The NHL has gotta stop the BS after clean hits

[GAGLine]

Matheson got 17 minutes , that’s the right call just wish the refs were consistent about it

Trouba has been jumped a number of times after hits in recent years, and the instigator has been called fairly often in those cases.

I feel like the situation is probably as good as is going to get. Calling the instigator may stop some of these fights from happening, but as others have said, players on the ice usually don't know if it's a clean hit or not, and they are going to jump in to defend their teammate.

The ironic thing is, when the tables are turned, and our own player takes a big hit, the players would be vilified for not standing up for their teammate. It's a no-win situation for them.

 

[PaulD]

well then, unless the players start posting here it's time to shut down hockeysfuture.

i mean, really. what a dumb comment. i'm sure there's lots of things players want, but they can't have (due to safety, game delays, etc etc etc). having multiple players jump a guy for a clean hit does nothing but slow the game down. and it certainly doesn't lead to less clean hits, if that's the intention- but if it did, that would be even worse.

i'd like to see some serious suspensions handed out next time something like this happens. if an interference penalty can cost you $5000, surely they can fine & suspend for this. if a guy gets smoked out there, you get his number and have a long memory. we don't need a wwe brawl.

They used to give 20 game suspensions. Sometimes more. How'd that work for ya?
Pronger was suspended 9 times. Smiles when he's asked about.
Twice in the play offs on a Stanley Cup run. ha!

 

[Chet Manley]

Fighting in hockey is in theory a pressure relief valve to avoid angry men for using their two-handed melee weapon during gameplay. In that respect this makes more sense that a lot of fights. But it's all BS and should be out of the game.

 

[golfortennis1]

The Sabres power play is not a punishment.

Is this a call for teams to have the ability to decline a penalty?

 

[krutovsdonut]

the code 20 years ago used to be that you could not hit superstars hard ever without retaliation, but for regular players, clean hits were allowed. teammates who did not see the play waited for the replay or a team witness after a big hit to decide whether to react. so often you'd have a delayed reaction after a period. also, often the reaction to a hard legal hit was a hard legal hit in return.

the code has now evolved to discourage very hard hitting on any player legal or not, especially if it is out of context to the flow of the game.

in other words the code is ironically helping to take hard hitting out of the game by using fighting.

 

[TGWL]

the code 20 years ago used to be that you could not hit superstars hard ever without retaliation, but for regular players, clean hits were allowed. teammates who did not see the play waited for the replay or a team witness after a big hit to decide whether to react. so often you'd have a delayed reaction after a period. also, often the reaction to a hard legal hit was a hard legal hit in return.

the code has now evolved to discourage very hard hitting on any player legal or not, especially if it is out of context to the flow of the game.

in other words the code is ironically helping to take hard hitting out of the game by using fighting.

The code is stupid. You defend all your players or you don't do anything. In a 5-2 game, why wouldn't you stick up for your teammates and take the penalties? Until the league cracks down on that it won't stop and it has nothing to do with the code anymore.

 

[Oleksiak]

First step is to fix the officiating problem so that at least teams can trust that a dirty hit will be penalized. For egregious offenses, suspend both refs and make the reason public. Until the refs start focusing on enforcing the rules and stop openly fixing games, the problem will get worse.

 

[krutovsdonut]

The code is stupid. You defend all your players or you don't do anything. In a 5-2 game, why wouldn't you stick up for your teammates and take the penalties? Until the league cracks down on that it won't stop and it has nothing to do with the code anymore.

sorry but that take is terrible. it is just another code and a really basic and dumb one. what are you sticking up for your teammate about if the hit was legal? does your team not support legal hits and make such hits themselves? are they just idiot hypocrites?

the old code, which said star players were off limits to hard hits, had a purpose and respected the fact there was hitting in the game. it's similar to the rookie treatment code rule that is still in effect.

extending that rule to fighting for any hard hit on any player when the score is not in doubt is just infantile blind retaliation. clean but hard hits are an inevitable consequence of the sport rules that allow hitting and don't merit a retaliation other than a clean but hard hit in return. blind retaliation is just opening up all the players in the league to random violence every time they do their job properly and make a good hit. so it's either discouraging hitting in the game or introducing a stupid reductionist mentality among the players who all become hypocrite idiots.

 

[MartyOwns]

They used to give 20 game suspensions. Sometimes more. How'd that work for ya?
Pronger was suspended 9 times. Smiles when he's asked about.
Twice in the play offs on a Stanley Cup run. ha!

how did that work for the players who got suspended and forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars? you think torres for example didn't miss the half a million he had to forfeit for a dumb decision?

 

[PaulD]

how did that work for the players who got suspended and forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars? you think torres for example didn't miss the half a million he had to forfeit for a dumb decision?

sure he did. duh. I'm saying did it stop hits like Trouba throws?Fights after clean hits? Fights after dirty hits?Sucker punches from guys like Max Domi? You said you want suspensions ......I assumed your meant as a deterent. As Brian Burke pointed out ..suspensions don't work. Shit happens. It's hockey. Don't like it , don't watch it.
It's not my job or any order fans job to " clean up the game" .....
or I like this one even better.....when fans talk about the right or wtong way to " grow the game"
Parrots.

.

 

[TGWL]

sorry but that take is terrible. it is just another code and a really basic and dumb one. what are you sticking up for your teammate about if the hit was legal? does your team not support legal hits and make such hits themselves? are they just idiot hypocrites?

the old code, which said star players were off limits to hard hits, had a purpose and respected the fact there was hitting in the game. it's similar to the rookie treatment code rule that is still in effect.

extending that rule to fighting for any hard hit on any player when the score is not in doubt is just infantile blind retaliation. clean but hard hits are an inevitable consequence of the sport rules that allow hitting and don't merit a retaliation other than a clean but hard hit in return. blind retaliation is just opening up all the players in the league to random violence every time they do their job properly and make a good hit. so it's either discouraging hitting in the game or introducing a stupid reductionist mentality among the players who all become hypocrite idiots.

My take is terrible ...but the old code was good because it had respect and purpose? So don't stick up for you 3rd line, pk players who dive out to block shots to keep a goal off the score sheet, but if a star player gets hit, you better watch out.

The old code was just as bad. Players taking shots after clean hits will continue because there's really no consequences. It's not because of some new code of players sticking up for all their teammates. What are you sticking up for your top players for if the hit was clean and good? The pick and choose is worse.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

If you're gonna throw a big hit, be prepared to throw some punches too.

 

[Hunter368]

Always been this way, not a new thing. Another example last night Trouba delivered a great clean hit on Barron and immediately was challenged by another Hab. Trouba answered the call, fought, the code was taken care of or fulfilled. Should be resolved now, hopefully Barron recovers fine and learns from it. I have no issue with it, you lay a huge hit and if someone wants to fight once to show they stood up for their teammate ok. If

 

[MetM]

The instigator rule should be enforced but also only apply if the initial "hit" was legal/not penalized. Otherwise I feel frustrated when players don't answer dirty hit on teammates.

 

[krutovsdonut]

My take is terrible ...but the old code was good because it had respect and purpose? So don't stick up for you 3rd line, pk players who dive out to block shots to keep a goal off the score sheet, but if a star player gets hit, you better watch out.

The old code was just as bad. Players taking shots after clean hits will continue because there's really no consequences. It's not because of some new code of players sticking up for all their teammates. What are you sticking up for your top players for if the hit was clean and good? The pick and choose is worse.

i disagree they will always take those shots because they can. they didn't take those shots in the same situations in the past even though they could. i am also pretty certain most guys don't fight just because they can. they do it when they think it is expected and required by the current code. they risk hand injuries every time they do it that can seriously impact their careers.

it is all attitudinal based on the current mindset of players, aka "the code". change the code, change the behaviour.