Sure was, especially when that concern was used as the backbone for a poorly thought out article on why a random play was actually a microcosm of the problems plaguing the NHL, giving non-fans a reason to call it a "2nd tier league."
Similar to what pylon said, I must have missed the "I pray for Methot the human being" articles when Crosby slashed his finger into pieces.
As bad as Crosby's injury might be, the severity of it has nothing to do with that play or the intentions of anyone involved.
Ya I think I missed the Pray that O'Reilly can still have kids posts too.
I am all for talking about the inequities in the reffing system in the NHL, but I would rather start with Crosby being able to get away with anything he wants (and these were just two recent examples) and get no supplemental discipline while when something bad happens to him suddenly it's 10-15 games????
I had the same discussion about the Oilers where people were complaining that McDavid wasn't getting the calls on the hooks when he entered the zone while he got them all season long. I laughed in his face because that is what Gaudreau dealt with all year and was told to sit down, shut up and deal with it because hockey.
This is the fastest contact sport played professionally, guys are flying at over 30kph, stuff will be missed and guys will get hurt. That's the nature of hockey. Sucks for Crosby but other than a slash that happens 50 times a game there is nothing on this play that is worth talking about. If that was Stempniak that got clocked the discussion would have been over 5 mins after it happened.
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You guys both missed his point. He wasn't saying that the pinky injury was as bad as the concussion.
The reason why there's such an uproar about the current situation is because:
A) It's Sidney Crosby - it's bound to happen.
B) It's a concussion caused by contact with the head.
For me, its more B than anything else. If Crosby got slashed and had a broken finger, that's something that you can wrap around the argument that it's tough luck and sometimes happens in hockey....but there's no reason hits to the head should be characterized as "hockey plays" whether or not it was intentional. In a large majority of the case, intent is hard to judge. You don't know what was going on in Niskanen's mind and never will. We just make the assumption that it wasn't intentional because the play seemed to be a bang-bang play.
Crosby probably gets slashed more than any other player in the league and takes a lot of abuse.....so what if he dishes some back at some point? I bet you can make a way larger highlight video of Crosby getting slashed and cheapshotted than of Crosby returning the favor to other players.
The inherent problem with the NHL is....why does Crosby feel the need to return the favor to some players and slash/cheapshot them? It's a massive flaw in the NHL...that needs to be fixed. It's like a really bad plot hole.
I have not read every post on this, but it looks to me like Ovie's slash might have even knocked Crosby out/rendered him woozy. From the angle to the right, it really looks like Crosby drops and is almost limp before the collision with Niskanen.
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Sure was, especially when that concern was used as the backbone for a poorly thought out article on why a random play was actually a microcosm of the problems plaguing the NHL, giving non-fans a reason to call it a "2nd tier league."
Do you feel like other leagues do the same thing between regular season and playoffs?
Does pass interference in football stop being called just because it's the Super Bowl? Do fouls stop being called in soccer because it's Champion's League? Do you see NBA refs stop calling fouls? Faults stop being called in tennis because it's an important point? Strikes and balls are called depending on the state of the game?
Basically aside from the melodrama of the crosby concern, why do you think the article was dumb?
I'm glad to know that you equate a broken finger to a concussion. You should go do some reading in your spare time.
Bravo. I would say some choice words but I would just get a Mod edit and those lousy infraction points.
Woosh. Sorry I didn't read enough to make it crystal clear for you what the point was. I thought I was lobbing a softball there, not a major league changeup.
The point is that this outrage isn't about the action, it's about the result. If you want the action to go away you have to consistently condemn it, not just cry bloody murder when Sid the Kid goes down. Your POV is exactly what is wrong with the NHL disciplinary process IMO, it's 100% reactionary and subjective. The action that caused Methot's injury and Crosby's injury are categorically the exact same in severity (that does not mean the injury is - which I felt I needed to point out to prove to you I read in my spare time).
Im mostly just tired of "fans" and a few talking heads treating the NHL like a 2nd tier bush-league reenactment of the Thunderdome whenever a star gets hurt, but whenever it's not a star, or worse: whenever a star is a guilty party, it's "nothing," it's a "hockey play."
Yeah, I hope Sid's OK, but the actions that led to his injury are about as serious to me as they were when they happened to Methot, or even any player that isn't injured by then for that matter. They're tiny, chippy, dirty little plays. Do they make the NHL better? No. Am I going to start up the prayer circle because a freak sequence of those events led to a player with a weak head getting another concussion? Also no.
Ask yourself: if Sid gets right back up, does anybody care?
If Sid and Niskanen's roles are reversed, is anybody praying for Nis?
Last edited by PepsiFree; 05-02-2017 at 04:45 PM.
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Damn. Whichever way someone falls on the culpability of Ovechkin and Niskanen, it sucks to see Crosby out. Over the last two playoffs he has been playing at a level that was inspirational. He has truly been the best in the world and a cut above everyone else as a complete player and playoff winning machine. Just lame to see him go out, especially with another concussion, which could be career-ending for all we know.
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Damn. Whichever way someone falls on the culpability of Ovechkin and Niskanen, it sucks to see Crosby out. Over the last two playoffs he has been playing at a level that was inspirational. He has truly been the best in the world and a cut above everyone else as a complete player and playoff winning machine. Just lame to see him go out, especially with another concussion, which could be career-ending for all we know.
You would think the NHL should be extremely worried that their best player in the game could be one hit away from ending his career.
Crosby has had around five concussion in the NHL...
(i.e. NFL protects their quarterbacks, NBA protects players etc)
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^^Yep, it is a shame. Interestingly, there is a story line that could play out.
Back in the 1992 playoffs the Ranger's Adam Graves was the villain in the piece when he broke Mario's hand(it was similarly strategic in nature). Pittsburgh was down 2-1 and came back to win the series, Mario then returned to slay the Bruins with one of his greatest performances.
Last edited by Flamenspiel; 05-02-2017 at 05:27 PM.
^^Yep, it is a shame. There is a story line though that could play out though.
Back in the 1992 playoffs the Ranger's Adam Graves was the villain in the piece when he broke Mario's hand(it was similarly strategic in nature). Pittsburgh was down 2-1 and came back to win the series, Mario then returned to slay the Bruins with one of his greatest performances.
I would take a broken hand over a concussion any day in Crosby's situation.
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"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"
I have been a believer for a while now that they need to crack down on the slashing and if your stick hits any part of an opponent (other than their stick) in a slashing motion then it should be a penalty. Hooking went this way - you used to have a couple of hooks on a guy and get away with it. Now it is called if your stick goes into the mid section for a fraction of a second.
Taking out slashing would take care of so much the league is trying to do
- goal scoring should go up
- the speed of the game would go up
- star players miss less time
Ovechkins slash is a 2 minute penalty in slow motion but it happens hundreds of times a season and isn't called. I don't see it as a dirty play but a play he knows he has a 50/50 chance of getting away with to take away a Crosby scoring chance...who wouldn't make that play.
At the end of the day, it is a league problem and if the league doesn't fix it we will see the stars of the game injured.
I couldn't agree more, I'd go black and white on this, no more legal love taps. It's possible (albeit unlikely) that it could even lead to a reduction in body armour that can be as much of a weapon as protection .
I am of the opinion that superstars should be treated differently.
They shouldn't be able to get away with more, but they should get 'superstar' penalty calls. It should also be widely known that the book will be thrown at players who inure them.
This will give superstars more time and space on the ice, resulting in more awesome highlights.
I am of the opinion that superstars should be treated differently.
They shouldn't be able to get away with more, but they should get 'superstar' penalty calls. It should also be widely known that the book will be thrown at players who inure them.
This will give superstars more time and space on the ice, resulting in more awesome highlights.
While I agree officials have to monitor liberties taken against them more closely, I completely disagree with the idea that they should be treated differently. That allows them to take advantage of that "preferential" treatment and embellish to draw more calls (see McDavid).
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While I agree officials have to monitor liberties taken against them more closely, I completely disagree with the idea that they should be treated differently. That allows them to take advantage of that "preferential" treatment and embellish to draw more calls (see McDavid).
Yeah, I'm fine with that.
McDavid is bananas good, it's better for hockey if he gets a little more time and space out there to show off just how bananas good he really is. I am in support of giving stars star treatment. I know this isn't a popular opinion, but I still hold it.
McDavid is bananas good, it's better for hockey if he gets a little more time and space out there to show off just how bananas good he really is. I am in support of giving stars star treatment. I know this isn't a popular opinion, but I still hold it.
So teams should get an even bigger advantage then for being bad enough to win a lottery pick
Woosh. Sorry I didn't read enough to make it crystal clear for you what the point was. I thought I was lobbing a softball there, not a major league changeup.
The point is that this outrage isn't about the action, it's about the result. If you want the action to go away you have to consistently condemn it, not just cry bloody murder when Sid the Kid goes down. Your POV is exactly what is wrong with the NHL disciplinary process IMO, it's 100% reactionary and subjective. The action that caused Methot's injury and Crosby's injury are categorically the exact same in severity (that does not mean the injury is - which I felt I needed to point out to prove to you I read in my spare time).
Im mostly just tired of "fans" and a few talking heads treating the NHL like a 2nd tier bush-league reenactment of the Thunderdome whenever a star gets hurt, but whenever it's not a star, or worse: whenever a star is a guilty party, it's "nothing," it's a "hockey play."
Yeah, I hope Sid's OK, but the actions that led to his injury are about as serious to me as they were when they happened to Methot, or even any player that isn't injured by then for that matter. They're tiny, chippy, dirty little plays. Do they make the NHL better? No. Am I going to start up the prayer circle because a freak sequence of those events led to a player with a weak head getting another concussion? Also no.
Ask yourself: if Sid gets right back up, does anybody care?
If Sid and Niskanen's roles are reversed, is anybody praying for Nis?
Actually, that's basically what the article that you mocked was arguing
Wow, I get a lot of people think that wasn't intentional and he might have been protecting himself (Niskanen) but he is still responsible for his stick hitting someone in the head.
Hit to the head? High sticking? Cross checking? Any of those are fine by me and Niskanen's 5 mins was enough IMO.
It is really unfortunate that lead to a major injury for Crosby, but we have seen way worse hits against our team this year that didn't result in a concussion. Crosby is susceptible and that is sad because it could affect the rest of his life and I hope to see the best player in the world back on the ice as soon as possible, he is the best.
I agree with others who posted, the rules should be the same no matter if it is playoffs or not.
They can't change suspensions based on how badly you have injured someone, that would be terrible to manage.
The solution? There isn't one. Players will get injured because of these kinds of plays in hockey. Niskanen was penalized how he should have been IMO. I want to Caps to win the series but not because of this. It sucks and I don't think Niskanen meant to injured as badly as he did. I don't think he meant to cross check him in the head, and he paid the price for his actions fairly.
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McDavid is bananas good, it's better for hockey if he gets a little more time and space out there to show off just how bananas good he really is. I am in support of giving stars star treatment. I know this isn't a popular opinion, but I still hold it.
So teams who weren't fortunate enough to get the 1st overall pick or have a generational super star should play the game at a disadvantage?
This mindset is part of the reason why the officiating is a joke. Monitor the liberties taken against these "superstars" and call the game fairly, maybe then they wouldn't face league wide scrutiny for their inconsistencies. It doesn't hinder the stars ability to create.
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So teams who weren't fortunate enough to get the 1st overall pick or have a generational super star should play the game at a disadvantage?
Yeah, pretty much. Most contending teams have a player who would fall into this 'gets the calls' category. I think Gaudreau will be there in a year or two, personally. Some players just get there earlier.
Sports are entertainment, they should be entertaining. Giving the best players in the game a little bit more freedom to be entertaining is a good idea.
