Definately deserved the same as Weber. Just because he's a superstar forward doesn't mean he can go around throwing elbows or mean headchecks.
This wasn't intentional hit to the head, just a case of missing the target. Ovechkin aimed for a clean hit, but under circumstances: - swiss player never looked at penalty box direction nor were aware of penalty expiring. - Ovechkin was lined for a clean body hit but skated a bit off it and looking at the earlier circumstance I noted... **** happens, even if it was a hit to the head, I really don't see any reason for the suspension. And yes, I watched it live, and ran a few of replays from HD.
I take back what I said, not exactly the same. At first I thought he hit him with the elbow, but under closer inspection it looked like all shoulder and he threw the elbow out afterwards. Still seems like the fix is in a little bit, I mean is a headshot with an elbow that much worse than a headshot with a shoulder?
**** I don't know ... I think I'd rather get hit with an elbow nowadays than a shoulder ... with all the "shoulder pad protection" everyone is wearing now
I think the big difference is the intent. Hitting someone with your elbow is pretty much always considered intent to injure. No you wouldn't, if Ovechkin would have hit that guy with his elbow he would have been hurt much more than he was. I think the 1 game suspension is right. In no way was it dirty, however under no circumstances can you make contact with the opponents head or neck in a hit and therefore he deserves what he got. However there was certainly no intent to injure in anyway.
Something fishy like Weber's hit being dirty and Ovechkin's more accidental than anything (I don't think Weber did it intentionally either, but was much more careless with his elbow)? I think the one game is overkill, but it's OK. Three games would've been a joke compared to Weber's hit.
Anyone who claims Ovechkin deserves the same suspension as Weber is seriously out of the loop, the only common thing those two hits had was the fact that it hit the opponent in the head. That's were the similarities end.
Weber hit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0e7bJhUXAw AO hit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvg_3jwqGMo I dare you to tell me those r the same hits! One is clearly and elbow and another one is a shoulder!
Absolutely no comparison. Weber is surely the head hunter between the 2. I love Weber but man you can kill someone like that
I would have to say that the Weber hit is worse because of the speed Weber came in with and the fact that he was farther away from the player he hit and threw out the elbow. That being said the other hit was also an elbow, I think the difference was it was not an intentional elbow. If you pause the video at about 21 sec. you get a really good look at where the Swiss player's face hits. His forehead is about half way up Oveckin's upper arm, meaning his chin is being hit with the elbow. I don't think it was intentional but still worthy of a suspension, I think both players got appropriate punishment.
Am I the only one that doesn't see what's so bad about the AO hit? All I see him doing is skating out of the penalty box. No leaning into it, no putting his arms up at all. Just skating in the same path as the other guy, who is skating leaning down with his head down. I say this as someone who doesn't really like AO.