L’Heureux slewfoots and injures Spurgeon (UPDATE: suspended three games)

[Mubiki]

Watch the replay from behind, starting around 3:15 below and point to the thing that L'Heureux does that you think is a "grab". I don't see either hand leave his stick, or a hook, or anything of the sort. It looks to me like there's a legal stick lift that Spurgeon apparently didn't expect, and L'Heureux elbowing him in the front of the shoulder on the follow through. It's almost like Spurgeon believed he was entitled to the ice, despite not actually getting there first.

With that said, I don't like the fact that L'Heureux's left leg extends behind Spurgeon's legs like it does, and agree that's enough to call it a slewfoot, but that's about the only thing he does that I have a problem with. And, even with that, I can't tell if he does it on purpose, or if it's just a reaction in the moment to Spurgeon falling back against his leg.

He is entitled to the ice, and he did get there first.

What the actual F are you talking about? If he isn't there first, literally none of this happens. Perhaps you are confused. The place they are trying to get is behind the net, because that's where the puck is going. Are you honestly trying to say the Spurgeon wasn't closer to that spot? Put the pipe down bro.

Maybe that's the issue. Both you and L'Heureux are completely oblivious to the fact that the puck was going behind the net and he had no chance whatsoever at beating Spurgeon to that spot without committing a penalty.

Edit: To be more specific, when I say "behind the net", I mean below the goal line, but not the corner. Spurgeon had the inside track, and the path to the puck was through him, which is exactly why the slewfoot was even on the table to begin with.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

How about instead of "generally", you point to specific examples in the replay?

From what I'm seeing, they're still in the circle when L'Heureux lifts his stick, so it seems a little early for Spurgeon to already be slowing down to avoid cointact. And he's not really skating much faster at any point leading up to the moment of impact, so how is that slowing down?

And what's his plan to stop the opponent from getting to the puck first? Just being vaguely in the way, with no other intentions?

I’m amazed at the mental hurdles you’re jumping through here to victim blame- dude, he’s trying to tie up L’Heuser because he doesn’t want the dude winning the puck unimpeded. Basic hockey. Probably coulda won the race but you get crushed that way, so instead you tie the guy up. That’s an incredibly normal hockey play, happens 5+ times a game.

 

[State of Hockey]

3 games too many, but that's DoPS for you. Suspensions are not based on plays but on reputations, caliber of offending player, and outcomes. Since L'Heureux loses all three categories, they hit him hard.

I get the same feeling. It was definitely a slew foot but it seems more of a result of motion and subconscious action - and not something preemptive.

But then it shouldn't be called a slew foot. This is why I'm harping on understanding context of the rulebook. Hockey involves contact, and that contact puts players into positions that aren't usual. There are specific actions that constitute a slew foot instead of the broad rules - tripping and holding - that also cover this type of play. The specificity of the slew foot rule implies some level of intentionality. It implies that it isn't just a "hockey play" like tripping often is. It describes a player seeing and taking advantage of the situation and/or ignoring the puck altogether. What we saw the other night was a hockey play. This is a puck battle gone wrong, and the bigger guy "won". Spurgeon put himself into a vulnerable position for a player of his size, L'Heureux didn't or couldn't avoid the contact, and unfortunately it didn't end well.

On the play, the puck gets dumped in, L'Heureux fights through the first defender, and then Spurgeon is just sort of slowly skating lazily towards the corner, at an angle across L'Heuruex's path with his stick up around thigh level. L'Heureux lifts his stick with almost no resistance, which seems to catch them both off-guard, and on the follow through, he elbows Spurgeon in the shoulder. Spurgeon's skates continue across L'Heureux's path as his upper body is going backwards, and his legs/lower body get taken out by the faster moving player who outweighs him by ~30 lbs, causing him to crash hard into the boards.

I don't disagree it looks like a slewfoot, but I'm struggling to call it intentional, even with L'Heureux's history. It's like a car going 25 under the limit trying to merge onto highway stupidly and getting hit from behind by a SUV doing the speed limit driven by a guy with 3 DUIs and a suspended license.

I believe you're seeing it similarly to how I am. You're right it may look like a slew foot, but it's not what is described in the context of the rule and isn't the same as what has been called a slew foot in the past. This was a hockey collision that ended up badly. Well stated.

 

[Mubiki]

3 games too many, but that's DoPS for you. Suspensions are not based on plays but on reputations, caliber of offending player, and outcomes. Since L'Heureux loses all three categories, they hit him hard.



But then it shouldn't be called a slew foot. This is why I'm harping on understanding context of the rulebook. Hockey involves contact, and that contact puts players into positions that aren't usual. There are specific actions that constitute a slew foot instead of the broad rules - tripping and holding - that also cover this type of play. The specificity of the slew foot rule implies some level of intentionality. It implies that it isn't just a "hockey play" like tripping often is. It describes a player seeing and taking advantage of the situation and/or ignoring the puck altogether. What we saw the other night was a hockey play. This is a puck battle gone wrong, and the bigger guy "won". Spurgeon put himself into a vulnerable position for a player of his size, L'Heureux didn't or couldn't avoid the contact, and unfortunately it didn't end well.


I believe you're seeing it similarly to how I am. You're right it may look like a slew foot, but it's not what is described in the context of the rule and isn't the same as what has been called a slew foot in the past. This was a hockey collision that ended up badly. Well stated.

Dude, are you still trolling EVERY thread Wild related as a fake fan? You've been doing this for like a decade now. You need a new hobby buckaroo.

 

[ThatGuy22]

How about instead of "generally", you point to specific examples in the replay?

From what I'm seeing, they're still in the circle when L'Heureux lifts his stick, so it seems a little early for Spurgeon to already be slowing down to avoid cointact. And he's not really skating much faster at any point leading up to the moment of impact, so how is that slowing down?

And what's his plan to stop the opponent from getting to the puck first? Just being vaguely in the way, with no other intentions?

It's not complicated.

Spurgeon is going in expecting a legal board battle. If Leroo gets there first, he's going to hit him or tie him up. Something that happens many times a game. If Spurgeon gets there first he's gonna try run it behind the net or eat it and wait for support.

None of what he expects to happen is a dirty slew foot

 

[gary559]

ridiculous.

 

[Mattb124]

How do you even pronounce that

Going forward, shleue-rew.

 

[Osprey]

On the plus side we don’t have Preds fans trying to defend his actions unlike what another teams fans did with their career minor league goon.

Preds fans have had nothing to defend since September. Why start now?

 

[GhostfaceWu]

It's actually sad there were posters actually trying to convince themselves and others it wasn't a slew foot. That was a potential career ending play by a buffoon.

 

[Goon42]

Overkill for his first suspension for sure. Another suspension taken straight from the 8 ball smh.

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

Except for all the parts where this is a dirty slew foot I don't see how it's a dirty slew foot.

 

[Dingo]

3 games too many, but that's DoPS for you. Suspensions are not based on plays but on reputations, caliber of offending player, and outcomes. Since L'Heureux loses all three categories, they hit him hard.



But then it shouldn't be called a slew foot. This is why I'm harping on understanding context of the rulebook. Hockey involves contact, and that contact puts players into positions that aren't usual. There are specific actions that constitute a slew foot instead of the broad rules - tripping and holding - that also cover this type of play. The specificity of the slew foot rule implies some level of intentionality. It implies that it isn't just a "hockey play" like tripping often is. It describes a player seeing and taking advantage of the situation and/or ignoring the puck altogether. What we saw the other night was a hockey play. This is a puck battle gone wrong, and the bigger guy "won". Spurgeon put himself into a vulnerable position for a player of his size, L'Heureux didn't or couldn't avoid the contact, and unfortunately it didn't end well.


I believe you're seeing it similarly to how I am. You're right it may look like a slew foot, but it's not what is described in the context of the rule and isn't the same as what has been called a slew foot in the past. This was a hockey collision that ended up badly. Well stated.

dig them heels in!!

It's actually sad there were posters actually trying to convince themselves and others it wasn't a slew foot. That was a potential career ending play by a buffoon.

Really sad. Pride makes worse mistakes than stupidity. I have figured this out in my old age.

Nobody who isnt a vegetable can actually look at that, the description of the rules, and now the suspension and not be able to comprehend.

Its pride.

 

[TheNumber4]

DoPS ruling is 3 games. Honestly I'm pleasantly surprised he got that many.

3 Games.

Still alot better than NO PENALTY on the Slewfoot to Drai in the playoffs. Also while Drai was going into the boards. And also with the upward body pullback and lower leg thrust that constitutes the direct definition of a slew foot motion.

 

[Chainshot]

At least it's three.

 

[rynryn]

At least it's three.

only two more guys to injure before he's in double digits!

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

I’m amazed at the mental hurdles you’re jumping through here to victim blame- dude, he’s trying to tie up L’Heuser because he doesn’t want the dude winning the puck unimpeded. Basic hockey. Probably coulda won the race but you get crushed that way, so instead you tie the guy up. That’s an incredibly normal hockey play, happens 5+ times a game.

Who exactly is the alleged victim here? The replay shows two guys fighting for the puck, which resulted in what appears to be an unintentional but very obvious slewfoot. Does the fact that Spurgeon got hurt suggest that he was totally helpless at the hands of a ruffian that clearly tried to murder him, or can I watch the replay and try to see where things went unfortunately sideways on what appears to be a very routine and legal stick lift? Seems like the angle they come together, and their speeds might be relevant to me, as does the fact Spurgeon almost lost his balance when an AHLer lifted his stick. Is L'Heureux that strong that Spurgeon couldn't deal with it? Or was Spurgeon just caught unaware in a somewhat awkward position?

 

[Mike C]

Scummy move by Zach. Someone will run him dirty.

GREAT work by Trenin for going after him immediately. That's a first class teammate right there. As a neutral observer, that was awesome to see.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

Wow. That is a scumbag move. Lucky it’s only 3

 

[Legionnaire11]

Spurgeon out 2-3 weeks

Wild captain Jared Spurgeon’s scary injury will keep him sidelined for two-to-three weeks

The veteran defenseman was run into the end boards on a slew-foot by Nashville’s Zachary L’Heureux, who was suspended for three games.

www.startribune.com

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

It's not complicated.

Spurgeon is going in expecting a legal board battle. If Leroo gets there first, he's going to hit him or tie him up. Something that happens many times a game. If Spurgeon gets there first he's gonna try run it behind the net or eat it and wait for support.

None of what he expects to happen is a dirty slew foot

They make contact in the circle, not against the boards, and get there are about the same time. L'Heureux legally lifts Spurgeon's stick as Spurgeon tries to weakly tie him up. Happens many times in a game. This time, Spurgeon got caught off guard and almost loses his balance on the stick lift, and because he's skating across L'Heureux's path, he ends up in a position where he gets inadvertantly elbowed in the front of the shoulder as L'Heureux brings his arm back down, knocking him backwards. Per the DoPS, all of that was legal.

Where it goes wrong is that L'Heureux's left leg clearly takes out both of Spurgeon's legs from behind in what can only be described as a slew foot. I just think that was an unfortunate accident, with multiple contributing factors, and not anything intentional. With that said, I don't think the penalty and suspension are unwarranted. Even if it's accidental, you just can't do that.

 

[BagHead]

Spurgeon out 2-3 weeks

Wild captain Jared Spurgeon’s scary injury will keep him sidelined for two-to-three weeks

The veteran defenseman was run into the end boards on a slew-foot by Nashville’s Zachary L’Heureux, who was suspended for three games.

www.startribune.com

Whew. I was honestly expecting much worse.

 

[PeE eL DuBoiS]

But then it shouldn't be called a slew foot. This is why I'm harping on understanding context of the rulebook. Hockey involves contact, and that contact puts players into positions that aren't usual. There are specific actions that constitute a slew foot instead of the broad rules - tripping and holding - that also cover this type of play. The specificity of the slew foot rule implies some level of intentionality. It implies that it isn't just a "hockey play" like tripping often is. It describes a player seeing and taking advantage of the situation and/or ignoring the puck altogether. What we saw the other night was a hockey play. This is a puck battle gone wrong, and the bigger guy "won". Spurgeon put himself into a vulnerable position for a player of his size, L'Heureux didn't or couldn't avoid the contact, and unfortunately it didn't end well.

No. Stop being intentionally obtuse. I clearly said it was a slewfoot even though I don't think it was as egregious as some of the others. Buddy is responsible for his own play and actions. And nowhere in the below does it say "but if it wasn't intended then it's all good".

52.1 Slew-footing - Slew-footing is the act of a player using his leg or foot to knock or kick an opponent’s feet from under him, or pushes an opponent’s upper body backward with an arm or elbow, and at the same time with a forward motion of his leg, knocks or kicks the opponent’s feet from under him, causing him to fall violently to the ice.

 

[Mubiki]

No. Stop being intentionally obtuse. I clearly said it was a slewfoot even though I don't think it was as egregious as some of the others. Buddy is responsible for his own play and actions. And nowhere in the below does it say "but if it wasn't intended then it's all good".

52.1 Slew-footing - Slew-footing is the act of a player using his leg or foot to knock or kick an opponent’s feet from under him, or pushes an opponent’s upper body backward with an arm or elbow, and at the same time with a forward motion of his leg, knocks or kicks the opponent’s feet from under him, causing him to fall violently to the ice.

FYI, the person you be are responding to doesn't actually have any genuine thoughts or opinions. They don't actually believe a single thing they posted.

The only thing they do is find threads related to the Wild and take whatever position is negative in relation to that team. If the roles were reversed, their opinion on what a slew foot is would be exactly the opposite of what they posted here. If there is a main board thread concerning the Wild or one of their players, you know 100% what their position will be before they inevitably crawl out of their hole to post.

 

[Armourboy]

They make contact in the circle, not against the boards, and get there are about the same time. L'Heureux legally lifts Spurgeon's stick as Spurgeon tries to weakly tie him up. Happens many times in a game. This time, Spurgeon got caught off guard and almost loses his balance on the stick lift, and because he's skating across L'Heureux's path, he ends up in a position where he gets inadvertantly elbowed in the front of the shoulder as L'Heureux brings his arm back down, knocking him backwards. Per the DoPS, all of that was legal.

Where it goes wrong is that L'Heureux's left leg clearly takes out both of Spurgeon's legs from behind in what can only be described as a slew foot. I just think that was an unfortunate accident, with multiple contributing factors, and not anything intentional. With that said, I don't think the penalty and suspension are unwarranted. Even if it's accidental, you just can't do that.

For what its worth it's basically what Hal Gill said about it after watching several replay's of it. Essentially Spurgeon got caught off guard by the stick lift for some reason, a battle for position happens and the end of it all is the same outcome as a slewfoot, but isn't really a slewfoot.

Honestly he couldn't really find the term to identify it properly, but basically after watching it for a few minutes the best he could come up with was that Spurgeon was surprised by a stick lift for some reason, got himself into a bad position, ZLH was a bit overly aggressive for getting that close to the boards, everything tangles and Spurgeon ends up injured.

I know people are going to say Gill is a Preds guy, but he's pretty honest with what he see's, good or bad. He's about the only guy they have that isn't afraid to say anything bad about the players or team. When you hear his voice on radio on that play he is actively going back and forth, is it? maybe? Yeah I can see that call, but I don't really like calling that a slewfoot. As a former NHL Dman he doesn't think it is, but could see where the Refs might call it that because the result is the same but he doesn't really think its a slewfoot.

You take the suspension and move on. Luckily he seems to be a guy that learns from his mistakes, and yes he's had a lot of them. His play in the AHL dirty/suspension wise got far better even as the season progressed. He stopped jawing with the Refs, and started playing. Overall his number of incidents have gone down as he has gotten older which is a good thing.

 

[Ugene Magic]

People trying to put blame on Spurgeon are laughable, it is what L'Heureux does after the stick lift (elbow+leg sweep) that got him kicked from the game and suspended. Nothing Spurgeon 5'9" 165 lbs. did or was surprised of, but L'Heureux 5'11" 197 Lbs. took advantage of the stick lift with his elbow and drew leverage and the inevitable leg sweep of a smaller player.

Where the incident happened, a well deserved call and suspension.