It’s safe to say tempers flared, wires crossed and madness ensued this past weekend across the NHL.
We saw a healthy dose of violence in Red Wings/Senators and Canadiens/Sabres on Saturday, along with Panthers/Blue Jackets on Sunday.
For starters, hockey is a unique sport. It’s the ultimate team game, it’s fun, it’s exciting, but it’s also dangerous. Especially in the modern era. Guys coming into the league today are elite skaters with next level skill and naturally push the pace of play, resulting in a higher tempo, but still the same contact.
There’s emotion, there’s drama and there’s certainly anger, that rears its head in ugly ways if left to its own devices. Thankfully, there are officials on the ice to pull in the reigns and dole out penalties to discourage things from spiraling out of control. In theory, at least.
Let’s take a look at the three incidents over the weekend.
1. Nick Cousins x Erik Gubranson
Oof. The call on the ice was a major penalty on Cousins and then downgraded to a minor penalty. There lies the problem. Cousins obliterates Gubranson from behind and then decides to turtle as Gubranson miraculously gets up and comes after him. Not only did Cousins have zero regard for Gubranson in a dangerous position along the boards, but couldn’t answer the bell either. To top it off, Cousins was awarded with just the minor penalty, downgraded from a major, and obviously no suspension.
The officials failed to address the situation properly and nobody should be surprised at what happened later on in the game.
Would this have happened if Cousins was disciplined properly?
Separately, Gubranson is a weight class above Cousins, but I’m astonished he turtled for a second time there. Despicable all the way around.
Gubranson was given a 1 game suspension on Monday for the retaliation. Nothing for Cousins.
2. Justin Barron x Eric Robinson
Before any further comment, compare the above hit to Evander Kane on Jonas Brodin the night prior.
Can you spot a difference?
For all intents and purposes, it’s an identical sequence. Except no penalty was called on Kane and Brodin is out indefinitely with an upper body injury. How does that make any sense?
Worth noting though, if you watch the hit again, Brodin checks over his shoulder to see Kane roaring in on the forecheck. He then decides to flip a casual backhand pass along the boards, leaving himself vulnerable in the process. Kane’s hit was high and dirty, but Brodin didn’t do himself any favors. Both can be true.
Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo shared his thoughts on the matter with a group of reporters, following the Sabres game against the Canadiens.
Good on Okposo for speaking his mind. He’s a beloved teammate, fearless leader and a well respected veteran across the league. Not to mention, he dealt with a terrifying concussion in 2017, that sent him into a manic phase before he received treatment at Buffalo General’s Neurosurgical ICU. When Okposo speaks on hits that can cause significant injury, you’d hope the league offices are giving him their undivided attention.
3. David Perron x Artem Zub
This play is clearly unlike the others and the league finally got something right by suspending Perron for 6 games without pay. You could even make the argument it should’ve been more.
For context, Dylan Larkin got caught up in a scrum in front of the net and unfortunately was badly injured. It was a chilling scene, with a stretcher brought out onto the ice, but Larkin was able to skate gingerly to the tunnel on his own accord.
I know Red Wings fans are furious and that’s fair. They lose their captain to another devastating injury, Perron is suspended and the Senators get off scot-free. To make matters worse, Mathieu Joseph, the Senators player behind Larkin, has had issues with him in the past and people are claiming it was premeditated. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, but I still think it’s just an awkward tangle.
Anyways, Perron whips his head around to see his captain lying motionless on the ice and went bananas on Artem Zub, who was simply just standing there. I can almost understand Perron’s reaction from his perspective, but you absolutely can’t be cross-checking people in the face. There has to be some sense of decorum amidst the chaos.
Spotty Officiating Is To Blame
With the exception of Perron losing his composure, the common denominator is the officiating missing the mark. Players are going to take matters into their own hands when the officials don’t do their job. As fans, it can be frustrating to see inconsistencies in the way the game is being called but for players, I imagine it’s impossible to figure out how to conduct yourself.
I highly doubt Gubranson wallops a turtled Cousins in the back of the head if Cousins got ejected, or at the very least, received a 5 minute major penalty. Okposo wouldn’t be ripping the officials to the media if they were consistent in their decision making all along. And maybe Robinson doesn’t bury Barron from behind if he knows Kane got penalized for the same play the night before.
This past weekend, the inmates ran the asylum. I can’t imagine the league wants that to continue. They know Connor Bedard or one of their golden boys could easily get caught in the crossfire and that’s when it’s panic mode for real.
To be fair, it’s also not as easy as I’m making it out to be. From an officiating standpoint, you never want to interfere too much and overtake the narrative. Today’s game is played at such a high pace and things happen in the blink of an eye. They’re not going to get every call correct, but consistency is something to strive for.
The Art of Taking A Hit To Make A Play
As I mentioned before, puck carriers have to be conscious and more adept at absorbing hits. Turning your back to protect the puck is one thing, but you have to be aware of the contact that’s coming and not leave yourself completely vulnerable. You’re asking to get hurt and putting your opponent in a tough spot at the same time.
It seems to be a lost art in today’s game. Maybe these young guys are focusing more on skill development and stick handling, than the fundamentals of checking and getting checked.
Luke Hughes getting rocked by Garnet Hathaway a little while back was the perfect example. There was definitely confusion on an icing whistle or not, but Luke definitely could’ve protected himself better.
To be clear, I’m not asking for physicality and extracurriculars to be eradicated from the sport either. It’s here to stay and it’s what makes hockey unique. All I’m asking for is a little consistency.
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