End of the road for Shanahan?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by landshark

2 games - I thought Shanny explained himself well...

Except for the part where he had to exaggerate the head contact to justify the rest of it.

It is hard to really blame Shanahan though. First and foremost, he is a suit. Everything he was or did as a hockey player is lost in another life. And as a suit, his decisions are going to be based on optics more than anything else. A guy ended up on the ice with blood everywhere, therefore the optics said that someone had to be punished. Remove Shanahan and put another suit in his place, and the same result will be met.


What did bother me about his explanation though is the fact that he chose to specify that the nature of the pass was irrelevant. It is not irrelevant, and it is this attitude that is really harming hockey. We spend all this time talking about how guys delivering hits need to be more aware while not only dismissing, but actively condoning the fact that players on the other side of the equation are making decisions that are causing these hits.

Raphael Diaz made an incredibly stupid decision, and it resulted in one of his teammates laying face down in a pool of their own blood. That is not something that should be so easily dismissed. Obviously Shanahan can't suspend Diaz for it, but people within the league need to be willing to put some of the onus on the guys putting themselves or their teammates into dangerous positions. And while MacLean said it to defend his player, more coaches and players need to step up and be willing to call out players who do this.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by atb

Video is out:




Reason for suspension is Rule 48, principal point of contact is the head.

Okay. Something is up here.

If there is one thing about this hit, its that it is impeccably clear that the principal point of contact is not his head.

[calumniate]

Not to mention they use a clip that is 50 feet from the point of contact, whereas Kerry Fraser and everyone else used clips that were up close.

[AltaGuy]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Obviously Shanahan can't suspend Diaz for it, but people within the league need to be willing to put some of the onus on the guys putting themselves or their teammates into dangerous positions. And while MacLean said it to defend his player, more coaches and players need to step up and be willing to call out players who do this.

The current trend of players purposefully turning their backs on oncoming checkers (usually about three feet from the boards) drives me absolutely nuts. One of the most dangerous plays in hockey becoming commonplace.

[thymebalm]

Meh. It's intent to injure at the very least. They screwed up the wording, but there's no space for hospitalizing checks in this game. Some onus of safety should be on the playing throwing the check.

After the death in the Kazakstan League earlier this year, it seems like the next thing to do is remove checks to the head completely, as any point of contact.

Although once you do that, fighting may as well be retired, too.

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by Locke

I'm sure charges are being filed in Montreal as we speak.

It's funny 'cause it's true!

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Locke

Okay. Something is up here.

If there is one thing about this hit, its that it is impeccably clear that the principal point of contact is not his head.

It's like bizarro world watching it and listening to the explanation. It's just not adding up and Ottawa should appeal this.

I'm starting to feel like these videos are indoctrination videos to eventually convince fans to make it a no-contact sport.

[TurnedTheCorner]

I don't see how it's the end of the road for Shanahan, unless he's choosing to do something else.

The suspension is an expected playoff suspension, in that it's too short.

[mrkajz44]

Here's what I don't get. Gyba gets two games and Ference gets one game. If Shanahan's big argrument for Gyba was principle contact to the head, then what the heck was Ference hit first?

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by thymebalm

Meh. It's intent to injure at the very least. They screwed up the wording, but there's no space for hospitalizing checks in this game. Some onus of safety should be on the playing throwing the check.

After the death in the Kazakstan League earlier this year, it seems like the next thing to do is remove checks to the head completely, as any point of contact.

Although once you do that, fighting may as well be retired, too.

In terms of things this is not, intending to injure is second only to the head being the principle point of contact. He does none of the things normally associated with "attempting to injure".

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

Here's what I don't get. Gyba gets two games and Ference gets one game. If Shanahan's big argrument for Gyba was principle contact to the head, then what the heck was Ference hit first?

Ference's hit wasn't a blindside.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by thymebalm

Meh. It's intent to injure at the very least. They screwed up the wording, but there's no space for hospitalizing checks in this game. Some onus of safety should be on the playing throwing the check.

After the death in the Kazakstan League earlier this year, it seems like the next thing to do is remove checks to the head completely, as any point of contact.

Although once you do that, fighting may as well be retired, too.

It isnt though. He doesnt go out of his way to hurt him. He doesnt manipulate his actions to try and maximize damage. He doesnt elevate an elbow to the head. Nothing.

It was a good, clean hockey play. And I can say this as someone who loathes both teams and hadnt even heard of Eric Gryba until yesterday. That hit was awesome to watch, it sucks that Eller got hurt.

Like McLean said, when Eller is healthy again he ought to beat the ever-loving crap out of Diaz for that.

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by Locke

It was a good, clean hockey play.

Nope.

Originally Posted by Locke

Like McLean said, when Eller is healthy again he ought to beat the ever-loving crap out of Diaz for that.

He probably should.

[trackercowe]

It's the pressure from the media (mostly American) that forces these suspensions. If you watch any coverage ESPN gives these type of incidents they always say that the book should be thrown at the offender. Whether or not they know what a clean hit really is, they always look at the end result (a bad injury in this case), and say the guy should be suspended for multiple games. Shanny used to be make better decisions, but now he is acting too much as a reactionary, and is pressured into making wrong calls (straight down for Bettman I'd imagine).

[Locke]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

It's the pressure from the media (mostly American) that forces these suspensions. If you watch any coverage ESPN gives these type of incidents they always say that the book should be thrown at the offender. Whether or not they know what a clean hit really is, they always look at the end result (a bad injury in this case), and say the guy should be suspended for multiple games. Shanny used to be make better decisions, but now he is acting too much as a reactionary, and is pressured into making wrong calls (straight down for Bettman I'd imagine).

In which case it should be the end of the road for Brendan Shannahan.

Hell, any monkey can make calls or suspensions to appease the masses. Thats beyond simple. If Shanny wants to keep his job then he should make the right calls despite the pressure.

If theres no pressure to perform and he just does whatever it takes to appease whomever then any idiot could do his job. Fire him and hire Pauly Shore or something at a massive discount and reduce the price of beer at venues by a nickel or something.

he was hired to do the hard job. He isnt doing it. Hes copping out. Any idiot can cop out. And probably for cheaper no less.

[thymebalm]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

In terms of things this is not, intending to injure is second only to the head being the principle point of contact. He does none of the things normally associated with "attempting to injure".

Originally Posted by Locke

It isnt though. He doesnt go out of his way to hurt him. He doesnt manipulate his actions to try and maximize damage. He doesnt elevate an elbow to the head. Nothing.

It was a good, clean hockey play. And I can say this as someone who loathes both teams and hadnt even heard of Eric Gryba until yesterday. That hit was awesome to watch, it sucks that Eller got hurt.

Like McLean said, when Eller is healthy again he ought to beat the ever-loving crap out of Diaz for that.

I'd say if you had to rate a players vulnerability, Eller was at least an 8, if not a 10 out of 10. Eller shouldn't have put himself in such a position, Diaz shouldn't of made the pass, but the reason Eller was hurt was because Gryba went for the big hit.

Can't there still be big hits where you don't hit the head at all?

[PantherExtreme]

Tsn just showed an angle that shows very clearly the shoulder got him right in the chin, which is why he dropped like a rock. The chin is part of the head.

Should he be suspended? Depends if you think intent for a headshot is needed or if players have an onus not to ever make a head hit that injures regardless of intent.

[automaton 3]

What a joke.

[Kaine]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

Nope.

He probably should.

Good rebuttal. We have many, many angles showing that the point of contact was nowhere near the head, he has no obvious intent to injuring considering he didn't leave his skates, didn't bring up his elbow, didn't charge a player from behind. Care to elaborate on your point of view or is "nope" the final answer?

Not trying to be a jerk, honestly curious how one could view that as anything but a clean hockey hit followed by a very unfortunate injury.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Kaine

Good rebuttal. We have many, many angles showing that the point of contact was nowhere near the head, he has no obvious intent to injuring considering he didn't leave his skates, didn't bring up his elbow, didn't charge a player from behind. Care to elaborate on your point of view or is "nope" the final answer?

Not trying to be a jerk, honestly curious how one could view that as anything but a clean hockey hit followed by a very unfortunate injury.

I do believe it was a clean hit, not an head shot. I also believe he had every intention of hitting Eller as hard as humanly possible, which would definitely cause an injury. There is a lot of grey area with this hit and many ones like it. A body check is to be used to separate puck from body and big hits like this, although delivered cleanly, have every intention of taking someone out (injuring). As clean as they may be I don't have a problem with trying to get them out of the game, nobody wants to see a player out cold bleeding on the ice.