The hit was late, Rome even changes direction, well after the puck is gone, in order to line up Horton. And he hit him right under the chin in an upward motion, he targeted the head. Anybody who says it was a clean hit is delusional. In hockey you are taught to finish your checks, sure, that doesn’ tmean open-ice check on someone whho got rid of the puck 2 seconds earlier (and anybody who says two seconds is not enough time is also delusional, two seconds is plenty of time to change you action). The truth is that Rome decided to go for the big hit, but being the shitty player he is, he made that decission too late and was going to be completely out of position if he let up. So what’s he do he lays into Horton, late and without muchh thought, isntead of letting Horton skate around him. But being dumb and being out of pposition does not give him carte blanche to do a late head-hunting hit, it just doesn’t.
Sorry but you be wrong, and here’s proof. It’s impossible to even count “One Mississippi” from the time Horton makes his pass and Rome hits him. Additionally, Rome hit shoulder to chest. Perfectly legal.
Really? I look at that and I get to two on the Second mississippi and Rome clearly hits him in the head in an upward motion, hell, he clearly comes up off his skates.
I agree that the hit was late, but there’s no way in the world it was a full two seconds after he passed the puck.
I just watched the video here about 10 times. Each time, when Horton passes the puck, the game clock says 14:57, and an instant after it clicks over to 14:56, he gets hit.
Also, if someone has another angle of the hit, i’d love to see it, because after watching that hit at least 10 times, i still don’t see that Rome targeted his head. It appeared to me that the hit itself was not a head hit, and that the hardest hit to the head was when Horton hit the ice.
I’m not really excusing Rome. It was a late hit, and i he did change direction to make it. But it was nowhere near a full two seconds and, at least from the angle i’ve seen, wasn’t directly to the head. As i said, if anyone has a video with another camera angle, i’d be happy to revise my opinion.
:rolleyes: It’s nice to have the ability to selectively determine your own version but the fact is Rome lowered his shoulder, planted his skates and drove his shoulder into Horton’s chest. Following through does not constitute leaving your skates. Horton landed on his head, full force, and that’s how he got knocked out.
I concur with all your assessments except the late hit part. You just said you barely get to one Mississippi - maybe not eve a full second - so how is that late? Five seconds is late. One second is not late. That is the epitome of finishing your check.
WTF-ever, you really think it was simply Rome finishing his check on not him being caught hopelessly out of position if he acted the way the rules proscribed. And yes he lowered his shoulder slightly so he could come up with it. into Horton’s chin. It was cheap and the result of bad a defensive play by Rome.
It is certainly not two seconds, but Rome’s shoulder hits Horton right in the head. Pause your own link at :45. Not only is Rome clearly hitting Horton in the head, but he’s moving upwards to do it. It’s a deliberate head shot.
Which is one reason I figured no action could be satisfactory, because none would be consistent with their weird track record.
Brendan Shanahan was a great player and he’s a nice guy and all that, but he is no more qualified to be the league’s chief disciplinarian than any other retired player and frankly I cannot think of any objective reason why he would be expected to do any better a job than he clowns that preceded him.
The reason Shanahan was given the job was to take the heat off the office by investing it with a guy everyone likes. Hey, it’s Shanny! Shanny’s a good guy, right? Why, he’s a Canadian, no less, and a TOUGH GUY, and he knows hockey and he’ll be fair, right? Shannyyyyyy! That’s pretty much the thought process here, or at least what the NHL hopes the thought process would be.
If the NHL was serious about improving the safety of the game they’d get fucking serious, strike a committee of hockey people, doctors, and safety experts, and really get cracking, and not in vague ways but things like “contact to the head is always illegal” and “all players much wear CSa or UL approved full face masks at all times” and sttart looking at softening padding and stuff like that. Instead it’s all piddly bullshit and rules nobody understands.
Rome’s hit is no less dirty than this masterpiece.
So much hay out of this Rome hit. If Horton had got right back up it there would not have even been a penalty.
Of course it was a late hit, one of dozens during this game and every playoff game. I seriously doubt Rome was going for a head hit, even if that is what it was. Rome isn’t a dirty player, but things happen fast and furious out there, not subject to slow motion replays. Rome just isn’t a very aware player. Witness his two dumb penalties in Game 2 and overall poor play.
In my opinion Rome is about 9th or 10th in our defensive depth chart and should not even be on the ice before Ballard or Tanev. To have him putting up big minutes with Bieksa wasn’t good - but for some reason Vigneault really likes Rome. His loss for the serious won’t hurt Vancouver at all - probably help actually.
That’s just it… the rules of the game are such that hits of this style are allowed (based upon proximity of the puck). It is only when someone gets seriously injured that we realize just how fucked up this is… these hits have not only the potential to end someone’s career, but can seriously hamper someone’s quality of life for the rest of their lives, or maybe even end it.
Flip the players around…Rome gets laid out by Horton, with the same injury outcome…and the only difference would be that Vancouver fans would be screaming for Horton’s head and Bruins fans would be calling it clean. But the danger and consequences are the same.
The problem isn’t the individual hit, or the individual players and what they were or were not thinking.
The problem is the game.
THIS !!
How can you justify using this rationale yet Chara skates free. Granted Chara is the nicest hockey player alive and hasn’t done a single thing wrong (since becoming a Bruin), and it was a Habs player (evil incarnate), but the fact remains, it was a late hit and Pacioretty ended up with a really, really, bad headache.
Not to mention, this was no worse than a lot of hits already in the playoffs (nevermind the regular season) . So because Horton ends up w/ a concussion, Rome sits for the rest of the playoffs? This whole thing is ridiculous
Congratulations to the Binghamton Senators on their 2011 Calder Cup victory, defeating the Wild’s affiliate, the Houston Aeros, in six games in the finals.
I’m not really interested in debating Chara v. Pacioretty versus Rome v. Horton, but I think this bit deserves a response. I think it encapsulates a lot of the attitudes of people around the NHL towards a concussion. The fans, the players, the coaches, the management, and even the league really don’t yet get just how serious a concussion is. A concussion doesn’t make you more vulnerable to brain damage. A concussion isn’t a precursor to brain damage. A concussion is brain damage.
Until the sport as a whole understands this, then there will be tragic stories like Derek Boogaard’s.
Five hole. 
The Rene Rancourt story, for you anthem fans.
I actually think Rancourt is a terrible singer. Has the guy ever hit a correct note? It’s truly cringe-worthy. I suppose there’s a chance that it’s just a bad sound set-up for television, but…well, he just sucks. I actually hit mute every time, because I just can’t stand it.
This is terrible hockey tonight, on both sides. The ice looks terrible, but both teams are playing like crap. It’s frustrating to watch, because the level of hockey should be so much better than this. I hope it gets better, because this is a tedious game…trying to follow the puck bounce off the crap ice is like watching popcorn! 
:eek:
Bad form, Thomas, bad form.
That, right there, is why I hate the Bruins. Sore losers and sore winners. Absolutely disgusting, and much more of an embarrassment to the league than anything Max Lapierre has ever done. He should be ashamed.
Did you see the Canuck’s player slashed Thomas first knocking the stick out of his hands? That is a penalty.