Hearing for Torres on Stoll hit (Thurs 9am PT, NYC; w/DW); out for rest of WCSF

[AJ SF4L]

Its not fair to compare to Kronwall with Torres. The league is going to have trouble tolerating a guy who can't play in the playoffs without giving someone a concussion. Kronwall can do that. Now he might separate a few shoulders along the way

So, by this logic, if Kronwall injures 4 players during the playoffs due to legal checks and Torres injures one person with a legal check, Torres is the one the NHL can't afford to have play in the playoffs?

What about players like Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Orpik, Keith, Chara, Backes, Subban, Brown, Richards, Penner, Bieksa, Roy, Kesler, or Perry? These are all important players that have injured others through checks, legal or illegal, or taken uncalled cheap shots. Most of them have not been called out on their actions by the league. Why should Torres be banned when all of these players are still allowed?

Matt Cooke and Todd Bertuzzi were given the chance; why not Torres? He's had an incredibly clean season, yet one hard check is enough to say "Well, that's a failed project" and give up on him?

 

[WantonAbandon]

The other thing that was different is Hossa wan't in as vulnerable a position that Savard was in which is probably why the results were more favorable to Hossa

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Aside from the results they weren't that different. Hossa didn't have puck, Torres clearly knew he didn't have it, Hossa was totally blindsided.

Marc Savard was elbowed in the head. Hossa was not. Big difference.

 

[WantonAbandon]

Marc Savard was elbowed in the head. Hossa was not. Big difference.

I think Cooke hit him with his shoulder

 

[Gene Parmesan]

I think Cooke hit him with his shoulder

It was a chicken wing type play. I'd have to watch it again. The head was definetly the intended target.

 

[WantonAbandon]

So, by this logic, if Kronwall injures 4 players during the playoffs due to legal checks and Torres injures one person with a legal check, Torres is the one the NHL can't afford to have play in the playoffs?

What about players like Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Orpik, Keith, Chara, Backes, Subban, Brown, Richards, Penner, Bieksa, Roy, Kesler, or Perry? These are all important players that have injured others through checks, legal or illegal, or taken uncalled cheap shots. Most of them have not been called out on their actions by the league. Why should Torres be banned when all of these players are still allowed?

Matt Cooke and Todd Bertuzzi were given the chance; why not Torres? He's had an incredibly clean season, yet one hard check is enough to say "Well, that's a failed project" and give up on him?

Most of the players you have mentioned have been suspended at one time or another.
Bertuzzi was suspended for 20 games and that was before the nhl lost their **** over head shots. Torres was given a chance he was allowed to come back after a 25 game suspension.

If Torres is suspended he will be allowed to come back probably during this series

 

[NWShark*]

My last fifty cents. The only way you can argue that what Torres did wasn't a charge is: You would have to say he lost his footing as a result of the impact. Its possible, but then again Torres does have that reputation....

One thing the league can't do is claim that the hit was interference too.

It's easy to argue it wasn't a charge. It doesn't meet any of the criteria. Sorry but you don't know what charging is.

 

[NWShark*]

I think Cooke hit him with his shoulder

Wrong again. Elbow to the face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z1vJrIAg-0

 

[sharklife25]

This conversation is ridiculous...

[Mod]

Torres did not charge Stoll, his shoulder collided with Stoll's shoulder and proceeded to hit his head. As a result of this, the head WAS NOT the principle point of contact.

Banning fighting has nothign to do with this discussion as there was no fight involved, but either way, I'm still waiting for a rebuttal as to what would happen if you let players take runs at each other....

[Mod]

 

[WantonAbandon]

It's easy to argue it wasn't a charge. It doesn't meet any of the criteria. Sorry but you don't know what charging is.

I don't think you understand just how broad the rule is:

A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player who skates or jumps into or charges an opponent in any manner

There is the rule.... Let me guess you don't think Torres charged Hossa?

 

[WantonAbandon]

Wrong again. Elbow to the face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z1vJrIAg-0

Uh no I believe I agree with the Boston commentators

 

[WantonAbandon]

This conversation is ridiculous...

[Mod]

Torres did not charge Stoll, his shoulder collided with Stoll's shoulder and proceeded to hit his head. As a result of this, the head WAS NOT the principle point of contact.

Banning fighting has nothign to do with this discussion as there was no fight involved, but either way, I'm still waiting for a rebuttal as to what would happen if you let players take runs at each other....

[Mod]

[Mod] I'm just a realist. If players start running each other the refs can start calling penalties. Fighting is going to do diddly squat. Most likely the Cooke of old just won't fight you... I'm mean sure he will fight Evander Kane (mistakenly thinking its a good idea) but he won't fight someone like McGratton. I commented on fighting in response to a post a while back having to do with culture and what not.... [Mod]

 

[nosoupforyou]

Wrong again. Elbow to the face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z1vJrIAg-0

notice how Savard's head whips like Stoll's head? that's what happens when you get hit in the side of the head. if it were whiplash, the head would move toward the impact area, not away. Just as if you get rear ended in your car, your head will snap back, hopefully into your head rest, then spring forward.

Torres is one dirty player, unfortunately as you are finding out, suspensions are the risk of obtaining his services.

 

[AJ SF4L]

Most of the players you have mentioned have been suspended at one time or another.
Bertuzzi was suspended for 20 games and that was before the nhl lost their **** over head shots. Torres was given a chance he was allowed to come back after a 25 game suspension.

If Torres is suspended he will be allowed to come back probably during this series

The problem with saying "They've been suspended" is that it doesn't mean anything. Suspending someone once for a game or two doesn't change anything. Neal was suspended multiple times, one of which was in the playoffs; does that stop him from taking cheapshots? Brown has been getting away with elbows for years and only just recently was punished; do you think one 2-game suspension will change him? Or what about Crosby or Malkin, who both have never been suspended, let alone fined, for their multiple cheapshots; what message does not suspending them send to other players?

Moreover, if the second someone who has a bad history makes a hard, legal check that may have led to injury, and they are instantly whisked away to New York to face a possible 5+ game suspension, does that honestly seem like that player was given a chance? Torres was deliberately singled out by the NHL in order to put him on a pedestal and say, "Look, we are doing a good job cracking down on repeat offenders." Yet in doing so, they ignored Regher elbowing Pavelski and Penner's hit on Wingels. Is the league truly giving Torres a chance if it ignores others and solely focuses on him?

 

[Crafton]

Uh no I believe I agree with the Boston commentators

uh, what Boston commentators? that video links to the FSN Pittsburgh broadcast. even most Pens fans will admit that Steigerwald is a travesty.

 

[KT]

Just because the shoulder clipped Stoll's shoulder doesn't negate that Torres hit Stoll in the head whether you want to call it with the back of his shoulder or his back, he got Stoll's head on the follow-through. It is textbook blindside from the angle he took. It is the same angle Thornton took on Perron.

It's not like stick contact with the head where intent is irrelevant. Read the rule. There has to be clear INTENT to impact the head. Incidental contact from a clean shoulder hit is NOT to be penalized. Besides, how does a guy target another guy's head with the BACK of his helmet? Try it sometime.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Its not unfair. Malkin and Ovechkin have dealt out just as much ****in dirt as Torres

ummmm no

 

[NWShark*]

uh, what Boston commentators? that video links to the FSN Pittsburgh broadcast. even most Pens fans will admit that Steigerwald is a travesty.

don't let facts get in the way of a good argument...

 

[Plowevelski]

No way Torres gets suspended for that hit, I would be shocked

Funniest thing I've read in a long time. I wish it was so... But no he's gonna get suspended because of who he is. Lets suspend Patty too for his clean hit on Doughboy moments before. Doughty was hurt and hunched over! Oh no. Ban hitting. What a circus act that game 1 was. Why does LA have so many chill fans but their team pisses me off so bad with this diving, acting, cheap, dirty bs hockey and I can't stand pretty much anyone on their roster besides Kopitar... UGH. It's getting nearly as bad as Vancouver.

Such bull.. Taking away one of our key depth guys who can come up big and hit and make plays.. What about Bieksa and all the Dbag Nucks players with all their dirty ****? Yeah Glasslat STILL hasn't returned from that great hockey play Bieksa made. Good job Shannahan. Yeah fly Torres out because Stool is just that.. Stool.

Seriously just give LA the series already. Plan the parade, roll out the red carpet for acting, I mean the Kings. Repeat champs! (Now I'm wishing Detroit won in 2009 more and more...) Legit bro

Oh yeah and I forgot what about Edler whacking Burish on the hand effectively making him unable to play? Yeah Burish is the whipping boy but so what? That isn't the point. Torres does that he's gone for like an entire season. **** this league, seriously.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

It negates the primary issue that the head was the principal point of contact. That right there means it wasn't a penalty.

Fraser said Stoll was eligible to be checked. It's one of the few points he got right in his assessment of the hit.

It actually does not negate the head being principal point of contact. Principal point of contact means what took the brunt of the violence...not what was hit first. Torres' principal point of contact was the head, period. Whether it is the back of his shoulder or his back, the head took the brunt of the hit, not Stoll's shoulder. Thus, Stoll's head is the principal point of contact and Torres is subject to the rules therein.

Does the textbook really say that the blind side is the direction the player is looking at?

The way the NHL has defined what is a blind side hit is any angle not directly in front of the player essentially. An absolutely asinine interpretation, I know, but that's pretty much what they've gone with. Thornton's angle to Perron is no different than Torres to Stoll. If either Stoll or Perron have their head up, they'd see someone incoming. We can argue this point til we're blue in the face but that is what they've been using as a standard for blindside.

My last fifty cents. The only way you can argue that what Torres did wasn't a charge is: You would have to say he lost his footing as a result of the impact. Its possible, but then again Torres does have that reputation....

One thing the league can't do is claim that the hit was interference too.

The league isn't claiming this is a charge or interference. They're claiming it's an illegal check to the head. By their rules, it is that. The only other thing it could be by their own standards is roughing but that's pretty much all-encompassing. This wasn't a charge by league standards. League standards has a charge being more than three strides into the hit and/or leaping into the hit. Torres does neither of these things. The refs knew it was a check to the head but they just didn't want to call the penalty as such because they didn't want the focal point to be on them when it got to this point of supplemental discipline. Standard playoff cop-out officiating.

This conversation is ridiculous...

[Mod]

Torres did not charge Stoll, his shoulder collided with Stoll's shoulder and proceeded to hit his head. As a result of this, the head WAS NOT the principle point of contact.

Banning fighting has nothign to do with this discussion as there was no fight involved, but either way, I'm still waiting for a rebuttal as to what would happen if you let players take runs at each other....

[Mod]

Your recollection of the event is correct. Your conclusion is not. The head is the principal point of contact because it took the brunt of the hit. Principal does not always equal first. Principal by the interpretation the league has taken with this is meant to be the most or the most important.

It's not like stick contact with the head where intent is irrelevant. Read the rule. There has to be clear INTENT to impact the head. Incidental contact from a clean shoulder hit is NOT to be penalized. Besides, how does a guy target another guy's head with the BACK of his helmet? Try it sometime.

The intent may be difficult to prove but I don't think the league has to talk themselves into it too much when it comes to Torres. The reason why they could easily say intent is because Torres committed to hitting Stoll when he was in a vulnerable position. Yes, Stoll was straightening up but when Torres decided to make his move into the play and take the body, Stoll was bent over the entire time so he's going after a vulnerable player.

I have no doubt that Torres had no intention of hitting Stoll in the head. I recognize that he's done real work in cleaning up his game. However, he was reckless in this instance and he did get Stoll in the head. This was the risk the Sharks took when they got this guy with his history. He's not going to be given the benefit of the doubt and he will play on the physical edge. And with him in his current state with his past, it is a double-edged sword. This particular hit, for someone with no history, may be a fine or a one game suspension. For Torres, it is probably 5 to 10. Hopefully, DW can knock it down but this is what the reality is for someone like Torres. They won't give him a clean slate overnight even with this year of clean play.

 

[SJeasy]

WA,
On Kronwall, he is frequently not called for charging. He is short and he does leave his feet on a regular basis for hits. I am amazed that he hasn't been called with regularity.

GeneP,
IMO, the three worst headshots were Cooke/Savard followed by Richards/Booth followed by Torres/Michalek.

NW,
Bring up a poster's personal history is a moot point. Truth is truth no matter the source. An argument citing poster's history is a sideshow of an argument. Please refrain in the future if you want to be taken seriously. Argue the argument not the poster's history. And in this case you are incorrect regarding the history.

 

[Sleepy]

WA,
On Kronwall, he is frequently not called for charging. He is short and he does leave his feet on a regular basis for hits. I am amazed that he hasn't been called with regularity.

So unbelievably true.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

WA,
On Kronwall, he is frequently not called for charging. He is short and he does leave his feet on a regular basis for hits. I am amazed that he hasn't been called with regularity.

GeneP,
IMO, the three worst headshots were Cooke/Savard followed by Richards/Booth followed by Torres/Michalek.

NW,
Bring up a poster's personal history is a moot point. Truth is truth no matter the source. An argument citing poster's history is a sideshow of an argument. Please refrain in the future if you want to be taken seriously. Argue the argument not the poster's history. And in this case you are incorrect regarding the history.

I'd agree with those. I always forget Richards/Booth. That was a cheap shot.

 

[deekortiz3]

I realized it was 9am and the "Du Du Du" sounds from the People's Court played in my head.

 

[Led Zappa]

The operative word here should be "and". If it can be seen as Torres "targeting the head" I'm gonna barf. The official release refers to "Illegal Check to the Head". This is all they should be looking at.

48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an
opponent’s head where the head is targeted and the principal point of
contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit
should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including
whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately
prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an
otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.