Sorinth
Registered User
- Jan 18, 2013
- 11,418
- 6,029
I remember the NHL talking about potentially doing something about these types of hits where the player starts to propel themselves upwards but times everything so that they haven't left their feet at the time of the impact, which is what Xhekaj did. But I don't remember what if anything came of it, probably nothing.You need to rewatch the hit. Arbers two feet are on the ice at contact.
In any case, the hit wasn't any more dirty then Pare or Greig plays but with the ways refs try to "manage" games instead of just having a consistent standard that they stick to Xhekaj is pretty much always going to get the short end of the stick when it comes to the refs/supplemental discipline unless he finds a way to become an allstar calibre player because once you get that label you can commit dirty plays again with minimal reprecussions.
I have no issue with Xhekaj retaliating like this because as a team to do nothing is worse. That said if he can work on things so that he crushes people without as overtly stepping over the line that would be best.