Click away, Penguins fans. We both know this is a triggering subject matter that you may not be able to handle…
The NHL has been a soap opera lately, so on the off chance you missed it, Jacob Trouba received a $5,000 fine from NHL Player Safety for high sticking Trent Frederic of the Boston Bruins this past Saturday.
Accident Or On Purpose?
It was definitely a bizarre play. It’s sort of an awkward tangle, where Trouba seems off kilter and has his arm caught up. I think maybe he meant to slash Frederic’s legs, but then got his stick up as he was simultaneously regaining his balance.
I was at the game and have no recollection of catching this obviously, or any scrum that followed. It pretty much went undetected by everyone at the arena – from the officials, to the players, all the way to the grumpy dude in the neighboring section relentlessly referring to Blake Wheeler as “Fat Boy”. It’s possible it was mentioned on the MSG broadcast, but I didn’t come across that clip anywhere online.
There was also no penalty on the play, which was a blatant missed call. Regardless of intent, you have to be held accountable for your stick. It’s a two minute minor if you clip someone while being careless with your stick in pursuit of the puck, on your way to the bench or whatever else. It’s always been that way and for good reason, in the name of player safety.
That being said, it’s pretty obvious to anyone outside of Pittsburgh and surrounding zip codes that this was an accident. Sure, Trouba has a track record of delivering absurd open ice hits, but that’s besides the point.
I thought it was pretty strange that no comment surfaced from Frederic, but Trouba came out in full denial of malice.
Where The NHL Went Wrong
It was interesting to see another disciplinary act hit the news cycle shortly after. Less than 24 hours after Trouba got fined, Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild was slapped with a 2 game suspension for a slew foot that PK Subban would be proud of.
Of course, the difference in both plays is the intent behind it. Hartman clearly knew what he was doing when he dragged his right leg into DeBrincat. That’s how you tear someone’s ACL and his punishment is very much deserved. Additionally, the suspension sends a clear message to the rest of the league – don’t think for a second your slew foots are sly.
Trouba, on the other hand, was not taking a deliberate baseball swing at Frederic’s head. He just wasn’t. You might disagree and that’s fine. There were plenty of Rangers haters and even self proclaimed Trouba despisers that spoke out to absolve everyone’s favorite villain. That should say something.
Where the league went wrong though, is the message they’re sending. Hockey players don’t make baseball money, but a $5k fine is still chump change. Coming away from this, the incentive to keep your stick down is the same as it was before.
Allow me to introduce a hypothetical situation. Purely hypothetical. Take Player A for example. We’ll call him PK. Again, all theoretical. PK is known to be a dirty player. PK plays on the bottom defense pair of a Cup contending team. PK knows his role – throw the body around, be reliable defensively and mix things up after the whistle. PK also knows what the punishment was for Trouba. PK finds himself in the corner with the opposing team’s best playmaker. What’s stopping PK from faking a stumble, acting oblivious and ramming his stick into the playmaker’s jaw?
The point is, Trouba should’ve been suspended a game or two. The intent aside, you need to be responsible for your stick. Full stop. Furthermore, the NHL needs to be responsible in enforcing that rule properly. If you’re not gonna suspend him, then increase the fine! Trouba probably spends $5k on his weekend painting supplies.
Complain Overlords Are Out And About
I shouldn’t be shocked at the takes I see online anymore. They’re consistently preposterous, across any and all subject matters. I do wanna dunk on a few though.
I saw some people comparing Trouba’s slash to Marty McSorley on Donald Brashear in 2000. Viewer discretion advised on the below clip.
In what world is anyone comparing that heinous act to Trouba’s? McSorley was suspended for the rest of the season, including the playoffs. It’s mind boggling to me how a single hockey fan would put the two on the same plane and want Trouba charged as a criminal.
And then you had Ken Campbell demanding justice, at once! I haven’t looked into his background but there must be some anti-Rangers bias lurking underneath the surface.
As I stated above, I would’ve been cool suspending Trouba a game or two. Definitely not for more than a quarter of the season?! Let’s not turn Charmin ultra soft like the NBA here. Larry Brooks put it better than I could.
The Rangers’ Captain Isn’t Changing For Anyone
Trouba took everything in stride and accepted blame. He was forthright and accountable, everything you want in a captain.
Make no mistake, he’s not going to change who he is and how he approaches the game though. He’s still going to lay bone crunching hits to unsuspecting forwards cruising through the middle.
Don’t want to get obliterated? Keep your head up when the Trouba train is on the tracks. It’s vicious, it’s old-school, but it’s also legal.
He shared a glimpse into his mindset with Vince Mercogliano of the USA Today Network.
“I stay off social media as much as I can. It’s just kind of how I play the game. That play was dirty. It can’t happen, but the hitting and stuff, that’s just how I play the game. I don’t think those are dirty. I don’t mind what people think of me. I don’t put too much thought into what people think of me that don’t really know me, to be honest with you. It is what it is.”
Words to live by honestly.
All in all, I’m happy Frederic is okay and pleased with how Trouba handled the fallout. I’d like to see the NHL be more consistent in their discipline, but I also know competence from the league offices is mission impossible. As Trouba would say, it is what it is.
geryblogs 
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