First let me point out this hilarious photo of Officer Shanahan:
TOO FUNNY. But this hit wasn't:
USA Today reports that Corey Perry will be facing a hearing after this monster hit Minnesota Wild's Jason Zucker. The hit game a tad late to me, but it seemed clean. His feet did not leave the ice, his momentum is what carried him through it, & he didn't hit him from behind (he hit him from the side).
It just seems like a tough hit delivered by Corey (who's a big man at 6'3" 211 lbs.) on a 21 year old boy at 5'11", 170. It's sad to see a player hurt but I believe it's just the nature of hockey to have collisions like this.
I always like reporting on player's safety, & for the most part Brendan Shanahan
usually gets the call right with his group of men. This time I'm not so sure. The other night, Buffalo Sabres' Patrick Kaleta gave an illegal hit from behind on New York Rangers' Brad Richards that sent him sliding not so violently, yet dangerouly into the boards.
After reviewing the incident, Shanahan and the player's safety committee decided on a 5-game suspension of Kaleta. Here's the break down by Shanahan:
I personally think 5 games may be a little harsh, but if they're trying to send a message to a repeat offender that this will not be tolerated then I guess you must. I think 3 games & a fine wouldv'e been substantial & my reasoning is that maybe Richards embelished a little. The angle at which Kaleta thrusted his stick into the back of Richards didn't seem low or high enough to naturally send him into the boards so hard.
With so many player's embellishing these days its hard to say whether Richards really was put down on the floor that hard. He even looked back at Kaleta to see how close he was for a pretty long duration. He also seemed to brace himself alright enough for the blow on the boards, & then grabbed his head in pain like if he was dying on the ice. I don't know, I'm all for player's safety, & that's why Kaleta should be punished, but it just seemed too much.
I'm usually in full support of Brendan Shanahan's decisions as head of player's safety & today makes no difference in my opinion. Philadelphia Flyers' Brayden Schenn performed a serious infraction the other night on the ice against New Jersey Devils' Anton Volchenkov. The video below is a formal explanation by Shanahan on the parameters of the hit, as well as the justification of the penalty:
This hit could have been dangerous but thankfully Volchenkov wasn't harmed. Since it was Schenn's first major offense I like how Shanahan basically gives him a stern warning in a one game suspension. Let's hope players get the message soon & try not to get too excited out there on the ice sometimes.
