# NHL: March 2011 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 2, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165 "2011-03-02T04:38:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/82 "2011-03-10T14:14:25Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Well, it isn’t everyday that Canadian politicians talk about hockey in Parliament and they were talking yesterday. No, but when they do, it makes me feel awkward, like we’re playing up some really bad stereotype. They taught us in history class that when Gretzky was traded to L.A., they debated about it in the house of commons, as though that’s somehow supposed to make us proud. :rolleyes: No suspension for Chara. Where’s a brawler on the Habs when you need one? I rather see that big fucking ogre get his in a bout of fisticuffs with BGL than sit in a press box. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/83 "2011-03-10T14:24:40Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > No suspension for Chara. Where’s a brawler on the Habs when you need one? I rather see that big fucking ogre get his in a bout of fisticuffs with BGL than sit in a press box. Yes, because clearly the best thing to resolve this situation is a fight. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/84 "2011-03-10T15:10:50Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > You know, **Leaffan** , some of us don’t cheer when players from “enemy” teams get injured. I know it’s a difficult concept. No cheering on my behalf. I didn’t like it either, and why would I want to see anyone from any team get injured? 😕 The Habs aren’t my enemy anyway. I’ll take them over the Bruins any time. I’ll bow out of this one now. I’m not trying to cause trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/85 "2011-03-10T15:19:01Z")
> [@Xan](#): > > Other than that would could the league realistically do to help lessen the instances of injuries like this? I’m being totally serious. I’m not being sarcastic or anything like that. I’m being 100% serious here: the only way to reduce major injuries like this is to ban bodychecking. You can’t have a sport where people collide at high speed without the chance of serious injury. Now, in this particular case I think that there’s value in evaluating whether the turnbuckle can be made safer rather than being this wall that juts out over the boards. But in general, serious injuries are going to be a part of any game where high-speed collisions are a common occurrence. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/86 "2011-03-10T18:51:42Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > I’m being 100% serious here: the only way to reduce major injuries like this is to ban bodychecking. You can’t have a sport where people collide at high speed without the chance of serious injury. I think players accept the general risk of body checking, and realize that injuries can be quite severe. But there is a rule against late hits, hits that happen on players without the puck, or hits that happen when the player is in a vulnerable position on the ice. Perhaps one could argue that they should know better, but I think a lot of players tend to assume that they won’t get hit significantly after a play, when they no longer/don’t have the puck, or when they are in a vulnerable position. If the D _does_, in fact, hit the player, then it is not only against the rules (roughing, interference0, but also dangerous if the player is vulnerable, which the NHL claims is a suspendable offense. Given those facts, a player might then choose to cut to the outside of a defenseman in order to get to the puck which is on it’s way into the corner at the other end of the rink, because the assumption (as I understand hockey) is that the defenseman will play the puck and not hit the player. Which is what Pacioretty did. Chara ignored the rule on late hits on players without the puck, which was correctly penalized in-game, but Pacioretty was also in a vulnerable position - something articles suggest every hockey player agrees is true when discussing that area of the ice, and therefore Chara could reasonably be expected to have known that it was a vulnerable area. Following the NHL’s own claims about protecting players from hits in vulnerable positions, then this hit is a suspendable offence. Pacioretty himself has said that he’s now worried that other players will think that this is ok, that the hitters won’t be suspended and that someone might end up more injured than he is (or dead, which was a very real possibility). Penalize the dirty hits, but that doesn’t mean that all hits are bad. Though I’ve watched women’s hockey - without hitting - and it’s just as fun and fast a game, so really, I’m not sure I’d bitch and moan too much if hitting were banned. > [@](#): > > Now, in this particular case I think that there’s value in evaluating whether the turnbuckle can be made safer rather than being this wall that juts out over the boards. But in general, serious injuries are going to be a part of any game where high-speed collisions are a common occurrence. I agree that the stanchion/turnbuckle should be redesigned, though I have yet to see a workable suggestion (not that people aren’t working on it, I’m sure - I just haven’t seen it. But this doesn’t mean that players aren’t aware of exactly where it is when then are on the ice, and aren’t aware of the risk it poses. We cannot pretend that this event was purely due to the design of the rink. The player who laid the hit intended to lay the hit, and knew from experience that it was dangerous to do so in that area of the ice, particularly on a player not in control of the puck. Once he made that choice, he should be responsible for the outcome of the hit, regardless of just how much he _thought_ he’d hurt someone. But that’s still the same opinion I’ve had all along. **takes a pill** This morning, the Québec prosecutor asked the Montreal police to investigate the hit. There is precedent in the QMJHL for charging players for deliberate and/or reckless hits, particular ones that cause severe injury. I don’t know how far this will go, but it adds an interesting aspect to the controversy. _IF_ Chara is found criminally responsible (which I think is unlikely, actually), it will be interesting to see what the league thinks about it. How can something be criminal, but still a regular hockey play? Also - and let me be perfectly clear that I DO NOT CONDONE THIS - given the outrage in Montreal, I’d be a little worried about coming back to this city if I were Chara. This is a city in which the retarded elements riot when the Habs _win_, nevermind when they feel cheated/robbed (Rocket Richard Riots, Guns’n’Roses riot…). This city is angry right now, and people definitely feel cheated. A 2-3 game suspension would have been symbolic, and possibly acceptable, but nothing at all isn’t going over well. I don’t think that feeling will subside all that much between now and the next Habs-Bruins game, let alone if there’s a playoff match-up. At the minimum, I expect that Chara will have a hard time getting service in a restaurant. At worst? I really, really, really hope I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone tried to assault him or worse. Again, I DO NOT CONDONE THIS, but people are stupid, and angry people do really stupid things. I hope it doesn’t happen. I just, sadly, wouldn’t be surprised. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/87 "2011-03-10T19:21:36Z")
In other news, anyone catch that lame Martin St. Louis shootout shot where he pulls the spin-o-rama, stops dead to settle the puck, and then shoots… and it counts? ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/88 "2011-03-13T03:54:26Z")
Eight shutouts now for Price as the Habs blank the Pens 3-0. If Tim Thomas wasn’t putting up Nintendo numbers, Price would be a shoo-in for the Vezina; as it stands, they’ll need a big honkin’ humble pie to serve to the approximately six hundred thousand Canadiens fans on who bitched mightily when Halak was traded. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/89 "2011-03-13T13:04:39Z")
> [@KennerTheGreat](#): > > Eight shutouts now for Price as the Habs blank the Pens 3-0. > > If Tim Thomas wasn’t putting up Nintendo numbers, Price would be a shoo-in for the Vezina; as it stands, they’ll need a big honkin’ humble pie to serve to the approximately six hundred thousand Canadiens fans on who bitched mightily when Halak was traded. If Thomas’ numbers weren’t so great, I’d give it to Pekka Rinne before Price. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/90 "2011-03-13T14:56:37Z")
Man the western Conference is fun right now, 4 teams tied from 4-8? I can’t remember anything close to that. A three game winning streak will take you from 11th to 5th, and a three game losing streak will take you the other way. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/91 "2011-03-14T15:34:33Z")
Sad news out of Buffalo, as former Sabre Great Rick Martin [passes away suddenly](http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=357911) at age 59, apparently of a heart attack while driving. ---
**Author:** ![This\_Just\_In\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@This\_Just\_In\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/This_Just_In_2)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/92 "2011-03-14T15:52:01Z")
[Crosby Skates](http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=555962&navid=DL%7CNHL%7Chome) Sounds to me like they are hoping to have Crosby back for the playoffs. I’m glad to see him making steps to coming back on the ice. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/93 "2011-03-14T17:49:05Z")
Random thoughts on the injury situation; 1. Hockey is a sport that collects and reports stats on hits. 2. Injury (causing an opponent to not be able to play) is different from hurting (a hit that causes pain but the player continues to play but perhaps thinks about whats coming next). 3. Intent to injur should not be tolerated but intent is a very tough thing to know. 4. If a player does something that is otherwise allowed, it doesn’t make sense to punish him just because someone got hurt. “Maybe he just has sensitive skin” - Ovie defending a teammate when the opponent was bleeding. 5. Punishment based on severity of the injury opens up a potential new skill - designated wounded. 6. These are generally well conditioned, highly skilled players. It is hard not to jump to the “he knew where he was” conclusion but just as hard to reconcile that with missed passes, missed shots, overskating, etc. In short, I don’t have a lot of answers but am suspicious of any of the definitive/blanket statements being made, especially on the other hockey boards. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/94 "2011-03-14T22:32:36Z")
> [@This\_Just\_In\_2](#): > > [Crosby Skates](http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=555962&navid=DL%7CNHL%7Chome) > > Sounds to me like they are hoping to have Crosby back for the playoffs. I’m glad to see him making steps to coming back on the ice. I’m completely thrilled by this. It doesn’t necessarily MEAN he’ll be back for the rest of this season (keep in mind, it was only for fifteen minutes), but it does show that he’s on the road to recovery. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/95 "2011-03-18T15:32:01Z")
Look at this line-up: Forwards: Max Pacioretty - Tomas Plekanec - Jeff Halpern - Mathieu Darche Defence: Hal Gill - Jaroslav Spacek - Brent Sopel - Andrei Markov - Josh Gorges Impressive group, huh? That’s the list of players out of the Habs lineup with illness or injury last night. The Habs played last night’s game (and tonight’s, though Gill might be back, if his cold/flu goes away) with 9 players who played for the Hamilton Bulldogs in the past year, including the two most recent call-ups, Nigel Dawes and Aaron Palushaj, who was playing his first ever NHL game. And you know what? They still won against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are coached by last year’s Bulldgos coach, Guy Boucher. Pretty freaking awesome. You have to be impressed by the preparation/coaching of the farm team, being able to supply players who have mostly been able to fit in well when called up. Carey Price earned his league-leading 34th win of the season, the most for a Habs goalie since St Patrick himself. He has 8 shutouts this season, the most recent this past weekend against the Penguins. The Montreal media is screaming “Hart” and “Vézina”, though I’ve seen Price’s name linked with both in non-Montreal media reports as well. And MAX PACIORETTY _IS_ WOLVERINE! The man is on complete rest until (at least ) the 26th of March, but then he’s expected to start skating again and could begin contact drills 3-5 weeks from now. He was incredibly lucky that he wasn’t more severely injured, and the assumption was that he might be back next season, but potentially coming back for the playoffs? Incredible. I don’t want him rushed back if there’s a chance he could more seriously hurt himself, but at the same time…I’d love for him to face the Bruins and score the goal that eliminates them from the playoffs. How sweet would it be to see him shake Chara’s hand after that? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fred\_Garvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c67d28/32.png) [@Fred\_Garvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred_Garvin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/96 "2011-03-19T00:52:36Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I’d love for him to face the Bruins and score the goal that eliminates them from the playoffs. How sweet would it be to see him shake Chara’s hand after that? 😃 If that does happen, I think Max will think twice about shoving Chara in the back again 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/97 "2011-03-19T01:03:02Z")
> [@Fred\_Garvin](#): > > If that does happen, I think Max will think twice about shoving Chara in the back again 😉 Why? Clearly it would bring luck! 😛 Which would be needed tonight…Habs are tired and slow against the Rangers and it’s not going so well. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/98 "2011-03-19T12:42:31Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Carey Price earned his league-leading 34th win of the season, the most for a Habs goalie since St Patrick himself. I’m sure you meant to say that it puts him in a tie for first with [Jimmy Howard](http://www.nhl.com/ice/app?component=completeWinLeaderList&page=statshome&service=direct). ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/99 "2011-03-19T15:48:57Z")
> [@St.Urho](#): > > I’m sure you meant to say that it puts him in a tie for first with [Jimmy Howard](http://www.nhl.com/ice/app?component=completeWinLeaderList&page=statshome&service=direct). When I looked to confirm that, it was Pricey’s photo on the NHL leader page, so I take that as first place! I have no idea what the NHL uses for ordering this; it isn’t number of games played, that’s for sure (Price has played 10 more games than Howard). Perhaps it’s simply the more recent win? Minnesota on Sunday. 4 games in 6 nights, including one back-to-back with traveling. Seriously, I could make a much more fair schedule for teams than that! ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/100 "2011-03-19T20:28:50Z")
It’s an anti-Red Wings Conspiracy! 😉 Seriously, I have no idea how they decide that. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165/101 "2011-03-20T00:50:25Z")
What a shitty ref Job in Nashville Tonight. Fucking Goons throwing elbows all over the place, and the refs ignoring 90% of them and calling a goal back because Rinne was too busy shoving Holmstrom in the back to bother stopping the puck. Absolute load of shit by Nashville and the Refs [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-march-2011/573165.md?page=6)