Krejci Headshot-UPDATE: No Discipline

[bobbyorr04]

As a bitter Canucks fan, I'm not even going to pretend that I didn't enjoy seeing that.

Is there anything other than a bitter Nucks fan???

 

[3rdLiner]

When the star player turns and slows down a fraction of a second before being hit there isn’t a lot that can be done. If he took the hit instead of trying to avoid it it would have been a a clean hit.

It’s a fast game the only way to avoid this happening is to take contact out of the game. It sucks for him but the NHL made the right call on this one.
They saw what I saw

No they saw a team battling for a playoff spot's best player who is lucky enough to be out of "repeat offender" protocol. They saw Krejci wasn't hurt.

That's why they didn't suspend. Different team/player, different end result and there is a suspension there. I'm not saying that the Blues get favored either, just that DOPS clearly makes it decisions on factors other than purely the play on the ice.

edit: you want proof? Bortuzzo got fined for something anybody hardly noticed in the same game.

 

[bb_fan]

LOL so the torso to torso, came after the hit, when Krejc was what, on the ice? Seriously?

If he dropped his shoulder and hit Krejc dead on the chin, probably would have turned out worse,

But seriously, I love your...yea,...he hit torso to torso after the hit...not...before not during..but after the hit....lol wow, that's some serious mental gymnastics there

dude, give it up.

its shoulder/fore arm to face.

Hey look!! I see Krejci's face!

Hey look! I only see half of Krejci's face!

 

[supsens]

people pushing the narrative that he put himself in a vulnerable position, is as I said earlier, garbage.

he's skating and making a play with the puck.

he didn't duck.

he didn't put his head down.

he didn't turn last minute/unexpectedly.

this goes for anyone skating, Krejci or not.

Most people don't skate standing straight up and down.

hunching over a bit, leaning, etc etc is normal for most people skating. that's not putting yourself in a vulnerable spot.

It’s clear at the 2 second mark of the video he puts on the breaks and moves away from the boards. It’s also clean he is bent way over.
It is what it is, aa good call.

 

[bb_fan]

It’s clear at the 2 second mark of the video he puts on the breaks and moves away from the boards. It’s also clean he is bent way over.
It is what it is, aa good call.

ummm, no. he's allowed to skate, if that involves being hunched over a bit, guess what, that's how most guys skate.

 

[bobbyorr04]

All I can say is that any fan who really thinks this was a clean hit and agrees with this decision better not cry when when of your own players takes a similar hit in the future.

...and the DoPS has just set a precedent for this type of hit, so they better apply this ruling FAIRLY throughout the league.

 

[carter333167]

He turned an dipped half a second before getting hit. I think the Nhl fans are becoming a joke if they think there was anything wrong with this hit.
Looks like everyone wants contact out of the game now.

I agree that this is one of several factors that led to no action from DOPS.

My guess is DOPS interpreted it, rightfully or wrongfully, as follows:

1. They didn't believe Schenn had an intent to injure Krekci--unfortunate bang bang play....not all potentially injurious plays have a malicious intent.
2. Per the above, they believed Kreji's dipping during a relative bang bang play contributed to the head being the point of contact.
3. Krejci in fact wasn't injured on the play.

In any case, the best facet of anything being debated here is that Krejci is OK....I'm very glad he came away uninjured.

 

[Number8]

Again, except Backes on Nielsen is a pick to the head play, completely different,

This play, Krejc was turning to north south, Schenn was skating south north, no pick play, and the reason that Krejc's head was it, is because it was in front of him as he turned, there was plenty of body to body contact AFTER the hit.

Neilsen hit by Backes, Backes was skating east west, and Neilsen north south, if not stationary at that point, and Backes picked his head, and made very slight contact with the shoulder/chest,

HUGE difference.

If that is such a HUGE difference, tell me was the difference between the Krejci and Rattie hits (Post 326 above) HUGE as well? One was deemed a suspension by DOPS and one was not. I'll admit that itself is a HUGE difference, but the two hits? Errrrr....... not so much. Same? Maybe. Slightly different? Maybe. Hugely different? Not a chance.

DOPS was told by League not to interfere with playoff race. Head shots are not tolerated unless important games on the line I guess.

Open season! Keep the elbows tucked, the skates on the ice boys because Gary Bettman has deemed that head hunting is IN PLAY! Whoop Whoop

 

[BruinsBtn]

It's only a suspension when a Bruin does it.

 

[bobbyorr04]

LET 'ER RIP BOYS. DOPS says head hunting season is open! Old school hockey is back!

Good. I prefer old-time hockey, as long as it's not just head hunting season on Bruin's players only.

 

[brantfordbruin]

Sucks what happened. Just glad Krejci is ok, moving on. I thought the hit deserved games but oh well.

 

[Number8]

When the star player turns and slows down a fraction of a second before being hit there isn’t a lot that can be done. If he took the hit instead of trying to avoid it it would have been a a clean hit.

It’s a fast game the only way to avoid this happening is to take contact out of the game. It sucks for him but the NHL made the right call on this one.
They saw what I saw

If NHL players had such limited control we would see players launching themselves into the goal post, end boards, or colliding with other players many times a game.

Do we see it on occassion? Yes, but rarely. The reason is they are excellent skates and have great control.

If Luke Schenn is such a lousy hockey player he cannot adapt when he sees a guy with a green light head shot in front of him, then he shouldn't play the game.

Of course that's not the case -- he's an excellent hockey player. He saw a chance to light up Krejci and did not care for a second that it was his shoulder that was going to drive into Krejci's head. He even drove upward after initial contact just to make sure he got every ounce out of the hit. Then he says "my fault" on the ice, but changes his tune in the lockerroom.

Scummy play followed up by ass covering after the game.

Gary Bettman has officially called open season on head shots.

 

[Number8]

Good. I prefer old-time hockey, as long as it's not just head hunting season on Bruin's players only.

EXACTLY! Bring it all back and I won't complain.

Until they can get their act together in DOPS and the League, get rid of video review, get rid of supplemental discipline, and get rid of instigator rule.

Right now the League is treating teams like a linesman holding one player during a fight while other one is free to whale away on the guy who is held. Don't take actions into your own hands -- just sit back while we suspend one player for this, but let another get away with something worse.

 

[N o o d l e s]

Why aren’t all the HF warriors posting here who think they can play a puck along the boards without looking down at it not in the NHL?

That’s the real question

 

[Terry Yake]

wait, cogliano got 2 games because kempe skated into him and schenn gets nothing for this?

eff you parros

 

[Absurdity]

The league took away the players' ability to police themselves and adopted the brunt of responsibility of keeping its players safe. I'm just here to say that they are doing an absolute shitty job. The inconsistency of what is and isn't a suspendable hit and who does or doesn't get suspended is a dangerous precedent to set for the sake of players' safety.

 

[powerstuck]

It's only a suspension when a Bruin does it.

Nah bro...Pastarnak got a game because he was skating east-west while Schenn didn't because he was skating north-south...DOPS now takes into consideration the cardinal points and direction players were going before suspending.

Anyway not surprising. 90% of HF wanted to suspend Wilson for life because he hit an Islanders player while attempting to intercept a pass.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Absolute joke that Schenn gets nothing here, charging and targets the head, Schenn loves to do that and yet somehow always gets away with it.

Loved it when Wilson destroyed him when he turned his back.

 

[tacogeoff]

beauty hit!!! based on the ruling I guess?!

 

[SunDevilHockeyFan]

It's illegal unless the recipient put himself on a position where it couldn't be avoided. There's a reason why there wasn't a suspension.

The reason that there wasn’t a suspension is that they got It wrong

 

[LemonSauceD]

Wow, quite the head scratching decision, DPS. That's a headshot if I've ever seen one, lol.

Very inconsistent to say the least.

 

[Marner]

I would have suspended him for 2 or 3 games as it was a headshot

but you really have to protect yourself better

 

[carter333167]

In general, officiating and player protection in the nhl is the worst of any major sport. Been that way for a long time and won’t change any time soon.

 

[Bergyesque]

It does say however that body contact is what is used as determining if it was avoidable, if there was an attempt to go through the body, are you saying there wasn't on this? Then how is their torso-torso contact?

Well the way I try to interpret the rule is the following (sorry for the long post ):

1- Was there "A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head was the main point of contact"?
In this case, I'd say yes.

2- Was "such contact to the head was avoidable"?
That's where the debate lies I think.

To determine the "avoidability", you have to use the 3 points embedded in Rule 48.

(i) Whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponent’s body and the head was not "picked" as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward.
(ii) Whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position by assuming a posture that made head contact on an otherwise full body check unavoidable.
(iii) Whether the opponent materially changed the position of his body or head immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit in a way that significantly contributed to the head contact.

I think point iii is not usable here, since Krejci did not change the position of his body or head immediately prior to the hit.

As far as point ii is concerned, I don't see how Krejci could have done anything different. He's playing the puck, while turning in the corner.
Because he is trying to move the puck up the ice, he has to put his body in a position that can generate the most power to his stick. To do that he has to align his body (and his head) in the direction of where he wants the puck to go, thus putting his head in front of his body, kind of like "sideways".
Also, because he is turning, his upper body (and head) is a little low, but how can you turn without somewhat dropping your inside shoulder?
I argue, there was no other way for him (Krejci) to make the play there.

Point i is more difficult to judge, and probably the one the DoPS used to come to the decision it made. This point is on Schenn.
Technically, I can see how someone could use this one to argue against a suspension. But I have a really hard time believing that Schenn could not avoid hitting Krejci's head.
Just before impact, you see Schenn going sideways and bending his upper body a bit hitting Krejci's head with his right arm tucked. Had he not bent that much, he would have probably hit Krejci's left shoulder. Well, at least the main point of contact would have been the shoulder, not the head.

 

[weinsink]

The parros witch hunt continues...GFY!