NHL: No Honor League?
theviewfrom111 | Apr 16, 2012 | Comments 4
The first round of the playoffs have taken a turn beyond nasty.
Cheap and classless are two words that come to mind.
Suspensions and fines have been rampant even though most teams having played only three games in their respective first round matches.
One can only wonder how bad it is going to get.
The nastiness- no- the dirty play started in the first game of the playoffs as Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators went WWF on Henrik Zetterberg, slamming his head into the glass after Zetterberg hit him from behind at the boards at the end of the game. Weber got off light with a $2,500 fine.
He should have been suspended.
That was just the start.
Carl Hagelin of the Rangers elbowed the Senators Daniel Alfredsson in the head and earned a 3 game suspension because Alfredsson was injured on the play.
Matt Carkner of the Senators was suspended for one game for pummeling Brian Boyle of the Rangers, who refused to fight back and was down on the ice.Zenon Konopka was fined $2,500 for verbal abuse of the Rangers during a a pre-game television interview and the Sens were fined $10,000 for his actions.
Craig Adams of the Penguins was suspended for instigating a fight in the late minutes of game 3 of the Penguins/Flyers series. More hearings are pending for James Neal and Aaron Asham for their actions in the same game.
Andrew Shaw of the Chicago Blackhawks has a hearing pending for his violent collision with Phoenix Coyotes netminder Mike Smith.
This type of play has kept Brendan Shanahan busy and left even the most seasoned hockey fan shaking their head.
Much anger has been directed toward Shanahan for his disciplinary decisions and for the perceived inconsistency between the various punishments meted out.
That anger is misdirected.
Instead, fans should look to the ice and the type of play that teams are bringing to their games and to the officials that are charged with keeping the game within the boundaries of the rules.
Each of the aforementioned incidents have a common thread.
A lack of respect.
Not only for the players on the ice but for the game itself.
Throughout the season, the League and the officials sent a message to the players regarding head shots and dangerous plays that there would be zero tolerance, and for the most, did a reasonable job of enforcing that standard. The desire and the effort to protect the players was commendable and generally effective. Violators were punished and players began to adjust their game.
Underlying the effort to protect the players was a message from the League that players had to “respect” each other and not engage in dangerous, borderline types of plays.
That has gone out the window in the playoffs.
There is no doubt that the playoffs are a war of attrition, and that physical play ramps up. There is no problem with that. That is playoff hockey, and that type of play makes the playoffs and the road to the Cup the greatest championship in professional sports.
Part of the ethic of hockey is “sending a message” through physical play. Between the whistles, there is no problem with that. Clean checks, hard hits, and legally aggressive play are all part of sending a message. Want to really send a message? Put the puck into the opponents net.
What has happened in the playoffs so far is that “sending a message” had devolved into cheap shots after the whistle, scrums after every whistle that result in punches and unnecessary extracurricular activity, and questionable hits and fights.
All of which shows a lack of respect for the players by the players and for the game. The type of play that fans have witnessed from some teams and players fails to honor the game of hockey.
Playoff hockey is intense, desperate hockey. Win or go home. What has happened in the first round of the playoffs is that desperation and intensity has crossed the line into nastiness and cheap shots.
If the players on the ice do not respect each other, player safety becomes moot. Unnecessary hits, dangerous hits are the norm. Crossing the line to send a message is accepted.
Culpability does not rest solely with the players. The officiating has been inconsistent, and the tendency of officials to swallow their whistles late in a game doesn’t help. Letting the boys play hockey is an admirable goal, but the officials are letting the boys do more than play hockey. Watch the action after a play. Some of the stuff that goes on after the whistle is, frankly, unacceptable, and it sets the tenor for many of the games. Start handing out penalties for the punches thrown in a scrum or the cross checks delivered in front of the net and see if some of this type of play doesn’t quickly stop.
If the players cannot respect their opponent, then it rests with the officials to clearly define the boundaries of acceptable play and consistently enforce those boundaries. It worked to reduce the number of dangerous hits to the head in the regular season. It will work in the playoffs.
Physical play and hard hits are in the DNA of the game of hockey. Again, there is no problem with that. Illegal hits and dangerous plays to send a message or gain and advantage are a dangerous mutation of that DNA.
The game is at an inflection point in these playoffs. Players have to begin to play with a level of respect that has too often been lacking in some of the contests. Officials have to take control of the game, especially what happens after the whistle. Fail to do so, and the League will be embarrassed on their biggest national stage.
Hockey is a beautiful game, and playoff hockey is the apex of this great sport. The nastiness, the cheap shots, the dangerous hits disrespect the game and the players involved.
And there is no honor in that.
While I appreciate your always valuable and well thought out writing, I respectfully disagree with you on this one. In my opinion, the only way to get players to respect anything except winning is if the league makes them. The Broad Street Bullies won two Stanley Cups by doing nothing but disrespecting their opponents and the league. Professional players are paid to win…period. They, along with the coaching staff and the organization will always look to stay right on the edge of the rules and even cross the line to illegalities until the NHL makes it hurt so bad that they wouldn’t dare challenge those rules.
The NHL is solely responsible for stopping all this hooliganism. Why are there rarely players that leave the bench anymore? Because the NHL made a hard and fast rule that hurts the team, player and organization so badly that it isn’t worth doing.
If head shots are the issue, then the only way to solve it is to ban them…no questions asked. Perceived intent and severity of injury should have no relevance in any punishment. There should be a simple “x” amount of games the player is suspended for, should he make contact with the head.
I certainly don’t know everything and probably nothing about coaching in the NHL, but I have coached youth and amateur adult high level hockey for over 27 years and I have seen “honor” become extinct in the game. In my opinion, one must now legislate honor for it to work.
Great thought provoking read as always.
Thank you,
Bill
I agree with you. Honor will get restored when officials begin to take control of the game on the ice and force the players to restrain themselves. It has started to work with head shots. My emphasis on respect is focused on the crap that happens after a whistle, the cross check to the face of an opponent, and other egregious acts that happens during and after the play. Players have shown a general lack of respect for the safety of their fellow players, and have adopted the mentality of “what can I get away with in this game?” The impetus will come, as you have correctly stated from the League and enforced by the officials. But the players bear responsibility with their mindset as well.
The violence has always been there. Do we all remember the nasty bench brawls of the 1970′s and 80′s?
The bigger issue is the lack of control and inconsistency of the referees on the ice. They are letting games get out of control. They are calling penalties so erratically that no one can tell what will be called and what won’t be.
Since the lockout, the quality of officiating in the NHL has suffered. Why? I’m not sure, but I used to be able to say that the NHL had the best referees in the Pros. I can no longer say that. They are just as bad as the refs in the NBA. Stars get much better treatment and softer calls. A penalty is a penalty and the NHL has forgotten that.
Another party that I place a great portion of blame on is the NHL’s Sr VP of “Player Safety” and Hockey Operations. The idea of suspensions should PREVENT injury. Instead, the NHL suspends or doesn’t suspend depending if the player who got hit was hurt or not. What sense does THAT make?
The suspension should depend on intent OR RECKLESS play of the hit. The second part is important, because it’s hard to prove intent to injure, unless you have what Shea Webber tried on Henrik Zetterberg. That was an example of intent. Zetterberg did not get hurt, but the only reason to grab player’s head and smack it into the glass is intent to injure.
Lastly, I put a very small portion of blame on the NHL Players Association. Why would put a cap on fines if a player is fined for trying to hurt another player in the post season? Man up. If you wanna break the rules and possibly end another comrade’s career, do the time and pay the fine. Marc Savard is…
Again, very good points raised about a very complex issue. My view is that when you look at some of the out of control and egregious acts committed by some players, no amount of rules will prevent those actions. And that is where a culture of respect undergirds the black and white of the rules. More and more , I see that culture eroding, and that is troublesome.