You don’t lead a hit with your elbow.

And Phaneuf clearly followed through with it as well.

He probably had a really nice hit lined up to begin with. I want to watch it again to see if Phaneuf lines that elbow up after Okposo is pushed. I don’t think the play was planned like that though.

I don’t think the puch itseld had any bearing although Okposo probably wouldn’t have had his head so low. Regardless, I think heglances off Phaneuf’s shoulder or gets hung on his back in a clean hit.

Wouldn’t have been any head involvement either. Worst we are looking at is maybe a fractured clavicle or shoulder separation.

Phanuf better get at least 12 for this and a hefty fine.

He’s a big guy who thinks he’s a “bad-ass” when he’s actually a coward…has been since his days in the WHL with Red Deer…. won’t actually fight anyone unless they are under 5’8" but just ask him, he’s a “bad-ass”. Always needs someone to come to his rescue…maybe he should try to fight a battle for himself… perhaps someday he’ll agree to go with someone like, lets say Rypien, (goes back to junior hockey when Phaneuf gave Rypien a dirty slash across the hand breaking his knuckles)…but he wouldn’t go with Rypien after Rypien was able to return and even went so far as to leave the ice every time Rypien came on…now that’s some “bad-ass” cowardice!!!!

Like Stevens and Pronger before him.

Fortunately, they “play the game the right way.”

You know, I’m not normally one for hockey-style justice or whatever. Just once, however, I’d like to see the enforcers in the league lay out some of these so-called tough guys. High-hitting, elbow-leading meets fist-in-the-face.

Man, what I wouldn’t give to see Clark Gillies go at one of the aforementioned cowards.

You guys obviously either have zero hockey experience, have never watched a game, or don’t know a thing about the sport.

The hit was clean, fair and square. This isn’t the AHL or the WHL. Its the NHL.. Every game is meant to be played at 100%, by every player, every minute of ice they have. They practice at 100%. These guys aren’t thinking about holding ANYTHING back from their game. The way they play in the pre season is the way they play in the regular season and is the way they play in the post season. I don’t care if he thinks hes a bad ass, is a punk, or is a coward. Its hockey. Often these qualities are what make a good player a great player.

Hockey is great because you need to be accountable for yourself at all times on the ice. Okposo didn’t for 3 seconds tonight and Phaneuf made him pay for it. I love it. Hits like this can and will always happen in hockey, and you should LOVE them. Its not often that you get to see them.

One of the saddest days the NHL ever experienced was the day Scott Stevens retired.

“at least 12 and a hefty fine”??? You’re retarded. Nothing will happen.

You know why this is complete horseshit? Because Okie had taken the hit from behind and was trying to regain puck control. You don’t make a move laterally unless you completely intend to level someone. It’s just bad defense, because if Phaneuf wiffs, then Okposo is home free… BUT WAIT there was a defenseman on Okposo’s side of the ice in perfect position to make a clean hit! …. Come the fuck on. What the hell is Phaneuf playing for anyway? I hope Iginla said something to him later about that, that’s no way to gain respect around the league, fucking pansy.

And that’s all there is to it. There was NO elbow lead, that’s a ridiculous assertion. His shoulder made contact first, and his arm followed through. And as for not “standing up for himself”, he DID. The guy who tried to jump him came off the bench and charged him, dropping his gloves on the way. All Gio did was prevent a Bertuzzi/Moore incident, not fight Phaneuf’s battle for him. The only thing I can agree with so far is that this was a pre-season game, and it wasn’t entirely called for. But you take ’em when you can get ’em. Clean, legal hit.

From impact to follow through. On the follow through Phaneuf’s forarm is planted right on the side of Okposo’s head.

The only thing you see is Dion’s glove, not his elbow. His elbow was against his ribs and it’s his glove which only looks like it’s on his head.

Elbow in/out? Stay on/leave feet? Clean/dirty? Good/bad defense? Pansy/prudent for not fighting? etc…. The only thing everyone seems to be agreeing on is that it was an unnecessary and violent hit. As IO above said this hit, whether pre-, reg, or post-season, would be a controversial hit.

Also, in defense of the fans who cheered the hit at the game (myself included), once we realized Okposo was injured, we quieted down pretty quickly, and I for one am glad he was only mildly injured.

But I am not a fan of this style of hit. Something needs to be changed about it, as someone is going to end up perma bran damaged (and this is from a Flames fan).

The suspension should start with the first game of the regular season

I was at the game which until the ‘hit’ was totally under the Isle’s control! Kyle was a key to most of the offensive play, but everyone looked good on the ice for NY.

As for the hit it was clean even though it did deserve a pounding…where is the new Gillies? I was taught that when your on the ice you always keep your head up…including going to the boards. It always should fall equally on players who have there head down or back turned. If your head is down or your back turned you’re an idiot (at that moment)!

Finally, as for Morency’s action it is not only acceptable it is required or guys like Phaneuf will take out every good player on the ice. If he gets beat on, then next time he’ll consider who the goon is that will come after him…ask Don (Cherry)!
Also if you watch the replay you’ll see that 2 of the Isle’s head for a change…Morency jumps on the ice then the 2 guys decide not to leave the ice. It should be noted that only 1 Isle really got involved and he was legally on the ice as he had now way of knowing they hadn’t left the ice…that’s just a BS call if they suspend him!
Let’s hear it for real hockey…good luck Kyle (keep your head up)…kick the Flames butts on Saturday!!!

I can’t even see where the elbow is, sure the impact of the hit makes it look like the elbow might of been thrown but before the hit its tight to his body, I am sorry but that is a clean hit, if you watch the RDS feed you can see that OK had closed his hand on the puck before even dropping the puck and it should of been whistled down there, but the hit is clean, keep your head up and protect yourself!. As for the comments on Phaneuf not fighting, way risk getting an eye injury over that and not being able to play.

Resolute, watch closely…the 2 guys were already going to the bench before any call and yes, Morency knew where he was heading, but it was definately a good change by him. The suspension should be to one of the guys who went to the bench. They looked back saw where Morency was going so fast and decided to return to the play.

I’ve watched and liked both these teams since they were in the same division, so I have no real favourite and because of that I say…Phaneuf clean hit (I wouldn’t do it) and Morency good change but maybe wrong time to even the score (team-mate on the ice)…emotion is hard to fight! My guess youth coaching is still the issue, as it was 30+ years ago.

I have never been a fan of Dion Phaneuf because I’ve always felt the ‘big’ hits so many people praised him were borderline dirty and displayed weaknesses in his game that are almost unforgivable in a defenseman (mainly that he would run so far out of position trying to score that big goal or chasing that highlight-reel hit that he left both his defensive partner and his goalie vulnerable to an odd-man rush and an easy goal by the other team). When I read the headline the Phaneuf had knocked out another player, I expected another undisciplined, borderline illegal hit displaying the poor checking technique that has become so commonplace the post-lockout NHL. So one can imagine my surprise when I watched the various video clips of Phaneuf’s hit on Okposo and discovered that there was really nothing illegal about it.

Kyle Okposo was skateing the puck up ice through the neutral zone with his head down, possibly the worst mistake any forward could ever make (and if you don’t believe me, jjust ask Brandon Sutter, Shane Willis, Slava Kozlov, Eric Lindros, Paul Kariya, et. al.). As a resut, he was unable to see the lay of the land accurately and only registered the presence of a Calgary defenseman in front of him and one of the Flames’ backchecking forwards pursuing him from behind and was completely blindsided when Phaneuf seized the opportunity and swooped in from right to left and caught Okposo with his upper arm/shoulder (anyone objectively reviewing the video should be able to recognize that the only part of Phaneuf’s arm that made contact with Okposo was well above his elbow and the only reason for this in the first place would be because Okposo did not have his head up). And while Phaneuf’s feet did leave the air, it was not until impact had already been made, the force of which being what sent him flying in the first place.

As is often the case whenever a big hit results in a player leaving the ice either propped up between two teammates or on a stretcher, this event seems destined to serve as an debate about the legality of every on-ice act ever committed by Scott Stevens, not only one of the greatest defenseman and open-ice hitters ever to play the game, but also one of the most controversial. Stevens was a truly remarkable player who was particularly adept at reading the play almost before it happened. During his career as a Devil, he never ran out of position looking for a big hit, but rather waited for the play to unfold and let the opportunities come to him, and they did. Stevens’ modus operandi was to lie in wait at the Devils’ blue line for opposing forwards attempting to carry the puck into the Devils blue line and skate in from left to right, meeting them going in the opposite direction. I find the idea that defenseman ‘lining up’ the puck carrier in an attempt to knock him out of the play, thus preventing a scoring chance, is somehow dirty or illegal ridiculous. Hockey is not a contact sport, it’s an impact sport, and things like this, though unfortunate and sometimes scary, happen. If that offends someone’s delicate sensibilities, I suggest they watch a low-impact sport like baseball. It’s more their speed.

And as a Devils fan, I’m not sure what was meant when you wrote Scott Stevens’ used his reputation to take ‘liberties,’ but I can’t help but feel slightly offended by it. Stevens was a fierce competitor and brilliant leader whose size and punishing physical play intimidated his opponents. Is that what you meant?

1. Goalies stay in your net.
2. If you hit a goalie be aware.
3. Keep your head up at all times.
4. Never turn your back to the ice when going to the boards.
5. Protect your head and knees.
6. Protect your team mates.
There’s probably some others Ican’t recall but those used to be the basics!

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=499008

I’m with you Dom. Too often we’re seeing hits where the player leads with the arm away from his body. Maybe not necessarily with the elbow, but an awful lot of times, on the back of your upper arm, right above the elbow, and the whole solid flat of the back of your upper arm, is what’s being drilled through a lot of guys’ faces nowadays. It’s almost like the “rip” action from football, as a you try to break through a block by chopping your arm upward to break the blocker’s hands off of you. I don’t think that belongs in hockey. Get the arm against your side when you make the hit.

yeah. the effects of booze my friends! :)