Post-Game Talk: Game 4 Capitals vs Islanders 7:30 PM (continued...)

[ChibiPooky]

As was said before, if we use "letter of the rule" as a standard for charging penalties, almost every hit is charging, particular those by forecheckers.

That's why charging isn't called by the letter of the rule, and other factors are keyed on, particularly whether a player is striding into the hit, whether he launches into it, and whether he straight-lines across the ice targeting a guy.

Wilson was gliding, did not launch, and changed direction around the corner. So he ticked none of the boxes. Not a legitimate penalty, given usual standards

Unfortunately, he ticked the secret fourth box, "Be Tom Wilson."

 

[Ajax1995]

Violent checks that are the result of distance traveled are, per the rule, charging. If the fact that checks that look particularly bad in real time are more likely to draw calls than other checks is surprising to you, I don't know what to tell you.

Yeah I don't quite get the surprise here from most. In today's NHL a much bigger player, traveling at a fairly high rate of speed, coming from a decent distance away and absolutely destroying a guy is going to be called a charge every time. It is what it is. Should it be called that way? I don't know but it is.

 

[trick9]

Yeah I don't quite get the surprise here from most. In today's NHL a much bigger player, traveling at a fairly high rate of speed, coming from a decent distance away and absolutely destroying a guy is going to be called a charge every time. It is what it is. Should it be called that way? I don't know but it is.

It doesn't really even need to be a much bigger player.

Cal Clutterbuck is a great example of a player that also uses his speed to have more effect on his hitting game. If he would have caught Mike Green with his head down one of those times he's came in looking for a hit it would have been called charging similarly.

The reputation of Tom Wilson in my opinion definitely causes the referees to think harder about any retaliation penalties though. Reverse the situation (Clutterbuck instead of Wilson and Green instead of Visnovsky) then the referees would have called Gleason too for bumping the hitter like Hickey did when Wilson was already down.

 

[RandyHolt]

Eddie Olcyzk - that's what they tell you in the old days. Wanna protect yourself get your stick up. Somebody takes a run at ya, they're gonna have to eat it.

Nice pull, thank you.

And a nice clear example for Green and the boys to use tonight.