[News] Witkowski 10 games, Tkachuk Suspended 1 Game

[EldrickOnIce]

To be clear, the NHL rulebook penalizes spearing even if you don't make contact. It is a double minor for non contact, a major for contact, and a match if it results in injury.
So I guess, also by letter of law, Tkachuk 'speared' him.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

bettman is the commissioner of the nhl.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nhl_commissioner



so when the officiating has become so bad and inconsistent that the nhl is suffering from it that is his fault. When they can't get most calls right and he does nothing to hold any accountability on their performance that is his fault. So yes, i will rail on.

lol.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by transplant99

lol.

Excellent rebuttal.

[Galakanokis]

Sorry, meant to quote transplant99 with this.


I would say it is this part of 70.6

Any player who has been ordered to the dressing room by the
officials and returns to his bench or to the ice surface for any reason
before the appropriate time shall be assessed a game misconduct and
shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next ten (10)
regular League and/or Play-off games.

[btimbit]

Surely it's just a fine for Tkachuk. Like Gulutzan said, I searched for a spear and never saw it

[stone hands]

Lots of people are missing the point about chucky. It’s not what he did, you couldn’t hurt a newborn baby with that whack - it’s the fact that he did it to a player who had left the ice surface while being escorted by the zebras after he was ejected. You can’t do that

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by stone hands

Lots of people are missing the point about chucky. It’s not what he did, you couldn’t hurt a newborn baby with that whack - it’s the fact that he did it to a player who had left the ice surface while being escorted by the zebras after he was ejected. You can’t do that

Fair enough but is that remotely suspension worthy? I can see a fine I guess.

[Travis Munroe]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Another way I look at the situation was if the role's were actually reversed and it was MT who was being escorted off the ice and it was Witkowski who gave him the "love tap" or "speer" like they are calling it, what would we expect him to do? Turn around and blow Witkowski a kiss? Or would he come back and try and inject some payback and than end up getting suspended?

if roles were reversed and Tkachuk came back for payback, I would then be saying Gulutzen needs to reign him in and teach him where the line is. I also wouldn't have any problem with a suspension.

The way I saw it, Witkowski gets his 10 + 2 for the bounce down, Maantha gets 2 for pounding on a guy who was defenceless, a flame player who tossed the biggest punch from the bench gets 2 to show the league any from the bench activity isn't tolerated, Hamonic gets 1 as he was clearly looking for a fight that didnt need to happen and that could have been left in the refs hands and Tkachuk has his penalty reduced to a roughing for what ensued after the fact without any mention of the ankle tap.

That is all based on the league cracking down on everything and showing similar discipline for other teams/situations.

[Classic_Sniper]

The league really needs to look at the actual act by Tkachuk because based on what actually transpired, his actual actions do not warrant a suspension. In what world does a poke with a stick equate to a suspension. It would be one of the worst and weakest precedence creating suspensions of all time.

Very similar to a suspendable hit. You always suspend the action, not the aftermath/result (injury). But the league's questionable decision making leaves a lot to be desired, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Tkachuk getting suspended.

[dissentowner]

If they want to discipline Tkachuk for being unsportmanlike and fine him I can see that but the whole spearing thing is an utter joke, that is not a spear.

[ColoradoFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by AC

They're going to try and blame Tkachuk for sparking Witkowski.

Tkachuk said that Witkowski was looking for any reason to start more ####. The problem is that I can see the NHL putting the blame on Tkachuk for giving him that reason.

Even as embarrassingly soft as it was considering the 5 minute major.

Witkowski got slapped on the butt harder by his team mate as he walked off

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

To be clear, the NHL rulebook penalizes spearing even if you don't make contact. It is a double minor for non contact, a major for contact, and a match if it results in injury.
So I guess, also by letter of law, Tkachuk 'speared' him.

Sure, so it's a penalty. Suspensions are for infractions that go beyond what an ordinary penalty will address. Lots of guys get boarding penalties. Suspensions for boarding involve attempts to injure or at least severe recklessness.

[stone hands]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

The league really needs to look at the actual act by Tkachuk because based on what actually transpired, his actual actions do not warrant a suspension. In what world does a poke with a stick equate to a suspension. It would be one of the worst and weakest precedence creating suspensions of all time.

Very similar to a suspendable hit. You always suspend the action, not the aftermath/result (injury). But the league's questionable decision making leaves a lot to be desired, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Tkachuk getting suspended.

In a world where a player is ejected, is obviously still heated, and is then physically engaged by a player still on the ice**



** yes I know the physical contact probably hurt less than a toddler in a pillow fight

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Realtor 1

I respectfully disagree - let him play his game and outside of the elbow to Doughty, (which was on replay a couple games ago against Versteeg without any mention) he hasn't crossed any lines warranting suspension or even a fine for that matter. The tap on the ankle is a game played all day long on the ice. Watch any faceoff and you will find 1 guy do something equal to a tap on the ankle.

Are there hearings when a guy sprays another guy with water from the bench or a scrum is beside a bench and some guys from the bench make any contact with someone else? That tap is like your sibling giving you a smile behind your parents back when you get in trouble as a kid.... it is harmless but can set you off at your finest.

You can pretend context is not a thing if you like, but it does not make for a strong argument. Tkachuk's actions played a significant, direct role in sparking a brawl and now his ability to play Saturday's game is in the hands of the entirely capricious DOPS. He needs to be smarter than that because he didn't actually prove anything with that tap.

[ComixZone]

It’s a phone hearing - Tree and Burkie better be on the line, and if anything is actually handed out game-wise, the Flames better be willing to stand up and call the league out on it.

[stone hands]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Fair enough but is that remotely suspension worthy? I can see a fine I guess.

I don’t think so, but knowing the league and chuckys reputation, I fully expect a suspension unfortunately

[Finger Cookin]

A hearing for unsportsmanlike conduct seems fair - Tkachuk really threw a match on the gasoline. What he did was in no way spearing though. That match penalty and game misconduct should be stricken.

[FiveSeven]

No way they suspend him. Could imagine the player safety video?

*shows the play of the love tap*

By definition, 62.1 Spearing - Spearing shall mean stabbing an opponent with the point
of the stick blade, whether contact is made or not.

Tkachuk is hereby suspended for 3 games.

World explodes.

It wasn't even a spear, he was trying to trip him if anything. He hit him so lightly that even with his foot having no weight on it and being in the air, it didn't even more lol.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Excellent rebuttal.

You reap what you sow.

As for Tkachuk, I agree he will get something. If Letowski gets 10 for coming back on the ice, that means MT engaged a player not in the game which is considered just as bad as coming off the bench. It has to go both ways.

[TheFlamesVan]

Originally Posted by transplant99

You reap what you sow.

As for Tkachuk, I agree he will get something. If Letowski gets 10 for coming back on the ice, that means MT engaged a player not in the game which is considered just as bad as coming off the bench. It has to go both ways.

It does? Show us that rule.