The word coming out of the World Championships today is that Ovechkin was ejected and later handed a one-game suspension for what was being termed a hit from behind in the game against the Swiss team.
I saw the replay of the game and was initially surprised that the hit in question was given such a strong punishment. It was a relatively innocent play - Ovie steps out of the box just as the Swiss player skates by with the puck, head down. Ovechkin lays him out with a hard shoulder check that knocks the other player down and shakes him up a bit.
But I didn't see the malicious intent, the hitting from behind, anything noteworthy other than the fact that it was around the head.
As I think about it a bit more, though, it's a good call and consistent with the standard set to this point at the World Championships. Just a few days ago, Shea Weber was suspended for an elbow to the head of a German player, now this. The IIHF is setting a standard that the NHL would do well to mimick - cracking down on hits to the head, regardless of intent or whether the player's head is down, seems like a good idea to me.
And luckily for Ovie and the Russian team, his suspension falls on a relatively meaningless game against Sweden, as Russia has already qualified for the next round.
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Sunday, May 06, 2007
Ovie Out, Sabres In
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Brett Hull's #1 Fan
I've pretty much stayed away from the whole argument that has surfaced on the heels of Colin Campbell's declaration that the role of fighting should be investigated. Frankly I don't consider myself much of an expert on this particular area and I doubt I could add anything to the discussion that hasn't already been said by people smarter than me. I haven't even read The Code (although it's on my nightstand waiting to be read).
I did, however, happen to tune into ESPN earlier today - right as someone who I had never seen before started talking about fighting and its place in hockey. He sounded very intelligent and pretended to know what he was talking about, but I found myself shaking my head as I listened to him prattle on and on. Among other things he compared Carmelo Anthony's sucker "punch" and the suspension that followed to NHL fights and claimed there was a double standard. He then called fighting in hockey "WWF tactics" and said that keeping it in to increase viewership wasn't working since nobody was watching.
Sorry to burst your bubble, Mr. ESPN commentator, but it's not just a hockey thing. If you put NBA players on skates, gave them sticks, and allowed more contact then just the odd chest bump...you may see fighting in basketball. The fact is that hockey is a game where you have 200+ pound men running into each other at high speed. Hitting is part of the game and a good clean check is encouraged - you take that out of the game, you might as well watch curling. When you have that much adrenaline, that much speed, and that much strength, its not surprising that occasionally blows are exchanged.
And to say that the NHL allows fighting simply to increase viewership is completely ridiculous and shows a lack of understanding of both the history and the nuance of the sport. Of course it was ESPN, so why am I surprised?
Anyways, here's where me becoming Brett Hull's #1 fan comes into play. I'll be honest, for all his ability he's never been a player I enjoyed watching, on or off the ice. In fact, I found him downright obnoxious. But since he's become a commentator on NBC I've actually started to enjoy listening to him. He's surprisingly well-spoken, very matter of fact, and often right on target.
So naturally the issue of fighting came up in today's NHL on NBC broadcast (also known as the I Heart Sidney Crosby Show, but that's a different topic for another day) and Hull did a little editorial piece on it. Basically he blasted the media for jumping on the bandwagon, for being so hypocritical as to only cover hockey when fighting is the issue while ignoring everything else about the game.
He said what most real hockey fans have said - it's not the fighting but the cheap shots, sucker punches, and head shots that need to be eliminated. Both he and Ray Ferraro both went on to say the Campbell statement couldn't have come at a worse time, that what the media should be focused on is the fact that 6 teams are currently battling for 2 playoff spots - that's the game, that's hockey.
I honestly couldn't have said it better myself...and I've taken considerably fewer blows to the head.
The fact is that if the American media didn't show every fight - in fact if they didn't show any fights - the US perspective of the game would change dramatically. Show the great hits, fine. Show the amazing saves, fine. Show Crosby's latest goal for all I care, fine. If you watch hockey enough you know that while fighting is a part of the game, it's only a small part. We understand why it is there but it is not why we watch. Show the rest of the country what we already know...show the speed, the grace, the skill of a game played entirely on ice.
Of course, I'd be happy if Comcast would just show the freakin' faceoff every now and then. I'm such a dreamer.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Goonies Never Say Die...Neither does Matt P.
- I had a comment from Victor earlier today about the recent increase in PIMs for the Caps since the Thrashers game and whether that would lead to the Caps being perceived as goons. I started to respond but it got really long, so I figured it was worthy of opening it up to discussion as a post.
This is actually something I was thinking about recently - the fact that there seems to be a fight per game since that Atlanta game is very strange if you look at the numbers from the first part of the season and then stats from recent games. Fighting majors have dramatically increased; when even Ovechkin has one (as trumped up as it was) you know something is different.
However, it’s hard to say that they’re going to be seen as goons just because of that. If you think about it, the Thrashers game is really a benchmark for the team chemistry that has been building up all season. Events like that, as many of the players commented afterwards, can only serve to bring a team closer together. As a result they’re quicker to jump to a teammate’s aid - I would say that a good portion of the fights since then have been caused by guys sticking up for one another. Let’s face it, you don’t get someone like Brooks Laich dropping the gloves just for the heck of it.
The problems are the fights that start for no apparent reason, and a buildup of those can lead to being perceived as the second coming of the Charlestown Chiefs.
Take, for example, the fights in the Anaheim game last week. There were two in the first period – that between two teams who really have no history, no bitterness (with the exception of the AHL playoffs last year, but considering the combatants I doubt that was a factor). But this was rare for the Caps – almost every other fight before and since was started in defense of a teammate, and I have to admire that.
And to me, the teams that I see as tending towards the ‘goonish’ are teams that not only fight for no reason, but also take a lot of cheap shot penalties – your boarding, charging, cross-checking, elbowing calls. These are usually common among bigger, slower teams that have no other way to catch up with or shut down the faster teams in the league other than to take someone's head off.
If you look at a breakdown of the Caps penalties, the majority of them are your garden variety penalties usually taken to prevent a scoring chance or as part of a scramble for the puck along the boards – hooking, holding, the occasional slash, etc. Mix in a couple of assorted favorites such as too many men or delay of game and you have the Caps penalty scorecard. Mild-mannered as they come...unless you take a run at one of their teammates, that is.
Hopefully the refs will remain objective and not pin a label on the Caps just yet – after all, in my opinion they’re simply taking care of what many times the officials did not. Thoughts?
- If you haven’t already read it, be sure to read the great Pettinger profile on WashingtonCaps.com. You know, somehow I forgot that Petty’s only been up with the big boys for a short time, really just two full seasons. For some reason it feels like he’s been around a lot longer, which I think speaks volumes to his role on the team. Regardless, it’s no secret that I loved his performance last year and have been over the moon with what he’s done this year (minus that brief adjustment period after his injury). He’s a player I would love to see in a Caps uniform for years to come and I thought this was just a great look at a great player.
Ah, Mike Vogel strikes again...see, he has the resources (and, y'know, the talent) to do really interesting things when the schedule lags. All I can do is link to his work and wait for gameday...
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Don't Believe the Hype
Earlier today I stopped by Southeast Shootout and watched the little YouTube clip about the Caps-Thrashers game, which kept cutting off with about 10 seconds left. So, assuming it was another fan creation, I laughed it off and went on with my day.
After returning home, I found an e-mail from the Atlanta Thrashers (I had signed up as a Blueland Insider or whatever their registered content is called) heralding the match:
There is no love lost between the Thrashers and Washington following Atlanta's 4-2 win last month. In a closely contested game, tensions erupted in the final minutes resulting in ten fighting majors, seven game misconducts, and three suspensions. The Thrashers are 4-0 against the division rival this season, but the physical battles have required overtime twice and a shootout once. Don't miss a play as the action heats up on Dec. 15 [...]It also shows a video player which when you click on it, takes you to their website...where I found the YouTube clip. By the way, if you haven't seen it, it'll definitely want to make you go out there and smack some Thrashers around yourself - very "Thrashers are angelic, Caps are evil" vibe going on.
So this is how they sell tickets down south? Mr. Bettman won't like that. What's more, if the SeSo gang is correct in their assumption (or if I am) this could even constitute as false advertising...
Bad little Thrashers. Get 'em, Gary.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
A Few Laughs, Some Mayhem, Some Carnage
We’ve seen it happen so much over the last two seasons – there’s a hit, a scuffle, a brawl ensues, line after line goes to the penalty box or the locker room, the ice is littered with gloves and other equipment...
Suddenly fans from both towns are frantically looking at their calendars, seeking out that inevitable rematch. Dates are circled in red. Tickets are purchased in bulk. The message boards virtually explode with fans talking trash about the other team, their fans, their uniforms – anything to get the bile flowing and the adrenalin pumping. We’re all thinking that obviously after such a hate-filled, intense, boxing match-like atmosphere, the next game is going to be nuts...there won’t be a player left on the ice!
...right?
It’s something that has obviously been on a lot of Caps fans’ minds lately, I’m sure. In the next two to three weeks the Capitals will visit Atlanta and Buffalo – one team that the Caps hate, one team that hates the Caps. Common sense tells us that these two games will be filled with fighting majors and followed up with possible suspensions and fines.
And yet in recent years, the actual odds of such a thing happening in reality have diminished. Take for example the faux playoff series between the Caps and the Canes that closed out last season. They met 5 times in 2 weeks – the first two games were fairly calm, but by game 3 it looked like things were starting to ramp up. There were 4 fights spread throughout the game and lots of chippy, physical play - a natural outgrowth of seeing each other far too many times in such a close period.
We all expected game 4 to be a big one, we waited expectantly for fights to erupt, and then...nothing. Nada. Zilch. Game 5, more of the same. Close games, both one goal affairs, but nothing out of the ordinary on the penalty sheet. Clearly the NHL spoke to both teams and told them to cool it or else...makes sense, since the whole reason for the tensions can be traced back to such a weird schedule created by the NHL.
To cut back on fighting, pit the same teams against each other every night for two weeks – brilliant!
But it’s not just in the ‘new’ NHL – I’m sure you all remember that infamous game between Ottawa and Philadelphia back in ’04. A record 419 penalty minutes were handed out as every line on the ice fought, including the goalies. By the end of the game, there were maybe 4 or 5 players on each bench. Everyone was certain that the next game would be the same way, but alas, it was not to be. Maybe it was because there was a month in between games, maybe the NHL stepped in there, too...I don’t know.
It just makes me wonder if the animosity that seems to carry over from game to game isn’t felt more strongly in the stands than it is in the locker rooms. I certainly hope not – it’s not that I want to see fighting every night, especially at the extreme level that some are predicting for these upcoming games. I just want to see a little passion, a little momentum – he hit your guy, now you go hit their guy...that’s hockey. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Until then I’ll hope for the best, so get out those red pens – December 15th, Caps visit the Thrashers. December 26th, Caps in Buffalo. To quote the message boards...is it too much to ask for a little mayhem and carnage?
