Who is to blame for this pandemic of suspendable/questionable behavior?

[BertCorbeau]

What would he suspend Wilson for? Hitting too hard? It was not an illegal check.

Agreed.

Can't blame Wilson for Schenn turning at the last minute. Perfectly fine with the hit. Shanny's video on it was actually perfect and the best he's done yet.

Boarding .. And Wilson drove Schenn into the boards rather than trying to stand him up

 

[93LEAFS]

We play more aggressive, but I don't think Carlyle deserves much of the blame. The Kadri, Lupul, Dion and Clarkson hit were boarderline to clean play as of two years ago, takes time to adjust. The longest suspension was due to stupidity on Clarkson's part, nothing Carlyle could of done about that, and the Kessel incident is what it is, you have a goon like Scott trying to beat you up, i'd prolly do what Niedrmayer did to Worrell.

 

[Baarle*]

Obviously the players themselves. Carlyle isn't promoting this kind of behaviour but he probably is demanding the team plays physical and tough. Sometimes things escalate and lines are crossed, it happens. All the suspensions and short and are (for the most part) hit hits as a result of a split-second decision.

 

[likeabosski]

On 24/7 Carlyle told Kadri that if he is getting beat all night by an opposing centre at the face-off circle that he should cross-check the centre the next time off a face-off. Unless Carlyle wasn't literally encouraging Kadri to cross-check the centre off a face-off and was instead trying to psyche Kadri up and show more emotion when he's getting beat in the face-off circle, then I'd say that Carlyle is encouraging his players to play like thugs

 

[Porn*]

I expect my team to be aggressive. It's an aggressive sport. There's a difference between aggressive and dirty/illegal.

 

[Daisy Jane]

As much as I want to say the players, it's the NHL. Rules need to be black and white. The only time this was actually in effect was Clarkson jumping over the bench, resulting in a 10 game suspension. That would be on Clarkson, not the NHL. It was clear cut, clearly defined within the rules along with the punishment.

However, the NHL has largely decided to take a different stance which involves complicated rules that no referee or third party can consistently comprehend. How else can you explain a referee looking directly at a hit only for it to be not a penalty, but somehow still a punishable offence? Or a referee ejecting a player from the game, and the league providing no discipline? I still find the range of guesses on a suspension to be comical. Absolutely no precedence or consistency, particularly when similar offences are compared. Don't even get me started on injury being the biggest factor in a suspension.

until you recall Bisenette? (Coyote player) doing the exact same thing, but because there were no video cameras to actually record the game he got 3 games due to "bad line change" (....? okay?)

i feel the best thing for the league to do is have unbiased people with the rule book, show them the video, and what the rule was that they broke, and tell them to go to town.

 

[BodaciousBeefBazooka]

lol... its the players man. Players are human and they control there actions, and there destiny. Not the bloody coach. The coach implements the system, encourages and motivates etc.

 

[happyaccident]

Refs are to blame. Kindl's shoulder to the head is at least the third head shot Lupul has taken this season with no penalty and we're talking about a guy with a concussion history. If the refs and the guys in charge of instituting video replay wake up and call that crap, then the players don't go around feeling they have to police themselves.

 

[Porn*]

Refs are to blame. Kindl's shoulder to the head is at least the third head shot Lupul has taken this season with no penalty and we're talking about a guy with a concussion history. If the refs and the guys in charge of instituting video replay wake up and call that crap, then the players don't go around feeling they have to police themselves.

the refs don't help but the players hold the brunt of the responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. they have no respect for each other

 

[blueberrie]

Mix of player stupidity and league inconsistency.

Clarkson's ten game was a clearly broken well defined rule and received the clearly defined punishment.

Kadri incident was him putting himself above the team and taking a selfish penalty.

Lupul crosschecked a head in the heat of the moment before thinking twice.

Clarkson's second and Phaneuf's hits were plays that were once legal and have had recent non suspensions for similar acts. They just happened to be the example set by Shanahan.

Kessel's was different. But there have been way worse slashes that went unpunished. Once again, he happened to be the new example Shanahan wants to set.

 

[Blaylock38]

Komarov or Nonis, whoever the was the reason that he is not back, he is a skilled agitator, who can rile up opponents and not get suspended and can escape penalties.

We need him back big time!!!

 

[Toque*]

Beta males in our fan base are to blame! A bunch of crybabies ever time something happens.

 

[yubbers]

they have no respect for each other

I disagree with that. Id say code/ethics of hockey are probably one of the best in sports. It's a physical game. The players show tremendous restraint night in night out IMO. It's pretty easy to want to cross check a guy in the face when he's been doing the same to your lower back in the corner all night. Never mind knocking out some teeth or busting your lip open with a stick. Sometimes that boils over. If anything it shows emotion so I'll take that as a good thing from our players.

 

[colchar]

I say Carlyle.

So he somehow controls how players act and react? Lupul throwing that cross-check is Carlyle's responsibility?*


* Yeah I know it was just a fine but it was the most recent incident so was the easiest example to use.

 

[Delicious Dangles*]

The Leafs *haven't* had a rash of questionable or suspendable behaviour.

What we have is a trigger-happy league that doesn't know it's own rules (that in itself are VERY open to interpretation), or how to apply them, while at the same time, continuously changing them with no explanation to refs, players, fans, or management.

 

[hoglund]

I don't think any team is playing more dirty or aggressive, the league is trying to reduce concussions. 30 years ago there would have been suspensions daily if they called them as easily as they do today, most fans would have laughed that Lupul's hit was even considered to be illegal let alone warrant a fine or suspension. So to sum it up the blame is the league, not the players or coaches.

 

[Quares27]

Nothing really. Every situation is different.

I'll remove the preseason suspensions because neither would have happened under normal circumstances.

Phaneuf suspension - just an unfortunate collision, everyone knows Phaneuf prides himself on hitting clean. Phaneuf went in with the intention of getting the puck (Leafs were down 1 late in the game) and hi him, Millar went slightly off balance and fell in awkwardly. Phaneuf obviously didn't go into the corner with the intention of hitting the guy from behind.

Clarkson suspension - frustration for multiple reasons... Leafs were getting owned that game and he wasn't playing well since he came back. This was just a dumb play from a player that has been known for dumb plays/dumb penalties

Ashton suspension - young guy who's trying to play physical to stay on the team and just threw a dumb hit

Kadri suspension - this was unintentional and Shanahan said so himself in the video. Just bad luck really.

 

[BraveCanadian]

The players, of course.

 

[Eb]

And Tom Wilson didn't get suspended...or even fined...for this charge that launched Brayden Schenn headfirst into the boards:



He had him in his bombsights all the way from the blueline, and actually accelerated into him at the last minute. That's the kind of dangerous hit that's going to break someone's neck and leave them a paraplegic one day!

Joking? Watch Shanahan's explanation of the hit. It was a 100% clean hit.

I say Carlyle. A lot of these players are the same as what we had with Ron Wilson and under his regime, we were the softest team in the league and a lot of the players that are playing tougher and meaner under Carlyle were turning the other cheek with Wilson. The same trend can be seen with Carlyle's Anaheim teams. Before and after, apart from a few isolated incidents that are few and far between, not much in terms of dirty play. During Carlyle's tenure, lots of questionable conduct and suspensions, including a few in the playoffs.

Correlation =/= Causation.

What a joke. I bet you're just dislike Carlyle and try to hate on him some more.

 

[hoglund]

Joking? Watch Shanahan's explanation of the hit. It was a 100% clean hit.



Correlation =/= Causation.

What a joke. I bet you're just dislike Carlyle and try to hate on him some more.

I got the feeling that you're exactly right.

 

[bobg1]

PLAYERS Unless the coach is some how threatening the players