Aulie faces Player Safety hearing Thursday ***Update, Aulie Suspended 2 Games***

[PBandJ]

2 games for a clean hit.

Wat.

 

[McDNicks17]

No Hit League.

Yup.

And the arm goes up...

 

[Zap Brannigan]

2 games for a clean hit.

Wat.

It was interference. he didnt have the puck. you cant hit guys without the puck

 

[McMozesmadness]

Ridiculous suspension.

 

[The Nuge]

I'm curious to hear their explanation for why that's a suspension. That shouldn't even be a penalty

 

[Jumptheshark]

I am staying out of the main board dicussion--my guess is we are getting roasted

 

[The Nuge]

I am staying out of the main board dicussion--my guess is we are getting roasted

Of course we are. I'm done with it as well. Apparently at some point it went from the principal point of contact needing to be the head, to "hit anywhere near the head"

 

[Jumptheshark]

Of course we are. I'm done with it as well. Apparently at some point it went from the principal point of contact needing to be the head, to "hit anywhere near the head"

In a few years Chris Pronger will be in the hall of fame--with the rules now

Neither Pronger nor Scott Stevens nor Chris Chelios could play in the leaguue--but all three are HOF and bordlerline generational D-men

 

[Replacement*]

It was interference. he didnt have the puck. you cant hit guys without the puck

He had the puck until he saw the train coming. Then ironically the guy receiving the hit jumps off his skates for the impact. If anything they gave the wrong player the penalty. Only one player left his feet. The guy administering the hit only left his feet after impact of the hit which is pure physics.

That was a legit hit.

But not in No Hit League.

 

[Jumptheshark]

He had the puck until he saw the train coming. Then ironically the guy receiving the hit jumps off his skates for the impact. If anything they gave the wrong player the penalty. Only one player left his feet. The guy administering the hit only left his feet after impact of the hit which is pure physics.

That was a legit hit.

But not in No Hit League.

I have had to put the main thread on ignore on the main boards. Stajen did not have his strap attached correctly and that made it look ten times worse then it was

 

[McAsuno]

Yet good ol Jannik Hansen had a similar hit to the face, and only got a cute 5k fine. What a joke.

 

[McPuritania]

No Hit League.

The NHL is going to be sterile and passionless in 10-15 years, hell probably sooner. Fighting out the door, and good hard hits will be next in line to get phased out.

Who proceeds to act like he's dead in the same game that the Oilers get an embellishment penalty.


Its like watching Stampede Wrestling officiating.

When I saw Stajan laying motionless on the ice, I was like "Damn, he got ****ed up." Then Stajan is up seconds later and going after Aulie. Couldn't be more obvious, but refs bought it hook, line, and sinker.

 

[Replacement*]

The NHL is going to be sterile and passionless in 10-15 years, hell probably sooner. Fighting out the door, and good hard hits will be next in line to get phased out.



When I saw Stajan laying motionless on the ice, I was like "Damn, he got ****ed up." Then Stajan is up seconds later and going after Aulie. Couldn't be more obvious, but refs bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Yep. This isn't bantam hockey where I can see protecting kids from harm. This is pro hockey at the highest level. Its an open ice hit. The best kind of hit in hockey. Its part of the Canadian game.

If they want to do something meaningful then enforce standards of helmets more, ensure they are strapped on properly and call penalties if they are not and change the shoulder padding to something more forgivable than the current molded hard plastic resins that greatly contribute to concussions. Shoulder pads don't need to be this hard, and they weren't when I played the game. Its like wearing a suit of armor now but which makes the melon the most vulnerable thing. The NHL has been advised for years to do something about the equipment that is contributing to the concussion problem. Fix that problem instead of eliminating hitting from the game.

 

[North]

I was almost certain that he wouldn't get suspended.

Stephane Quintal is a joke. He has no clue what he is doing.

 

[Snakepit]

Flames fan popping in.

Absolutely disgusted. DISGUSTED. That this was a suspension. A good chunk of our fan base is as well. If that was a Giordano hit on Hall, people would have just called it 'gritty'.

People need to take out the teams and players involved and just look at the hit. Yes, there was head contact. That in itself isn't against the rules. Aulie was low, didn't leave his feet, didn't follow through upwards, didn't target the head. What more is he supposed to do, just let Stajan go by?

I'm not saying the hit was clean, it was pretty early. The 5 min major was a bit of a stretch, but alright, I guess at full speed it looked much worse and the refs have a split second to make that call. But a suspension is an absolute joke.

 

[UglyStupidAds]

Ugh. I'm so annoyed by this that I can't even put words to my thoughts.

No sense of logic to the Department of Player Safety at all.

I see almost no difference between this and the Bartkowski / Gionta hit. The biggest difference is how Bartkowski finishes with his arm high, demonstrating that he is driving up through the hit which is a much more dangerous action. Otherwise you have two players who are smaller than the offender and are reaching for a pass. Contact with body and head is simultaneous in both instances.

And then if you want to compare it to Hansen on Wingels...holy crap. Hansen comes all the way across the ice and stretches upwards to hit the guy in the head. Almost no body contact despite how easy it would have been to stay low and still finish his check hard.

I'm not one to buy into conspiracy theories but I have to wonder if it is just easier to "lay down the law" against a 6/7 defenceman for the bottom of the league Oilers than it is against more important players for teams that are actually competing for the playoffs.

 

[Deegee]

Yup.

And the arm goes up...

Leaves his foot to hit the player in that image. Penalty almost every time.

If suspensions for predatory hits (Aulie knew Stajan was vulnerable) means we see less people getting concussions I am all for it, regardless if you feel it's a good hit or not.

 

[CornKicker]

get used to it oiler fans, darnell nurse will get pegged with one of those each season.

the mechanics of a taller defenceman hitting a weaker smaller forward.

 

[mactforcoach]

When they take away these kind of hits, wait and see how many guy's end up with knee injuries.

 

[Insta]

Leaves his foot to hit the player in that image. Penalty almost every time.

If suspensions for predatory hits (Aulie knew Stajan was vulnerable) means we see less people getting concussions I am all for it, regardless if you feel it's a good hit or not.

I feel like we're watching different things. At the point of contact he has not yet left his feet.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

Shouldn't have been a suspension. Oh well

 

[Rejean31]

Flames fan here and I must admit that I don't think it should have been a suspension either. If this was suspendable then why did Pittsburghs Simon Despres not receive a suspension for a much dirtier hit on Ladislav Smid?

 

[The Nuge]

Flames fan here and I must admit that I don't think it should have been a suspension either. If this was suspendable then why did Pittsburghs Simon Despres not receive a suspension for a much dirtier hit on Ladislav Smid?

IMO, it comes down to Edmonton being the worst team in the league, and therefore, an easy team to suspend. If you suspend someone on one of the top teams, there's a greater ripple effect

 

[Tekneek]

5 minute major and game misconduct was too much for that hit, let alone adding more time to it. This is what makes it ridiculous. These punishments should be for intentional or reckless actions. Stajan did not lower his head until just before contact. It was too late to stop.

We need more attention to player safety than we had when Scott Stevens was hitting players in the head as a matter of routine. I agree with all of that, but what I don't like is when they seem to lose sight of that (supposed) goal.

 

[harpoon]

Yep. This isn't bantam hockey where I can see protecting kids from harm. This is pro hockey at the highest level. Its an open ice hit. The best kind of hit in hockey. Its part of the Canadian game.

I'm relieved to hear you say that. I wonder if you would find any correlation between the outcry over the past ten years or so to get new rules implemented in minor hockey ("to protect kids from harm") and the institution by the NHL of the kind of weak ass rules that result in Aulie getting suspended for two games for making a play that every one of us were told to make every chance we got growing up playing hockey.

I think there's a direct correlation. Actually, two correlations.

First, its a devastating hit. A good percentage of the time a hit like that is going to hurt somebody. Maybe even give them a concussion. And even though the head may have not been "targeted", Aulie rang his bell good. The NHL can't be found allowing anyone to get away with precisely this kind of hit (even though it is strictly not an illegal hit) because that would be like encouraging players to injure opponents. So more rules will be instituted at the minor hockey level to prevent anybody with their head down from getting lit up in any way shape or form. They'll call it the "three stride rule" or something stupid. And after a few years when all the minor hockey folks have accepted the "new game" it will work its way up to the NHL, and talking heads will tell us all how great it is.

Second, this type of hit is embarrassing to be on the receiving end of. I've been there a few times I must admit and the first instinct is to get up (if you can) and rip somebody's head off. This type of hit causes fights, no doubt. NHL doesn't like fights - and hey, coincidentally all the people trying to take hits like this out of the game don't like fighting either. Hits like this also create guys looking for payback. NHL doesn't like that either.

So I knew the second the hit was made Aulie was going to get suspended. NHL just simply can't let a guy get away with a hit like that anymore. Its a textbook example of the NHL shoving a watered down product down the fans throats and telling us to like it. From now on when arguing with posters who want to take hitting and fighting out of the game - to "protect the kids" - I'll be referring to this shameful incident as the Aulie exhibit.