Emil Lilleberg (who?) lowers the boom on Brett Leason

[Mrfenn92]

Great hit

 

[Stony Curtis]

His struggle might not be a brain thing though…could be winded, etc. The biggest thing I noticed in that or what I didn’t understand was what the hell was he thinking? He was just skating in a straight line for so long and you could clearly see the guy coming if he was paying attention.

I remember thinking the same thing last year when Filip Hronek basically skated directly into the shoulder of Ryan Reaves like Reaves wasn't even there. Hronek must have though Reaves hyperspaced into his path at the last possible moment.

 

[abo9]

Worth noting, Leason is kind of a big dude. 6 foot 5 and 218 lbs. Rare to see big guys like that get sent flying, even more rare when its clean

Lilleberg is 6 foot 1, 205 lbs

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Shades of Sutton on Leopold, but cleaner. Damn, absolute beauty. Worth noting Ducks got a post out of it, seeming scoring chance, but I wouldn’t put that on Lillberg, there’s like 3 botched covers there.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

Thats like his second or third hard hit since he was called up, too

 

[TheNumber4]

How did this guy go from Arizona to Lightning? Can’t seem to find a trade or waiver history that would have transferred him.

 

[SomeDude]

How did this guy go from Arizona to Lightning? Can’t seem to find a trade or waiver history that would have transferred him.

I would think airplane. That’s a long road trip.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Kronwallian

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

How did this guy go from Arizona to Lightning? Can’t seem to find a trade or waiver history that would have transferred him.

Was not signed by June 1st, 2023 (drafted in 2021) and was 22, so did not have to go through the draft one more time.

 

[TheNumber4]

Was not signed by June 1st, 2023 (drafted in 2021) and was 22, so did not have to go through the draft one more time.

So the Yotes just gave up on him? Interesting. Good pick up by Bolts though, looks like a player.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

So the Yotes just gave up on him? Interesting. Good pick up by Bolts though, looks like a player.

Or he refused to sign with Arizona...

It takes two to tango.

 

[TheNumber4]

Or he refused to sign with Arizona...

It takes two to tango.

Maybe. Details are sparse about the whole thing.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Maybe. Details are sparse about the whole thing.

It's always a risk to draft a player who was undrafted in his first year of eligibility. He does not go back to the draft if he decides not to sign (and possibly wait 2 extra years before being signed).

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

By the way he hobbles off the ice, he might just, though.

Seems like players are ever more unprepared for big hits, given the direction the game is taking. We ought not forget to teach players how to protect themselves and read the play for safety as well as offensive options.

People say this like Lindros never happened, or Lafontaine, or numerous other guys gettin caught with their head down. It happened/happens in every era.

This is like a cleaner version of Sutton on Leopold.

 

[Primary Assist]

This was 11 months ago... But hot darn that is a beauty of a hit

 

[Norwegianoiler]

People say this like Lindros never happened, or Lafontaine, or numerous other guys gettin caught with their head down. It happened/happens in every era.

This is like a cleaner version of Sutton on Leopold.

It has happened is does happen, indeed. Given that this type of hit and ones far more predatory in nature were far more common in earlier hockey, it's not quite the same anymore though. Lindros was an anomaly in that he had poor awareness in an era where players actively ran around looking for a monster hit to end someone's game or series. The Matt Cooke type of head hunter or even just the Kronwall style opportunist isn't nearly as common any longer. What was always a danger before, isn't as much any more. Earlier, guys were absolutely forced to learn self-protection. In the clip, Leason skated about half the ice with his head down before getting caught. I speculate that he'd have been hit far earlier in previous eras. It just seems to me that we are in danger of being more unprepared simply because the number of hits like Lilleberg's is going down and it's thus easy to underestimate teaching self-protection as part of coaching. I don't know if it is, but it just strikes me as a possible consequence to the changes in the game.