Series Thread: TkSecond Round: Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

[elocomotive]

 

[elocomotive]

Having experienced the impacts of concussions first hand, I'm also in the latter camp.

Yup, change the rule and make it the players responsibility to not hit the head. Change the game, make it safer for the players. Also, we don't have to have these debates about rule nuance then... so, bonus.

 

[Duke of Douchington]

Not a shoulder collision guys.

I mean, if you ignore than Wilson is 4-5 inches taller and their heads (see: by default; also shoulders) are level...it's not a shoulder collision guys...

 

[Darkstone42]

Not a shoulder collision guys.

I mean, if you ignore than Wilson is 4-5 inches taller and their heads (see: by default; also shoulders) are level...it's not a shoulder collision guys...

Wilson's left shoulder isn't even visible in this still. What do you think it proves?

In order to impart sufficient force to the jaw to break it, the principal point of contact (not initial, but where most of the hit's force was transferred) was necessarily the head.

 

[Duke of Douchington]

Wilson's left shoulder isn't even visible in this still. What do you think it proves?

In order to impart sufficient force to the jaw to break it, the principal point of contact (not initial, but where most of the hit's force was transferred) was necessarily the head.

Is ZAR's shoulder visible in this picture? Is it level with where Wilson's shoulder would be, but Wilson's shoulder is obviously covered by ZAR's shoulder in this picture because...their shoulders are colliding.

And ZAR's jaw is broken because he's a much smaller human being than Wilson. Wilson being a larger human being drove through ZAR's shoulder and made head contact.

So...punish Wilson for ZAR being a smaller/weaker player? Don't hit small guys in a contact sport? I guess we should give smaller players red shirts to wear over their jerseys...

 

[scoutyjones2]

typical series with Caps/Pens. Caps will get up 3-1 then lose three straight.

Not this year

 

[Darkstone42]

Is ZAR's shoulder visible in this picture? Is it level with where Wilson's shoulder would be, but Wilson's shoulder is obviously covered by ZAR's shoulder in this picture because...their shoulders are colliding.

And ZAR's jaw is broken because he's a much smaller human being than Wilson. Wilson being a larger human being drove through ZAR's shoulder and made head contact.

So...punish Wilson for ZAR being a smaller/weaker player? Don't hit small guys in a contact sport? I guess we should give smaller players red shirts to wear over their jerseys...

Which of course is why we talk so much about Zdeno Chara's headshots.

 

[Duke of Douchington]

Which of course is why we talk so much about Zdeno Chara's headshots.

So, you're saying that a player who throws about 120-130 hits a year is talked about less than a player who throws 230-250 a year?

 

[BGDave]

Not a shoulder collision guys.

I mean, if you ignore than Wilson is 4-5 inches taller and their heads (see: by default; also shoulders) are level...it's not a shoulder collision guys...

Largely staying out of this one, but I do note that Wilson's left skate is still on the ice

 

[esls79]

There is a gif out there I saw last night that shows a close up of Wilson's shoulder and ZAR's face of the moment the energy of the hit was transferred. The shoulder took minimal energy impact and the jaw took the majority. To me that is the principal point of contact and just because the shoulder was the initial point doesn't mean it was the principal point - the standard I've seen applied is the principal point not the initial one.

I don't see the hit from any angle I've seen as a force of merely driving through shoulder contact - it was almost simultaneous the shoulder and the jaw. Those are the breaks of being a larger player trying to lay out a smaller player. And with the head shots being under a microscope these days, those hits are going to be less and less common as they will result in suspensions regardless of the intent or initial point of contact.

This isn't old time hockey anymore; this isn't even post lockout hockey anymore, this is today's NHL and unless they find a way to curb the concussions there won't be much of a league in the future. And legal checks and hard hitting will decline as a result of that, there's no way around it. Yes, I love the hard hitting fighting all that stuff but the game has/is fundamentally changing.

 

[Duke of Douchington]

There is a gif out there I saw last night that shows a close up of Wilson's shoulder and ZAR's face of the moment the energy of the hit was transferred. The shoulder took minimal energy impact and the jaw took the majority. To me that is the principal point of contact and just because the shoulder was the initial point doesn't mean it was the principal point - the standard I've seen applied is the principal point not the initial one.

Not saying you are wrong, but IMO this take, if it's what the spirit of the rule is becoming, is bad.

A larger object making contact with a smaller object is naturally going to have an "overpowering" factor towards it and have dispersed impact to other areas. In this case, if Wilson's shoulder hit ZAR's shoulder as the first point of contact, that's on ZAR for not being a big guy. Shoulder to Shoulder checks are legal. You'll literally have to create a rule saying big guys can't hit little guys. There will need to be weight classes for what's allowed and what's illegal.

 

[elocomotive]

You'll literally have to create a rule saying big guys can't hit little guys. There will need to be weight classes for what's allowed and what's illegal.

No just one making hits to the head an automatic penalty/scalable suspension. It definitely benefits shorter players, but then again, offsides calls benefit slower players.

This is pretty hilarious though...

 

[elocomotive]

So is this...

 

[scoutyjones2]

 

[elocomotive]

Shifting the chatter a little since we've gone round on this plenty...

-Regardless of how you feel about the hit, what do you think Wilson will actually get?
-If Wilson is suspended, who joins OV and Kuzy on the top line?
-And finally, would this mean we finally get to see Shane Gersich in a playoff game?

 

[Comeds]

So is this...

I'm not sure, but I think that is doctored.

 

[elocomotive]

I'm not sure, but I think that is doctored.

We've gone through this so many times. The glass is transparent and both players and fans ARE visible through it, Comeds.

Any predictions for game 4, btw?

 

[esls79]

So is this...

I thought I saw Robert Lang in the background first time I looked but I guess I was mistaken

 

[Comeds]

We've gone through this so many times. The glass is transparent and both players and fans ARE visible through it, Comeds.

Any predictions for game 4, btw?

Nope, just enjoying the series. So far its been fun.

 

[Darkstone42]

So, you're saying that a player who throws about 120-130 hits a year is talked about less than a player who throws 230-250 a year?

Zach Aston-Reese is four inches shorter than Wilson. Lets set that as the threshold. I think it's a pretty fair assumption both players throw the same number of hits on players at least 4 inches shorter than them. One guy knows how to avoid the head on such hits, the other doesn't.