Worst Match penalty/Major ever called (Cizikas NYI)

[tarheelhockey]

We can get into details of rules, but these guys have played their whole lives. And when there's a a free puck, and the paths of two pursuers intersect without either having position on the other, contact is a (unpenalized) reality of the sport. It's even a reality of non-contact sports like basketball and soccer, but it is the norm in contact sports.

I coach youth lacrosse, and one of the most important thing we do is use practice time to help players learn to protect themselves, particularly in these situations because they happen so often. It's actually much easier to teach it to kids in these situations (loose ball/puck) than it is self-protection with the ball (or puck), because some kids get totally single minded/tunnel vision when they have the ball (or puck).

We remind our players constantly, "chill out - they can't score from behind the goal line" for a couple of reasons, and positional awareness and spacing is obviously one reason, but self-protection is the other. Similar reasoning/exhortations apply to sidelines/boards.

It does not surprise me in the least when it's a 6'7" pro who doesn't have the habits/instincts etc. to keep his shoulder closed towards the extended goal line. It is very difficult for someone who is enormous relative to their peers their entire lives to develop the requisite anxiety to protect themselves if they don't come by it naturally. He got hit in the head by a 5'11" player who stayed level through the contact which occurred below the goal line, and came from the expected direction. If a much smaller player lacked such basic habits, they would never get close to playing pro.

There are times when players have no time to protect themselves, or are not in situations where they can know to, or it wouldn't make a difference if they did. This was none of those. This was a routine, 'take an angle towards the puck, don't open your shoulder, brace for contact, and if you get beaten & it rims around the boards, get back into position' situation.

I agree with what you’re saying here. From a rules perspective, a penalty is a penalty. From a technique perspective it is also a case of a player almost stepping into a hit. From a safety perspective, both factors are in play but… a penalty is a penalty. I can understand the frustration.

 

[mm11]

Too lazy to look up, but was there a suspension or hearing at all?

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Too lazy to look up, but was there a suspension or hearing at all?

 

[mm11]

View attachment 982729

Interesting, one of the worst calls of all time them! LGI!

 

[SwissLeaf]

1) It's difficult. I think that 5 min is ok, but 2 min wouldn't have been wrong either (I'm biased though, so 5 min is probably too much )

2) His name is Bichsel not Bischel.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

I feel as if I’m being gaslit here. It seems like the Stars player is getting drilled in the head. Maybe the body is being hit simultaneously. Why isn’t that a major? Not trying to stir things up, but others (and I’m not questioning sincerity) are seeing a clean hit. What am I missing?

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

He swings his stick and barely misses the puck. Again I think it's in that grey area so I can understand someone thinking that doesn't really constitute trying to play the puck. For me, with two players heading into the corner I think he was expecting contact.

I think he was expecting contact because he was planning to throw a big hit on an unsuspecting player. In the replay, Bichsel is staring at the puck the whole time and doesn't even appear to glance toward Cizikas. Cizikas, on the other hand, is laser focused on Bichsel, and shows zero interest in the puck. Bichsel swings towards the puck, but hit stick hits Cizikas' blade as the hit is delivered, and he doesn't make contact with the puck. At no point during the play does he appear to have anything resembling possession of the puck, which makes him ineligible to be checked like that.

If not for it being clearly interference, the hit itself isn't terrible.

 

[Orfieus]

TIL to avoid getting hit all you need to do is skate bent over, no one can touch you!

 

[Sauce12]

The guy‘s name is Bichsel not Bischel. It‘s pronounced Bixel.