VOORHEES, N.J. - Scottie Upshall admitted his hit on Flyers defenseman Oskars Bartulis was late, after checking out the replay. But despite his remorse, the Coyotes forward was suspended two games by the league on Wednesday.
Upshall launched Bartulis into the boards early in the second period as Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was covering the puck. The former Flyers forward got a two-minute minor for boarding, though Peter Laviolette said Upshall should’ve been assessed a major penalty.
“Watched the highlights of our game. my hit on Bartulis was without a doubt late, but i had absolutely no intention of injuring him,” Upshall wrote on Twitter late Tuesday night.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren criticized the hit immediately following the Flyers’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Coyotes.
“Oskars is just standing there minding his own business. It was a late hit,” Holmgren said. “I guess I got a little bit of a problem with it, yeah. It’s not really like Scottie to do that. Things happen.”
Last edited by MiamiScreamingEagles: 02-23-2011 at 04:29 PM.
The hit was late, but Bartulis can't be standing there "minding his own business" in a NHL game around the crease. Get your head up and see what is coming at you, kid.
Sad because knowing Scotty, it was a total accident. I don't think he should be suspended but fined for carelessly rushing in without paying attention to who's in front of him and how they're positioned.
There was really no intent to really hit Bartulis, in my opinion...looking at the replay, it really looks like Upshall kinda realizes at the last second he's gonna hit him, so he just puts his shoulder into it. I really don't think he meant to charge in and hit him, but at the last second definitely decided if they were going to collide, he might as well make it a hit (which probably helped him avoid getting hurt himself).
So, 2 games for being reckless and making a bad choice, I don't think there was ill intent there.
Yotes fans are probably going to be upset at this one.
Whatcha going to do? This is the NHL in 2010. A guy got injured on a hit that was ruled a penalty, and Upshall agreed it was late.
Seems to me that's an area of the ice where you have to expect to be hit. He was 12 feet from the boards, above the goal line extended, and he had his head up in a position where he was trying to score in a close game. It's a hockey play. But if Upshall admits it was late, there's no sense arguing.
Your guy got hurt, ours got suspended. It's a lose lose. We're all just going to have to get used to the fact that this is the way of things now in the NHL and over the course of the next few years it will all even out for every team. If it keeps players from missing games due to injury, great.
Edit: I guess I should have said this is the NHL in 2011. Jeez, time is going by quickly.
This. How do the refs explain this to the head of officials. This is the problem right now. I am not saying that he should or should be suspended, but he only got 2 for boarding and then the league tacks on 2 games for a late hit. No consistancey or reasoning. Mind you we would have just pissed around for 5 minutes on the power play. No power play = no cup
This. How do the refs explain this to the head of officials. This is the problem right now. I am not saying that he should or should be suspended, but he only got 2 for boarding and then the league tacks on 2 games for a late hit. No consistancey or reasoning. Mind you we would have just pissed around for 5 minutes on the power play. No power play = no cup
There was no way that should have been a 5 minute penalty... and, frankly, it shouldn't have been a suspension.
Similar to Downie's hit, it's rotten luck the guy went into the end boards the way he did, but the act itself wasn't that bad (Downie's was worse).
If Bartulis had been paying attention to what was going on around him, then nothing would have happened. God knows if Upshall came in like that on Pronger he would have caught an elbow to the face. As a D he should have been turning around to face the forwards coming at his goalie, not standing there looking at him.
Wow ... kinda of shocked. I thought it was a borderline penalty. Yes, it was late, but at full speed it wasn't that late, was it even a full stride from whistle to hit?
There was no way that should have been a 5 minute penalty... and, frankly, it shouldn't have been a suspension.
Similar to Downie's hit, it's rotten luck the guy went into the end boards the way he did, but the act itself wasn't that bad (Downie's was worse).
If Bartulis had been paying attention to what was going on around him, then nothing would have happened. God knows if Upshall came in like that on Pronger he would have caught an elbow to the face. As a D he should have been turning around to face the forwards coming at his goalie, not standing there looking at him.
I don't really see how you can blame Bart for getting run well after the whistle.
Even if it wasn't late, he didn't have the puck. The hit was just dangerous, whether he was looking the wrong way or not.
There was no way that should have been a 5 minute penalty... and, frankly, it shouldn't have been a suspension.
Similar to Downie's hit, it's rotten luck the guy went into the end boards the way he did, but the act itself wasn't that bad (Downie's was worse).
If Bartulis had been paying attention to what was going on around him, then nothing would have happened. God knows if Upshall came in like that on Pronger he would have caught an elbow to the face. As a D he should have been turning around to face the forwards coming at his goalie, not standing there looking at him.
Jesfucious says - 'If one person is about to commit a penalty, commit a penalty on him before he can hit you with the illegal hit. If not, it's your own damn fault for being hit with an illegal hit.' Got it. Oh you so ker-azy.
I didn't think it was boarding, maybe charging or definitely interference since Bart didn't have the puck. I'm also surprised at the suspension but it was definitely dangerous and an unnecessary hit.
I didn't think it was boarding, maybe charging or definitely interference since Bart didn't have the puck. I'm also surprised at the suspension but it was definitely dangerous and an unnecessary hit.
laying someone out with a dangerous hit like they where they are far enough from the boards that they cant use them as a support, and close enough where the player flies into them is definately boarding
laying someone out with a dangerous hit like they where they are far enough from the boards that they cant use them as a support, and close enough where the player flies into them is definately boarding
You don't usually (almost never) see a boarding call when a guy isn't facing the boards. And if you hit a guy at the bottom of the faceoff circle and he slides into the boards, is that boarding? He was easily farther away from the boards than any player I've ever seen be hit and get that call. But Upshall generated a lot of force with the hit because to me it looked like a charge. Maybe it could be called any of the three, but the only thing that matters is that it was an illegal hit.
You don't usually (almost never) see a boarding call when a guy isn't facing the boards. And if you hit a guy at the bottom of the faceoff circle and he slides into the boards, is that boarding? He was easily farther away from the boards than any player I've ever seen be hit and get that call. But Upshall generated a lot of force with the hit because to me it looked like a charge. Maybe it could be called any of the three, but the only thing that matters is that it was an illegal hit.
thats right, after I learned of the suspension the first thing that came to mind was if that validated a 2 game ban it almost should have been a 5 minute major
I don't really see how you can blame Bart for getting run well after the whistle.
Even if it wasn't late, he didn't have the puck. The hit was just dangerous, whether he was looking the wrong way or not.
Definitely punishable.
Yeah, 2 minute penalty... which is what it got. The refs called it right, the NHL once again gave a suspension on the result not the act itself.
You're a NHL D on a puck getting frozen by the goalie in the NHL, the forwards are going to be crashing the net. Get your head up. Watch all the other D when that happens, they turn and get their sticks up to ward off guys coming at 'em (and, more importantly, their goalie).
Yeah, 2 minute penalty... which is what it got. The refs called it right, the NHL once again gave a suspension on the result not the act itself.
You're a NHL D on a puck getting frozen by the goalie in the NHL, the forwards are going to be crashing the net. Get your head up. Watch all the other D when that happens, they turn and get their sticks up to ward off guys coming at 'em (and, more importantly, their goalie).
I dont agree, if he was standing directly infront of the net where the forwards crash it would be a little easier to justify, but bart was 3 feet to the side of the net, the puck was already frozen, and he wasnt engaged with anyone in the play, if scottie's intention was to crash the net he woulda came in looking for the puck, not headed straight for a guy in a vulnerable position that really had nothing to do with the play concerning the coyotes
