Matheson punches Pettersson in the head from behind, body slams him to the ice. Pettersson concussed

[gwh]

2-3 games for slew foot.

 

[Hunter368]

Good clean hit, didn't even touch his head from the vids I saw. The push to the ice after could warrant maybe a 2 min roughing call. There is no suspension there.

 

[EP40 AKA Lil Wayne]

What is it you think you see here? EP's feet got swept up from the force of the hit, Matheson then body slammed him - from the chest - to the ice. There's no slewfoot, there's no head contact, he didn't drive his head to the ice. There's a hard hit and when EP was off-balance he got slammed to the ice.

Only thing I see is a roughing penalty for the slam.

Yes, hard hits towards the boards tends to make hockey players turn upside down. Weird physics, I know.

 

[Studzle]

I know it will never happen but I'm hoping for a 10+ game suspension here just to send a message.

NHL really needs to protect its stars if it ever wants to be a big time sport.

Not that I don’t think he should be suspended. But I’m not a fan of saying “protect its stars”. Doesn’t matter if the play happens to a 3rd line guy or 1st line should be the same outcome.

 

[Chimpradamus]

Point out the slewfoot. Do you know what one is? Matheson's feet never even come in contact with EP's!

A smaller player got hit hard and lost his footing, then got slammed to the ice. No slewfoot, no head contact, roughing penalty is probably called for but nothing more. Unfortunate result for EP, I hope he's fine, but people have got to be joking with this slewfoot talk.

Again, watch Matheson's stick. Watch the youtube footage from another angle. A slewfoot is technically "A dangerous play where a player comes from behind an opposing skater and trips the player unexpectedly by dragging the skate so the victim falls to the ice and quite often hits his head or lands hard due to the sneaky nature of the crime."

So what if he used his stick - in combination with his arm - to sweep Pettersson off his feet? It's much closer to a slewfoot than a tripping and again, it's irrelevant what you call it, it's still a cheap shot and a pathetic move to pull, just because you're angry. And not only did he sweep Pettersson to fall exactly like you fall from a slewfoot, he pushed him towards the ice in the fall.

How you can call this a 2 min roughing penalty at most is incredible. Again, watch Matherson's stick. That's where the play comes from.

 

[Spazkat]

Matheson wouldn’t be able to slam Crosby or Malkin like that. That’s what I’m saying. When you’re a small kid it’s easy to get tossed around. Matheson probably hit him like he hits everyone and pettersson got man handled so bad because he’s so little

This is how I see it. This seems like the type of play happens fairly often along the boards and no one even notices, just with different results because most professional hockey players are much stronger on their skates. There is a reason players are sometimes sent down to "mature" even when their game skills appear to be NHL ready now.

 

[hambone1818]

Yes, hard hits towards the boards tends to make hockey players turn upside down. Weird physics, I know.

Parallel to the ice, is more what happened. If he flipped another 60 degrees and was slammed head-first into the ice then yeah, that'd be egregious and a clear suspension. That's not what happened. Good hard hit of a smaller player who basically got manhandled, the slam at the end was a bit much but otherwise that's just a good hard hit.

 

[Kel Varnson]

Matheson doesn't follow through like that if Pettersson hadn't just embarrassed him 10 seconds earlier. There's clear malicious intent on that play and he should at the very least be fined.
Embarrassing lack of response from the Canucks. Times like these where I miss guys like Bieksa and Kesler.

 

[Nick Hansen]

I think the fact that no one punished Matheson might be the source of frustration from some Canucks fans. I mean, if Gudbranson had knocked him out, it'd soften the blow.

 

[ap3lovr]

The optics of this are bad. This was an intentional attempt to injure a player that got the best of him. It wasn't a slew foot as some have mentioned, but there was clear intent to injure. For that, I think he should be suspended for 1-3 games. We can't have players running around trying to hurt one another when they get their ego bruised. Had he simply hit him, no issues with that. The extra push to the ice crossed a line.

 

[Snauen]

A slewfoot in itself could result in a game misconduct and suspension. Now add the extra push when the opponent is already falling. Let me guess, you're one of those "normal hockey play" guys? Watch Matheson's stick between Pettersson's legs. He didn't manhandle him, he cheap shotted him.

Have no hard time understanding Matheson, its a physical sport, and if someone make you look like a fool whit som fancy moves you make him pay, whit physicality, like a physical-d should. Now if it is a concussion from it, then he should be suspended cause he crossed the line, went overboard whit a cheap shot. And Vancouver should consider hire a goon for Pettersons line to deterrent more concussions in the future . Like Gretzky had in the -80 and -90-s whit Semenko, McSorley etc. No way around it, I think. There is still room/need for the goons in the sport, just make them fight whit the gloves on or something, and the head injuries will be less /

 

[WilliamNylander]

Not that I don’t think he should be suspended. But I’m not a fan of saying “protect its stars”. Doesn’t matter if the play happens to a 3rd line guy or 1st line should be the same outcome.

I agree and in theory this makes sense but for the growth of the sport, you absolutely have to make sure the stars don’t get hurt.

Look at the other big sports leagues. NFL protects its QBs, basketball protects its stars. The NHL is the only backwards league that essentially supports goons and this could be the start of a transition to a more marketable product.

 

[expensivebaton]

I have that on VHS.

The fact that you have it on VHS should tell you something. That is was done in the goonish era of NHL.

 

[Cotton]

I've watched it about a dozen times looking for something dirty, all I see is a man trap a kid on the boards and put him on his ass. Travis Dermott did something similar to TJ Oshie last night, but Oshie is a man so he just got up and shoved Dermott.

Honestly this is more about EP being tiny.

Pray for Jack Hughes.

 

[hambone1818]

How you can call this a 2 min roughing penalty at most is incredible. Again, watch Matherson's stick. That's where the play comes from.

I'm just not seeing it that way at all, sorry. I played defense for 20 years, if you're not bodying a player along the boards with your stick between his legs for leverage then you're not doing it right. Textbook job of pinning the offensive player to the boards, the stick didn't do anything more than gain leverage and EP lost his feet from the hard hit.

 

[Marky9er]

The fact that you have it on VHS should tell you something. That is was done in the goonish era of NHL.

Thanks captain.

 

[Cor]

The optics of this are bad. This was an intentional attempt to injure a player that got the best of him. It wasn't a slew foot as some have mentioned, but there was clear intent to injure. For that, I think he should be suspended for 1-3 games. We can't have players running around trying to hurt one another when they get their ego bruised. Had he simply hit him, no issues with that. The extra push to the ice crossed a line.

There's nothing to prove intent to injure. Just because he got deked a bit before, doesn't prove intent.

It COULD have been a roughing minor. That's it. That's all.

 

[Crease Master]

Well Pettersson is 10-times more brave than Gretzky who needed Semenko and the rest of the team to baby-sit and protect him so that he could get his points then.

Did you ever see him play? This sounds like a millennial talking out of his ass here because Gretzky had to step onto the ice with classic old school NHL goons like Probert and Domi as well as legendary bone crushers like Stevens at a time when fighting and crushing the crap out of the guy with the puck was something that was expected every game. Clearly you don't understand what the game was like back then when you say this stupid crap, if you can't be bothered to educate yourself about what you're talking about then you should just stick to wearing a fedora for selfies or whatever it is your generation excels at because hockey history isn't it.

 

[Cor]

I'm just not seeing it that way at all, sorry. I played defense for 20 years, if you're not bodying a player along the boards with your stick between his legs for leverage then you're not doing it right. Textbook job of pinning the offensive player to the boards, the stick didn't do anything more than gain leverage and EP lost his feet from the hard hit.

This guy gets it.

 

[EP40 AKA Lil Wayne]

See, if this does not warrant a suspension as least as long as EP will be out of game + some games for good messure the nucks will have to assign someone to take the head of one of Panthers youngins.

I rather much prefer a suspension cause I dont wish harm on any player but the if NHL doesnt hand one out the teams will self regulate and if that player happends to be Ekblad then he might just be done with hockey after all the concussions he has had.

 

[Homesick]

I came in here and was feeling ill thinking I would have to defend a Canucks player; what a relief! Nothing wrong with that play but of course the same fans that are saying it was malicious are also the ones that defended Todd Bertuzzi

 

[Chimpradamus]

This is how I see it. This seems like the type of play happens fairly often along the boards and no one even notices, just with different results because most professional hockey players are much stronger on their skates. There is a reason players are sometimes sent down to "mature" even when their game skills appear to be NHL ready now.

So Crosby and Malkin are some kind of mythical creatures who can easily stay on their feet if someone puts their stick between their legs, twists the stick and then pushes them? It doesn't matter how strong you are on a move like that, you will fall.

How could Phaneuf not stay on his feet? Is he not strong enough? He wasn't even pushed! Was he sent down for conditioning?

I thought it was really hard not to fall in hockey if someone puts a stick between your legs, I've even seen refs call it a penalty. It must be something new this season I've missed.

 

[sincerity0]

I don’t get how anyone can watch this play occur and say anything other than this is suspension worthy.

In this case there is a player that clearly had an intent to injure/send a message by throwing EP down. The NHL shouldn’t be suspending players based on the result of the play but rather intent. The replay clearly shows Matheson fully understood and intended to throw Pettersson.

Matheson should be suspended a few games

 

[Lenerdosy]

I came in here and was feeling ill thinking I would have to defend a Canucks player; what a relief! Nothing wrong with that play but of course the same fans that are saying it was malicious are also the ones that defended Todd Bertuzzi

I don't think anyone has ever defended what Bertuzzi did..... Everyone wanted them to fight, I have never found a person who thought suckering someone from behind was warranted and defendable.

 

[Studzle]

I agree and in theory this makes sense but for the growth of the sport, you absolutely have to make sure the stars don’t get hurt.

Look at the other big sports leagues. NFL protects its QBs, basketball protects its stars. The NHL is the only backwards league that essentially supports goons and this could be the start of a transition to a more marketable product.

Totally get what you’re saying, and I understand why the NHL needs to do it. It just has this elitist undertone that doesn’t sit well with me. If this was Zack Smith for instance I don’t think we’d even be talking about this.