My first thought of the Wolski Alfredson incident was that Alfie skated into him and WW braced himself for the hit. If the contact wouldn't have been to the head, which was WW's fault to ensure that he doesn't do according to the new NHL rules, it wouldn't have been a problem.
Some day you're going to see Sean Avery type players bouncing their heads off other players gear and jumping to the ice to draw a penalty, just like players are grabbing their faces when sticks are near (Boyle) or jumping to the ice as soon as a stick touches their skates (Semin).
This annoys me to no end.
If you look at some of the players in the NHL, they never complain or purposefully attempt to draw a penalty (Jagr never complained).
Now, it seems like anyone is trying to get the 2 minutes. When I played hockey, I never liked to embellish a play: I had too much pride/honor (sounds corny, but I thin that's what it boils down to).
The player needs to have more honor. It's been said by Tortorella about the hits to the head too.
I didn't think the hit on AA was that bad either. At first I thought it was an elbow the way his head snapped back, but on the replay saw that he just hit the stanchion. Bad luck for Konopka I guess because it looked a little rough at game speed.
However, I'm starting to get fed up with all these hit from behind calls. I understand if a guy gets absolutely buried unneccessarily, but players are turning their backs when they see players bearing down on them in a effort to try and wuss out of taking a hard hit. That's what I have a huge problem with. If a player turns like that, I'm fine with them getting hit from behind, as long as the hitter doesn't make any extra effort to be predatory. There have been calls this season, most notably on Boyle and Callahan, that were absolutely maddening. A player turns on them at the last second, they finish their check without trying to bury the guy, and they get called on it. Players shouldn't be able to avoid the physical element of the game simply because they knowingly put themselves in a vulnerable position.
As for the Wolski hit, I thought he got what he deserved, a penalty but no suspension. I don't think he intended to headshot Alfredsson, it just looked like he was flat-footed and tried to brace himself for contact. I don't even think he was looking at Alfie, and probably had no idea that the other guy wasn't bracing as well. It's just unfortunate that Alfie got injured.
If you look at some of the players in the NHL, they never complain or purposefully attempt to draw a penalty (Jagr never complained).
Now, it seems like anyone is trying to get the 2 minutes. When I played hockey, I never liked to embellish a play: I had too much pride/honor (sounds corny, but I thin that's what it boils down to).
The player needs to have more honor. It's been said by Tortorella about the hits to the head too.
They need to start calling more unsportsmanlike penalties. Do a review during intermission and give the player a 10 minute misconduct as well as a 5min major. Create a penalty called referee deception. It'd end immediately.
That guy deserves to win a Cup. I hope to God he is dealt to Vancouver at the deadline to play with the Sedins.....
Detroit would also be a good spot for him.
Yeah - problem with that is that he doesn't want to go anywhere. He was asked last year if he wanted to be traded and said "no" - pretty emphatically, too.
Kerry Fraser gives me nightmares from years past, but gotta agree with him here.
I know Ranger fans wont like to admit it, but the Konopka hit was a 2 min penalty at the most. Anisimov not only made himself vulnerable, but the hit was also just as much from the side as behind.
Maybe if Anisimov improved his strength a bit over the last 3 seasons, he wouldnt have flown into the glass like a bomb went off.
Kerry Fraser gives me nightmares from years past, but gotta agree with him here.
I know Ranger fans wont like to admit it, but the Konopka hit was a 2 min penalty at the most. Anisimov not only made himself vulnerable, but the hit was also just as much from the side as behind.
Maybe if Anisimov improved his strength a bit over the last 3 seasons, he wouldnt have flown into the glass like a bomb went off.
Anisimov is strong enough. He embellished it and sold it to far away ref. I don't blame him. Torts knew that too and kept Anisimov minutes down to show that kid was affected by incident. That might have cost Rangers a game, sinse Ani is the only reliable defensive center for Torts and his benching down the stretch didn't help at all.
WW hit on Alfredsson was a carbon copy of Steckle's hit on Crosby. There is nothing to defend here.
Kerry Fraser gives me nightmares from years past, but gotta agree with him here.
I know Ranger fans wont like to admit it, but the Konopka hit was a 2 min penalty at the most. Anisimov not only made himself vulnerable, but the hit was also just as much from the side as behind.
Maybe if Anisimov improved his strength a bit over the last 3 seasons, he wouldnt have flown into the glass like a bomb went off.
Oh boy...that is so true about his lack of muscle . Guys his size should be doing the pushing...not trying to avoid it .
Anisimov has gotten a lot stronger during the offseason. You can tell just by watching him play. The hit was from the side, but he was turning to try and avoid the hit. Did he embellish? I am sure that he did a little, but I am sure that it hurt a bit the guy hit his head pretty hard. Not worthy of a major penalty, but it was a penalty.
Konopka deserved 2 for roughing, not 5 for boarding. Either way he hit AA at a dangerous angle and did not let up. If he had let up, the play would have never happened and it would have just been a routine hit
