The only good thing a suspension would do is save you from going deaf from the boo showers we give Blake for a game or so if you had to play the Kings in the first round...
When I saw the hit at first, tensions were running high, and I was screaming for a penalty. Really, though, it's a borderline hit. Wasn't a classy thing for Blake to do with a player in a vulnerable position, but Blake's not really known as a classy guy.
Anyone else think it looks like a shoulder injury? Watch Mueller's left arm as he hits the boards.
After watching the hit a few more times its clear to me that Blake needs to get a suspension for a couple of reasons.
1. Its a borderline shoulder to shoulder its more shoulder to backside shoulder blade.
2. Mueller didn't even have the puck.
3. Mueller was in a vulnerable position with his numbers facing the boards. These are the type of situations where players need to learn to hold back a little. Blake didn't have to hit him the way he did, there was a better way he could have handle the situation.
4. Consistency. Players like Tucker get suspended for barely even touching a player that ended up falling into the boards awkwardly.
5. Bettman needs to send a message that plays in which you injure a player by hitting them in the head, running them into the boards awkwardly, sticking your leg out etc. isn't acceptable and you will be punished.
Honestly I'm sick of seeing this **** continue players need to stop taking runs at defenseless players.
Look at players like Savard and Booth both of their seasons were ended by ******** plays and who knows what happened to Mueller, I mean his season could easily be over, or at minimum he has a bad concussion.
The worse part is that none of it should have happened because Mueller never even touches the puck. If thats not a defenseless player then I don't know what is.
I also thought it was very very similar to the Ovechkin hit...just the play looked very similar.
Probably not suspension worthy though as it wasn't quite as bad as that Ovie hit. Either way it's tough to see Mueller go down. Hope he is ok. If the Avs get in, they can basically singlehandedly thank him.
While I hope Mueller is alright and wish him the best, it's rather refreshing to see Captain Hook inflict some pain on the opposition for once, rather than on his own team and fanbase.
OT: Where'd the Captain Hook nickname originate from? Your avatar is gold.
After watching the hit a few more times its clear to me that Blake needs to get a suspension for a couple of reasons.
1. I'm a Colorado fan.
2. I'm a Colorado fan.
3. I'm a Colorado fan.
4. I'm a Colorado fan.
5. I'm a Colorado fan.
Come on! Let's not pretend that this is any more to do with the fact that one of your best offensive players just got hurt.
Nobody likes to see a player get hurt. But this was just a case of a stronger player in a tight battle at a key stage of the game. Yes, interference is a fair call. Suspension? I don't see it myself.
Last edited by Le Rosbeef: 04-05-2010 at 10:58 AM.
The Blake/Mueller hit could go either way. Clean hit (yes, except for the interference part) and thus not suspension worthy, but it is also a hit that I could see the league trying to make an example of (especially after just passing the new rule about hits on a player in a vulnerable situation.) I will not be suprised either way.
I personally had a larger problem with the knee on knee hit on Statsny. That was dirty but that is for a different thread.
Initial replay it looked like Blake put an elbow into a vulnerable player right on the numbers.
But after seeing other angles Blake was just shoving a weaker player away from the puck (although Mueller hadnt touched it). And the weaker player fell hard into the boards. I could see it being two minutes for interference.
Nothing more. Mueller was in a vulnerable position and Blake didnt put his full force behind that.
After watching the hit a few more times its clear to me that Blake needs to get a suspension for a couple of reasons.
1. Its a borderline shoulder to shoulder its more shoulder to backside shoulder blade.
2. Mueller didn't even have the puck.
3. Mueller was in a vulnerable position with his numbers facing the boards. These are the type of situations where players need to learn to hold back a little. Blake didn't have to hit him the way he did, there was a better way he could have handle the situation.
4. Consistency. Players like Tucker get suspended for barely even touching a player that ended up falling into the boards awkwardly.
5. Bettman needs to send a message that plays in which you injure a player by hitting them in the head, running them into the boards awkwardly, sticking your leg out etc. isn't acceptable and you will be punished.
Honestly I'm sick of seeing this **** continue players need to stop taking runs at defenseless players.
Look at players like Savard and Booth both of their seasons were ended by ******** plays and who knows what happened to Mueller, I mean his season could easily be over, or at minimum he has a bad concussion.
The worse part is that none of it should have happened because Mueller never even touches the puck. If thats not a defenseless player then I don't know what is.
Blake was trying to time the hit for when the puck reached Mueller. No he didn't have the puck when he got hit and that's why it should've been interference, but it's not like the puck was 10 feet past him either. Blake thought Mueller was going to play the puck, but instead he stopped short and Blake continued to follow through with the hit. Easy to say after the fact that you wouldn't have hit him, but how was Blake supposed to know that he was going to pull up instead of playing the puck?
Lets stay on topic in this one. There's no need to "discuss" relocation or Wojtek Wolski.
Last night I was calling it dirty, but thinking about it this morning, I think it's pretty clear that at worst it's interference or boarding. 2 minutes tops. It was just an ugly looking play that hopefully Mueller can shake off quickly, though I have my doubts.
1) This is the second game in two weeks the Avs played the Sharks. Also the second time in as many games that Avs fans have cried for a suspension on a "questionable" hit.
2) I think it's funny that Sharks fans are defending Blake so much. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the hit warrants a suspension, but if CC (in his infinite wisdom) decides to suspend Blake, I'm not going to be all that upset. Sharks could use a couple of games without that 40-year-old liability.
2) I think it's funny that Sharks fans are defending Blake so much. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the hit warrants a suspension, but if CC (in his infinite wisdom) decides to suspend Blake, I'm not going to be all that upset. Sharks could use a couple of games without that 40-year-old liability.
You what?! It's nothing to do with 'defending the team'. It just doesn't warrant a suspension, that's all. Had it been Mueller on Blake I'd have been saying the exact same thing. I'm discussing facts rather than being partisan.
This is just a nice spicy story for people to get their undergarments into a twist over - especially if Mueller is out for any length of time and then the Sharks and Avs wind up facing each other in the 1st round. That's why it's of note.
Scott Hannan grabbed Torrey Mitchell head and slammed it into the boards. He deserves a suspension!..........In all seriousness, Blake's hit was maybe interference at most. I hope san jose doexn't have to play Colorado for the simple fact that their fans seem to think SJ is trying to take their players heads off every game. Because we all know what a physical juggernaut these Sharks are.
Come on! Let's not pretend that this is any more to do with the fact that one of your best offensive players just got hurt.
Nobody likes to see a player get hurt. But this was just a case of a stronger player in a tight battle at a key stage of the game. Yes, interference is a fair call. Suspension? I don't see it myself.
Just based on your 2 pictures, you a Sharks fan posted, Blake should be suspended. Its clear that the arm Blake used to shove Mueller is implanted on the 8 of Muellers jersey. Meaning Blake hit Mueller from behind.
And plus you ***** at me for being a "homer" when you know damn well that if the roles had been reversed and say Hannan had rode Marleau like that into the boards, every single Shark fan would be crying foul and demanding suspension.
It has nothing to do with Mueller's play so far I'd still be *****ing about it if it was Darcy Tucker laying in ball on the ground as well. It does on the other hand have to do with Blake laying a questionable hit in the corner that he should get suspended for. The freeze frame pictures you posted prove my point.
And the thing that sucks about the NHL is, I know Blake won't get suspended because he is Rob Blake, and they will make up some ******** reason as to why it was a perfectly legal hit and there was no damage done.
Its clear that the arm Blake used to shove Mueller is implanted on the 8 of Muellers jersey.
Geez, I need to get my eyes tested. The majority of his arm looks like it's above his hip to me. At best you could argue the bottom of his sleeve is in front of the bottom left of the 8 on his back but that's... tenuous to say the least.
I appreciate you're upset at losing Mueller but it's not suspension worthy and that's my point. Hockey's a tough game.
Last edited by Le Rosbeef: 04-05-2010 at 12:09 PM.
Reason: Spelling!
Geez, I need to get my eyes tested. The majority of his arm looks like it's above his hip to me. At best you could argue the bottom of his sleeve is in front of the bottom left of the 8 on his back but that's... tenous to say the least.
I appreciate you're upset at losing Mueller but it's not suspension worthy and that's my point. Hockey's a tough game.
Look at the second picture and you can see Blakes elbow all over the 8 on Muellers jersey.
Look at the second picture and you can see Blakes elbow all over the 8 on Muellers jersey.
IMO it should have been a 5 minute interference. The player didn't have puck and he got hurt due to the interference. See the video below and see a legal hit on the players without the puck and the player got hurt. If watch the referee wasn't going to make any call until he saw Havlat out cold watch at 3:47 no penalty was being called on the hit. And there shouldn't be any suspension.
The initial reaction was to call for a suspension because the angle shown live and the first replay on TV looked like Blake's elbow hit Mueller right on the numbers.
Now that everyone has seen the replays no one actually wants a suspension.
Avalanche winger Peter Mueller has been diagnosed with a concussion and is being further evaluated, the team said today. He will not be with the team for Tuesday night's game against the Canucks in Vancouver.
Mueller, who scored two goals in the Avs' crucial 5-4 overtime victory over San Jose Sunday, was injured late in the third period when Sharks captain Rob Blake shoved him into the boards.
Mueller had to be helped off the ice and never returned to the game.
Are you still going to try and say it wasn't dirty?
Plenty of players get hurt on perfectly clean plays. If Mueller was not concussed, by your logic it would have been a clean hit. Punish the action, not the result. Sucks for Mueller, but he left himself vulnerable.
Let's not pretend that this is any more to do with the fact that one of your best offensive players just got hurt. 
