Backes Boards Alzner

[HP00]

Ive seen players get suspended for much less

 

[Skip2myBordyloo]

Will be interesting to see if this warrants a suspension or not.

 

[frostyflo]

Ive seen players get suspended for much less

And I've seen players get not suspended for much more.

Anyway, stupid hit, wouldn't mind him sit a game or two.
Careless, not only to an opponent but also to the teammates with already 2 top9 guys out, both natural centres, in the 3rd game in 4 nights a captain should be smarter than that.
Maybe he'll learn. But the timing is just terrible.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

That was numbers the whole way.

 

[Beantown Beatdown]

Geez... Surprised at how many people think that wasn't that bad... Maybe that gif makes it look even worse but that looked bad... Backes came in there fast and hard and didn't let up one bit by the looks of it... Definite suspension in my eyes

 

[BackToTheBasics]

Orlov did the same thing last year and got 2 or 3 games. I expect the same for Backes.

 

[Dream Big]

That's absolutely suspendable.

It looked like it stunned Alzner. Not to mention the blood trickling down the left side of his face.

 

[dechire]

Bad hit. Should be a suspension.

 

[Dream Big]

I would think there is a suspension.

It would send a bad message is this was overlooked. The question is how many games does it deserve.

 

[Kale Hulls]

2 games.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

4 games

 

[542365]

Should have been a two minute minor but he got a tiny cut above his eye. No chance he sees a suspension for that. Maybe a fine of the league wants him on the books so they can say he's a repeat offender if he does something stupid again.

 

[Dbrownss]

It was a dirty hit. Don't know what he was thinking. Suspension or not....idk. There wasn't an injury so that may play into it. But suspending him would send a message.

 

[aemoreira1981]

I have seen this play get supplemental discipline in the past, usually a 2-game ban for a boarding where a player sees nothing but numbers the whole way. I would be surprised if this is not a 2-game suspension for David Backes, a first-time offender.

 

[TheDizee]

2min penalty tops

 

[uncommonsense52]

I've seen this kind of hit get a suspension. I've seen it not even get a penalty. Because it's the NHL, and there's no consistency in the officiating.

Either way, Backes is a moron who I'm done seeing wear the C in St. Louis. Though that's not from this, but this year in general, where he's been making an *** of himself.

 

[FloridaBlue]

One thing to consider is the context of the hit within the game. It already was a physical and chippy game at that point with stuff going on behind the puck and such. Neither team was playing completely innocently.

That being said that doesn't justify this from Backes. It was a stupid hit. My biggest problem with it is how he finished the hit up on Alzner. Had he not done that I see no problem with the major and game misconduct (because Alzner had the small cut that was bleeding as a result of it) as I think it was pretty standard textbook boarding.

Really I can't see more than 2 games for Backes and would be okay with a 1 or 2 game suspension. With the message they're trying to send about safety in today's game I think that's why there's a suspension. Outside of riding Alzner and then finishing the hit up on Alzner it's standard boarding to me.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Not a good play.

Backes likes to fight weak guys and won't go with tough ones, but he isn't dirty.

 

[AtNightWeFly]

Bad hit. No excuse. Not sure if it's suspension worthy, but wouldn't mind at all if this kind of hit started to get heavier penalties next year.

Why not this year?

 

[Cult of Hynes]

People so quick to bash someone for boarding they can't get the players right.

Basic boarding penalty, Backes too aggressive, Alzner puts himself in a bad spot.

Was only 5 because he got a cut.

How dare Alzner skate and not think about getting hit from behind and boarded. Yea, he put himself in such a bad position when Backes was the one that saw his numbers all the way in and still decided to throw the hit.

More HF victim blaming.

 

[FloridaBlue]

As for Backes being dirty:

I did the YouTube search for "David Backes" and in the first 100 search results found only 3 instances that you could consider "dirty" outside of today's hit, one of which wasn't in the NHL. I then searched "David Backes dirty" and found only 2 additional instances in the first 100 results.

One of which was a hit after the whistle on McGinn (clean hit, just very much so after the whistle) because McGinn had a late hit on Sobotka earlier in the game. We'll file this under retaliatory.

The Stajan kneeing came up under the dirty search but after watching it Backes missed with the hit and never demonstrably extends his knee (a la Dustin Brown) so it looks as if their legs just collide. However I'm sure Backes doesn't get the benefit of the doubt because of the label people have slapped on him.

So that leaves 3 instances of unexplained "dirty" from Backes. One was early last year where he hits Chris Kreider in the face as Kreider had just hit the post and was skating behind the net. The other was a behind the play crosscheck on Tomas Holmstrom back in 2010 (it doesn't look overly hard and may have been a bit of a dive but still inexcusable and uncalled for from Backes). The last is an awkward hit in the 2009 WC which the only thing I find dirty about it is that he hits him high. To me it's more unnecessary than dirty.

So do these warrant the "dirty" label from Backes? Backes has always played with an edge to his physical game (a bit more old school) and he does go over the edge at times. He's more of an idiot who gets pissed off when he loses his temper and does cheap, idiotic stuff like go after players after the whistle. When he crosses the line is more rare than is the norm and he doesn't try to intentionally injure players.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

I don't think Backes is a dirty player but that looked like a dirty hit to me. Completely unnecessary.

Sucks that the Caps couldn't "capitalize" on the five minute PP.

At least Alzner scored later in the game. Doubled his career high in goals with his 4th goal of the year.

 

[RIP Boogaard]

He plays on the line, and sometimes you cross it. I would guess 2 games, but I am probably 0-100 on guessing suspensions in this league.

 

[AtNightWeFly]

I actually quite like Beckes but this was a big no no.

 

[Mike Liut]

Didn't like the hit, but Backes isn't a dirty player. He likes to play physical, but doesn't drop the gloves often. Not a real good fighter. Hard nosed player.