GDT: Blues @ Vegas| Well...This is Awkward|8 PM CST|

[Stlblue50]

Bozak is out for tomorrow. Not sure if that was posted

 

[GoldenSeal]

“I have talked with the NHL’s Player Safety Department on the Bortuzzo and Bozak hits that have, or will result, in our players missing games. Player Safety feel that these type of plays should be handled by the officials on the ice. As a organization we will respect that standard and will play within the guidelines that have been set.”

Wowsers...

Cowards

 

[joe galiba]

“I have talked with the NHL’s Player Safety Department on the Bortuzzo and Bozak hits that have, or will result, in our players missing games. Player Safety feel that these type of plays should be handled by the officials on the ice. As a organization we will respect that standard and will play within the guidelines that have been set.”

Wowsers...

I think this means they will expect no suspension if blues players do unto others as was done unto them

 

[Ranksu]

Blais need to play and run over somebody and refs doesnt see anything. I get it.

 

[TK 421]

Sammy warm up your elbows buddy.

 

[mk80]

"Player Safety feel that these type of plays should be handled by the officials on the ice."

ok then...

 

[TK 421]

"Player Safety feel that these type of plays should be handled by the officials on the ice."

ok then...

So DOPS is admitting they're useless, well thanks for confirming what we already knew I guess.

 

[Vektor]

Set Blais loose.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Idk how other people feel about it, but I actually thought Shanahan did about as good as he could as the head of DoPS. Maybe there were consistency issues, but overall I feel like they handled it much better than they are now

Shanahan's big contribution was putting out videos explaining how decisions were made and bringing about the phrase "principal point of contact." That's about it. He was just as inconsistent as his predecessors. You could have two identical hits and one would get punished and the other wouldn't, and while you might get explanations for both they would be contradictory.

But yes, from that already low bar Parros & Co. have managed to breeze under it would all kinds of room to spare.

 

[ort]

That quote was from Doug Armstrong, FYI. I forgot to include that...

 

[ort]

I think this means they will expect no suspension if blues players do unto others as was done unto them

This is how I read that comment as well. A big giant middle finger to the league.

 

[mw2noobbuster]

Someone has to take a run at Stone tomorrow. If DoPS won't give discipline, then I guess the boys have to.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Let Blais/Clifford/Schenn have some fun tomorrow

 

[Brian39]

Army: "As an organization we will respect that standard and will play within the guidelines that have been set."

That is about as perfectly as you can word "we can go eye for an eye with cheap shots" if you are trying to avoid a fine and/or retain plausible deniability.

 

[Joshuar56]

Someone has to take a run at Stone tomorrow. If DoPS won't give discipline, then I guess the boys have to.

Don’t go after Stone, go after his teammates and let them know it’s his fault. Take a shot at petro or patches.

 

[illininer]

Yea, so at this point, DoPS is basically telling the players to police themselves which is essentially what they were supposed to get rid of?

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Yea, so at this point, DoPS is basically telling the players to police themselves which is essentially what they were supposed to get rid of?

If I'm DA, the next time a Blues player gets called in for a hearing, I fire off a sharply-worded critique - especially if the referees called a penalty on the play. I might even get in front of a microphone and go off on it. It'll probably draw a fine from the league, and I wouldn't care; I'd go off in great detail to highlight that the Do"PS" has no interest in doing its job and its decisions are purely arbitrary at this point, and something better change or I'll rally the other GMs to force change.

 

[stl76]

I actually think the DoPS made the right call on both the Bozak and the Bortuzzo hit.

 

[stl76]

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I actually think the DoPS made the right call on both the Bozak and the Bortuzzo hit.

Bortuzzo, I could wave my hands on it though I think it was probably worthy of a small fine.

Stone, though? I've seen that one a few times now, I can't see how it qualifies as a hockey play and it was clearly interference even if 4 blind zebras didn't see it. That's the kind of stuff we're supposed to be trying to get out of the game. If that doesn't even draw a fine, why are we even bothering to discipline players for anything. Just have Robin Pemberton take over Do"PS", tell him to utter "we will put it back in the hands of the players and we will say, ‘Boys, have at it and have a good time.’ That's all I can say" into a microphone, have him resign immediately after and disband Do"PS" completely.

 

[TK 421]

I actually think the DoPS made the right call on both the Bozak and the Bortuzzo hit.

Bortuzzo I agree with you on.

But targeting Bozak is entirely different. Bortuzzo at least knew to expect contact going into the corner.

Stone ambushed a guy in a move more closely resembling assault than hockey. It wasn't at all a hockey play where a player just mistimed it or got up a little high. It was a predatory attack outside of the rules on an unsuspecting player not even eligible to be hit. Interference doesn't even begin to describe what Stone did and the DOPS failed to send Stone a message that would satisfy the Blues with Bozak being injured. Instead those incompetent fools have let yet another star player get away with an egregious play everyone should want to see eliminated from the game. If more players get injured stemming from this incident it's on that failure of an office the DOPS.

 

[stl76]

Bortuzzo, I could wave my hands on it though I think it was probably worthy of a small fine.

Stone, though? I've seen that one a few times now, I can't see how it qualifies as a hockey play and it was clearly interference even if 4 blind zebras didn't see it. That's the kind of stuff we're supposed to be trying to get out of the game. If that doesn't even draw a fine, why are we even bothering to discipline players for anything. Just have Robin Pemberton take over Do"PS", tell him to utter "we will put it back in the hands of the players and we will say, ‘Boys, have at it and have a good time.’ That's all I can say" into a microphone, have him resign immediately after and disband Do"PS" completely.

4 blind zebras did see it tho, a 2 minute minor penalty for interference was correctly assessed on the play.

My argument basically boils down to this: we ought to penalize the play, not the result of the play. If Bozak popped back up unhurt, then this is a run-of-the-mill penalty IMO (maybe a bit unusual in how especially stupid it was for Stone to pull that crap).

 

[stl76]

Stone ambushed a guy in a move more closely resembling assault than hockey. It wasn't at all a hockey play where a player just mistimed it or got up a little high. It was a predatory attack outside of the rules on an unsuspecting player not even eligible to be hit. Interference doesn't even begin to describe what Stone did and the DOPS failed to send Stone a message that would satisfy the Blues with Bozak being injured. Instead those incompetent fools have let yet another star player get away with an egregious play everyone should want to see eliminated from the game. If more players get injured stemming from this incident it's on that failure of an office the DOPS.

Comparing it to assault is way over the top IMO, but I would agree with your basic premise that it was not a "hockey play gone bad", and should be punished. However, I think the punishment was fitting to the "crime" (maybe tack a fine on top because it was especially egregious and stupid).

The question I would pose to you is this: if Bozak was not injured, would you be calling for a suspension?

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Comparing it to assault is way over the top IMO, but I would agree with your basic premise that it was not a "hockey play gone bad", and should be punished. However, I think the punishment was fitting to the "crime" (maybe tack a fine on top because it was especially egregious and stupid).

The question I would pose to you is this: if Bozak was not injured, would you be calling for a suspension?

It's certainly worthy of a fine without Bozak's injury, simply due to the fact that it had nothing even remotely resembling a hockey play

 

[MilesNewton]

Stones one player who has had multiple concussions since he was in Juniors. A dirty hit for sure but he gets a pass since he is a considered an elite star player. If the roles were reversed you can safely bet that Bozak would have gotten at least a game suspension.