Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Slashes are a bad part of the game but they happen in every game and the NHL simply never hands out 5 and a game for them like the hits from behind on the boards. If Subban was out there running guys from behind sure you take him out before he injures someone's brain but this ejection thing for slashing is a little over the top unless it's a new league mandate and they are going to be consistent calling hard slashes as majors and misconducts. The fact that this never happens and it happened to Subban of all players kind of falls into the hands of the conspiracy theorists that think there is prejudice against him. This isn't my opinion of course but it certainly fuels that fire.
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This did look like a really bad and
deliberate slash, so the refs absolutely acted in accordance with the rule 61.4:
Quote:
Rule 61 – Slashing
61.1 Slashing - Slashing is the act of a player swinging his stick at an
opponent, whether contact is made or not. Non-aggressive stick contact to the pant or front of the shin pads, should not be penalized as slashing. Any forceful or powerful chop with the stick on an opponent’s body, the opponent’s stick, or on or near the opponent’s hands that, in the judgment of the Referee, is not an attempt to play the puck, shall be penalized as slashing.
- 61.2 Minor Penalty - A minor penalty, at the discretion of the Referee based on the severity of the contact, shall be imposed on a player who slashes an opponent.
- 61.3 Major Penalty - A major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee based on the severity of the contact, shall be imposed on a player who slashes an opponent. When injury occurs, a major penalty must be assessed under this rule (see 61.5).
- 61.4 Match Penalty – The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent by slashing.
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As for Subban being "targeted" I don't buy it. He is a superstar player and he is viewed by the league/refs as such. I do find him obnoxious though, not that it matters in this case.