backstrom had to leave the game with a concussion. Kadri was given a interference penalty on the play. So you are left to wonder if the match penalty for the hit on Granlund was a make-up call for not given him a harsher penalty for running into Backstrom.

Hockey is still a contact sport. Hitting is still a part of the NHL. I agree with the league-wide initiative to remove blatant head shots from the game. There is no place for that in the modern NHL. But the hit Kadri laid on Granlund is the kind of thing that has been in the game forever and I hope it never goes away.

I can only imagine Scott Stevens watching a tape of that hit and laughing his ass off when he heard that it was worthy of a match penalty.

The bigger question for players is the reality that refs around the league will interpret what is a hit worthy of a match penalty far differently than the next guy. So the hit that is fine on Tuesday night in Edmonton might result in you getting kicked out of the game Friday night in Chicago.

Now there comes word that Kadri is facing a hearing this afternoon at 1:00PM ET for running over Backstrom, and not the hit on Granlund.

I am fine with that. Much like quarterbacks in the NFL, the NHL has to do whatever it can to protect goalies. But if that is indeed the case why did Kadri receive only a two minute minor for running into him? And you wonder why players get confused as to what is a suspendable offence and what isn’t? Brian Gionta was never suspended for taking out James Reimer. In this case there seems little chance Kadri won’t receive some kind of suspension for his hit on Backstrom.

Hence the confusion by players and Coaches as what is worthy of a suspension and what isn’t.

The bottom line is that the Leafs will likely be with-out Kadri for at least one game and maybe more on a team already razor thin at centre. The timing is awful as the Leafs are in Buffalo Friday night for the first of a home-and-home with Ted Nolan and the new-look Sabres.

Jay McClement led all Leafs forwards Wednesday night with 23:37 of ice time. His previous high this year was the 21:33 he logged in the Leafs loss to Columbus back on October 25th. McClement better have a good pre-game nap Friday because is sure to log some serious ice -time this weekend.

Lost in the Kadri ejection and pending suspension is the fact that David Clarkson has all of one assist in the eight games he has played since coming off of his suspension. With all of their injuries and the Kadri situation the Leafs desperately need Clarkson to break out of his funk and start producing.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

((HT: Sportsnet))

Hubie McDonagh wasn't satisfied that Corey Perry had been knocked into the bench only once...

How 'bout twice...
Here's your look...

Not Quite The Dirtiest Hockey Hit Ever, But...

((HT: FS Detroit/NHL/Puck Daddy))

Now, we have Cody McLeod driving Niklas Kronwall into the boards...


Third time this week, if you include the KHL hit we just posted...

And that's not a good thing...

Here's the Colorado point of view, thanks to Kukla's Korner...
((HT: Sportsnet))

Dirtiest Hockey Hit Ever...??? Prolly...

((HT: Puck Daddy/KHL))

Puck Daddy gave us the heads-up on this one and we had to share...

The HQ is trying to figure out how to describe this, and the only words that come to mind are "classless" and "disgusting..."

To set up, it's the KHL... and even the translation of this act below came out to "KHL dirtiest hit ever by Panin / Panin outrageous fouls Murley" by the league itself, so you know where this is heading...

Ak Bars Grigory Panin did this to Matt Murley


As of right now, Panin only got ONE GAME for that...

The HQ thinks that might get revisited by the league or, if it doesn't, the next time Ak Bars takes on Medveščak Zagreb it could get ugly in a hurry...

NHL Lords Of Discipline Just Got Busier

((HT: NHL/NBCSN))

First, Patrick Kaleta got a ten-game suspension for this hit on CBJ defenseman Jack Johnson...


Now, it looks like the Blues Maxim Lapierre should be getting a notice from the league office in Toronto after this movement against the Sharks' Dan Boyle this evening...


The larger question being will Lapierre match Kaleta's number even if the reputations and histories don't...
Boyle was alert on his way to hospital...

And Now We Have One... Death Off A Head Shot

((HT: Harrison Mooney/Puck Daddy, Stu Hackel/SI))

It's from the Kazakhstan pro leagues...

Dmitri Uchaykin, a winger for HC Ertis-Pavlodar, got hit hard during last Thursday's Game 2 of a semi-final playoff series against HC Arystan. Donatas Kumeliauska of Arystan was named as the player who hit Uchaykin.

Uchaykin went on to skate another couple of shifts after no penalty was called on what looks like a high elbow or forearm...

From Hackel's analysis:

Eurohockey.com reports that he spent the night at home, but felt sick on Friday morning and was taken to the hospital. By the time he got there, he had lapsed into a coma. He lay unconscious for two days before passing away early Sunday morning from a cerebral hemorrhage.

The league was reportedly deciding if some sort of supplementary discipline will follow.

Mooney gets the credit for finding the video...


The questions begin anew now about violent hits, violence on the ice in general, and where does the line get drawn on what is "the game," and what isn't...

What say you, faithful reader...???