Update (4:!4 PM): Edited at the bottom with a few more thoughts. - Matt
Steve Ovadia starts off saying the League shouldn’t rush the headshot rule through, and then immediately goes off on what seems like a tangent about a rule regarding all head contact. A reasonable discussion, but irrelevant, in my view, to the issue at hand: rushing through a rule that would outlaw blindside hits to the head.
To the rest, I say address the moral obligation the League has to protect the brains of its players by minimizing odds of malicious hits through a rule defining punitive measures. Then we can worry about how to deal with making sure they keep their heads up for the accidental stuff. I don’t by the idea of villifying someone who had their head down just because someone else chose to stick their shoulder or elbow into their head.
As for the rule making it more likely guys will be careless, I don’t think outlawing stick contact to the head made players less aware of the danger they face from all the weapons everybody on the ice wields. And even if a head contact rule does make players take their safety a little more for granted, I consider it a reasonable price to pay for knowing that guys like Cooke and Richards won’t be able to get away with their crap any more.
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“It’s nice having him on my team because he teaches me some things that guys do out there for deflections,” goalie Jimmy Howard said. “I’ve gotten a lot better because of him.”
Your team, Jimmy? Just kidding. Cool anecdote, eh?
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A few NHLers I spoke with this week about Ovechkin were upset at his actions and offered up comments such as, “He’ll get his,” and, “His day is coming.”
Uh, right, because that’s the right response, guys. Meh, the high ground’s harder to take, anyway, right?
And good luck with that. He seems to have pretty solid survival instincts to have avoided the outcomes of such ominous statements by likely League knuckle-draggers to this point…
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After a couple of weeks of silence, the podcast is back for a twelfth episode. Topics include the stretch run, Jonathan Ericsson, Tomas Holmstrom and more. I had the honor of participating with Chris, Rob and Casey. Check it out. I am now, in a bit of an adventure in narcissism (I’m curious how awful I sounded. And how much I rambled because I feel like it was a lot. Ugh.).
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Eric Duhatschek has the latest, including this bit of news I hadn’t seen:
Normally, governors’ approval – the final step – involves little more than rubber stamping a proposal, but because it is an in-season rule change, approval would need to be unanimous; and one maverick governor could scuttle the process.
Yeesh. Can’t say I have faith that one owner won’t throw a wrench in the works…
See also Greg Wyshynski’s take yesterday.
And question: is using “Mr.” like that a Canadian media thing? I feel like I’m reading about Alexander’s dad when I read “Mr. Ovechkin” in The Hat’s piece.
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Sorry for the lame title, but these numbers from noted former Wings fan and current Predators fan Dirk Hoag blew my mind a bit:
When he’s on the ice, the Red Wings give up 3.45 goals per 60 minutes, a rate that is better than the top overall PK teams in the league. When he’s on the bench, the Wings give up 8.36 goals per 60 minutes, which would rank among the worst.
You can make a good case for Howard as team MVP and for Holmstrom to some degree. And other guys. But Lidstrom’s role on this team is ridiculously important.
(via @TheTripleDeke)
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To at least one of them: Fedorov. Despite being very deserving in a number of ways, I just can’t see him and the team ever kissing and making up in a way that would lead to that honor. Too much acrimony on both sides.
As for the others: I’m torn on Draper, could accept Osgood and definite yes on Holmstrom. If I were making the decisions, which I’m not, obviously.
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He probably has that much between the seats of whatever douche-mobile he drives. Can’t believe the NHL let the guy off so easily. He could have ended Golden Boy’s season and then where would the NHL’s marketing campaign be? Just because Crosby’s fine doesn’t mean what Downie did is okay (don’t tell me a $1,000 is any kind of real punishment—in Downie’s mind, his two brain cells are rubbing together in a way that sends out the signals for “Yes!”).
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Update (3:05 PM): Er, pulled a little more of the Freep piece than I meant to. Fixed. – Matt
I guess Hudler’s team losing out of the KHL playoffs gives the media an excuse to talk about him again. Nothing terribly new here, but I like the hilarious reminder of how blissfully unaware of the business side of hockey Jiri is:
“His agent tells me he has a two-year contract, but it includes an option to get out after the first year,” Holland said Monday. “I asked Jiri about it a month ago, and he said he doesn’t know if he has that out clause or not….
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I’m betting that Big E doesn’t sniff the ice again this season barring injury.
It does look that way, though I’ll add “or barring a loss” because that whole “winning lineup” thing becomes, you know, irrelevant at that point. But you’re running the table, right, Wings? Sorry Jonny.
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