I Think Savvy is All Done...

[SLY]

Boston Bruins' Marc Savard still has post-concussion issues - ESPN Boston

I hope Cooke chokes on his tongue.

 

[DChero]

Even though I'm a Pens fan, I feel for you. Stupid play on Cooke's part.

 

[mattola]

man that is tough. not a cool way to end the career but at least he has a cup ring. not sure if his name will be on it but he deserves it

 

[SLY]

He def does deserve it.... But imagine how he feels. If I was in his shoes, I almost would feel like I didn't deserve it, ya know? Not being able to play in the Stanley Cup run.... The emotion he must have felt when they were all on the ice celebrating must have been so odd for him. I'm sure he was thrilled and happy to see his brothers out there victorious, but to not be a part of it and feel almost like an outcast must have been brutal.

Just sucks... really horrible way to go out. I def don't think he returns to the ice.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

He def does deserve it.... But imagine how he feels. If I was in his shoes, I almost would feel like I didn't deserve it, ya know? Not being able to play in the Stanley Cup run.... The emotion he must have felt when they were all on the ice celebrating must have been so odd for him. I'm sure he was thrilled and happy to see his brothers out there victorious, but to not be a part of it and feel almost like an outcast must have been brutal.

Just sucks... really horrible way to go out. I def don't think he returns to the ice.

Can't be a fun scenario. Could be worse though, like when Petr Sykora got knocked out with an elbow in Game 6 of the 2000 finals. To be that close and then not be able to celebrate would be brutal. Can't say I was ever the biggest Savard fan, nothing against him, just indifferent. Awful way to end a career.

 

[DChero]

Can't be a fun scenario. Could be worse though, like when Petr Sykora got knocked out with an elbow in Game 6 of the 2000 finals. To be that close and then not be able to celebrate would be brutal. Can't say I was ever the biggest Savard fan, nothing against him, just indifferent. Awful way to end a career.

It's just a terrible situation. Sykora did make it back to enjoy it at least.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

It's just a terrible situation. Sykora did make it back to enjoy it at least.

Ah, forgot Sykora was on the Pens when they won it. I think this will be one of the events they point to when the topic of head shots comes up during CBA talks.

 

[DChero]

Ah, forgot Sykora was on the Pens when they won it. I think this will be one of the events they point to when the topic of head shots comes up during CBA talks.

It's a huge deal. The Penguins fans got our scare this season. Sadly it was one of those years where we all felt like the top team.

No sympathy for Cooke because we know what karma would have done to him if it had caught up by now.

 

[awaz]

take out the instigator and let players police themselves.. no way cooke lays hits like this if he gets pummeled into submission 2 seconds after he does it

 

[elocomotive]

take out the instigator and let players police themselves.. no way cooke lays hits like this if he gets pummeled into submission 2 seconds after he does it

Yes, because since fighting has become more prominent in the league, we've never seen hits like that one.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

The best solution in my opinion is one that is pretty impossible to accomplish. Increase rink size to international dimensions, open up the game so more skill is involved and less thuggery. Of course this would involve eliminating seating in arenas, renovating, etc. so it won't happen.

 

[awaz]

Yes, because since fighting has become more prominent in the league, we've never seen hits like that one.

you think fighting has increased??

just going of feeling and how people older than me talk about the game 'back when they were young'.. but i really dont think fighting has increased

fighting is almost out of the game aside from the staged crap

 

[elocomotive]

you think fighting has increased??

just going of feeling and how people older than me talk about the game 'back when they were young'.. but i really dont think fighting has increased

fighting is almost out of the game aside from the staged crap

I was talking macro, not micro. Over the last couple years, no idea. Over the last 40 years from the 40 previous to that. Yeah, I do.

I'm just not a believer that the fear of retribution or having to be part of a fight is something that actually deters these kind of hits. I think that (1) the "code" of hockey has taken a hit, guys fight over totally legal hits these days, (2) fighting only promulgates more violence (hits, fights, etc.), and (3) that while some of these things are just part of the game (you miss sometimes and hit a guy up high), the league needs to do a better job of getting people OUT of hockey altogether. Taking a few games off or having to fight doesn't send a message. You just lost out on 5 years of your career and $8 million does.

A sport where a nice guy like David Steckel has to fight a guy b/c somebody runs into his shoulder and a guy like Matt Cooke is still lacing them up makes no sense to me.

 

[awaz]

I was talking macro, not micro. Over the last couple years, no idea. Over the last 40 years from the 40 previous to that. Yeah, I do.

I'm just not a believer that the fear of retribution or having to be part of a fight is something that actually deters these kind of hits. I think that (1) the "code" of hockey has taken a hit, guys fight over totally legal hits these days, (2) fighting only promulgates more violence (hits, fights, etc.), and (3) that while some of these things are just part of the game (you miss sometimes and hit a guy up high), the league needs to do a better job of getting people OUT of hockey altogether. Taking a few games off or having to fight doesn't send a message. You just lost out on 5 years of your career and $8 million does.

A sport where a nice guy like David Steckel has to fight a guy b/c somebody runs into his shoulder and a guy like Matt Cooke is still lacing them up makes no sense to me.

oh ya we were definitely talking about different time periods haha.. i thought you were thinking in the past 10 years or so

i agree 100% on your first point.. people fight over legit hits all the time which is frustrating and leads to people cracking down on fighting in retaliation to the violence of hockey.. when the real damage is done on hits like this..

and as far as fighting goes to promote violence.. i agree, but its a different type of violence.. hits to the head are viewed as bad things, across the board.. nobody in hockey wants people getting leveled elbow to the head so that it ends careers and effects people's lives.. and yes players have an obligation for standing up for eachother, but if a guy lays a heavy hit to the head and then gets pounded by the other team, i dont think the other team is going to keep throwing head shots.. they'll want to fight more, or hit more, but that doesn't mean they'll go for head shots.. physicality up, agreed, but i think the danger of the physicality will go down.. if that makes sense

and #3.. its a tough thing to do.. obviously the NHL could do better because a monkey in a barrel with no holes to see out of could do better than they have.. but there's so much gray area in so many of these hits.. take richards on booth a few years back for example.. people are still arguing whether or not that was a legal hit.. the NHL chose not to punish him, but there are people out there that were seeking a 20 game suspension.. there's too much disparity in most of the hits to make a concrete rule like, 1 infraction is 5 games, 2 is 10, 3 is 50, 4 is a season, 5 you're done, which would be a good scale i think, its just tough to enforce.. the definition of infraction is too murky.. and that doesn't even take in to account when, like you said, people do make mistakes and have accidents where elbows end up in heads.. how do you punish that?

i agree with you that the nhl needs to do a better job, and if they could put a good system in place that prevented these hits and 'got these guys out of the game' it would be better than allowing players to punish eachother for hits like this.. i just dont see how the NHL could have such a system.. and i think allowing them to police themselves would at least decrease the number of flying head shots, that ruin careers, a little bit

 

[elocomotive]

oh ya we were definitely talking about different time periods haha.. i thought you were thinking in the past 10 years or so

i agree 100% on your first point.. people fight over legit hits all the time which is frustrating and leads to people cracking down on fighting in retaliation to the violence of hockey.. when the real damage is done on hits like this..

and as far as fighting goes to promote violence.. i agree, but its a different type of violence.. hits to the head are viewed as bad things, across the board.. nobody in hockey wants people getting leveled elbow to the head so that it ends careers and effects people's lives.. and yes players have an obligation for standing up for eachother, but if a guy lays a heavy hit to the head and then gets pounded by the other team, i dont think the other team is going to keep throwing head shots.. they'll want to fight more, or hit more, but that doesn't mean they'll go for head shots.. physicality up, agreed, but i think the danger of the physicality will go down.. if that makes sense

and #3.. its a tough thing to do.. obviously the NHL could do better because a monkey in a barrel with no holes to see out of could do better than they have.. but there's so much gray area in so many of these hits.. take richards on booth a few years back for example.. people are still arguing whether or not that was a legal hit.. the NHL chose not to punish him, but there are people out there that were seeking a 20 game suspension.. there's too much disparity in most of the hits to make a concrete rule like, 1 infraction is 5 games, 2 is 10, 3 is 50, 4 is a season, 5 you're done, which would be a good scale i think, its just tough to enforce.. the definition of infraction is too murky.. and that doesn't even take in to account when, like you said, people do make mistakes and have accidents where elbows end up in heads.. how do you punish that?

i agree with you that the nhl needs to do a better job, and if they could put a good system in place that prevented these hits and 'got these guys out of the game' it would be better than allowing players to punish eachother for hits like this.. i just dont see how the NHL could have such a system.. and i think allowing them to police themselves would at least decrease the number of flying head shots, that ruin careers, a little bit

We agree on some, not on others - all in all, GREAT post!

 

[Darkstone42]

I think the solution is simple.


Cut off all the players' heads.



No heads, no concussions.

 

[Darkstone42]

But seriously, it's terrible that Savard is still having symptoms. Hockey has to hate losing a player like him. He was darned good. I wish him the best in his post-hockey life, and I hope this issue doesn't hurt him in other parts of his life.

Hopefully, some good comes of this, though, and the NHL really cracks down on head hits.

 

[Comeds]

Nobody wants people to fight after legal hits except when their teams players do it, then its standing up for your teammates.

 

[Vadered]

oh ya we were definitely talking about different time periods haha.. i thought you were thinking in the past 10 years or so

i agree 100% on your first point.. people fight over legit hits all the time which is frustrating and leads to people cracking down on fighting in retaliation to the violence of hockey.. when the real damage is done on hits like this..

and as far as fighting goes to promote violence.. i agree, but its a different type of violence.. hits to the head are viewed as bad things, across the board.. nobody in hockey wants people getting leveled elbow to the head so that it ends careers and effects people's lives.. and yes players have an obligation for standing up for eachother, but if a guy lays a heavy hit to the head and then gets pounded by the other team, i dont think the other team is going to keep throwing head shots.. they'll want to fight more, or hit more, but that doesn't mean they'll go for head shots.. physicality up, agreed, but i think the danger of the physicality will go down.. if that makes sense

and #3.. its a tough thing to do.. obviously the NHL could do better because a monkey in a barrel with no holes to see out of could do better than they have.. but there's so much gray area in so many of these hits.. take richards on booth a few years back for example.. people are still arguing whether or not that was a legal hit.. the NHL chose not to punish him, but there are people out there that were seeking a 20 game suspension.. there's too much disparity in most of the hits to make a concrete rule like, 1 infraction is 5 games, 2 is 10, 3 is 50, 4 is a season, 5 you're done, which would be a good scale i think, its just tough to enforce.. the definition of infraction is too murky.. and that doesn't even take in to account when, like you said, people do make mistakes and have accidents where elbows end up in heads.. how do you punish that?

i agree with you that the nhl needs to do a better job, and if they could put a good system in place that prevented these hits and 'got these guys out of the game' it would be better than allowing players to punish eachother for hits like this.. i just dont see how the NHL could have such a system.. and i think allowing them to police themselves would at least decrease the number of flying head shots, that ruin careers, a little bit

NHL needs to have a harsher stance, which they are making progress on, and enforce it consistently, which they are not. I still look at the Richards hit on Booth as a legal hit, but if I had to exchange Richards taking a 5/10/20 game suspension for what I thought was a legal hit for getting Cooke OUT OF HOCKEY FOR GOOD, I'd do it in a heartbeat. They just need to set down guidelines and enforce them. Yeah, it sucks if your star guy gets jail time in the heat of a playoff race, and I suppose it might take some of the physicality out of hockey, though I'd argue you can still hit a guy without hurting him, but you know what?

Hockey played at 95% awesomeness is still better than any other sport at 120% awesomeness. And both are better than a 100% awesomeness hockey where somebody gets hurt from a cheap hit.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Like it was said earlier the NHL needs to get rid of the instigator rule. If players were allowed to police themselves head shots wouldn't happen.