Orpik suspended 3 games....
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Not sure the Pens have said anything but anything they do say you need to take with a grain of salt.
-That was the 2nd blatant cheap shot in 2 games from 2 different players. He's lucky its only 3 games for targeting the head. The next guy that does it for Washington is done for the season, full watch hawk mode now.,
Wow. Thank you. I was wondering and starting to feel pessimistic. But that was so intentional and unnecessary. Big loss for the Caps.
Interesting. I thought early on that playing the Caps in Round 2 was unfair. For both teams. They are far and away the best two team in the East if not the league.
But now realizing that this Caps team under AO has never advanced past Round 2, this is the perfect time to play them. The pressure on them has to be immense. If you play them in the Conf Finals and they past the 2nd rd threshold, then maybe the pressure is off, and they are ignited by the chance to win it all.
But now, they go all season without a struggle, go the 1st round without a struggle and now are at their ceiling with a struggle. They are likely skating with piano's on their backs and gripping their sticks as if they are lifelines. As Pens fans, we know this from playoff year's past.
Interesting. I thought early on that playing the Caps in Round 2 was unfair. For both teams. They are far and away the best two team in the East if not the league.
But now realizing that this Caps team under AO has never advanced past Round 2, this is the perfect time to play them. The pressure on them has to be immense. If you play them in the Conf Finals and they past the 2nd rd threshold, then maybe the pressure is off, and they are ignited by the chance to win it all.
But now, they go all season without a struggle, go the 1st round without a struggle and now are at their ceiling with a struggle. They are likely skating with piano's on their backs and gripping their sticks as if they are lifelines. As Pens fans, we know this from playoff year's past.
-There's no need for that crap in the league. Im all for big hits and trying to take players out the right way like Scott Stevens used to do when opponents crossed his territory with the puck. But you dont hit someone in the head on purpose when there is no action even going around by him. It was a pathetic cheap shot, the 2nd one in the series.
Honestly? I think the Pens are just the superior team - they are skating circles around the Caps. Hopefully this will play out in another victory tomorrow.
The pens were the better team both nights; caps lucky to get a split. If pens continue to play like the first two games caps maybe win 1 more time.
I don't like maatta getting hurt but he has been the pens worst defender. Losing orpik for the caps is a really bad loss. They don't have anyone really competent to replace him and Washington already is really only skating 2 defensive pairings as it is. That should catch up to them soon
I don't like maatta getting hurt but he has been the pens worst defender. Losing orpik for the caps is a really bad loss. They don't have anyone really competent to replace him and Washington already is really only skating 2 defensive pairings as it is. That should catch up to them soon
If the NHL wants to reel this in, they must initiate an Attempt To Injure penalty where both the penalized player and team are impacted. For example, the penalized player receives a minimum of a 10 game suspension and the and a second player, chosen by the victimized team, must sit until the injured player returns. Impact the penalized team's ability to compete and this crap would stop immediately. That said, the NHL will never consider this since many fans like the gladiator violence of hockey and ratings would probably drop. Another idea is for the NHL to adopt and enforce the rules that they already have in place.
With all the information coming out regarding CTE, unless the NHL doesn't start cracking down HARD on these kind of hits, they don't stand a chance in a court of law when player lawsuits start cropping up.
If the player that takes the cheap is out longer than the suspension.. Is it enough ?
I can say if the series is a lock for the Pens and Orpik is on the ice... Payback would be dealt.
The Pens aren't tooled to retaliate. I wish they would, but too many teams get away with goon-ism when they play the Pens.
Yes. You don't punish by length of injury. Whether the player is injured or not should noy play into the penalty or suspension.
It's strange that the NHL still lags behind the other leagues in stopping blatant intent to injure situations. At one time, all the sports leagues were much rougher and wilder. The NBA & MLB had brawls all the time, and the NFL had all kinds of craziness like Mean Joe Greene punching guys in the stomach.
For some reason The NHL has been much slower in really penalizing that stuff so you always have guys willing to push the envelope. The Orpik hit was so far away from the puck that what could you honestly say to defend it? Even if it wasn't high, it was still a blatant cheap shot. It's too bad hockey can't get out of its own way and do what the other leagues do, which is protect the stars and try to cater to offense.
For some reason The NHL has been much slower in really penalizing that stuff so you always have guys willing to push the envelope. The Orpik hit was so far away from the puck that what could you honestly say to defend it? Even if it wasn't high, it was still a blatant cheap shot. It's too bad hockey can't get out of its own way and do what the other leagues do, which is protect the stars and try to cater to offense.
I also think that vigilante justice shouldn't be necessary. The whole idea is absurd. The league should enforce the rules with suspensions and the referees should call penalties. You shouldn't have to carry goons to keep people from basically doing things that aren't allowed.
You have to be careful when you "cater to offense". I don't want the NHL to turn into the NFL or NBA. I still want it to be a sport that is built around physical play with defense still being an important part of the game. I don't want to see 82 all-star games a year. 2 to 1 games like Saturdays game was extremely exciting.
That being said, the NHL needs to do a better job of calling all the clutching and grabbing. Part of what makes sports so exciting is the violence and physical nature that excite us. Basketball and Baseball will NEVER even come close to the same platform for excitement when conpared to Football or Hockey. I'm shocked that concussion clauses are not currently written into contracts yet. It's part of the risk, if you fear it, don't attempt to make a career out of it.
That being said, the NHL needs to do a better job of calling all the clutching and grabbing. Part of what makes sports so exciting is the violence and physical nature that excite us. Basketball and Baseball will NEVER even come close to the same platform for excitement when conpared to Football or Hockey. I'm shocked that concussion clauses are not currently written into contracts yet. It's part of the risk, if you fear it, don't attempt to make a career out of it.
The idiots in Toronto are ruining what sb a great Sport.
Grab , clutch, block and trying to concussion opponents is the Canadian game apparently.
Sickening what Goons get away with in the NGL...
This is a 4th rate league which sb passed by MLS soon. If the NHL was run from Madison Ave it would be a high flyer...
But they get good TV numbers in Canada and that's what it's aboot Eh
I use international hockey as an example: when I watch Olympic hockey, I'm always reminded that hockey can be very exciting without the gratuitous violence and grabbing that the NHL brings to its game.
As Mario once said “The NHL is a garage league”! 3 games is not enough for intentionally trying to hit someone in the head with your shoulder or elbow.
I see what you are getting at, and you would be right that it would clean the game up. But it is also totally unfair to that 2nd player and could potentially have an impact on that 2nd players career. This rule would likely be ruled illegal in a court of law.
Here is what could be done - the next time a guy cheap shots a player like Orpik did, he should be open to criminal prosecution and civil suit. Some of these hits border on simple (and in cases where the stick is used, aggravated) assault. If I did what Orpik did to Matta walking down Grant Street, guess what would happen to me?
Actually, while I agree, still way harsher than the NFL or even college football.
This is why I don't like to watch hockey in its present form. Hockey is a game meant for speed, puck passing, forechecking and solid defense. Too much of the headhunter goings on is detrimental to the game and should be stopped, IMHO.
Amazingly, they are too busy trying to parse offsides penalties to take away goals from a goal starved league. A guy can have his skate be a mm off the ice over the blueline and they gain a zone, keep the puck in the zone for 2 1/2 minutes of sustained pressure, score a goal, have it challenged, then reversed because of that flash moment where the original puck carrier essentially did not gain any real advantage.
THIS is what the NHL GM's deem important to the game.
It's run by Canadian lunkheads, that is why. Look who the Deputy of Justice is, the top "COP" in the NHL, Colin Campbell. He was a goon. Others on this list include Kris King, another goon. Brendan Shanahan also used to be the man in charge, and while a great player, he was also a tough player. Now it is Stephane Quintal and also Chris Pronger.
Colin Campbell. 636 games played. 25 goals. 1292 Penalty Minutes. Canadian.
Kris King 849 games played. 66 goals. 2030 Penalty Minutes. Canadian.
Stephane Quintal.1037 games played. 63 goals. 1320 Penalty Minutes. Canadian.
Chris Pronger. 1167 games played. 157 goals. 1590 Penalty Minutes. Canadian.
That is your 4 top ex players in the NHL hierarchy with a combined line of:
3689 games played. 311 Goals Scored. 6232 Penalty Minutes.
Pronger is the most interesting member of this 4. Great player. Hall of Famer. His career ended by a stick to the eye and post concussion syndrome which he could never shake. He also was suspended EIGHT TIMES for different violent infractions!!
These are the guys administering justice, and the NHL is the league who put these guys in such high positions. Not one a college graduate. Not that this should be a degreed position, but just shows you they have only been exposed to the Canadian Jr's and that tough guy mentality. Not one "skilled" guy in the bunch.
I voiced in posts above about this mentality and how and why it seems prevalent. BUT....all we have to do is look at the Pens. Under Mike Johnston it was a fun as watching grass grow? Now, the Pens are exciting. The game still can be exciting, if coaches allow players to be aggressive and play an uptempo style. The Pens, Stars, Hawks, Caps, Lightening, etc...all are teams like that.
What I hate nowadays moreso than "Clutching" which isn't nearly as bad as it used to, but the maniacal shot blocking that teams just pack a fortress around their goaltender and half the shots don't get through. I don't know how you change this.
Retaliating is foolish. That is exactly what the Caps want them to do. If the Pens want the Caps to stop taking cheap shot runs at them they should simply start scoring goals on the power play. 0-5 on Saturday. a couple of power play goals and that game is a rout.
I don't know, don't necessarily agree. I see hockey on the big ice surface actually slows it down even more. More ice leads to more cautious play, and the play actually is pushed farther away from the scoring areas, so while you may have more open ice and scoring lanes, the quality of chances does not go up.
That's it. The Pens loved to retaliate. Boy, we really showed those Flyers in 2012 didn't we. We weren't going to be pushed around. And man, getting Crankshaft Murray and Brendan Morrow in 2013 really upped our toughess.
Skate away. My biggest concern is two guys specifically, Geno and Letang. Just skate away, don't get involved in the crap, the Pens are showing a lot of character by not bitching to the refs, not retaliating, just going about their business. That has been the most impressive turnaround under Sullivan.
In my opinion, a way to clean up the league would be to eliminate 3 players from the roster. You would have 3 forward lines and 3 defensive pairings. The 5-6 minutes that the fourth line gets could easily be absorbed by the top three lines. This would make teams really ask themselves if they can afford the goons over skilled players. Most goons will be a liability if they had to play 15 mins on the third line. Less players will also open up the game as players get more tired (see any multi OT game in the playoffs).
The Pens 4th line is Rust/Cullen/Kuhnackl. All 3 play hockey, good hockey, solid hockey. Teams aren't carrying many goons anymore and hardly at all in the playoffs. Some of this "stuff" is by good players, Orpik is a good player. He plays on the edge. They have phased out fighting pretty much in the league. But the shots to the head and blindside hits into the boards are more dangerous than fighting. But when you have purveyors of goon hockey like John Torterella, it ain't gonna change.
First of all, let me say that Orpik is lucky it is just three games. Maatta is going to be out for more than three games, I can guarantee you that much. Maatta was not playing very well but he still a valuable contributor to this team and we will miss him.
Secondly, I would be remiss if I did not say that Washington is an outstanding team. This version of the Capitals is the best I have ever seen. This team is much better than the team that lost to Pittsburgh in seven games during our cup winning 2009 campaign.
Barry Trotz says says that Washington has not yet found its peak level. I think Pittsburgh has a lot to do with that. However, I do agree with him that Washington has a higher ceiling than Pittsburgh. At the very least, I think they can beat you in more ways.
Finally, I agree that retaliating would be the worst thing Pittsburgh could do in this situation.
The series is tied 1–1 and both games were one goal games. However, if you look at the advanced stats, or if you watch the game and understand what you're looking out, Pittsburgh has outplayed Washington by a fairly wide margin in the first two games. That has surprised me.
Unfortunately, Pittsburgh is ice cold on the power play. Not only are they not scoring, they don't really look dangerous on it. They need to make some adjustments. Now, Washington has an outstanding penalty kill and that has a lot to do with our struggles. They stifle everyone's power play.
However, they are playing with fire here, IMO and it's only a matter of time before they get burnt.
The more times you give elite players like Crosby, Malkin, etc. the man advantage, they are eventually going to start cashing in. And when they do, that will change the entire complexion of this series as these one goal games become two or three goal advantages for Pittsburgh.
Incidentally, because that door swings the other way as well. Pittsburgh cannot afford to continually put Washington on the power play or the Capitals are going to win the series.
Still, if Pittsburgh is going to get five power-play opportunities per night – and I see no reason why that won't be the case as Washington seems dead set on "playing to its size" – Pittsburgh is going to win the series because eventually they're going to get a bounce or two which will break a game/series wide open.
Pittsburgh is completely controlling the neutral zone and their forecheck is giving Washington's D a lot of trouble breaking out of the zone. Ovechkin is a phenomenal hockey player but he is having trouble generating opportunities 5-on-5 because he/they can't seem to enter the offensive zone with speed.
For you football – first fans who don't know what I'm talking about, think of it as a team completely controlling the line of scrimmage in football. You can control the line of scrimmage and lose – we see it all the time. However, if you are consistently controlling the line of scrimmage, you're going to win far more often than not. It's very similar to controlling the neutral zone in hockey.
Pittsburgh can control the neutral zone and lose this series but it's not likely. Basically, Murray would have to completely collapse or Washington's power-play would have to catch fire – something like that.
If Pittsburgh can keep the same work rate and continue to control the neutral zone, I love the Penguins' chances...provided all the key players stay healthy.
Now, I will say this much. If I were coaching the Capitals, I would try dumping the puck into the corners and beat the hell out Pittsburgh's smallish puck-moving defenseman – especially Kris Letang.
To be honest, I don't think that's a great strategy either as I don't think many of Washington's forwards are very well suited to play that style of game. Also, I think Pittsburgh's D should be able to handle that approach. However, that is Washington's best chance to win the series.
If this turns into a 5-on-5 skate up-and-down the ice and trade chances type of series, the Penguins are going to beat the Capitals because they are the faster and more skilled team.*
I think it is going too far to say that Pittsburgh is controlling the series. However, it is not going too far to assert that they have clearly been the better team through the first two games.
Washington is an outstanding team and they're not to be taken lightly. They are still the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. We will learn a lot more about this series in the next two games. In fact, I think we will find out who's going to win this series in the next few days.
* Again, all of this assumes that Pittsburgh will stay healthy and get reliable goaltending.
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It's funny how people today [including me] always refer to the NHL as a Cro Mangon run league that has no interest in cleaning up the dirty, dangerous hockey plays.
Then I step back and look at the game 25 years ago. The '93 Penguins, which was their all time best, were denied a third strait cup because the league allowed a greatly inferior Islanders team to even the ice by clutching, holding, grabbing and generally interfering with the superior talented Penguins. It was a crime what the league allowed back then, and that was even clean compared to the days of the Broad Street bullies and even earlier times.
Mario played his career with a player draped over his shoulders and a stick in his crotch just about all the time. The league allowed teams to do that to Mario but you weren't allowed to breath on Gretzky.
The NHL has come a long way but still has a ways to go.
And those types of things led to the Pens do stupid things like trade a young prospect named Markus Naslund for Alex Stojanov. Hindsight being 20/20, that the Pens should have done is kneed Darius Kasparaitus and beat the hell out of him. Then again, those Pens were also pretty tough. Glen Healy stood on his head and outperformed Barrasso. There was no way that team should not have won its 3rd cup in a row. It might have been the best overall team since along with Oilers the NHL has seen in the last 35 years.
The irony being that the Islanders lost their best player.....name escapes me.....in their previous series when I think Dale Hunter took a cheap at the guy after he scored.
-At least Orpik admitted he deserved the suspension and admitted it was a blatant cheap shot. Cannot say the same for their excuse making head coach that is crying on the sideline. I hope we rout this team out of the building tonight.
