Wheel o' Stephanie (formerly Shanny)

Yanni Gourde has been suspended two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for his hit to the head of Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night.

The Tampa Bay Lightning forward went to lay a hit on Staal and ended up getting his head, leading to a match penalty and an ejection. Staal, who missed 32 games this season while dealing with a concussion, left the game before returning and scoring Carolina’s second goal in a 6-3 loss.

“I haven’t really watched or seen it but, you know, it’s a fast game, things happen,” Staal said afterward. “Obviously, you never want to see those hits. I was fortunate enough to come out of it feeling all right.”
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I saw that hit live, it was in pore taste and completely avoidable... the kind of stuff that pisses me off and I like the ruff stuff.

 

What a disaster for Tampa, Kucherov might be looking at 3 games.

 

that toronto player should get 5.

 

What's taking them so long to announce the suspension? The game starts soon.

 

3 to 5 games.

 

He's out for the Boston series

 

That's what I read.

 

Jumbo Joe gets 1 game.

 

Evander Kane on the clock.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/...hing-blue-jackets-player-in-the-back-of-head/

he needs to get a game or two for this. no need for this. fucking rat fink cheap shot artist !

 

Wouldn’t be mad if NFK gets a game. Completely unnecessary by him.

 

i think they both deserve a game !

 

McAvoy getting a game for the high hit on Anderson. Its a suspension in todays game but I dont love it. Not sure how McAvoy is supposed to hit him here. Pick your head up 77.

 

There outta be a penalty for a guy skating with his head down. If it's going to draw a suspension if he's hit, isn't he instigating - in a way?

If it's all about stoping concussions (read: it's all about the NHL saving a shit-ton of $ due to concussion obfuscation) then they need to stop the action that makes getting concussed much more likely.

 

BTW, I'm only be partly facetious with my post above.

It outta be a penalty.

 

I agree he should have had his head up, but you cant do what McAvoy did... looked like he launched himself right square to the side of his knoggin. 1 game really is a break for the Bruins in this day n age.

 

Here's my issue, not McAvoy or Bruin related, but hockey in general.
When a player in possession of the puck turns in to the boards when the heat is coming and gets hit from behind, "the victim" is at least partially at fault.
When a player has possession of the puck and has their head down and they get hit square in the front of their body and the head is involved (naturally will be leading with your head down) "the victim" is at least partially at fault. I say at least in both cases speaking in generalities, but in my opinion I would say almost entirely their own fault.

I dont know how you can teach a player to hit, especially if the opposition carrying the puck is shorter than the defender. Its always been preached that you need to keep your head up while carrying the puck or you're going to get bundled. The onus was on the player carrying the puck. Nowadays why even look up? Its much easier to dangle when you're looking down and you dont have to worry about getting hit because it will almost certainly be a head shot. To me that's not hockey.




Now to the Mcavoy/Anderson hit. Josh Anderson has 3 inches on Charlie Mcavoy and Mcavoy doesnt leave his feet on this play. Why is Anderson so vulnerable........pick your head up! Mcavoy comes around to get him right in the center of Anderson's body.

 

I like the way you explained this, especially as your a knowledgable player/coach in your time. I don't disagree at all with what your saying. I love hitting... hitting is hockey, period. I just think you have to be responsible on both sides. Also, its easy for me to psyco-analyze, Monday morning quarterback, these kind of plays and jump to conclusions after I watch the stuff in slow motion and nit-pick it to death. A large part of todays game is speed and split second timing and decision making is required of both players and the refs... its a tough thing to do im sure.

The 'Player Safety' people are ludicrous at times with their decision making and horrible to say the least at consistency and I think that leads to indecisiveness in the actual penalty calling on and off the ice. I cant blame a player for being confused to some extent as to what or what not he can do in a split seconds time.

It was a tough call and he got just 1 game, so its not all bad. Maybe just a penalty call of 2 or a double minor would have sufficed, but the PSA has to look good, lol.

 

I honestly dont know what McAvoy should have done. When Dman 1 (Chara in this instance) hold up the puck carrier and the weak side D comes across (Chuckie Mcavoy) to seperate opposition from puck, he has to take the body or both Dmen are standing still twiddling their thumbs while the puck carrier may or may not still have possesion. Weak side D has to take the body 100% of the time in this instance. I thought Chuckie did a good job of coming around on Anderson to hit him square in the middle of the front of the body.

 

good. i thought you were losing your mind there for a second there, Dan. haha. it's a penalty.

to answer Matty "how is he supposed to hit him?" that's the problem Matty-he doesn't have to hit him at all. he could go for the puck and strip him of it and turn left, instead of trying to lay him out. i know that sounds like a non-hockey play, but there are other alternatives to the hit.

unfortunately his head was down as he's trying to stick handle in a tight space with a guy coming towards him and a guy behind him. that still doesn't give McAvoy or any player the right to lunge for his head like that with his right arm. bad play all around on the hit and a player with his head down in a tight space.