Clean hit, unfortunate result. From a Kings perspective, im glad Richards went after Morrow. There have been enough instances over the years where Kings players have just let other teams flatten our star players with no response. Good to see a heart beat in the team. It was a dirty game against a division rival very close in the standings, well done Richards for setting the right example.
Déjà vu of Richards obliterating Malkin in the playoffs, slow reaching wrap around, Mike launches him from the goal line to the boards, then as the play raced to the other end Malkin stumbled to the blue line and was hit with an outlet pass, has a two-line breakaway, crawls back the other way loads a blast from 15 feet away and scores, such a bizarre series of events… good times…
In all fairness to Richards, the aftermath of the hit, the position where he was hit, and the quickness in which it happened lead me to believe that it was an illegal hit while watching it live. On a giant hit like that where a player is motionless on the ice, you'd have to be a pretty pathetic team not to stick up for your teammate. Obviously, upon reviewing the play, you see that the hit was clean. But I would have done the same thing if I were Richards. Unfortunate that we lost our two best player on one play, though.
Déjà vu of Richards obliterating Malkin in the playoffs, slow reaching wrap around, Mike launches him from the goal line to the boards, then as the play raced to the other end Malkin stumbled to the blue line and was hit with an outlet pass, has a two-line breakaway, crawls back the other way loads a blast from 15 feet away and scores, such a bizarre series of events… good times…
The only thing I can really say was "wrong" was the location on the ice of the hit in that dangerous section a couple feet from the boards but I don't think Morrow expected Kopitar to pull up and try a wrap around and was meaning to check him as he was actually on the boards. The hit itself was clean.
Hate seeing a guy on the ice like that even it is a player from the Kings.
The Kings elected to have an off-ice practice today instead of a skate, but Anze Kopitar talked to reporters and said he was fine after last night’s huge hit from Dallas’ Brenden Morrow, which took him out of the game. “I’m feeling good this morning,” Kopitar said. “I don’t have any issues.” Kopitar said he spent time in the league-mandated “quiet room” for concussion evaluation but said “I don’t see a reason why” he couldn’t play tomorrow. Darryl Sutter echoed that sentiment. Much more to come, including Mike Richards’ thoughts on perceived mixed messages from the league…
A very violent/hard hit that sent Kopitar flying dangerously into the boards, that's boarding even though it wasn't from behind. However, in terms of hit placement, it was more of a shoulder to shoulder hit with glancing head contact than a real headshot, so not dirty in that way. 100% right call by Richards to go after Morrow, even if the hit was totally clean (and I don't see it as totally clean, it was boarding), you don't let guys take major runs at your star player, you have to drop the gloves for that every time.
Hope Kopitar is indeed OK, just cause he's feeling decent 12 hours later doesn't necessarily mean he's out of the woods concussion wise, but hopefully he is.
If they were gonna go with anything, it would have been boarding, but it was borderline because the hit itself wasn't even in the direction of the boards, just put Kopitar into the boards because he ragdolled and spun. I wouldn't have been too put off by a boarding call, since boarding is a penalty of result, but I can also understand them not calling it in this situation.
A very violent/hard hit that sent Kopitar flying dangerously into the boards, that's boarding even though it wasn't from behind. However, in terms of hit placement, it was more of a shoulder to shoulder hit with glancing head contact than a real headshot, so not dirty in that way. 100% right call by Richards to go after Morrow, even if the hit was totally clean (and I don't see it as totally clean, it was boarding), you don't let guys take major runs at your star player, you have to drop the gloves for that every time.
Hope Kopitar is indeed OK, just cause he's feeling decent 12 hours later doesn't necessarily mean he's out of the woods concussion wise, but hopefully he is.
While technically I could be boarding, I think you have to look at the spirit of the rule here. Boarding is meant for when a hitter intentionally sends a guy dangerously into the boards (emphasizing head-first) and I do not believe that was Morrow's intention.
A couple more quotes on top of Kopitar saying he feels fine are up from Hammond
Quote:
Question: Did you get to see a replay of the hit?
KOPITAR: “Yeah, I saw it, but quick. No breaking down if it was dirty or whatever. It was just a hockey hit. I kind of put myself in a tough position, and he came down and hit me. It is what it is.’’
Later, Darryl Sutter had a wry grin as he gave his diagnosis of Kopitar…
SUTTER: “He will live. He’s going to pull through. He was fine last night. … It was a good hit, hard hit. Nothing wrong with it.’’
While technically I could be boarding, I think you have to look at the spirit of the rule here. Boarding is meant for when a hitter intentionally sends a guy dangerously into the boards (emphasizing head-first) and I do not believe that was Morrow's intention.
A couple more quotes on top of Kopitar saying he feels fine are up from Hammond
That was as clean of a hit as you can throw. There was nothing malicious about it accept the way Kopitar landed. Morrow can't control the physics of Kopitar's body.
That was as clean of a hit as you can throw. There was nothing malicious about it accept the way Kopitar landed. Morrow can't control the physics of Kopitar's body.
Did you read my whole post? Or any of my other posts in the thread? I have been saying it was perfectly fine the entire time.
I was responding to ponder saying that it's boarding. He's right, the rule doesn't actually specify intent or things that aren't in control of the player just that the hit sends someone violently into the boards. It could be called boarding if you just compare it to the rule. I was saying that it didn't deserve to be. Please re-read my post you quoted in full.
I guess you could call it a boarding but I think it is fine not calling anything on it.
It was just a situation where Kopitar didn't have the balance to take the hit better that launched him into the boards. Nothing malicious on the part of Morrow.
The hit won them the game. It was impressive to say the least.
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"It has not been a good day. I lost my glasses early this morning and I had to go buy a pair of 79 dollar reading glasses today. 79 bucks. You can literally get them at Costco, three-for-20." - Darryl Sutter's response to going up 2-0 in the series.
Nobody likes to see players (especially generally well liked guys) injured but the physicality of hockey is part of the game and part of why we like it so much. These are manly men playing a rough and tumble game. Injuries happen. They happen on clean hits and they happen on dirty hits. But they do happen and even if hitting were removed from the game players in the AHL would still be getting recalled consistently to fill in for injured players for non-contact injuries. Injuries are an unavoidable part of sports.
Re: the hit being "predatory." I'm not really sure what this phrase is supposed to mean in this type of situation but since a poster connected the dots between this hit and the Morrow hit on Michalek in 2008 and labeled them as "predatory"...aren't all "big hits" predatory by nature? Don't pretty much all big hits happen because the hittee is at least partially unaware that a hit is coming? Big hits are avoided countless times each game by players sensing the other player approaching. I just don't see how either of these two hits should be part of the ever-ongoing discussion of "what's wrong with hockey today."
if the current instigator isn't modified then might as well take out fighting....
Yup, it's a dumb rule.
I like what Mike Richads said about it...made some good points.
Quote:
"I think the most frustrating thing is if the NHL is trying to get us to wear visors, and then we get penalized for fighting with them on. I think it kind of defeats the purpose...You hear all the speculation of having the set fights and fighting in the moment and things like that, but then when you do fight in the moment, you get penalized for it because you had a visor on. I don’t really understand the whole thing about visors, and if they want people to wear them or not. It just seems like every day something new."
On similar situations in the past - "I can’t remember ever getting an instigator on plays like that. Usually it’s a two minute roughing or something like that, but the refs are there to call what they see. They made the right calls, I mean you can’t argue with that, but I just think it’s a dumb rule in place."
.......You make a hit like that, and not that Morrow wouldn’t defend himself because he’s a tough guy, he probably got the better side of me on that, but at the same time we’re down four minutes at a key part of the game. If I don’t get four minutes after that and putting a team down, you’re probably going to think twice about it. It’s a touchy subject, something that I don’t think us as players totally understand what they want. If you’re going to give a guy a four minute penalty for sticking up for your teammates, I think that’s another wrong way we have to go in the NHL."
