Confirmed with Link: NHL suspends Alex Edler 3 Games for Headshot on Hertl

[arsmaster*]

Because it's rec league now?

No, no, no, it's bull fighting. You just have to fake like your trying and let him go right by.

Can't say I've ever agreed with vetnet.

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

Based on what? Hockey is a contact sport....

Yeah it is a contact sport, as long as you play within the rules- hitting the head is not. [/QUOTE]

What was Edler supposed to do? See that Hertl is stretching himself out so just let him skate forward and go? No player can be hit when he's stretched out.

Edler was supposed to play the puck, its pretty clear that wasn't hit intention as he made no attempt to change his angle.

In fact, the rule you posted proves my point and supports no suspension.

no it doesn't, it depends on what the NHL deems "vulnerable" given the circumstances of the play.

 

[Freakshow]

Absolutely disgusted if Edler gets a suspension from this. I understand the importance of taking out blatant headshots out of the game, but this was nothing of the sort.

 

[dave babych returns]

He's low enough to do a muff diver off the linesman.

In fairness the linesman is a few feet back of him, but yeah Edler would basically have to try to submarine him to avoid contacting his head on the play.

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

Edler didn't need to intend to play the puck though. Take the body, it's defense 101.

you can take the body as long as the principle point of contact isn't the head and there isn't a charge involved.

i have to head out for a bit, i'll be sure to continue this battle later

 

[JuniorNelson]

Kid tries to dance Edler, Edler doesn't let him. Nothing wrong with that.

Exactly! Plus, the guy had a dance move underway throughout, look at his feet. He is still avoiding the bulk of the contact. He's like a high jumper going over the bar, his center of gravity avoids Edler. Punk.

 

[Proto]

I think it was a 2 minute penalty for interference (he hits a player without the puck). The incidental head contact was a result of Hertl stupidly leaning forward into the hit.

That said, Edler has made some really questionable decisions on these sort of plays before. You can't convince the guy to hit anyone with the puck to save his life, but he loves to take a shot at guys before they get to the puck, much like Torres used to.

Don't really care what happens here.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Yeah it is a contact sport, as long as you play within the rules- hitting the head is not.

Edler was supposed to play the puck, its pretty clear that wasn't hit intention as he made no attempt to change his angle.



no it doesn't, it depends on what the NHL deems "vulnerable" given the circumstances of the play.[/QUOTE]

Who says Edler was supposed to play the puck? You admit in your first point that hockey is a contact sport, so why can Edler not play the body?

I would think it's blatantly obvious that skating crouched down like that and stretching out is putting yourself in a vulnerable position.

 

[Reign Nateo]

I just can't deal with this **** any more. I wish I lived in the US so I never had to hear about the NHL.

Feel this way as well. Almost ready to give up on the sport. Such a miss-managed, miss-guided bull **** league right now.

Shanahan in his day was as aggressive and destructive as any one in the league, and now he can hand out a suspension on this hit with a straight face?

What happened to Brendan Morrison's front teeth Shanny? Oh that's right you chopped them out of his ****ing face from behind and didn't recieve a suspension. Hypocrites.

 

[PhilMick]

Who says Edler was supposed to play the puck? You admit in your first point that hockey is a contact sport, so why can Edler not play the body?

I would think it's blatantly obvious that skating crouched down like that and stretching out is putting yourself in a vulnerable position.

Yeah if Edler steps up like that and doesn't take the body, he's ****ing cut. That's pinching 101. (although it's not exactly a pinch since it's left the zone already)

 

[Ernie]

Ridiculous.

 

[dave babych returns]

you can take the body as long as the principle point of contact isn't the head and there isn't a charge involved.

i have to head out for a bit, i'll be sure to continue this battle later

What's to continue?

You are claiming that you cannot take the body if you hit a player in the head, the rules state otherwise - you can hit a player with the head as the POC as long as it's "unavoidable" and I've shown that Edler had little or no way of avoiding hitting Hertl in the head so.. it's pretty cut and dried in my eyes.

I won't be the least but surprised to see Edler get a couple of games here but to me that speaks more about the integrity of the league's decision making around supplemental discipline than it does about the legality of Edler's hit.

 

[Tanevian*]

Can we take a second to applaud the refs last night for not making a panicky call because a helmet fell off?

 

[y2kcanucks]

What's to continue?

You are claiming that you cannot take the body if you hit a player in the head, the rules state otherwise - you can hit a player with the head as the POC as long as it's "unavoidable" and I've shown that Edler had little or no way of avoiding hitting Hertl in the head so.. it's pretty cut and dried in my eyes.

I won't be the least but surprised to see Edler get a couple of games here but to me that speaks more about the integrity of the league's decision making around supplemental discipline than it does about the legality of Edler's hit.

But Edler could have put on the brakes and let Hertl skate by with the puck, thus avoiding the hit.

 

[dave babych returns]

Yep, welcome to the No Hitting League, where defense is apparently optional.

 

[PhilMick]

Can we take a second to applaud the refs last night for not making a panicky call because a helmet fell off?

Wow, that's actually impressive now that you mention it.

 

[Samzilla]

are refs consulted on how they viewed the play when there's a hearing?

 

[Cogburn]

A bar full of people can attest that my reaction was, and a direct quote here, "holy {crap}, Edler's suspended!".

Looking at one of the replays however, it was a clear shoulder/upper arm as the first point of contact, and while Hertl's head whips back, it was merely incidental contact.

I hope Shanahan is in a better mood after being inducted in to the HHOF, and since Edler hasn't got the Junior rep that Kassian did, and it wasn't a flying elbow like Weise, that he does the right thing.

 

[Proto]

What's to continue?

You are claiming that you cannot take the body if you hit a player in the head, the rules state otherwise - you can hit a player with the head as the POC as long as it's "unavoidable" and I've shown that Edler had little or no way of avoiding hitting Hertl in the head so.. it's pretty cut and dried in my eyes.

I won't be the least but surprised to see Edler get a couple of games here but to me that speaks more about the integrity of the league's decision making around supplemental discipline than it does about the legality of Edler's hit.

I'm not sure I'd go that far. Edler hits a player who hasn't played the puck yet, which makes it hard to say he couldn't avoid the hit. It was just a poorly time/bad defensive read by Edler, where he committed to a hit and was about to get walked in the neutral zone by Hertl. He either makes the illegal hit or Hertl skates by him to the puck, because of the play he chose to make.

It's still not really a headshot in my opinion, but it's an illegal hit because Hertl isn't playing the puck yet.

Edler has done this 3-4 times before, though I'm not totally sure why.

 

[arsmaster*]

I think it was a 2 minute penalty for interference (he hits a player without the puck). The incidental head contact was a result of Hertl stupidly leaning forward into the hit.

That said, Edler has made some really questionable decisions on these sort of plays before. You can't convince the guy to hit anyone with the puck to save his life, but he loves to take a shot at guys before they get to the puck, much like Torres used to.

Don't really care what happens here.

He hits a player playing the puck. It's not interference. The refs surprisingly had it called correctly on the ice.

 

[Proto]

He hits a player playing the puck. It's not interference. The refs surprisingly had it called correctly on the ice.

Wasn't he like four feet away from the puck? Maybe I'm remembering it incorrectly.

 

[racerjoe]

you can take the body as long as the principle point of contact isn't the head and there isn't a charge involved.

i have to head out for a bit, i'll be sure to continue this battle later

As I stated earlier, this hit comes down to line that Edler took. If he was coming from the side, and "picked" the head, its a bad hit.

However from the two pics that have been posted, it looks like Edler is infront of him, and therefore he can not avoid the head, and it is a good hit.

Either way, the book is going to get thrown at him, because for some reason the league hates us, and it was bad timing after what happened in SJ vs NY.

 

[arsmaster*]

Wasn't he like four feet away from the puck? Maybe I'm remembering it incorrectly.

Go back to the OP, the gif is there. I just had to do it too, to make sure I wasn't jumping on you for no reason.

The puck is within a few inches of Hertl's stick. He's playing the puck for all intents and purposes.

You take the ability of the dman to separate the puck from a player simultaneous reaching to play the puck, you're on an awfully slippery slope.

 

[Tiranis]

If this is a suspension then I have no clue what isn't. Might as well suspend for every other legitimate hockey play as well. Then the league can just cancel the games and fold.

 

[arsmaster*]

A bar full of people can attest that my reaction was, and a direct quote here, "holy {crap}, Edler's suspended!".

Looking at one of the replays however, it was a clear shoulder/upper arm as the first point of contact, and while Hertl's head whips back, it was merely incidental contact.

I hope Shanahan is in a better mood after being inducted in to the HHOF, and since Edler hasn't got the Junior rep that Kassian did, and it wasn't a flying elbow like Weise, that he does the right thing.

Weise didn't elbow hall, he leaned in just like Edler, difference is he went way out of the way to do it. Edler was separating a player from the puck who was racing down the boards for a chance.

Elbow is the pointy thing.