Confirmed with Link: Polak suspended two games for boarding

[TMLife*]

What?! Really didn't look too bad. And considering there wasn't even a penalty call on the hit from behind on Marner just a bit earlier...

At the time I thought a 5 minute major was too much :/

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

that is an insane suspension, to me. I thought 5 and a game was more than enough.

Hey the league's gotta do what they can to destroy our chances of winning the cup this year

Just brutal

 

[Duffman955]

Thats not even a major penalty. How the **** he get suspended.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I have no problem with this being a suspension, honestly. It was a rough hit. Not the worst boarding I've seen, but not good either.



The only problem I have is that I feel like there were other equally as bad hits in this game that went uncalled. Heck, I think Soshnikov's hit on Bergeron was worse.

Consistency is hard, but this seems pretty wildly inconsistent.

 

[tokyoite]

biased.
Will Bettman hand out the same punishment if the Jackets player injures our player ?
I doubt it.

 

[Loosie]

Expected, not surprised at all.

 

[deletethis]

Should've been 2 minute penalty and nothing more, a bit ridiculous.

Not even sure it should have been that.

 

[Northernguy10]

It seems the league is saying that a player can not be hurt by a legal check. It's ridiculous. He is right on the guy's tail as is his job in trying to get possession of the puck. Bjorkstrand is skating at about a 30 degree angle toward the blueline. If he continues he either doesn't get hit or is hit in the direction he is skating. However he turns back a split second before Polak hits him. It's ridiculous that this be deemed a major penalty and a subsequent 2 game suspension. Meanwhile players get 2 games for deliberately spearing in the face or deliberately throwing a vicious elbow into an opponents face and Crosby gets nothing for a spear to the groin. Common sense and a definite system of standards are sorely missing in the Player Safety Dept... To be frank, the disparity in sentencing is an embarrassment and a joke.

 

[Leafsman]

If the shoe were on the other foot, I feel like we'd be calling for a suspension.

So with that, it is hard to dispute their should have been a suspension. I was thinking 1 game minimum and 2 game maximum.

Surprised they went with the max. I thought I heard the announcers state he was a "first-time offender."

I also believe their is equal responsibility on the hitter and the hittee. I think in this circumstance, the hittee put himself in a vulnerable position. If you place half the blame on each player then Polak should've only got a 1-game.

 

[Leafsman]

Brian Burke may have gotten 1 thing right.

This would have been a perfect example of his proposed idea of being able to "tie up" your player while heading into the boards. Had Polak been able to tie the BJ player up, the injury would have never occurred.

You leave a player with only being able to bodycheck or let-up, one can hardly place blame on Polak for not letting up. A physical tone was set for the game by the players and the refs. Don't overly punish a player for reading that tone and playing accordingly.

 

[Brown Dog]

Should've been 2 minute penalty and nothing more, a bit ridiculous.

If that!

 

[DANTHEMAN1967]

I wonder if it will be appealed? It probably was a bit of an overreaction by the league, but I don't care much for Polak anyway. I wonder what the rationale for the suspension? It was kind of a borderline penalty because it appeared the player turned his back to what was going to be a legal shoulder to shoulder check, the turning his back to Polak is what caused the hit on the numbers.

That's how I saw it too.

 

[ACC1224]

If he was going to miss two games, the next two games would be the ones you'd pick.

 

[GordieHoweHatTrick]

Can't wait for the playoffs, when most checks get finished, and the DOPS' heads are spinning watching this type of hit every other game.

 

[TimeZone]

 

[Guy Boucher]

I just find DOPS so inconsistent.

There have been much worse hits that haven't even gotten a hearing.

Or truly ugly plays like Nyquist's face-spear getting 6 games. If that was 6 games, then Polak should get none. And if Polak gets 2 games then Nyquist should have gotten 10 or more.

Just complete inconsistency.

 

[Nithoniniel]

I just find DOPS so inconsistent.

There have been much worse hits that haven't even gotten a hearing.

Or truly ugly plays like Nyquist's face-spear getting 6 games. If that was 6 games, then Polak should get none. And if Polak gets 2 games then Nyquist should have gotten 10 or more.

Just complete inconsistency.

Yeah. I'm of the opinion that you have stuff that either demands a small extra punishment, or a suspension if the deed went unpunished in the game, and then you have stuff that you really want to mark against. I always find myself thinking 1-2 games are enough for a lot of things, but then you have stuff like the Nyquist-thing that should have gotten much more than it did.

 

[KingJoffrey]

It was fair suspension. Bjorkstrand didn't suddenly turn and Polak saw his numbers like forever. If you see numbers, don't hit.

 

[Shad]

Not sure I agree with this. Bjorkstrand turned into it - Polak has no time to react.

 

[yubbers]

Not sure I agree with this. Bjorkstrand turned into it - Polak has no time to react.

When a Habs fan agrees with teh Leafs board.......

you know it's a bad call

 

[Bluelines]

Two games seems pretty stiff but if you want to get dangerous plays like this out ofthe game you have to be tough.

the boarding on Bergeron was worse and there was no subsqent suspension on that play. NHL is really inconsisent on how they penalize players

 

[ACC1224]

Two games seems pretty stiff but if you want to get dangerous plays like this out ofthe game you have to be tough.

the boarding on Bergeron was worse and there was no subsqent suspension on that play. NHL is really inconsisent on how they penalize players

One player got up and started swinging while the other laid like a puddle on the ice.

 

[diceman934]

Two games seems pretty stiff but if you want to get dangerous plays like this out ofthe game you have to be tough.

the boarding on Bergeron was worse and there was no subsqent suspension on that play. NHL is really inconsisent on how they penalize players

If you want to get hits like his out of the game you teach players not to turn into the hit....as well as this was not even worth a penalty as there was very little separation between the player and the boards....it was simply a hard hit.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Not sure I agree with this. Bjorkstrand turned into it - Polak has no time to react.

And I, in turn, don't agree with this. Polak should have known for a long time (relatively) that it would be a borderline situation. That's the kind of situation, with the risks involved, where you simply let up.

I also feel that the "turned into it"-argument gets a bit overdone at times. Bjorkstrand reverses the puck while cycling. At times it feels like if a lot of posters got their way, players could only pass the way they are skating when along the boards or it's their own fault if they get boarded. I really don't agree with that.

 

[Saltcreek]

Really?

It should have been a 2 for boarding IMO

Heck, I can even accept the 5 and a game.

But 2 games in a critical time of the season like this?

i think 5 and a game was about right. You could argue that 2 minutes was enough but that is highly debatable. I was surprised he got 2 games, I might not mind this if there was a bit more consistency on how the league rules.

Btw, Oilers fan so I am trying not to be biased here.