[News] Voracek suspend 2 games for 'hit' on Johnny Boychuk

[Philly06Cup]

https://twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafety/...57392225890304

Yesterday's new, but I didn't see anything posted here.

This is not a suspendable hit. It isn't even a hit. Boychuk charges towards Voracek, who braces himself for a hit. Voracek has no suspension history. The NHLPA is rightfully appealing the decision, but it won't go through until he has sat out at least one game. Like with the Wideman suspension, the NHL should defer suspensions until after the appeals process.

[Caged Great]

That should have been a penalty for interference and that's about it. Don't really understand why that's a suspension. Would have been avoidable if he just went and got the puck instead.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

https://twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafety/...57392225890304

Yesterday's new, but I didn't see anything posted here.

This is not a suspendable hit. It isn't even a hit. Boychuk charges towards Voracek, who braces himself for a hit. Voracek has no suspension history. The NHLPA is rightfully appealing the decision, but it won't go through until he has sat out at least one game. Like with the Wideman suspension, the NHL should defer suspensions until after the appeals process.

Are you serious?

Voracek saw him coming and with force elevated his whole body , a shoulder to head hit. Boychuk NEVER was close to touching the puck.

That’s at least a 2 game suspension....every single time.

[Philly06Cup]

Boychuk is the one initiating contact and creating the dangerous situation. They are not close to the puck because Boychuk went charging right to Voraceks back instead of going for the puck. If Voracek doesn't brace himself, he gets flattened face first into the glass 15 feet from the puck.

DOPS is way off on this one.

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

Boychuk is the one initiating contact and creating the dangerous situation. They are not close to the puck because Boychuk went charging right to Voraceks back instead of going for the puck. If Voracek doesn't brace himself, he gets flattened face first into the glass 15 feet from the puck.

DOPS is way off on this one.

Now I understand why every person in prison says they are innocent.

Boychuk intitiated contact...yeah ok.

Take the homer glasses off.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

Boychuk is the one initiating contact and creating the dangerous situation. They are not close to the puck because Boychuk went charging right to Voraceks back instead of going for the puck. If Voracek doesn't brace himself, he gets flattened face first into the glass 15 feet from the puck.

DOPS is way off on this one.

The bolded part is purely speculative , on your part. That’s not what happened.

IMO, the DOPS is right on their decision.

[puckedoff]

Department of Player Education and Safety

[KootenayFlamesFan]

The one angle shows Voracek looking behind, waiting, then elevating himself into Boychuk’s head. When Boychuk is coming at Voracek he had his right hand up. He didn’t go at him shoulder first or with a cross check. I think the idea Voracek was going to be flattened from behind into the boards is pretty ridiculous. That’s an easy 1 game suspension, 2 games isn’t hard to believe.

[Owen15]

Vorachek clearly sees Boychuk coming and goes full metal Tkachuk on him. Was a suspension then, as now.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

https://twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafety/...57392225890304

Yesterday's new, but I didn't see anything posted here.

This is not a suspendable hit. It isn't even a hit. Boychuk charges towards Voracek, who braces himself for a hit. Voracek has no suspension history. The NHLPA is rightfully appealing the decision, but it won't go through until he has sat out at least one game. Like with the Wideman suspension, the NHL should defer suspensions until after the appeals process.

1. That's 100% suspendable.

2. Flames shouldn't have appealed Wideman.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

1. That's 100% suspendable.

2. Flames shouldn't have appealed Wideman.

Teams don't appeal suspensions. It is the NHLPA that does and only if the player wants them to do so on their behalf.

[TheIronMaiden]

I am fine with the league taking a no tolerance policy towards initiating contact with the head. It is simply too dangerous no matter what the context is.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Anything that reduces head contact in the league is fine by me. Voracek saw him coming and it was clearly intentional, and the puck was nowhere near either of them. I agree with the decision, especially with how they described it.

It's important that not only the players take this stuff seriously, but the FANS need to as well. Less griping is needed over plays that are illegal (hence the penalty) that also result in serious head contact. We all need to be on the same page on this issue.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Teams don't appeal suspensions. It is the NHLPA that does and only if the player wants them to do so on their behalf.

Thanks for the clarification. I remember reading this....and thought the the Flames filed it on Wideman's behalf.

"We strongly disagree with the League's decision to suspend Dennis Wideman," the NHLPA said. "Dennis has played in 11 NHL seasons and almost 800 games without incident. The facts, including the medical evidence presented at the hearing, clearly demonstrate that Dennis had no intention to make contact with the linesman. An appeal has been filed on the player's behalf."

Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke also issued a statement Wednesday after the suspension was announced:

"We were informed earlier today that our player, Dennis Wideman, was suspended for contact with an official in last Wednesday's game against Nashville. We disagree with the severity of today's suspension ruling and maintain that Dennis' collision with the linesman was unintentional and accidental. We agree that our officials' safety and well-being is of extreme importance in order to allow them to perform their duties. They perform an invaluable but underappreciated role in our game. We support sanctions against players who make deliberate contact with any official. However unintentional and accidental contact does occur at times in our game. We will have no further comment on the matter at this time."

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[Philly06Cup]

Nhlpa was right to appeal Widemans suspension. His got reduced from 20 games to 10 games, but only after he had served 19 games. To further spit on the Flames, bettman went out of his way to disapprove of the arbitrators ruling, when a proper commissioner would agree to be bound by the outcome of arbitration and apologize that the flames unfairly lost one of their dmen for 9 games.


If NHL wants to increase safety, it should look at Boychuks role. He is recklessly charging towards a player at a dangerous angle who is not close to the puck. Voracek sees him and on contact attempts to side step the hit and straightens his back. Boychuk is clearly the aggressor and it is his type of play that results in injuries In the league. Voracek is in a lose-lose situation: take an awkward hit or try to protect yourself. That's what so weird about this "reverse hit".

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I tend to agree that this isn't worthy of a suspension, but come on, you don't know what Boychuk was going to do there. The dude isn't Raffi Torres. For all we know he would have pinned Voracek to the boards and tied him up while they battled for the puck until it squirted loose into the corner. I'd go so far as to say that's the most likely result. Your homer glasses are pretty thick on this one.

[Winsor_Pilates]

This thread is homerism at it's best. Just strange that it's Flyers homerism on a Flames board.
That's a dirty play and worthy suspension, sorry Flyers fan.

[bdubbs]

"Side-stepped" into his face at an upward angle.

[TheSquatch]

Totally suspendable hit, good call. OP is drunk imho.

[yourbestfriend]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I tend to agree that this isn't worthy of a suspension, but come on, you don't know what Boychuk was going to do there. The dude isn't Raffi Torres. For all we know he would have pinned Voracek to the boards and tied him up while they battled for the puck until it squirted loose into the corner. I'd go so far as to say that's the most likely result. Your homer glasses are pretty thick on this one.

I don't blame Voracek at all for doing what he did. Probably deserved an interference call, but I think a suspension is too much.
Boychuk takes 3 or 4 hard strides at him from inside the blue line. Voracek not knowing what Boychuk was going to do there is exactly the point. He has no idea if Boychuk is going to put him through the boards or pin him. He’s got to prepare for the worst.
IMO, at the speed at which Boychuk is coming in, no way he was going to pin him. He was definitely looking to blow up Voracek.