Nurse DoPS hearing for cross checking Quinton Byfield - suspended 1 game (Mod Warning Post #136)

[GoldenBearHockey]

You don't think they just pulled him because why not protect the stars since there was nothing else to play for? They also pulled Kuemper, not like he was injured.

Frankly I fully expect him to be ready game 1 with no issues and would be surprised if that was a proper injury. Concussion protocol at best is my guess

Hopefully that's all it is....but as of now, he's injured...until things are different, is he not?

 

[notsocommonsense]

All predatory head contact should be a suspension

It’s amazing that this actually even needs to be stated

 

[King'sPawn]

You don't think they just pulled him because why not protect the stars since there was nothing else to play for? They also pulled Kuemper, not like he was injured.

Frankly I fully expect him to be ready game 1 with no issues and would be surprised if that was a proper injury. Concussion protocol at best is my guess

The announcement was he was removed from the game due to an upper body injury. Not as a precaution.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Drive his head down? It was under his arm. The headlock meant the impact was softened. The crosscheck was on the top of his helmet. Is this really how soft we're getting?

Is Byfield hurt?

That angle offers a much better view of things. The initial blow is more of a glancing punch to the head and then Nurse tucks his forearm under Byfields head which actually prevents his head from hitting the ice. The second shot wasn’t necessary but Byfield is already putting his head down to cry, not a lot of force behind that shot from Nurse.

Seeing this view makes it look much less egregious, I don’t think DoPS will throw the book at him but who knows

 

[Vikingstad]

The announcement was he was removed from the game due to an upper body injury. Not as a precaution.

Again these are very generic comments. I think it's best to wait until LAs coach gives updates before tonight's game. Coincidentally Nurse will have having the hearing later this evening so maybe the DOPS wants to know the extent of injury to determine the suspension

 

[Old Boys Club]

Expecting a 1 game suspension here based on Dregers tweet. Maybe even a $5,000 fine

 

[notsocommonsense]

Drive his head down? It was under his arm. The headlock meant the impact was softened. The crosscheck was on the top of his helmet. Is this really how soft we're getting?

Is Byfield hurt?

It’s soft to have an issue w a guy cross checking another guy who is prone and defenseless in the back of the head?

Dude, you’re hilarious

 

[rebuildorbust]

Honestly looked like a dive by byfield to me, smart of him to sell the call though

Wow

 

[Kingfan1967]

Again these are very generic comments. I think it's best to wait until LAs coach gives updates before tonight's game. Coincidentally Nurse will have having the hearing later this evening so maybe the DOPS wants to know the extent of injury to determine the suspension

DoPS can't determine suspension because of Injury, only on the action and intent. A player may get a longer suspension based on history or previous actions on the same player even if no injury results

 

[1989]

DoPS can't determine suspension because of Injury, only on the action and intent. A player may get a longer suspension based on history or previous actions on the same player even if no injury results

The writing of the rules isn't necessarily the execution of the rules.

 

[Zerotonine]

Same rhetoric around here every one talking about how nurse beingvsusoended only helps edmonton . Just proves how much clowns just trill instead if watching the fking games. Nurse has been great this year but I guess HF gonna HF

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

That angle offers a much better view of things. The initial blow is more of a glancing punch to the head and then Nurse tucks his forearm under Byfields head which actually prevents his head from hitting the ice. The second shot wasn’t necessary but Byfield is already putting his head down to cry, not a lot of force behind that shot from Nurse.

Seeing this view makes it look much less egregious, I don’t think DoPS will throw the book at him but who knows

Nope he is still reckless and assaulted someone. He does that to the wrong person on the street and he has just justified lethal force.

 

[Old Boys Club]

Nope he is still reckless and assaulted someone. He does that to the wrong person on the street and he has just justified lethal force.

That’s why I always concealed carry, you never know when a hockey player is going to cross check you when you’re walking to the grocery store.

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

That’s why I always concealed carry, you never know when a hockey player is going to cross check you when you’re walking to the grocery store.

Or attacks you unprovoked from behind with a blunt object then proceeds to hit you when you’re defenseless and face down on the ground.

 

[Duder54]

If Pietrangelo two-handing a guy in the playoffs a couple years back and Soucy trying to re-arrange McDavid's teeth with his stick last year were each worth 1 game off, Nurse's actions are worth that or less. Give him a game and let him rest up for the playoffs. Anything else is overkill.

 

[mobilus]

Expecting a 1 game suspension here based on Dregers tweet. Maybe even a $5,000 fine

 

[mobilus]

If Pietrangelo two-handing a guy in the playoffs a couple years back and Soucy trying to re-arrange McDavid's teeth with his stick last year were each worth 1 game off, Nurse's actions are worth that or less. Give him a game and let him rest up for the playoffs. Anything else is overkill.

This was five games...

 

[Vikingstad]

DoPS can't determine suspension because of Injury, only on the action and intent. A player may get a longer suspension based on history or previous actions on the same player even if no injury results

I agree they theoretically can't, but let's not deny that the seriousness of injury often impacts the level of discipline handed out. NHL is very inconsistent with their own rules

 

[Moon Man]

A still shot as proof means you've lost the argument.

It doesn't look as bad in this angle, but it is worthy of a suspension. He is hitting someone's head who is just laying there.

 

[viper0220]

The punishment should be, the Oilers need to pay Nurse 25 minutes a game in the playoffs.

 

[ManofSteel55]

The punishment should be, the Oilers need to pay Nurse 25 minutes a game in the playoffs.

Nurse has been great all year. I know the joke is that Nurse is awful, but he's really not, he's been solid all season long. We won't complain if he plays 25 minutes a game...unless he regresses to last year's play, but I suspect that is behind him now that they don't have him with that partner anymore.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Keep it on topic. Feeding @Troll Stomper is my job. Unless you are volunteering as tribute. ​

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I love that most of the argument against is simply that Nurse is too stupid to control where his hits land

Intent was still there no matter how caveman he is

He went for the big crosscheck to the back of the head and missed, so instead he headlocked Byfield face down to the ice. Okay fine, penalize that in game, it's part of the scrum, I could live with that even if I don't at all like the reckless stick-to-head attempt.

He went for the big crosscheck to a prone and defenseless Byfield but instead of getting his neck it just glanced hard off his helmet. That's the part that's deserving of MUCH more punishment. Plays over, Byfield didn't do anything crazy, he's not freaking out, he's laying there. Everyone on the ice had stopped, it's no continuation of anything...it's just a premeditated attempt to injure and we're all--including Nurse--pretty fortunate it wasn't more damaging. And then of course all the other context I mentioned earlier--blowout game, confirmed playoff opponent, best player on opposing team, defenseless doing nothing.

good guy nurse I guess

If the NHL is serious about punishing intent over result, it's all clear as day. "He tried and failed" isn't much of a defense.

 

[BlueMed]

That reminds me of the Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident. I understand that it's difficult to prove intent, but punishing players solely based on consequences is meaningless when a malicious intent was clearly there but said player failed to accomplish what he really wanted.

 

[ManofSteel55]

That reminds me of the Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident. I understand that it's difficult to prove intent, but punishing players solely based on consequences is meaningless when a malicious intent was clearly there but said player failed to accomplish what he really wanted.

I think that's a little over the top. Bertuzzi's attack was clearly intent to injure. This one? I'm not sold on it. Intent to hurt, maybe, but not injure. Intent to bang him up a bit, but not to take him out. As you said, there's no way to prove it, but intent to injure is usually pretty obvious, and to me, this wasn't that. I do think he was trying to hurt him, and it wasn't a "hockey play", so Nurse deserved his penalty, and I think he deserves more than that is it was a head shot, but I don't think you can compare this incident with one that was arguably the most notorious play in the history of the game.