Being Dougie Hamilton - I think I figured it out

[The Jerk Store]

Brain fart. I’m glad mine aren’t caught on video for the world to pick apart.

 

[My Special Purpose]

Hamilton has a history of not 'paying the price' and this incident was his magnum opus. I'd wager that 99.999% of NHL players, past and present, would play the puck in that situation.

Your analysis essentially says 'he was bracing for a hit', which would make sense if he'd played the puck. As he didn't, it's nonsense.

Y'know, when I decided to try to make points with a group of like-minded people on the internet, I knew there were some people who were just going to plain be rude about anything anybody had to say. I knew this going in. What I didn't anticipate is how far out of their way they'd go to do it, even to the point of making believe they had never before seen an actual hockey game, in order to take a shot at somebody.

So, the *only* time a player braces for a hit is when he's playing the puck? There's *never* a time when a defenseman braces for a hit *in advance of* playing the puck, in an attempt to protect the puck? In other words, this hit didn't happen?



IMO, the Hamilton play is *exactly* the same as this one. Justin Faulk wanted to play the puck, but he knew Tom Wilson was bearing down. So he braced for the hit *before playing the puck*. Now, if Wilson had instead gone directly to the puck instead of directly to Faulk, it would have looked *exactly* like Hamilton's play above.

 

[Golden Puppers]

Wow, you're WAY overthinking it bud. He bailed on the play and had a brainfart.

He could have played it better and put himself in a better spot to begin with though. You see how Ovi went to the middle, Dougie could have taken that same route to the puck. This would have done two things..

1) Slow him down a bit as he can't hit you while you aren't playing the puck and box him out some.

2) Prevent inside pursuit on the forecheck. If he followed Ovi to the middle and stepped in front, Ovi would have had then been pursuing him from the outside which is a lot harder to do when you're the offensive player. The defensive player can box you out and shield the puck. Plus Dougie would have been on his forehand which of course makes a chip off glass or breakout pass easier.

But yes, the goal line pass should have been disrupted and the shot could have perhaps been stopped. That's who hockey works. one mistake leads to another which leads to another. Sometimes a player downstream in that chain of events bails you out, others they dont.

Slavin actually overreached for that pass and it went through the triangle, the area between his skates and stick blade.

 

[My Special Purpose]

1) Slow him down a bit as he can't hit you while you aren't playing the puck and box him out some.

See the post above yours. Hitting while not playing the puck was *routine* in this series. Ovechkin (and Wilson) was getting away with interference, elbowing, boarding, charging, all of it. I'm not sure how much of the series you actually watched, but literally *nothing* was illegal (except accidentally flipping the puck over the glass). Defensemen had to be prepared to be hit *everywhere* and all the time.

Yes, Dougie made a mistake. He could have played this better. But he was preparing to be hit, not avoiding a hit.

 

[Golden Puppers]

See the post above yours. Hitting while not playing the puck was *routine* in this series. Ovechkin (and Wilson) was getting away with interference, elbowing, boarding, charging, all of it. I'm not sure how much of the series you actually watched, but literally *nothing* was illegal (except accidentally flipping the puck over the glass). Defensemen had to be prepared to be hit *everywhere* and all the time.

Yes, Dougie made a mistake. He could have played this better. But he was preparing to be hit, not avoiding a hit.

1) I don't see why Hamilton can't both a) brace or prepare for potential contact and b) bail on making a play on the puck or contact with Ovechkin...Those things aren't mutually exclusive.

2) The Faulk-Wilson play is different. In the Hamilton/Ovehckin play, those players are approaching the puck from different sides. This where my point about taking a different route comes into play. The Faulk-Wilson puck retrieval battle has both players approaching from the same side. Faulk did the right thing, slowed up tried to absorb Wilson and box him out. Wilson got away with a penalty for interference/boarding...shit happens.

 

[My Special Purpose]

1) I don't see why Hamilton can't both a) brace or prepare for potential contact and b) bail on making a play on the puck or contact with Ovechkin...Those things aren't mutually exclusive.

2) The Faulk-Wilson play is different. In the Hamilton/Ovehckin play, those players are approaching the puck from different sides. This where my point about taking a different route comes into play. The Faulk-Wilson puck retrieval battle has both players approaching from the same side. Faulk did the right thing, slowed up tried to absorb Wilson and box him out. Wilson got away with a penalty for interference/boarding...**** happens.

Which is where you get back to my original point. The Hamilton/Ovechkin play would have been the same as Faulk/Wilson play if Hamilton hadn't lost track of where the puck was. He was *trying* to play it like Faulk did, but the puck went further behind the net than he was expecting. *That* was Hamilton's mistake. Setting up for a hit in an area where the puck had left. Look, I'm not saying Hamilton was happy he was going to get hit by Ovechkin. He clearly wasn't. But he was doing his best to prepare. It's entirely possible that Ovechkin, being the hockey savant that he is, saw Hamilton so focused on the hit that he intentionally faked out Hamilton.

 

[Golden Puppers]

Which is where you get back to my original point. The Hamilton/Ovechkin play would have been the same as Faulk/Wilson play if Hamilton hadn't lost track of where the puck was. He was *trying* to play it like Faulk did, but the puck went further behind the net than he was expecting. *That* was Hamilton's mistake. Setting up for a hit in an area where the puck had left. Look, I'm not saying Hamilton was happy he was going to get hit by Ovechkin. He clearly wasn't. But he was doing his best to prepare. It's entirely possible that Ovechkin, being the hockey savant that he is, saw Hamilton so focused on the hit that he intentionally faked out Hamilton.

Well like Tarheel said, I simply don't see it like you do so there's really nothing left to argue about, I guess. We won't convince each other

 

[Mount Kramer Cameras]

Y'know, when I decided to try to make points with a group of like-minded people on the internet, I knew there were some people who were just going to plain be rude about anything anybody had to say. I knew this going in. What I didn't anticipate is how far out of their way they'd go to do it, even to the point of making believe they had never before seen an actual hockey game, in order to take a shot at somebody.

So, the *only* time a player braces for a hit is when he's playing the puck? There's *never* a time when a defenseman braces for a hit *in advance of* playing the puck, in an attempt to protect the puck? In other words, this hit didn't happen?



IMO, the Hamilton play is *exactly* the same as this one. Justin Faulk wanted to play the puck, but he knew Tom Wilson was bearing down. So he braced for the hit *before playing the puck*. Now, if Wilson had instead gone directly to the puck instead of directly to Faulk, it would have looked *exactly* like Hamilton's play above.

I'm not being rude. You have to expect to be challenged when you present such a presumptuous theory.

You've repeatedly expressed what Hamilton was supposedly thinking. How could possibly you know what Hamilton was thinking?

If you think he was 'protecting the puck' in this situation, that's comical. The difference between this and the Faulk incident is night and day. Dougie is actively ignoring the puck, whereas Faulk is moving towards the anticipated location of the puck.

The only hard evidence is that he's a proven soft player, so this was more than likely another soft play. An Ovechkin hit at speed is a scary thing.

 

[My Special Purpose]

If you think he was 'protecting the puck' in this situation, that's comical. The difference between this and the Faulk incident is night and day. Dougie is actively ignoring the puck, whereas Faulk is moving towards the anticipated location of the puck.

OMG, it's identical. Faulk is stopped. Dougie is stopped. Wilson went into Faulk because the puck was headed there. Ovechkin went around Hamilton because Hamilton was wrong about the "anticipated location of the puck." IT'S THE SAME PLAY, just with a different decision by the forechecker.

The only hard evidence is that he's a proven soft player, so this was more than likely another soft play. An Ovechkin hit at speed is a scary thing.

So, Dougie has made soft plays before, therefore this was a soft play. And *I'm* the one being "presumptuous?"

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Bruins fans just can’t let go, can they.

 

[Mount Kramer Cameras]

OMG, it's identical. Faulk is stopped. Dougie is stopped. Wilson went into Faulk because the puck was headed there. Ovechkin went around Hamilton because Hamilton was wrong about the "anticipated location of the puck." IT'S THE SAME PLAY, just with a different decision by the forechecker.

So, Dougie has made soft plays before, therefore this was a soft play. And *I'm* the one being "presumptuous?"

There are so many holes in everything you say. I'm out. But know that you're completely wrong on this one.

 

[3CanesInTheBox]

i love this thread. i love other people obsessed with sports no matter if it sends us down the rabbit hole. this team deserves this sort of overanalysis lol.

also let dougie keeep a horrible rep; will be easier to keep him around

 

[MinJaBen]

also let dougie keeep a horrible rep; will be easier to keep him around

That’s the first thing that I thought, too.

 

[My Special Purpose]

There are so many holes in everything you say. I'm out. But know that you're completely wrong on this one.

No holes in your "he has been soft in the past, therefore he was soft on this play" theory, either. Rock solid, that one.

 

[3CanesInTheBox]

Hamilton has a history of not 'paying the price' and this incident was his magnum opus. I'd wager that 99.999% of NHL players, past and present, would play the puck in that situation.

Your analysis essentially says 'he was bracing for a hit', which would make sense if he'd played the puck. As he didn't, it's nonsense.

Hamilton's too pretty to "pay the price"

I think Rod is a great coach for someone like Hamilton. He's got a lot of raw talent and passion, but appears to sometimes lack focus and discipline. he's found a coach he respects, a team that accepts him and he buys into--looking forward to seeing his development and I think he's already a great asset (warts and all)