Trouba MASSIVE hit on Meier

[State of Hockey]

Should probably read all of rule 48 , not just parts of it. So ya you’re wrong, below shows why legal, and refs agreed after huddle.
Like these parts

did opponent change position leading to the head contact?
Nope

did the player assume a position that made head contact unavoidable?
Yes

did the player making the hit attempt to hit through the body, and the head was not picked, or the head contact wasn’t because of a bad angle or unnecessary extension ?

Yep hit through the body, and didn’t come from a bad angle.

You're avoiding my points. You really think the NHL is that stupid? Your interpretation of question 2 and what's highlighted goes against the spirit of the rule. It makes no sense to have that interpretation because we know what the intent of the rule is.

This article is a great read on rule 48:

How Rule 48 completely changed the NHL's trajectory

The rule, along with punishments doled out by the Department of Player Safety, changed the league for the better.

www.espn.com

It talks about the tweaks to the language over time and has quotes from Shanahan about how direction of contact to the head does not matter. And it interprets the rule as yes, the onus is on the checking player to avoid head contact when avoidable. Trouba clearly didn't avoid it with ample opportunity to do so. It was not a legal hit. And so it's not clean one either. Fact. End of story.

 

[hairylikebear]

A lot of people are looking for the wrong infraction. The head contact is the infraction, the rule describes how to assign responsibility for the head contact. Personally, I think Meier skated in a perfectly normal stance for a zone entry, and I'm not sure was even aware the hit was coming, so I doubt he was protecting his body with his head or anything like that. Meanwhile, Trouba does almost everything right except he pushes up too early and as a result the contact is high. It's pretty textbook as long as this is what you see, so I'm surprised to be in the minority.

Still, it's clearly not a major/game or anything like that, and very difficult to see in real time, so that component isn't even thread worthy. What made this worthy is that it was a big hit to the head, but there's nothing wrong with recognizing a penalty should have been called there.

I think it's fine to say that Meier was responsible because he was skating so low. However, it looked to me like his stance was wide so he could use his feet to protect the puck.

This is a clean hit, and a beauty, if Trouba executes it better. Meier's stance and their overall positioning made it a tough hit to execute.

 

[Golden_Jet]

You're avoiding my points. You really think the NHL is that stupid? Your interpretation of question 2 and what's highlighted goes against the spirit of the rule. It makes no sense to have that interpretation because we know what the intent of the rule is.

This article is a great read on rule 48:

How Rule 48 completely changed the NHL's trajectory

The rule, along with punishments doled out by the Department of Player Safety, changed the league for the better.

www.espn.com

It talks about the tweaks to the language over time and has quotes from Shanahan about how direction of contact to the head does not matter. And it interprets the rule as yes, the onus is on the checking player to avoid head contact when avoidable. Trouba clearly didn't avoid it with ample opportunity to do so. It was not a legal hit. And so it's not clean one either. Fact. End of story.

Lol
Didn’t avoid your points , I listed the actual rule and why it was legal.

There is no “spirit” of the rule , that’s in your head,
What we do have is a rule, and it was called correctly.
95% think it was a legal hit.

Nothing in your link describes the new rule 48.

 

[zeykshade]

Looked clean, but the second angle clearly shows head as the principal point of contact. Meier was slouched though.

I said this in the game thread. Folks need to understand what "principal" means. It doesn't mean initial or first. It means the main or major focal point. This means that not only does the head have to be the initial point of contact, it has to also be the point where the majority of the force is imparted.

That's not the case in this hit. Head is the initial point of contact, but the clavical/chest is the principal point of contact. I hate the hit, I think it's predatory because he comes off the bench looking to blow someone up and finds a guy who is already engaged with a defender and comes from an angle Meier can't prepare for.

 

[Yenn 22]

This is just pure hockey play. Once you start calling this illegal you basically tell players to just lean forward, put head down and skate to the net since nobody can touch them. That won't be the same sport again.

To be honest we actually need this more in today's hockey, not necessarily that hard but players needs to be remained they need to skate with their head up. Or we will soon have game full of Zegrases and can rename stadiums to playgrounds.

 

[hairylikebear]

I said this in the game thread. Folks need to understand what "principal" means. It doesn't mean initial or first. It means the main or major focal point. This means that not only does the head have to be the initial point of contact, it has to also be the point where the majority of the force is imparted.

That's not the case in this hit. Head is the initial point of contact, but the clavical/chest is the principal point of contact. I hate the hit, I think it's predatory because he comes off the bench looking to blow someone up and finds a guy who is already engaged with a defender and comes from an angle Meier can't prepare for.

There was a nose injury, so I think it's pretty logical to say that's where most of the force went. Maybe Meier would disagree and say he felt it more in the chest but it seems unlikely to me.

Nosebleeds don't take a ton of force compared to a clavicle injury and AFAIK he didn't break his nose. But if his nose is broken I think it's much clearer.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

I think it's important to note that there's no "tweaking" this rule.

Anyone suggesting that doesn't understand the reality of in-game NHL hits and the game's speed. Players will simply stop hitting.

Anyone advocating for a rule change is essentially saying remove open-ice hitting from hockey. It's as simple as that. Nothing wrong with that position but be honest and say it like it is. A player will not avoid the head in that situation as it's almost impossible. NHL hockey isn't played in slow-mo nor do offensive players stay in the same path allowing defenders to make the perfect non-head contact hit.

For me, the sanctity of the sport has to remain. Physicality is a fundamental part of the game. No need to be shy about it or ignore this reality. You can't take tackles out of football/rugby and you can't take hits out of hockey. It completely alters the game.

This is not about being macho but rather knowing it's how hockey is played. Just cause a puck could hit someone in the head doesn't mean you eliminate slap shots from hockey.

Of course, blindside hits have no place in the game and are rightly policed. The player has no chance in a situation like that. But a hit like Trouba's is simply a part of the sport.

 

[PatrickEaves]

I find this really entertaining reading the discourse of the same Devils fans that celebrate Scott Stevens spending his entire career doing the same headhunting, trying to permanently alter the post playing life of the players he played against.

 

[LuckyPierre]

He was playing the puck and already engaged by other players. Trouba came up from his defensive position to lay the hit. So you think there's need to have 3 players defend Meier here. This is a three ring circus to absolve clear and clean hit to the face while not even noticing being distracted by other opposing players. Meaning, this wasn't Meier skating in open ice with his head down.

His head was up.

Trouba had plenty of time to understand what he was doing. That puts the onus on him.

What you stated above is some combination of incoherent, irrelevant, or wrong.

Meier’s head was not up. It was leading. Which is why it was the ‘initial’ point of contact, hence why we are having this silly debate.

As for whatever else you’re trying to say, none of it matters. Trouba is defending his zone, and Meier is eligible to be hit.

 

[Czechboy]

I find this really entertaining reading the discourse of the same Devils fans that celebrate Scott Stevens spending his entire career doing the same headhunting, trying to permanently alter the post playing life of the players he played against.

Sidenote; Stevens retired because of concussions.

 

[PatrickEaves]

Sidenote; Stevens retired because of concussions.

I believe the Germans probably have a word for that.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

If the hit is legal then it is clean. All these takes about it being legal but dirty are absolutely absurd. If it is a legal play within the rulebook then it is inherently a clean play.

This is right. The other word (instead of dirty) is predatory, and I think that makes more sense.

There's that saying "you gotta keep your head up when ____ is on the ice" and that's b/c some guys look for their opportunities in open ice alot more than others. They can be dangerous. Trouba in this case comes off the bench & is really hiding in the weeds behind 2 other Rangers.

In today's game these players are very rare so when you have someone like Trouba the sensitivity is heightened by default.

I'm conflicted. Big hits I loved as a kid I cringe at now. No one wants to see a player out of it laying on the ice but I think hitting has to be apart of the game.

 

[SoupGuru]

All open ice hits to the body are legal, regardless of what body parts you have to go through to get there.

 

[StreetHawk]

This is right. The other word (instead of dirty) is predatory, and I think that makes more sense.

There's that saying "you gotta keep your head up when ____ is on the ice" and that's b/c some guys look for their opportunities in open ice alot more than others. They can be dangerous. Trouba in this case comes off the bench & is really hiding in the weeds behind 2 other Rangers.

In today's game these players are very rare so when you have someone like Trouba the sensitivity is heightened by default.

I'm conflicted. Big hits I loved as a kid I cringe at now. No one wants to see a player out of it laying on the ice but I think hitting has to be apart of the game.

In a playoff series, best of, you are going to get hit hard either the intention of changing the way you play. If you survive it, you’re not going to desire to make the same play again that got you lit up. Or you don’t come out of it unscathed.

Meier simply got caught trying to stick handle through multiple rangers at a slower rate of speed and got caught. Didn’t help that the Dman man door to the bench is several feet inside the blue line thus allowing Trouba to come basically out of no where to lay the hit.

 

[zeykshade]

This is right. The other word (instead of dirty) is predatory, and I think that makes more sense.

There's that saying "you gotta keep your head up when ____ is on the ice" and that's b/c some guys look for their opportunities in open ice alot more than others. They can be dangerous. Trouba in this case comes off the bench & is really hiding in the weeds behind 2 other Rangers.

In today's game these players are very rare so when you have someone like Trouba the sensitivity is heightened by default.

I'm conflicted. Big hits I loved as a kid I cringe at now. No one wants to see a player out of it laying on the ice but I think hitting has to be apart of the game.

The issue with knowing who you're on the ice with is, Trouba wasn't on the ice when Meier started the play. He came off the bench and smoked him. That's what makes it a spot-picker or predatory hit to me.

Like someone else said, there's no tweaking that rule. It's either adopt the IIHF rules for hits to the head or continue to see traumatic brain injuries and CTE.

 

[LPHabsFan]

I don't care whether the hit was legal or not. I don't care whether Meier could have done something more to protect himself. I care that in a world where we know what we know about head injuries, these hits shouldn't happen, and the only way to do so is by wiping the slate clean with all historical views of both in game and supplementary discipline and changing the way those types of hits are called and suspended.

 

[Roksta]

Nice hit, now that classless fan base and organization will have something to talk about while their team play golf at least

 

[Gregor Samsa]

I get that there is a crusade against CTE’s and concussions. They are a black eye on physical sports. The question is how much do you want to remove them? Is it worth it to take hitting out of the game for that and fundamentally alter the game? Not to sound callous but sports are entertainment. Unfortunately humans have a sadistic streak in them. Violence sells just like sex sells. Whether it’s people filling the coliseum to watch gladiators kill each other, watching drunken fights on YouTube, watching violent horror movies, interest in war and related media, gore sites, etc, they have always drawn people’s attention. Removing hitting would mean less interest in the sport, less revenue, and the players get paid less.

For anyone with a lack of nuance, I’m not advocating bloodbaths on the ice, flying elbows, and all that jazz. I’m just saying that clean albeit predatory hits will always happen and there is nothing that can be done without removing hitting because what does predatory even mean in legalese rule language? It sucks to see players hurt but they knew what they are getting into with this sport. They make a ton of money and many people would take a concussion for that type of pay. Hitting is a fundamental part of the game and entertainment. That includes big hits too. Try to eliminate concussions as much as possible without going overboard

 

[Roksta]

I find this really entertaining reading the discourse of the same Devils fans that celebrate Scott Stevens spending his entire career doing the same headhunting, trying to permanently alter the post playing life of the players he played against.

Who tf celebrates Scott Stevens? Everyone knows he's a pos stop inventing things in your head

 

[cliffclaven]

I don't care whether the hit was legal or not. I don't care whether Meier could have done something more to protect himself. I care that in a world where we know what we know about head injuries, these hits shouldn't happen, and the only way to do so is by wiping the slate clean with all historical views of both in game and supplementary discipline and changing the way those types of hits are called and suspended.

Which, again, will completely remove open ice hitting. And more than likely, most hitting in general.

 

[OilWagon]

Legal hit according to the letter of the law. These hits will always exist unless you want to entirely remove hitting from the game.

 

[Mattb124]

I'm using rule 48. Trouba gets blame IMO because his early extension (mistiming the hit) is what clearly caused the head contact.

That is not how the rule reads or works.

 

[cliffclaven]

Legal hit according to the letter of the law. These hits will always exist unless you want to entirely remove hitting from the game.

Which, sadly, will happen eventually. Especially with these type of “fans” of the game saying this hit should be removed.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

The issue with knowing who you're on the ice with is, Trouba wasn't on the ice when Meier started the play. He came off the bench and smoked him. That's what makes it a spot-picker or predatory hit to me.

Like someone else said, there's no tweaking that rule. It's either adopt the IIHF rules for hits to the head or continue to see traumatic brain injuries and CTE.

I agree there's no tweaking the rule. I'd reframe the characterization as hitting vs no hitting.

The IIHF rule is fine, but Trouba isn't going into that hit trying to hit his head. Guys who throw hits will either stop or continue.

The level of CTE/Brain injuries coming out of this generation won't be close to the previous generations. Fighting has disappeared, big hits are already very rare. Some level of it will always exist however if there is hitting allowed.

 

[PatrickEaves]

Who tf celebrates Scott Stevens? Everyone knows he's a pos stop inventing things in your head

Oh my mistake, it's not like his number is retired and he's one of the most beloved Devils of all time.