I saw it, didn't like it. Lucic was probably just frustrated because he stole the puck from him seconds before. He barely even touched Rittich.
I think it doesn't look as bad because the hack wasn't at his torso, and the blade is covered by that angle.. He took a hard jab at his glove, aka his fingers. I'm a goalie and those hacks HURT!! Optics of the punch with the glove on aren't great, but dude deserved a smack
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So if Lucic is suspended, we won't get any cap-relief... that means Rieder draws in, but no salary-room for an additional call-up if any other injuries happen to the Forward group. In that event, would we have to play only 11F ?
I like it, take a poke at the goalie and you get dropped.
I can’t really support sucker punches. Not with everything we know about the lasting effects of head injuries and how common it is in the NHL.
I agree that the NHL needs to call the abuse that goalies get though. It’s something every team does and puts up with. Rittich seems to have been getting it particularly bad lately so I understand Lucic’s reaction to a degree.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
I love it. I could see a fine coming but if you look at the play it’s not like it’s inherently dirty. It caught Sherwood off guard but I don’t think it was malicious or anything. I could maybe see a fine but I don’t think it’s dispensable.
I hope he keeps it up. We need more of this.
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I can’t really support sucker punches. Not with everything we know about the lasting effects of head injuries and how common it is in the NHL.
I agree that the NHL needs to call the abuse that goalies get though. It’s something every team does and puts up with. Rittich seems to have been getting it particularly bad lately so I understand Lucic’s reaction to a degree.
I don’t put this in the sucker punch category. If you are in a post whistle scrum and Lucic is on the ice, you should be expecting to get some attention. If you are caught off guard it’s your own fault.
Looch has just put other teams on notice. You dig at our goalie, you get dropped. You board one of our players, you get popped. No sane person wishes to be dropped or popped by Looch so they will refrain.
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So if Lucic is suspended, we won't get any cap-relief... that means Rieder draws in, but no salary-room for an additional call-up if any other injuries happen to the Forward group. In that event, would we have to play only 11F ?
Is that correct?
They have a little bit of space banked. Calling up Dube only costs a little over $4k per day. But LTIR is complicated and I am not sure if they are currently unable to call anyone up due to being over, including LTIR.
Regardless, the current roster includes 12 forwards, even without Lucic.
Well worth it...if the Flames did nothing people would say they are soft. And there were multiple incidents prior to this like a hit right in the numbers on 58 (can't spell)
#### that guy...Rittich goes down the Flames are facked
Yeah it was dirty. But exactly the response needed after having your goalie speared with a stick in the nuts. Sean Monahan would have just skated by and gone to the bench for a line change. I know which response I would prefer as a teammate.
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The punch of Zadorov was much more flagrant.
Wait until one of those pitchforks hurts a goalie for a legit injury.
The refs call was correct. They called a penalty for the pitchfork, which they were unlikely to do if Lucic didn't take matters into his own hands.
CBJ didn't have an answer and looked disinterested after that of playing at all physical. Lucic did his job. Glad we have a guy that will not really care if it means protecting a teammate.
Been a long time since we had a player like that, or, a coach that would allow that. (as an example, will never forget Hartley for not allowing a Flame to take on Ference for his cowardly forcing Lee Stempniak into a fight, nevermind later that game, but not the future games that season).
LOL wut?
Hartley had no issues with physical play or intimidation. Exhibit A:
Great punch Looch. You may be the worst hockey player in the NHL, but if you keep this up I say extend him for another 4 years at the end of his contract. You cannot buy facepunching like that for less than 5.25 million.
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I don’t put this in the sucker punch category. If you are in a post whistle scrum and Lucic is on the ice, you should be expecting to get some attention. If you are caught off guard it’s your own fault.
Looch has just put other teams on notice. You dig at our goalie, you get dropped. You board one of our players, you get popped. No sane person wishes to be dropped or popped by Looch so they will refrain.
Not only this. Lucic came at him head on and grabs Sherwood with his left hand before throwing his right.
What makes a sucker punch is the element of total surprise. Sherwood not wanting to fight and turtling does not make it a sucker punch.
I fully support this play. Teams in the past have clearly used hacks against the Flames as a strategy. Gaudreau already had his hands broken, which easily could have happened to Rittich here. The league isn't doing anything to defend the Flames, who are being targeted for their perceived youth and lack of size.
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Sherwood's hit earlier in the game would have been a penalty if our player wasn't able to absorb it. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
When one team is trying to run roughshod over the other, and is getting away with it, sometimes a smack in the chops is what said team requires to simmer down a bit.
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I seem to have a different opinion on this then most people in this thread so far. I think both of Lucic's punches this season were over the line and should be penalized.
I really don't like that the refs/league don't protect players when they should and teams still feel like they need to make goon-ish plays to protect themselves. We see so many soft "holding" calls, or "hooking" calls where there is almost no contact, and yet you get nothing when Rittich gets speared twice, or Getzlaf crushes Mangiapane after the whistle.
If you want to be serious about player safety then put a greater emphasis on penalizing plays that actually have a higher potential for injury and that will cut out a lot of these retaliatory plays.
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