Are the playoffs becoming too violent?

[PistolPete]

The Domi hit on Barkov was really egregious and the league was lucky it didn’t send the defending Selke winner to the ICU.

The league responded with a $5K fine, no suspension.

That tells you all you need to know.

The NHLPA is likely the biggest obstacles to giving truly harsh suspensions. They fight them.

 

[PistolPete]

People tune into violence.

But do they?

All leagues have decreased the levels of violence over the years and at the same time their numbers have stayed the dame or increased

 

[Sol]

I’m digging this. Shows passion and desire to win by any means.

 

[Oilslick941611]

But do they?

All leagues have decreased the levels of violence over the years and at the same time their numbers have stayed the dame or increased

exactly, you can have tough hardnosed hockey without the violence and cheap shots.

 

[PistolPete]

Also the idea of a playoff game "being more important" when it comes to determining punishment needs to end, if its suspension worthy, the act needs to be punished the same. The league needs to stop protecting dirty plays by suspending them less games because its the playoffs, f*** no, if its a 2 game suspension in the season, it should be a a 2 game suspension in the playoffs. f*** what the player think or the team about losing a player for 2 playoff games. We are punishing the act, are we not? It needs to make the player think twice before they do something stupid.

In '87 Hextall was suspended forn15 games- but the suspension didn't start until the start of the following season and he was able to finish the Finals against the same team whose player he attempted to amputate

 

[PistolPete]

I would like to see a third party arbiter to review the dangerous stuff and hand out suspensions.

The biggest obstacles to long suspensions is likely the NHLPA

 

[PistolPete]

Bring back enforcers

Hockey was MORE violent with them

 

[NVious]

No they just need to enforce the rules on teams Campbell's son is a part of.

 

[Sol]

look bruv they make millions and MILLIONS of dollars. I mean come on there will be some risk involved. I guarantee you that almost 90% will take a cross check to the face for a big house and a Ferrari.

 

[Martin Skoula]

It’s not the amount of violence it’s the predictability of it. Cutting through open ice against Pronger is more violent but you could avoid it by not cutting through center ice, you can’t really do anything to avoid the modern random hit and runs.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Hockey was MORE violent with them

It just limited the dumb shit we see now because you could get your ass kicked for it back then. Nobody is "fighting" now days it's passive aggressive shit when no one is looking and then expect to be taken seriously. That's the stuff that I think is annoying people.

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

It’s more the inconsistency than anything. One team is allowed to get away with blatant penalties while the other can’t touch the other. I believe it’s because the refs want to even out the penalty opportunities which is just the worst policy. Teams like Florida then play the “they can’t call everything” style that’s so frustrating to watch.

 

[PistolPete]

It just limited the dumb shit we see now because you could get your ass kicked for it back then. Nobody is "fighting" now days it's passive aggressive shit when no one is looking and then expect to be taken seriously. That's the stuff that I think is annoying people.

But did it? They were around forever but yet the number of fighting majors they racked up didn't decline. If they served as an actual deterrent their fights should have declined as just their presence in the game would have scared off any cheap ahit attempts

 

[Summer Rose]

I’ll give the officials a pass even though I don’t think they’re doing a great job. They’re going to miss stuff sometimes anyway.

For me, it’s DOPS that’s dropping the ball mainly.

 

[CupsOverCash]

But did it? They were around forever but yet the number of fighting majors they racked up didn't decline. If they served as an actual deterrent their fights should have declined as just their presence in the game would have scared off any cheap ahit attempts

In a fast game like hockey things happen and when it's obvious that things are happening that maybe shouldn't to your team having that guy to step in and limit it is what maybe goes unseen until you actually need it. I feel like the lack of those here in the instances were talking about could limit that.

 

[nbwingsfan]

There have been dirty plays nearly every night in the playoffs. Lack of respect for opponents is astonishing and teams are trying to take out each other’s biggest stars. This is because the punishments for attempts to injure are either far too lenient or not given at all.

This issue could easily be addressed, but Bettman and Parros do nothing about it. That’s because they think violence could draw in new viewers, who now eagerly wait to see who will retaliate and how.

Apparently, the NHL wants to see star players taken out night after night. Hockey is a physical and tough sport, but there’s nothing tough about blindsiding or hitting a defenseless player from behind.

Right now we are not far from career ending injury any given night.

Must be a new fan. This is the most neutered playoffs I’ve ever seen.

 

[PistolPete]

It’s more the inconsistency than anything. One team is allowed to get away with blatant penalties while the other can’t touch the other. I believe it’s because the refs want to even out the penalty opportunities which is just the worst policy. Teams like Florida then play the “they can’t call everything” style that’s so frustrating to watch.

That refereeing management has been around forever and the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers of the 70s were the first to take advantage of it.

A look at PPO and PPOA throughout the years will show a relatively equal number of each for every team. The largest gapnI ever saw was around 80.

What's more, both tend to favour weaker teams (as in more PPO and fewer PPOA)

it's obviously deliberate on the league's part. What is the incentive for playing clean hockey?

 

[5 Minute Major]

But do they?

All leagues have decreased the levels of violence over the years and at the same time their numbers have stayed the dame or increased

Yes, they do. People (in general)love violent sports.

 

[KJoe88]

If you think back on the Avs-Wings rivalry though, 90% of it was big hits and scrums and fights. There was some stuff like Kozlov slamming Foote's head into the glass, Lemieux's dirty play of course, then McCarty jumping Lemieux, and a fair amount of slashes to the leg. But I don't remember as many crosschecks to the face or players throwing chicken wing elbows trying to clip a guy in the head.

In the 2002 Cup Finals Jiri Fischer crosschecked a Canes player in the mouth in a similar way to what we've in this playoffs. That was over 20 years ago and in the Cup Finals and he was still suspended a game.

Fair enough.

I just think a lot of the rough stuff and the big hits that elevates in the playoffs have dissipated a bit. In my opinion it makes things more exciting and more competitive and nasty. Sometimes it’s not always a bad thing.

 

[PistolPete]

In a fast game like hockey things happen and when it's obvious that things are happening that maybe shouldn't to your team having that guy to step in and limit it is what maybe goes unseen until you actually need it. I feel like the lack of those here in the instances were talking about could limit that.

Still.doesn't explain why the fighting majors never declined if enforcers were effective.

And enforcers actually can flip the script and allow teams to let loose dirty players who know the enforcer will have their back. Tony Twist admitted he would do this for Tyson Nash.

So seems utterly ineffective and even counterproductive to rely on enforces to keep the games clean

 

[PistolPete]

Yes, they do. People (in general)love violent sports.

But is it that simple? It wasn't as though the NAHL was packing 20,000 seat stadiums.

The violence increases, the ticket sales and viewers stays the same or increases.

So people may love violence but obviously it's not a prerequisite for them to enjoy a sporting event

 

[kingsholygrail]

They aren't violent enough.

 

[PistolPete]

It just limited the dumb shit we see now because you could get your ass kicked for it back then. Nobody is "fighting" now days it's passive aggressive shit when no one is looking and then expect to be taken seriously. That's the stuff that I think is annoying people.

I don't know how old you are but the NHL was just as violent if not more so in the 80s and 90s, during the heyday of the enforcers. There was an average of 1 or 2 fights per game yet you still saw cheap shots just as frequently as today of not more so

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

My brother in christ.

This is some the tamest shit I've ever seen and that's why hockey isn't as popular as it could be.

 

[PistolPete]

My brother in christ.

This is some the tamest shit I've ever seen and that's why hockey isn't as popular as it could be.

Going by that logic it should have been massively popular in the 70s and 80s yet their numbers are increasing; owners are spending billions to buy their teams; ticket prices are much more expensive relative to inflation and purchasing power.