okay NHLers what is going on???

Question

i as a crazy nhl fan is physically sick of the cheap shots and the slaps on the wrist penalties the nhl is handing out. The tootoo hit was nothing short of one of the cheapest shots in the nhl, there is no room in the sport for classless players like that-- i like a physical hockey game as much as the next guy but this was absolutly disgusting.

What do you think of the increased cheap shots in the nhl and how about the lame penalties the nhl is dishing out?

Game or not, players are getting hurt at an alarming rate and the nhl needs to step up and begin to push harsher penalties for guys out there playing cheap.

agree? disagree?

SOUND OFF

Answer 1

I gotta disagree with you...
The Tootoo hit was sort of self-defense...
after you finished laughing I'll explain....
Obviously the hit on Modano was, in a way, tootoo-like. Stephane Robidas saw his captain get pummeled and went in... I must say, Tootoo had great vision that time because Robidas was really to take a piece out of him.... If you watch the clip closely, you will see Robidas crouching abit and going for the kill. Too-too had great instincts, maybe a little violent on the side, so us viewers mustda thought he was all to blame. Bodychecking a guy and concusionning another in a span of 15 seconds, but he was really to be knocked, maybe, unconscious, himself. He thought punching Robidas as a way of not letting RObidas smash him...
Of course, I dont condonne his actions, punching a guy in the face is nothing to laugh about, and actually, I thought the penalty was a bit too lenient.he should have gotten at least a 15 gm suspension. But I know his state of mind when he did it, but that doesnt make it right. There is no place for suckerpunching or blindside punching or any punching at all (except for fights) in hockey. So....
You might not agree with me, but I am just here to try and clear up what Tootoo was thinking, he was making a bad judgement error and 5games are just not enough, even though I dont think he got nothing against Robidas.

Answer 2

Sounds like you haven't been a fan for long if you think that there is such an increase. The penalties are also stiffer than the ones they used to hand out. Also, if the Tootoo hit was "one of the cheapest shots" then you DEFINITELY are not a long time fan. Guys used to play through the hurt more and the gladiator equipment causes most of these getting hurt at an "alarming rate"-not cheap shots. The NHL has always been a man's game, just now you have media/internet blowing it up. I can name 50 guys from the 70's and 80's who were just as dirty as anyone in today's game. In fact dirtier.
Just an example-who in the league is as dirty as Gordie Howe was?? What goalie could touch Billy Smith or Ron Hextall in terms of nastiness these days?? You are WAY OFF BASE.

Answer 3

To be honest, I do not think that there is an increase in the number of cheap shots going on in hockey. If you look at the game historically, you will find that they have been around in larger numbers than today due to less protection on the body and a game that actaully allowed for more physical styles of play. Also remebr that with the advent of the internet and ESPN, you can see a cheap shot or big hit almost every night, whereas in the days of print and the 5 min sports newscast, there was not enough time to expose as much of it.

in 1933, Bruin defensemen Eddie Shore nearly killed Toronto Star Ace Bailey with an unprovoked hit frombehind that fractured his skull ending his career.

In 1953, Rocket Richard fights the lineman , when the lineman tries to break up a fight he was having with a player who cut him with a high stick.

There are lots of accounts.

When you combine the speed , the hits, the passion and a stick, there will continue to be these things happening. They happen in other sports as well, just not routinely.I've even seen someone chase someone down with a softball bat in a recreational slow-pitch league.

Changing the rules recently in which grabbing and holding and the middle ice trap have eliminated the need for goonlike players in the NHL.

You will especially see less ice-time for them when a penalty in the play-offs equates to putting a high powered power play on the ice.

Answer 4

Tootoo is a punk, he is out there every game trying to hurt people, when he checks he leaves his feet almost every time, he hits high.

Yeah he has had a tough life and off the ice he is a nice guy... but who cares. your actions on the ice define you in the NHL, or at least it should.

All of these hits to the head and such need to stop. But in my opinion what is worse is the crappy officiating. Far too many times there will be a penatly called where NOTHING at all happened. At other times there are blatant penalties that arent called at all. For example the 3/18 Vancouver/Detroit game there were 17 penalties called, Thats over half the game. Its RUINING the game and preventing new fans from falling in love with the game. Officials should be fined for bad calls and non calls and forced to watch video of said calls and non-calls. I know they cant see everything, but this is simply pathetic.

BETTMAN IS DESTROYING HOCKEY!

Answer 5

as a matter of opinion states you could say that the NHL needs to crack down on players. I am a HUGE Pittsburgh Penguins fan...and the hit(Mark Eaton) that was dished out by a certain Jonathan Cheechoo was deemed clean and no suspension at all for him. Yet a few games later Armstrong hits a Carolina Hurricane Player (Letowski i think.) people are calling for his suspension and calling Colby a dirty player. I agree that the NHL should make examples out of players who hit cheaply and don't take responsibilty for thier actions. You also must know who in the NHL has a record of cheap and dirty hits. I mean is it fair to label a rookie or a sophmore player dirty when they haven't really played in the league?

Answer 6

I'm surprised you can write a sentence with the words "cheap shot" in it without mentioning Chris Simon or Todd Bertuzzi...

If the NHL really wants to send a message to goons like Bertuzzi and Simon they need to start suspending these guys for 40 TO 50 GAMES instead of the 23 that Bertuzzi got or the 25 that Simon got...if you're missing half a season you're getting a message loud and clear...if you're only missing a quarter of the season, that's great, I'm still getting 75% of my paycheck for the year

if Kobe threw the ball at point-blank range at Carmelo's face and knocked him cold onto the hardwood floor, we'd be talking about a 50-game suspension for him...if we saw someone hit Pedro Martinez with a bat after charging the mound, we'd be expecting a 200-game suspension (figure even with the longer schedule that MLB plays, that's still 100 games in the NBA or the NHL), and in both instances players are being attacked with material weapons that are otherwise necessary to play the game...25 games is a joke

Answer 7

I agree! Whether or not the hits are worse or not isn't the most irritating to me. I'm sick of the lack of calls as well as the "slap on the wrist" for those that are actually called. Yes fighting is a fun part of the game. But when it comes to hits like Tootoo made, there's no excuse for accepting it as part of the game.

Answer 8

Agree completely with you, but watch, you WILL get people downstairs who claim the NHL or players can "police themselves". I remain unconvinced. Maybe the NHL "CAN" but the length of these suspensions, which are a joke indicate they DON'T. Unless and until someone gets a LIFETIME suspension for a stick-swinging incident or sucker punch, the next player WILL NOT THINK and it will keep happening.

Maybe the players do "police themselves" in terms of if you dish out a cheap shot, you can expect retaliation, but I would just rather see it all STOP, not ESCALATE.

Answer 9

Tootoo was doing his job and protecting himself. He' is known to be the Instigator on the predators team. He goes and bothers the other players and does his job perfectly. When he saw another player coming right for him, he protected himself. Robidas was charging for him so Tooto was ready. Its just unfortunate that it was a vicious blow. But what is a player to do when 3 different' guys go after him. His 5 days suspension is enough. His punch wasn't intentional like some other players lately.

Answer 10

Are you kidding? This is what the NHL is all about. Back in the days of Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr you wouldn't even get a penalty for knocking someone out, it was part of the game. Bring back old time hockey! Nothing is better!