Zack Kassian kicks Erik Cernak with his skate blade (Mod warning in OP)

[Sugi21]

Again, this got 2 games. TWO.
With Kassians history, tack on another 5.

You forgot to add inflation so 10 games at least

 

[AvroArrow]

No room in the game for shit like that. Imagine he went a little higher or the bolts player fell forward exposing his neck area. Stupid f***ing play. I was pretty upset when Tkachuk ran him over, but please f***ing lay him out again someone. Stupid cowardly play.

 

[JohnC]

Well what did that rat Tkachuk expect taking Kassian down like that?

 

[thadd]

A completely reasonable take in my opinion. Thanks for watching the full context.

What context, dude?
Kassian pretty much went into a gun shop, loaded a gun and accidentally pointed it at someone.
VERY BAD ETIQUETTE.

I'll be honest. I haven't spent much time in gun shops. I'm pretty sure that's a huge no-no and not only would the shopkeeper assume I'm either a psycho or a Pejorative Slur, but he wouldn't want me back in his shop, either

The NHL and most of its fans don't want to see anything even slightly resembling the behavior of former goon Chris Simon.

I don't mean so sound like a patronizing dick, but being Oil fans, we're just saying that we think it's OK to enforce a double standard if we defend our player in this situation. If you want to stick up for a player that isn't playing for your team people will take your argument a lot more seriously.

If Kassian played for the Flames and that exact same thing happened, except his skate was touching McDavid, we'd literally have lost our voices from losing our shit screaming at the TV before even finding our way to HFboards.

If you're an 18 year old that's been drafted by an NHL team chances are you've already spent the last 12 years of your life listening to coaches telling you how you don't kick or move your skate in the direction of other people's body parts, hit people from behind, target the head when you check, fly into the air Raffi Torres style before you initiate contact, you don't dive and you don't spear people in the balls.

By the time you're drafted it should just be second nature and you get suspended for these things not only to punish you for doing something wrong but also to give you a wake up call so that you can have more of a reason to take a step back and really analyze your own train of thought when in a game so that you don't need to screw up even worse and get an even heavier suspension when you come back.

I love Zack Kassian, but he's crazy.
Remember when he broke Gagner's face with his stick?
I was so pissed off over that. Gagner had a good year the season before and we were only in exhibition games.
I was pretty sure he didn't do it on purpose and I'm not 100% if he intended on actually kicking a player last night, but that's besides the point. HE DID IT.
5 games would be a slap on the wrist.

 

[bucks_oil]

Dude your sinking faster than the titanic.

I know... crazy, irrational me, suggesting that watching the full video might help people determine the severity of the punishment.

 

[Oil Dood]

But Kassian didn't kick him in an exposed area.
He would have had to kick him really hard to cut through the jersey and padding.

It doesn't justify what Kassian did as it was utterly moronic but people are overstating the danger it presented to Czernak.

It was a dangerous situation though for sure. But if the NHL is going to hand out paltry fines for literally CROSS CHECKING SOMEONE IN THE THROAT I do not know how they justify suspending anyone going forward unless there is a death.

Kassian deserves a suspension but the DOPS needs a real serious look because there is some real quesionable decisions being made there.

 

[Sugi21]

It's funny David Staples wanted to hear "testimony" from Kassian before passing judgement about whether it was a kick.

Didn’t he watch his post game interview where he basically says he kicked him off? Lol Kassian can’t deny kicking him after admitting to it

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

What a f***ing moron. Definitely looks like he knew what he was doing and not reactionary.

 

[boyko10]

i like kass and sure nothing happened here but what if he does that and ends up hitting someone in the face?

5500$

 

[Kranix]

I know... crazy, irrational me, suggesting that watching the full video might help people determine the severity of the punishment.

It turned out after examining the longer video, they were indeed in a hockey game, on ice, with skates on. And then he kicked him.

 

[MikeK]

I can't believe there are those in this thread who are actually trying to downplay such a risky and stupid action. Glad I woke up to the news he'd been given an in-person hearing. That means multiple games. It was a dangerous action that should never be excused. He will be suspended multiple games and rightfully so.

 

[Gio4PM]

Cernik doesn't react to the kick in any way, not even a slash once they are both up and still close to each other. I've read someone say there was no contact. I don't personally believe that... but I wouldn't be able to have an opinion one way or another unless I saw the full play.

Obviously the NHL will look at the full play and interview the players, including Cernik. One would have expected some sort of reaction from him if he'd been kicked & perceived it to be dangerous. That's the part I'd want to get to the bottom of... the difference between a game or two for careless stupidity & irresponsibility vs 20+ for deliberate aggression may lie there... the video would help formulate the questions and of course the interpretation of the answers...

... I mean, that much should be obvious.

Cernik has already commented to media. He said that (a) he was kicked; (b) he was lucky it was in a padded area; (c) it could have easily been higher; and (d) he did say something to Kassian after (to the effect of "what's your problem").

The video evidence is pretty clear that Kassian is lying about his leg being held. It's not. Cernik is not holding anything and Kassian freely moves his leg to kick out. In fact, the one doing holding on the ice looks like Kassian to me. He was grabbing at Cernik. He was also the one who caused the whole spill in the first place.

 

[bucks_oil]

What context, dude?
Kassian pretty much went into a gun shop, loaded a gun and accidentally pointed it at someone.
VERY BAD ETIQUETTE.

I'll be honest. I haven't spent much time in gun shops. I'm pretty sure that's a huge no-no and not only would the shopkeeper assume I'm either a psycho or a ******, but he wouldn't want me back in his shop, either

The NHL and most of its fans don't want to see anything even slightly resembling the behavior of former goon Chris Simon.

I don't mean so sound like a patronizing dick, but being Oil fans, we're just saying that we think it's OK to enforce a double standard if we defend our player in this situation. If you want to stick up for a player that isn't playing for your team people will take your argument a lot more seriously.

If Kassian played for the Flames and that exact same thing happened, except his skate was touching McDavid, we'd literally have lost our voices from losing our **** screaming at the TV before even finding our way to HFboards.

If you're an 18 year old that's been drafted by an NHL team chances are you've already spent the last 12 years of your life listening to coaches telling you how you don't kick or move your skate in the direction of other people's body parts, hit people from behind, target the head when you check, fly into the air Raffi Torres style before you initiate contact, you don't dive and you don't spear people in the balls.

By the time you're drafted it should just be second nature and you get suspended for these things not only to punish you for doing something wrong but also to give you a wake up call so that you can have more of a reason to take a step back and really analyze your own train of thought when in a game so that you don't need to screw up even worse and get an even heavier suspension when you come back.

I love Zack Kassian, but he's crazy.
Remember when he broke Gagner's face with his stick?
I was so pissed off over that. Gagner had a good year the season before and we were only in exhibition games.
I was pretty sure he didn't do it on purpose and I'm not 100% if he intended on actually kicking a player last night, but that's besides the point. HE DID IT.
5 games would be a slap on the wrist.

You are right... you do sound like a dick. Why don't you actually read my posts, all of them... I only joined the conversation on page 37, so it won't take long. And then tell me where I'm "defending" Kassian.

My point is very simple and should not be controversial:
1) watch full video
2) opine on severity of punishment

If people have done that, great... but given the full video wasn't up (and still isn't in OP), it's worth bringing up that point.

 

[Jedub]

You are right... you do sound like a dick. Why don't you actually read my posts, all of them... I only joined the conversation on page 37, so it won't take long. And then tell me where I'm "defending" Kassian.

My point is very simple and should not be controversial:
1) watch full video
2) opine on severity of punishment

If people have done that, great... but given the full video wasn't up (and still isn't in OP), it's worth bringing up that point.

How does any part of the video other than the play where Kassian kicks Cernak relevant?

 

[UnSandvich]

I'd give him 10 games, plus one for each and every Edmonton fan trying to mitigate, defend, or rationalize Kassian kicking another player with his skate

 

[bucks_oil]

Cernik has already commented to media. He said that (a) he was kicked; (b) he was lucky it was in a padded area; (c) it could have easily been higher; and (d) he did say something to Kassian after (to the effect of "what's your problem").

The video evidence is pretty clear that Kassian is lying about his leg being held. It's not. Cernik is not holding anything and Kassian freely moves his leg to kick out. In fact, the one doing holding on the ice looks like Kassian to me. He was grabbing at Cernik. He was also the one who caused the whole spill in the first place.

First paragraph... thanks for the info.

Second paragraph... watch again, it was Archibald sliding into the two of them that brought them both down... and it was Archibald that was actually pinning Kassian's lower leg (not the kicking one)... Cernik was just lying on top of the two of them. To your point: Kassian's wrong that Cernik was holding his leg. To my point: you wouldn't be able to discern any of this from the OP's video.

 

[bucks_oil]

How does any part of the video other than the play where Kassian kicks Cernak relevant?

How are you going to determine the difference between 1 and 20 games? You propose to do that without watching the full video and gaining some context? Interviews and history only? You don't need to see the play?

 

[IceNeophyte]

What context, dude?
Kassian pretty much went into a gun shop, loaded a gun and accidentally pointed it at someone.
VERY BAD ETIQUETTE.

Hyperbole defined.

 

[Jedub]

How are you going to determine the difference between 1 and 20 games? You propose to do that without watching the full video and gaining some context? Interviews and history only? You don't need to see the play?

The play where 3 players get tangled up, fall down together, and then one of them kicks one of the others in the chest? That play?

 

[powerstuck]

Stop what? I think people would benefit from seeing the full play.

I personally think it is suspension worthy, but there are elements not shown in the truncated clip that are relevant in determining the degree of punishment... for example there is zero reaction from Cernik... not even a slash when he gets up. Either Cernik is a saint, or he didn't perceive it as dangerous as many here did (including me by the way).

"Just stop"... Maybe you should consider that perhaps you are being quick to judge. You'd already assumed my position (incorrectly) before I volunteered it and before you asked.

Is your position that people should NOT see the full play in question? That seems odd.

One day the league will actually brighten up and will start imposing suspensions based on the actual danger of the play and not the result.

Too often the league punished the outcome, not the actual action. It's not because there was no one hurt that a skate kick toward a part of a body should not be harshly suspendable offence.

No matter if there was injury or not, you make a statement that all others players will understand : Only area the skates should be pushed against is the ice surface.

 

[wretched34]

Cernik doesn't react to the kick in any way, not even a slash once they are both up and still close to each other. I've read someone say there was no contact. I don't personally believe that... but I wouldn't be able to have an opinion one way or another unless I saw the full play.

Obviously the NHL will look at the full play and interview the players, including Cernik. One would have expected some sort of reaction from him if he'd been kicked & perceived it to be dangerous. That's the part I'd want to get to the bottom of... the difference between a game or two for careless stupidity & irresponsibility vs 20+ for deliberate aggression may lie there... the video would help formulate the questions and of course the interpretation of the answers...

... I mean, that much should be obvious.

Seems like Cernak was very aware that Kassian had just kicked him square in the chest, and did react, with words.
I know Oiler fans deem it necessary for everyone Kassian loses his marbles on, to fight him, because "ThE CoDe", but why would Cernak, in his right mind, start a fight with a guy that just did one of the most dangerous things a Hockey player can ever do?

 

[weinsink]

10 plus game...the idiot didn't take his meds?

 

[Jedub]

10 games and anger management courses

 

[Czechboy]

 

[Rubi]

There are some serious contenders for Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year posting in this thread. The excuses and explanations that some people are coming up with to mitigate or downplay Kassian's kick are almost laughable.
If you're not defense attorneys already you've missed your calling.