Twitter Based Suspensions, Voices Of The People
esd714 | Mar 09, 2011 | Comments 4
With as much mock indignation as I can muster, I can say it happened again-an NHL player was drilled along the boards on a borderline to dirty play. This time it involved the storied Bruins and Canadians, and not the maligned Islanders-but that has not stopped the world of NHL fans on social media (and the paid pundits) from jumping in and calling for suspensions, fines, rules changes and lots of hand wringing.
And seemingly-although it can’t be proved, the image conscious NHL is taking some of this to heart. The hit was ferocious, and it happened in real time in a professional hockey game-and guess what, the refs didn’t only make a call, they made the right call.
First, if you have not seen it, here’s the hit:
As of late last night, Max Pacioretty was concussed, but moving his limbs and was facing a battery of tests today.
As of this morning, Zdeno Chara faced a hearing with the NHL for supplemental discipline.
There is something wrong with that. There are rules and the rules were enforced. Yet if you take a look at this snippet from 30 minutes after the hit-there is already a call for more than right call on the ice.
It’s a disturbing trend. We saw this with Milan Lucic and Trevor Gillies over the last week-players taking an action on the ice, and paying the price for it-and an outraged call for more. In the case of Gillies, the NHL came down on the wing. In the case of Lucic, no action was taken.
That there is a constant need for supplemental discipline, and the expectation of the fan base that this will occur sets a dangerous precedent-and quite frankly puts the NHL in an awkward position as a brand. The outrage-from real to contrived takes control of the game away from the refs and puts it in the hands of fans with the power to offer instant analysis loud and often-and unchecked.
The social matrix of the hockey community (and this is applicable beyond the rink) is altered by this powerful outcry. The reality is there are outside pressures that come to bear on these decisions. We are all happy Pacioretty is recovering. I don’t think anyone who watches hockey with regularity can say Chara saw the stanchion and knowingly took his man there-but the drum beat marches on.
“I don’t think anyone who watches hockey with regularity can say Chara saw the stanchion”
Huh? You’re kidding… right?
Besides the fact that Chara was FACING the stanchion, how can ANY player in hockey not “know” or “sense” where the stanchions are in relation to their position on the ice?
That’s like saying a 3rd baseman or catcher or 1st baseman doesn’t know where the dugout steps are while chasing a foul ball on a baseball field.
That’s like saying a wide receiver doesn’t know where the goal post is on a football field.
That’s like saying that a diving guard doesn’t know where the benches are on a basketball court.
Gimme a break…..Chara saw it, knew it, and was AT LEAST trying to knock Pacioretty into the bench area. The stanchion may not have been his objective, but a crushing and nevertheless illegal check was somewhere in his pea brain at the time.
To consider it anything less is apologist and enabling in nature.
Somebody’s gonna get killed pretty soon.
If you’d expect Chara to know where the stanchion is how can you NOT expect Max to also know? Just wondering.
When did Pacioretty willfully throw himself into the stanchion? Just wondering.
What is the disturbing trend? That the fans let their voices be known? That the NHLs fails to consistently dole out supplemental discipline and people are aware of it? That the NHL can’t pretend these things didn’t happen without people noticing? Why is it a bad thing that the league should punish a team other than the Islanders? Who cares if it is akward for the NHL? What is dangerous precedent is doing nothing to prevent hits that can kill someone. The NHL is the one that undermined the refs, they deemed it a dangerous hit and the NHL said not really. Tell me who looks more foolish?