Around the NHL — Episode XLXVII

[Laphroaig]

If Xhekaj was on the Sens he would be immensely popular here.

 

[PatrickEaves]

Carkner didn't let him turn away, and he didn't do anythign particularly dangerous. Xhejak could have picked his spot better instead of hitting a guy repeatedly in the back of the head, and again, there's a very good reason rabbit punches are banned in pretty much every combat sport.

It's bizarre to tm that anyone would defend something that's pretty clearly extremely dangerous, you can paralyse someone doing that (hense why it tends to be banned), but Xhejak doesn't care, and apparently the NHL doesn't either.

Exactly.

There was nothing different about what he did than Todd Bertuzzi on Moore, except for the result.

 

[Micklebot]

If Xhekaj was on the Sens he would be immensely popular here.

I'm sure lots of people would be fans, but not me unless he stopped being reckless.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

Exactly.

There was nothing different about what he did than Todd Bertuzzi on Moore, except for the result.

Bertuzzi drove Moore head first into the ice prior to sucker punching him.

whatever his name is didn't do that.

I think it should be considered assault because it was so far out of the realm of a regular hockey play, but I mean you could counter that by saying Laine was hurt much worse from the knee on knee, so why is that not assault just because the intent can be obfuscated by it taken place during a regular hockey play?

The point being, this is the game you guys support. Picking and choosing where the line is in terms of egregious violence seems to just be a way for people not to admit to their own blood lust that hockey serves to appropriate.

As far as the result mattering, the result has always mattered. You have cheap hits, like hits from behind, almost every game. The player is usually fine. If a player were severely injured, paralyzed, or killed from a routine hit from behind, then the result of it is going to be entirely different. Just like how players have been jumped or punched from behind before in hockey prior to the Bertuzzi/Moore incident, but Moore's head was driven in to the ice, which resulted in a catastrophic injury.

I'm at peace with my blood lust. I won't pretend to be appalled by the violent game that I choose to condone with my money and my attention. I don't like how people try to play both sides of the fence and try to grandstand as if there is a calm and acceptable way for us to have a violent sport, and if the NHL would just get on board with it, some players brains wouldn't be ground beef by the time they are 40.

 

[Micklebot]

Bertuzzi drove Moore head first into the ice prior to sucker punching him.

This is inaccurate, Bertuzzi punched Moore from behind knocking him out which resulted in him face planting into the ice unable to brace himself, with Bertuzzi falling on-top of him.

Xhekaj didn't knock out Pare, but he sure as hell tried to. Had he connected on that first punch maybe he would have.

Neither is defendable, but obviously the Bertuzzi incident had far worse end results.