Matheson/Pettersson Incident | Matheson Receives Two Game Suspension

[LeafsLegendAkiBerg]

I understand, historically, there is an argument that this was not suspendible. I'm curious to see what violations the league lists if they issue a suspension or penalty.

I'd like to know as well. I don't have an issue with a play like this receiving a suspension. I hate seeing players concussed and the throw down was unnecessary. I'm not entirely sure what rulebook violation they'd point to though. Maybe roughing with intent to injure?

 

[crump]

Seriously, what is a can opener?

See Bryan McCabe.

 

[1specter]

Matheson is a tool. You got dangled, accept it and move on. Asshole

 

[Rowlet]

But if it the same thing happens to Clutterbuck does Matheson get a call? Of course not.

The call here is dependent on 5 factors

1) EP has now undressed Matheson twice this game, the first time EP scored
2) Matheson engaged with a stick between the legs which disabled EP from being able to defend himself from contact
3) The hit was fine but then Matheson proceeded to forc EP downward to the ice with the full extension of his arm
4) By the time the shove occurred the play had moved on, had they stopped at the hit, there would be nothing wrong here
5) The shove resulted in an injury caused by EP's head hitting the ice, where a normal hit would have ended up with him falling horizontally, Pettersson's shoulder made contact first, followed by his head while his legs were up in the air at a 45 degree angle

this is what leads to it being a suspension and not just a 2 minute roughing for the can opener that Matheson provides

 

[Commander Clueless]

The hit was fine.

The follow-up choke slam, however....

 

[cowboy82nd]

would you blame the victim if it was Marner who got a stick between his legs so he was unable to protect himself when contact is made and then got thrown down to the ice?

why not hold plugs responsible for hurting other players instead of just telling skilled players "lol get rekt" when someone makes an illegal check on them? it's super toxic

It wasn't an illegal check.

 

[Rowlet]

It wasn't an illegal check.

a can opener is a dangerous and illegal check

 

[cowboy82nd]

a can opener is a dangerous and illegal check

Well then Matheson didn't do a can opener. The check was legal, the follow through is what people are getting upset about.

 

[Rowlet]

Well then Matheson didn't do a can opener. The check was legal, the follow through is what people are getting upset about.

Do you know what a can opener is? It's a stick or foot between the legs to ensure the defending player can't protect themselves and then pushing them down. Watch the video, that is what happened.

EP got a stick between the legs - dangerous by Matheson but not illegal

Matheson made physical contact without using the stick to knock him over at first - completely legal

Matheson then uses the stick between the legs to keep EP off balance making it so that he can't protect himself from any force applied to knock him down, then proceeds to push him downwards towards the ice

I think you're confused about what people are upset about, the HIT was fine, the can opener was not, it started as potentially dangerous, ended up okay but then Matheson took things over the line by using the stick in legs to force EP downwards

 

[Rebels57]

The more I watch this hit, the more disgusted I am with Matheson. Hope he gets some games for this. The fact that he deliberately injured him because he got spin-o-rama'd into the ice is really embarassing for Matheson. That ref should be given a phone call too.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Seriously, what is a can opener?

Putting your stick inbetween a guys legs to help aid a hit/takedown, while also preventing the guy from defending it.

 

[SabresSharks]

The bottom line for a play like this is simple:

Did Pettersson have the ability to protect himself?

- Matheson’s stick was between his legs, effectively tripping him and making him lose his balance
- Pettersson’s back is to Matheson, making him unable to properly stand his ground
- Matheson shoves Pettersson to the ice with an extremely long follow through, placing all his weight on top of Pettersson’s head as he drives it into the ice

From my perspective, there was pretty much nothing that Pettersson could have done differently on this play to protect himself except “weigh more” or “not dangle the hell out of Matheson 4 seconds earlier.”

In today’s NHL, neither of those should be a prerequisite for not getting a concussion.

Pettersson could have defended himself by not turning his back on a player he just embarrassed. He could have braced himself against the glass, and taken the check with his shoulder, like he's probably done hundreds of times before.

Your points are relevant only to the unnecessary, dirty followup to the initial hit.

 

[TeddyBare]

So Matheson was on the ice for all 3 goals.
Embarrassed by Pettersson on one
Embarrassed by Baerstchi and Horvat on the 3rd

Did this happen before or after the 3rd vancouver goal???

 

[nucks88]

So Matheson was on the ice for all 3 goals.
Embarrassed by Pettersson on one
Embarrassed by Baerstchi and Horvat on the 3rd

Did this happen before or after the 3rd vancouver goal???

Just before

 

[stampedingviking]

Petterson is not mature enough physically to play in the NHL. Desperate Canucks rushed him in without assembling a unit around him.

Petterson's avoidance of contact isn't a valid strategy any more. The players skate too well to avoid. Petterson was never going to make it through the season on a soft team. That said, a normal unaugmented hit would probably been enough. The extra was overkill.

Poppycock!

It wasn't a hit that injured Pettersson, it was WWE. He would have been fine if Matheson had just stuck with the hit instead of adding the brain-dead revenge throw.

 

[Rowlet]

So Matheson was on the ice for all 3 goals.
Embarrassed by Pettersson on one
Embarrassed by Baerstchi and Horvat on the 3rd

Did this happen before or after the 3rd vancouver goal???

Before the 3rd goal but immediately after Pettersson embarassed him

 

[thepuckmonster]

he'll get suspended for making a retaliatory hit after getting embarassed by EP, giving EP a can opener and forcing him downwards towards the ice resulting in a head injury

Shhh don’t let facts get in the way of the Internet campaign for TUFFNESS!!11 while subsequently people complain about lack of scoring in the NHL.

 

[BigGulpsEh]

I can see 2 games for the intent to injure. Throw down was excessive

 

[hockeeyyy]

As I said in the other thread last night, the hit was clean. But as other pointed out throughout the rest of the evening, Matheson actually did a can opener style throw-down on Pettersson. That's not only illegal, it's so absurdly dangerous too. I'm not sure where the contact to the head was, but I think it was on the ice.

 

[thepuckmonster]

Pettersson could have defended himself by not turning his back on a player he just embarrassed. He could have braced himself against the glass, and taken the check with his shoulder, like he's probably done hundreds of times before.

Your points are relevant only to the unnecessary, dirty followup to the initial hit.

Yes because dangling someone immediately means you should be prepared to be slammed into the ice. That’s a bold strategy cotton.

 

[Muston Atthews]

What does it matter that Pettersson did a fancy move before getting ragdolled the worse anyone has been since McCabe “fought” Chara

 

[Muston Atthews]

Yes because dangling someone immediately means you should be prepared to be slammed into the ice. That’s a bold strategy cotton.

You keep saying this like it matters

 

[thepuckmonster]

You keep saying this like it matters

I said it because it’s in the quoted post but okay. The poster literally said EP should be prepared to get slammed because he embarrassed Matheson. Context.

 

[Seatoo]

Today HF Boards learned that you cannot choke slam a player onto the ice! Today was a gold day!

 

[stampedingviking]

Meh.

This kind of thing happens every few days, people are looking more at the result than the action(s).

But arguably, it was “pre-meditated”. Made to look a fool and went for retribution when it wasn’t needed.

Players get slammed head-first to the ice every few games?

Refs/league not doing their jobs if that's the case.