WC Gold Medal GDT: Czech Republic vs. Canada

[Vinceee]

You just can´t except the fact that Smyth totally lost it out there and made himself and Canada look ridiculous. I would bet everything on the fact that if a Canadian player was getting the foot massage you would be writing something totally different

I would bet everything on the fact that if a Canadian player was getting the foot massage we wouldnt care much...

We see that kind of thing every games in front of the net...

 

[psycho_dad*]

I would bet everything on the fact that if a Canadian player was getting the foot massage we wouldnt care much...

We see that kind of thing every games in front of the net...

I've been watching hockey for a long time...Finnish league, international games, NHL and some Elitserien...and I can't recall a single similar incident.I'd say I watch around 60-100 games a year on TV and some live. Yeah, I have seen people slash someone elses skate, but not like 8-9 times in a row, totally focusing on what he was doing. Smyth never looked up to see Fischers reaction, he did not check where the puck was (normal hockey player reaction)..he just concentrated on slashing the skate like a woodpecker on a mission.

If this was such a trivial thing, please refer to some previous incidents where the player was totally focused slashing the other players skate repeatedly.

I think what you are trying to say is slashing is quite normal, which I can agree with. But what Smyth did was not normal at all...my first reaction was I started to laugh and asked my wife "what the **** is he doing?" and she was just as puzzled. Looked like he had lost a contact lense and Fischer was standing on it, and he tried to get him to move his foot. Normal my ass.

 

[Pepper]

Some of you guys need to buy glasses and/or learn anatomy because Fischer's stick was NOT between Smyth's legs when Smyth went ballistic.

Make excuses all you want but the fact remains that had the roles been reversed, the same people defending Smyth would be going Don Cherry about 'dirty european stickwork' or how refs are against Canadians on this same board.

This has been seen so many times on so many boards.

I'm not gonna continue this as everything has been said, those willing to discuss this incident further drop me a PM.

 

[syc]

It seems this kind of attack on our innocent player is normal for you, but for me it s not! Players like Smyth or "butcher" Bertuzzi should not play hockey, if they don t know what is fair play!

Wow, you Euros cry about everything. These are hockey players not Jazz dancers. And you want to talk about fair play? Is diving all over the ice considered fair in your country? Oh wait it's Europe and diving is a part of every sport.

 

[Westlander]

I would bet everything on the fact that if a Canadian player was getting the foot massage we wouldnt care much...

We see that kind of thing every games in front of the net...

Your right. If Canada had won the game and the tournament, assuming the player didn't get injured, a few slashes at the end of the match would be a complete non-issue. What Smyth did was excessive, but he was penalized for it and that should be the end of it.

And what is with these people who are out to hang Ryan Smyth, but when Vokoun says something disgusting we get the ''hockey is an emotional game,'' speel? It's got to go both ways. (yes I know he apologized and good for him)

 

[Westlander]

You just can´t except the fact that Smyth totally lost it out there and made himself and Canada look ridiculous. I would bet everything on the fact that if a Canadian player was getting the foot massage you would be writing something totally different

It's true that neither Smyth nor Canada looked very clever or gracious at the end of the game, but so what??? It's done and over with, and to my knowledge Fischer's not hobbling around on broken ankles. We do accept it, we're not proud of it, but it's people like you who are turning this into the crime of the century.

 

[Streaker-man]

And what is with these people who are out to hang Ryan Smyth, but when Vokoun says something disgusting we get the ''hockey is an emotional game,'' speel? It's got to go both ways. (yes I know he apologized and good for him)

Verbal attacks don´t end careers, nasty stickwork does. But what Vokoun said was sad. He went clearly over the line. He had better keep his mouth shut if he doesn´t have better lines to get under Heatley´s skin.

 

[nikki9]

He shouldn't have had to apologize, because he shouldn't have said it in the first place. If I'm Heatley, I beat that ass of any player on the ice who calls me a murderer, plain and simple. It's clear Vokoun was just being a dumbass in this situation.

Exactly!!! IMO what Vokoun said is worse than what Smyth did, hands down. Vokoun is a total loser.

 

[Rogalo]

It's true that neither Smyth nor Canada looked very clever or gracious at the end of the game, but so what??? It's done and over with, and to my knowledge Fischer's not hobbling around on broken ankles. We do accept it, we're not proud of it, but it's people like you who are turning this into the crime of the century.

Dont exaggerate my comments. I am not turning this into a crime of the century. I am just saying it was ridculous and it showed what Europeans hate most about Canada - you dont know how to take a loss. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Westlander]

Dont exaggerate my comments. I am not turning this into a crime of the century. I am just saying it was ridculous and it showed what Europeans hate most about Canada - you dont know how to take a loss. Nothing more, nothing less.

Poor sportsmanship is not exclusive to Canada. We've all had our less than proud moments.

 

[Rogalo]

Exactly!!! IMO what Vokoun said is worse than what Smyth did, hands down. Vokoun is a total loser.

My God you all sound like ****ing hypocrites . Like you never done something wrong and stupid. Of COURSE it was a dumb thing to say and had no class. But taking responsibility for it, admitting it and apologyzing classy is. Period

 

[mcphee]

My God you all sound like f...ing hypocrites . Like you never done something wrong and stupid. Of COURSE it was a dumb thing to say and had no class. But taking responsibility for it, admitting it and apologyzing classy is. Period

Hypocrisy is the first rule of the true sports fan, followed closely by self righteousness and over reaction. Lot of fans on this thread.

 

[espo*]

My God you all sound like ****ing hypocrites . Like you never done something wrong and stupid. Of COURSE it was a dumb thing to say and had no class. But taking responsibility for it, admitting it and apologyzing classy is. Period

You still have doubts about Ruzicka as coach? Seems to me we had a little banter about that before the tourney.I came out looking pretty good on that one,lol.

 

[espo*]

What's the big deal about the Smyth incident around here? we see that every night in the nhl.That's hockey folks...............Fischer isn't bothered about it!! he knows the deal.Sounds like sooking from some fans to me.

 

[RorschachWJK]

Wow, you Euros cry about everything. These are hockey players not Jazz dancers. And you want to talk about fair play? Is diving all over the ice considered fair in your country? Oh wait it's Europe and diving is a part of every sport.

Yeah, lets generalize. You Euros. You Canadians. Way to go here, buddy, you're really helping things here.

Are you claiming that diving played a major or even a minor role in this tournament? I don't think it did. There was some diving but there was also penalties handed out for it. And the reffing wasn't bad IMO and most certainly did not favor the Europeans this time around.

 

[psycho_dad*]

we see that every night in the nhl.

Which team are you watching? I only get random games like 3-4 times a week when NHL is on, and I have NEVER seen anyone do what Smyth did there. So you must be watching some weird team that sends a player out in the last minute to just repeatedly slash a guys skate and focus on that.

I have seen slashing, but the woodpecker trick Smyth was pulling I have never seen. I'm not saying it's so horrible or anything...mostly I was concerned on how his drug test will look after that incident. It almost looked like he was blind and trying to knock the skate so he could decide from the sound what that was infront of him. Or maybe he was trying to tell a knock knock joke.

Page after page you guys are trying to trivialize one of the most bizarre incidents....this was almost as nutty and unusual as that guy who went to take a penalty shot after the game, rushed the empty goal through the doors and placed his stick in the middle of the ice.

 

[Rogalo]

You still have doubts about Ruzicka as coach? Seems to me we had a little banter about that before the tourney.I came out looking pretty good on that one,lol.

Really? I don´t remember but it is true that I was not a big fan of Růžíčka, especially after his nomination of oldtimers and freinds (Ručinský, Å légr) and his constant nomination of players from Slavia (d-man Novák and forward Sup) which had no right to be there. Plus I did not believe in his coaching abilities.
He proved me very wrong though and his risk in taking old guys looks like an ingenious step now. Good for you that you trusted him from the start I had my doubts. When Růžička leaves (which is going to happen very soon) I hope Vladimír Vůjtek will take over. This guy was able to lead Jaroslavl to 2 russian titles and is very respected by players and everybody in the Czech rep. He is a great tactic and psychologist and IMO a good choice

 

[espo*]

Which team are you watching? I only get random games like 3-4 times a week when NHL is on, and I have NEVER seen anyone do what Smyth did there. So you must be watching some weird team that sends a player out in the last minute to just repeatedly slash a guys skate and focus on that.

I have seen slashing, but the woodpecker trick Smyth was pulling I have never seen. I'm not saying it's so horrible or anything...mostly I was concerned on how his drug test will look after that incident. It almost looked like he was blind and trying to knock the skate so he could decide from the sound what that was infront of him. Or maybe he was trying to tell a knock knock joke.

Page after page you guys are trying to trivialize one of the most bizarre incidents....this was almost as nutty and unusual as that guy who went to take a penalty shot after the game, rushed the empty goal through the doors and placed his stick in the middle of the ice.

I see about as many a week,sometimes a little more.....................silly macho stuff goes on like that constantly..............what games are you watching i must ask?

Now if Smyth had layed a Bertuzzi on fischer i could see the fussing and crying.Is that what that was? to me,people on here gotta get a grip.A few weeks ago some were crying the Mercier kid from the states under 18 team should be hung at high noon for his hit,i did'nt see why......he made a mistake and it was solar systems worse then that namby -pamby crap Smyth pulled that players deal with every day in the nhl.Are we going soft around here? Cry me a river.............i still don't see the big deal.Thicker skins required at hfboards!!!!!

 

[espo*]

Really? I don´t remember but it is true that I was not a big fan of Růžíčka, especially after his nomination of oldtimers and freinds (Ručinský, Å légr) and his constant nomination of players from Slavia (d-man Novák and forward Sup) which had no right to be there. Plus I did not believe in his coaching abilities.
He proved me very wrong though and his risk in taking old guys looks like an ingenious step now. Good for you that you trusted him from the start I had my doubts. When Růžička leaves (which is going to happen very soon) I hope Vladimír Vůjtek will take over. This guy was able to lead Jaroslavl to 2 russian titles and is very respected by players and everybody in the Czech rep. He is a great tactic and psychologist and IMO a good choice

Was'nt Vujtek a player only a few years ago?I seem to remember him playing a short time ago................maybe it's another Vujtek?

I figured Ruzicka was fine for the job.I had said he seemed to do just fine at the world cup so.........................he at least had earned the chance to coach at the world's once.

 

[Pepper]

Ok, I just have to ask this:

Name me one NHL game and one NHL player who repeatedly took 8 heavy slashes at opponents ankles/feet/skates.

Saying that stuff like this happens all the time in the NHL is an utter and complete lie, I've never ever seen anyone take so many chops at opponent.

 

[psycho_dad*]

I see about as many a week,sometimes a little more.....................silly macho stuff goes on like that constantly..............what games are you watching i must ask?

Yeah, like I carefully explained, I am talking about the insanity factor of Smyth. He seems driven, he is focusing on nothing but the guys foot and keeps slashing at it for a long time. That is not normal in NHL. "silly macho stuff" as you described is daily, happens every game. This was a totally different situation. There is nothing macho in what Smyth did, more like psychotic.

 

[SmokeyClause]

How does slashing a skate affect his health?

I...uh...well...you see...ummm...there's these things within our feet called bones. Quite a few actually. And I don't know how to say this to you without sounding condescending, but you are bringing it upon yourself, so here goes. These bones are frangible and not meant to be hacked upon by grown men with sticks. While hockey boots generally provide adequate protection, they are not perfect. Careless stickwork can damage these bones and malicious slashes can break them.

It's normally considered that human health ranges beyond things like respiratory and circulatory health and can actual delve into the realm of orthopedic concerns. Someone with a broken bone has had his health harmed.

So you see, slashes in the foot can cause broken bones. Broken bones are a detriment to ones health. And when you put the two together, slashing a skate affects human health.

 

[espo*]

Yeah, like I carefully explained, I am talking about the insanity factor of Smyth. He seems driven, he is focusing on nothing but the guys foot and keeps slashing at it for a long time. That is not normal in NHL. "silly macho stuff" as you described is daily, happens every game. This was a totally different situation. There is nothing macho in what Smyth did, more like psychotic.

I still fail to see the big deal. I just can't agree..............i've just seen so many things(we all have) that have been so much worse then that.............hundreds.So he went a LITTLE loco,big deal.Does Fisher require major reconstructive surgery? Is he in intensive care? was there a chance in hell he would end up in intensive care with what he did? Sorry,but to me it was SFA.

 

[psycho_dad*]

I still fail to see the big deal. I just can't agree..............i've just seen so many things(we all have) that have been so much worse then that.............hundreds.So he went a LITTLE loco,big deal.Does Fisher require major reconstructive surgery? Is he in intensive care? was there a chance in hell he would end up in intensive care with what he did? Sorry,but to me it was SFA.

I did not say he killed the president, did I? I said it's NOT normal in the NHL like some people here kept claiming repeatedly. I have seen much worse things, in hockey and outside hockey...that's not the issue. I was responding to the claims that this was "just everyday stuff" because it is not. More dangerous things might happen every round, but in the bizarre factor that was one in a million.

If you wanna discuss what things are worse or more dangerous, yeah, you often get to see a boarding or a similar incidents where players are very close to getting paralyzed etc...of course those are worse and more dangerous. The worst Smyth could have done was to break a few bones in Fischers foot, but of course when you intentionally use your stick in such a bizarre way, people will call it. It stands out.

 

[Master Lok]

Ok, I just have to ask this:

Name me one NHL game and one NHL player who repeatedly took 8 heavy slashes at opponents ankles/feet/skates.

Saying that stuff like this happens all the time in the NHL is an utter and complete lie, I've never ever seen anyone take so many chops at opponent.

"Heavy Slash"? Smyth missed on more than half of his "heavy slash"es. This is from a guy who's known for deflecting 90 km/h pucks in mid air into the net. If Smyth wanted to hurt Fischer, it wouldn't be at slashing on the skate blade.

A two hander across the arm right where the glove protection ends is a LOT more harmful than these so -called heavy slashes. Or a butt end. Or a cross check to the face.

And psycho-dad - YES, I HAVE SEEN THIS IN NHL GAMES. And yes I have seen guys slash eight times in a row. Or more. In order to get away from an opposition defender who is holding him, or has the stick in the attacker's midsection or has just cross checked in the back, or has his stick in the attacker's skates.

TRY WATCHING MORE ACTION IN FRONT OF THE NET. Maybe some of you would be surprised by the amount of stickwork and punishment that a lot of these guys take/dish out.

I was a big fan of Craig Simpson and he had to retire early due to back spasms because of repeated crosschecks into his back, sometimes more than half a dozen on one shift. I've seen slashes and punches, and tripping, and butt ends, and spearing - all in front of the net that wasn't called. Some of you fans really need to watch the game a bit more and maybe not always in front of the TV since the cameras follow the puck and not the action away from the puck.