[News] Gaudreau will have surgery to repair fractured finger (out ~6 weeks)

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

The instigator rule has been in place for 24 years. Somewhere along the line since then dressing a goon just allowed your goon to fight a staged fight against the other teams goon. That was no deterrent to anything.

The arguments at the time were that stick work was going to be more dangerous to players than fighting was. Well, the science of head injuries has completely reversed that equation. With what we know about head injuries, it is pretty disgusting that the nhl even allows fighting to the extent it does now.

If star players (or any players for that matter) are missing games due to slashes on the hands, then it is time for the nhl to consistently crack down on it, stick to the ruling and let it leave the game. It always amazes me that the nhl cannot bring itself to consistently call its rules and establish thresholds for when they should be called. Instead they follow Bettman's misguided attempts to manage the excitement of games at the expense of the integrity of the game.

Thats a nice wall of words....but who said anything about dressing a goon?

The instigator rule doesn't discriminate against anyone, no matter your role. No one is able to answer star players getting bullied, including themselves!

But I suppose it is way easier to blame it on Bettman.

[Dajazz]

I don't get to watch too much live NHL hockey due to the time difference.

But, where NHL has best talent in the world it also has bush league officiating. It's not only the non calls on johnny, it's a disgrace. Even our (Sweden) 3rd tier leagues seem better officiated. Sure they put the foot down on hits to the head, but there is more chopping than in my local Chinese wok restaurant...

[smiggy77]

Well at least sportsnets highlights showed the amount of slashes Gaudreau had to deal with.

This is such bull and a complete piss off.

[badradio]

Would love a bonafide heavyweight like McGrattan in the line up... don't care if it costs us a penalty or is a "waste of a roster spot" people will think twice for slashing JH or anyone for that matter. The fact that we are near the bottom of the league makes the call easier. Most importantly it sets a tone for the future that you can't take liberties with our players. Can also shift the energy of the game if they choose their spots well and win. (Unlike Bollig) Gives our guys confidence that they know someone has their back. Someone the other team doesn't want to mess with.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Two annoyances

Flames are not appearing to be a threat. Why target their best player?
Suter and Johnny both guys that should be playing together on US national teams.

I know the answer but don't like it

[Flash Walken]

The forward pass is killing hockey, let me tell you.

[nickerjones]

Maybe it's me being cynical but I feel we are still dealing with the Wideman Curse. Refs are going to look the other way a lot when officiating a team that Dennis Wideman plays on.

I mean there isn't much else to explain it on. I could also be out to lunch. Just my 2 cents

[Calgary4LIfe]

I have noticed that this team doesn't stick up for one another as much as they did in past seasons. This is not 'Flames Hockey' to me. Since about 86 or so, this team has always had that certain swagger that they will not be intimidated physically, and will more often than not be the ones intimidating out there.

Hartley was known for 'liking his goons', but he never really allowed them to do their thing out there, outside of some rare instances. Yes, that Vancouver line brawl was blamed all on him, but I still think that wouldn't have happened except for Torts expecting it to happen, and building it up. Hartley's teams were some of the more disciplined teams in the NHL under his tenure. I actually thought that was one of the reasons he was let go, especially when Burke brought up that players like Bollig aren't being played enough.

Same thing is happening with Gulutzan - team is too disciplined.

I am not saying to go out there and goon it up - I really don't like that. I think this team should not only respond, but respond in unison. Whack Johnny's wrists? Well, we are going to play chippy, and we are going to try and ram your team through the boards all night, and muck it up in your goalie's crease, and we will have Engelland, Ferland and whomever else do bench drive-bys lipping you guys off all night.

I don't want them to start hacking wrists back - that is a ######bag move, IMO. I don't want the Flames to be a dirty, cheap team in that manner. They just don't have that swagger. Maybe the reigns are on too tight and players are overly afraid of taking a bad penalty? This team has little swagger. The only guy out there with swagger is Engelland, and you can't expect him to fight every night. I loved the swagger he showed against Lucic when the Flames were playing McDavid hard (but not cheap and dirty, and especially not attempting to injure), and the second Lucic beaked at him, Engelland yelled at him and skated up to him right away. I thought that was a sign of things to come this season. I also thought when Tkachuk got hit into the boards with a (IMO) dirty hit, and left the ice in the preseason, Ferland took that guy's number and went after him the next shift. Gulutzan made a big thing about it on the bench and in the media.

We still have a team that doesn't stick up for one another.

If it takes a game where the Flames are already down, through discipline out the window. Make the game chippy as hell, and try to instigate a line brawl. However, as others have mentioned, the Flames HAVE to complain vociferously to the league about the un-called slashings first. When the league gives Treliving a call about the line brawl, Treliving can tell them it wouldn't have happened if the refs called the slashings more frequently, and the players themselves are too fed-up with it.

I can take the losing for long periods of time. It happens.
I can even take boring hockey for a while too, where coaches coach the fun out of a game.
What I can't take for long is seeing a team without any swagger or courage to stand up for one another. That to me just stopped being a team.

Flames became so much better after that line-brawl in Vancouver - they got their swagger it seemed after that. Confirmation bias? Maybe. But this team has absolutely no swagger, and on the ice they look like they are not only trying to be the most disciplined team out there in their playstyle, but seem almost scared at times. Buffalo got so screwed up after Lucic ran Miller that game - the wheels were already falling off for Buffalo, but that just yanked out any heart that team had left.

A goon or two isn't going to solve this. This team needs to look one another in the eye and know that they got each other's back out there. That isn't happening. I think that is also partially why the Flames are losing and can't seem to put in consistent efforts as well - there is no emotion out there except fear and frustration, IMO (as much as I can tell anyways).

[curves2000]

I hate to sound like an old hack but given the way the game is played today with the rules in place, the best the player can do is protect themselves. I 100% agree with the points being discussed here but the reality is the game isn't played that way anymore.

With Johnny's wrists and hands being the targets non stop, I would hope he looks into wearing gloves that offer longer protection.

I know it sounds old school but gloves used to protect hands, wrists and forearms. With the way the game is played today, with the slashing and the shot blocking, you would think that players would alter their equipment for protection. Just because something is new doesn't make it better and having better protection for those hands are needed.

The mere fact that we are discussing this and the lack of calls as a result means that the game has changed and not for the better. A player needs to be proactive with their gear cause the NHL will not look after it's star players, as awful as that sounds.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by memphusk

There is less stick work, just more noticeable in today's game. There would be less if the team would answer.

This I totally agree with

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I have a crazy suggestion.

Maybe if the refs called slashing penalties we wouldn't have to worry about fighting and the instigator and defending teammates because players wouldn't slash each other as much if they got a penalty for it.

[CaptainCrunch]

At this point I think you have to do something to warn off the rest of the league or its going to keep happening.

I'd tell my fourth line that they have four minutes to completely sow havoc. run players through the boards, slash like a mad man. Throw elbows and then skate by the opposition bench and tell them to lay off of our best player.

Sometimes you're going to have to be willing to take penalties.

[CaptainCrunch]

At this point maybe the GM has to be willing to take the fine and sit there with his tablet in front of the press and and play the slashes while asking why the refs did such a piss poor job of enforcing player safety.

[chockfullofgoodness]

I don't see teams taking liberties with McDavid. It's most likely because the Oilers have some muscle in their lineup who will stop at nothing to make sure no one messes with the Golden Boy.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by chockfullofgoodness

I don't see teams taking liberties with McDavid. It's most likely because the Oilers have some muscle in their lineup who will stop at nothing to make sure no one messes with the Golden Boy.

No it's because the refs call a penalty everytime anyone so much as farts in Mcdavids general direction.

[chockfullofgoodness]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

No it's because the refs call a penalty everytime anyone so much as farts in Mcdavids general direction.

If it was only going to be a simple minor penalty by giving McDavid a whack on the hands, teams would be doing it from time to time. But since the Oilers have some thugs in their lineup, opposing players are less likely to do so. Flames seem to lack that intimidation factor.

[topfiverecords]

Who's volunteering to wack Bettman on the wrist next time he's in town?

[Barnet Flame]

Form an orderly line.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Teams, especially Bruce Boudreau teams (this is what the Ducks used to do when he was their coach) know that it's worth the risk, because our power play is awful.

It's pretty clear Bruce Boudreau gives his players marching orders to chop the hands off of Johnny, maybe we can investigate ala Sean Payton and Bountygate.

[wired]

Perhaps Johnny needs to retaliate himself.
If he gets slashed, then slash back.
Not just a small slash, take a golf swing at an ankle.
If he is going to leave the game anyway, may as well take the arsehole who hurt him out as well.
Seems his team mates wont do the job.