Report: Pock gets 5 games
I'm not surprised to hear Pock will be suspended. I am surprised to hear it's 5 games -- 3 more than Ruutu and 2 more than Kostopoulos. Not equating these three incidents, just wondering where in the world the rhyme and the reason comes from. Can I say again: An actual policy might be helpful?
It's difficult not to see this as making an example of the no-name player on the unheralded team.
over 3 years ago
Dominik
3 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
Building a policy on something like this would be hard. I totally agree that all players throwing flying elbows should be suspended equally. But does it receive a harsher penalty based on the severity of the potential injury (or risk of one)? And even still, who gauges that? Five games sounds a fair base to build off of. If you render the guy unconscious perhaps 10-12.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com
I agree the actual policy construction would be hard. But I think the effort would be worth it. If they can get together to determine the measurements of legal goalie equipment, they can do this. Break it into categories, or checklists:
- was it a hockey play? (while we’re at it, define “hockey play”)
- was there reasonable time to adjust/pull up/reduce impact?
- does apparent motive/premeditation matter? (e.g., although Pock’s hit ended in a concussion, it was an instant-reaction move; Ruutu’s looked like the classic case of a guy setting his sights to deliver a flying elbow. Which is worse?)
- did the victim put himself in a vulnerable position, counting on a hockey advantage because he knew the opponent (aggressor) would have to slow down?
I want them to make clear: Is it okay for a puck carrier to turn his back (facing the boards) so as to make an incoming hit illegal? Because if it is, players should know that and adjust.
More importantly, if they built in some transparency (have the hearings open to the public — imagine the show!), and if they explicitly said:
- the market size of the victim’s team does/doesn’t matter;
- the talent/star-quality of the victim does/doesn’t matter;
- the fact this game was on national TV does/doesn’t matter; etc.
The only thing they seem to be explicit about is whether the aggressor is a repeat offender.
Obviously, I need to chill out or run for office.
SBN now has a NY Islanders blog at LighthouseHockey.com.
Haha wow. You’ve definitely given this some thought. Why chill out? I say run for office.
I think “doesn’t matter” applies to each of your bullets in the second part. Obviously the first list requires a bit more depth, but as for the second list none of those things should be a factor.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanShots on Lighthouse Hockey
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
Islanders Schedule
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Marty Brodeur’s ‘own goal’ in Game 2 vs. Rangers (VIDEO)
- Coyotes’ Martin Hanzal suspended 1 game for boarding Dustin Brown
- Devils vs. Rangers in Game 2; top NHL free agents; top 10 playoff saves (Playoff Puck Previews)
- NHL arena news: Seattle moving forward; gaze upon beauty of Oilers’ proposed barn
- Shanahan: No fines, suspensions for Shane Doan or Derek Morris after Game 2 malarkey
Latest stories and headlines from NHL.com
- Devils D Adam Larsson out of New Jersey lineup for Game 2, replaced by Peter Harrold
- D Peter Harrold in for Adam Larsson in Game 2
- LA Kings return home 2 wins away from 1st Stanley Cup finals appearance since Gretzky
- Kings bring dominant playoff run back home
- NHL suspends Phoenix's Martin Hanzal 1 game for hit on LA's Dustin Brown
SBNation.com Recent Stories
1979-80
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
