Injury Revitalizes Classic Debate: No Touch Icing

For anyone who missed it, Kurtis Foster suffered a scary injury last night that was, for all intents and purposes, entirely avoidable and would surely spark some discussion around the league today. Foster was racing Torrey Mitchell of the San Jose Sharks back to touch the puck for an icing when Foster seemed to lose an edge, or get pushed by Mitchell depending on how you view the video, sending Foster into the boards at full speed. He was carried off the ice on a stretcher and it was later learned that he’d suffered a broken leg. The play reminds me of watching Mark Tinordi, a defenseman for the Dallas Stars, break his femur on an eerily similar play. Mark was never quite the same after that play and it’s exactly the kind of injury you don’t see in most other hockey leagues due to a rule called “no touch icing.”

See the incident for yourself:

The no touch icing rule is a way that leagues avoid having players race each other back to the end boards in that kamikaze style fashion that the NHL currently demands. When the puck is iced, meaning shot from the guilty team’s side of the redline to the other zone and beyond the goal line without being touched by another player, the play is immediately blown dead and icing is called. The defending team does not have to touch the puck to earn the icing call, as they do in the NHL right now, it’s simply automatic as soon as the puck crosses the goal line. This does, of course, eliminate those few situations where the team who iced the puck beats the defending team back to be the first ones to touch the puck, thereby negating the icing call. Those moments are generally few and far between while the majority of icing plays actually reduce the intensity of the game, slow down the play and obviously put players at risk.

The debate has gone on for quite some time in the NHL as it seems like we hear about it every year. For me, the pros of no touch icing outweigh the cons in a pretty obvious manner. I think it kills some of the down time when the puck is iced and could actually produce more late game goals in situations where one team is trying to tie the game in the last minute and the defensive team is satisfied with just icing the puck. In those scenarios, the team that’s trying to tie the game actually loses valuable seconds off the clock while they push to get back and touch the puck. With no touch icing, the clock would stop the instant the puck crossed the goal line giving that team more time to create opportunities and provide those exciting finishes that we love so much. In other game situations, it gives the team that iced the puck a little less rest, which fits with the current rule that you can’t change lines when you ice the puck, and avoids that downtime where the audience is just watching a player leisurely skate back to touch up. The con is obviously that rare situation where a player is able to negate the icing and create a scoring chance by beating the defending team back to the puck. It seems to me that the no touch rule actually fits with the current direction of the NHL and I’ll be surprised if it’s not adopted in the near future. Hopefully for them, this will be the last serious injury to stem from their indecisiveness.

Chris Pronger Suspended 8 Games

Chris Pronger will miss 8 of the last 9 regular season games for the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks. The league re-evaluated the stomping incident when new footage surfaced that gave a clearer view of his actions and over-ruled the original decision that Pronger wouldn't receive any kind of punishment. Honestly, the new footage doesn't show anything the original didn't but it made it impossible for the league to hide from the event and avoid handing down a suspension. Of course, it's not a surprise that he won't miss a single playoff game as eight games was about the safest number they could possibly impose.

The Pronger Stomp

In last night's game against the Vancouver Canucks, Chris Pronger, an all star defenseman for the Anaheim Ducks, intentionally stomped on Ryan Kesler's leg. Today, in typical NHL fashion, it was announced that he will not face disciplinary action. Of course, Chris Pronger is no stranger to suspensions after receiving two seperate suspensions, one game each, during last year's run to the Stanley Cup. He is, however, a stranger to real suspensions that send a message to the player and the league. Instead, he's always received PR-style reprimands that are only designed to appease an irate audience. This time, however, it's actually quite shocking that not only will he not receive a lengthy suspension, but he won't receive any kind of disciplinary action at all. Frankly, it's absolutely ridiculous and I wonder how this situation might be different had Kesler been injured. Just a few months back Chris Simon was suspended for 30 games when he stomped on Jarko Ruutu's leg in a game between the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, the incidents appeared to be very similar, if not identical, in nature so how can the NHL excuse one and not the other? While I agree that Pronger's was not as violent, I can't help but feel like you have to punish the act regardless. I think 5-10 games would have sufficed. I've included links to the videos below for your review.

Chris Pronger - No Suspension


Chris Simon - 30 games




To take this analysis a little further I present exhibit B:

Chris Pronger - Suspended one game


Steve Downie - Suspended 20 games


While these hits are not as similar to one another as "the stomps" the drastic difference in the length of the suspension seems a bit absurd. It's also important to note that Dean McAmmond either has the worst luck ever or did something very bad in a previous existence.

Momma Said There'd Be Days Like This

What a brutal night in terms of picks.

Conklin continued his slide down the slope of consistency by allowing 4 goals on 20 shots before being yanked for Sabourin. The Penguins offense, however, didn't give him much help only scoring 1 goal on Lehtonen in 30 shots. Atlanta looked very strong and showed why they can be a tough team when they all come together. Lehtonen was sharp but in the second period a potentially crushing blow was dealt when Jarko Ruutu attempted to finish his check on Ilya Kovalchuk and had Kovie step out of the way just enough to make knee-on-knee contact. Kovalchuk left the game and did not return and Ruutu received a 5-minute penalty for kneeing. I love that refs would call that play for a major penalty, which it wasn't, and yet allow anyone and everyone to run people from behind into the boards. No update on Kovie's status.

Anaheim got shocked in Minnesota as Giggy was pulled after allowing 3 goals in the first 3:18 of the second period. Hiller, his replacement, didn't fare much better allowing 2 goals on 12 shots. Anaheim mustered one goal to lose 5-1. Selanne didn't play and apparently it's up to him as to when he will return to the lineup. I think it'll happen on the current road trip.

Chicago looked, well, like Chicago or at least Khabibulin looked consistently like his inconsistent self allowing 6 goals on 30 shots. While the Chicago offense was anemic as well only mustering 15 shots on goal but managing to bury 3 of them. 1 on Theodore, who missed the third period with back spasms and 2 on Budaj. Budaj's stock continues to tumble as he allowed 2 goals on only 4 shots. Luckily, for Colorado, the game was already a done deal by that point.

Quite the Powder Keg

The Rangers and Hurricanes are playing a predictably nasty game right now with 66 penalty minutes in the first period. Jaromir Jagr, of all people, jumped in to aid a teammate in a fight after Scott Walker (I believe) threw a nasty hit from behind. Looks like the Rangers my have some life after all. Oh by the way, no call on the hit from behind.

Its The Players Stupid!

Why am I an NHL Hockey fan ... because of passion, because of honor, because of commitment. I recently read a post on why being a Hockey fan "matters." Here is an extremely well written account of what true hockey fans worship ... to read the story go to this link - http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=3682&post_id=1757


What this story shows me is what I already knew, but what many in our country have NO clue about ... that Hockey is a LIFESTYLE! This sport is for the ones who think there are not enough hours in the day to work on their Hockey skills. For the kids growing up in Canada towns like Moosefactory, Ontario (the home town of Jonathan Cheechoo) and others places where any surface covered by ice is considered a place to practice. For them to dream about NHL fame and winning the Stanley Cup is ingrained into their genetic structure ... now, take a look at this story - http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=334644


Here is a story about 2 kids who played Jr Hockey at 8 years old when the Phoenix Coyotes were introduced to Phoenix, AZ ... from the beginning, they had dreams about representing their city in the NHL - they would tell family and friends about playing in the NHL for the Coyotes.


This story is inspiring to say the least. I am going to look forward to watching their NHL careers over time and I hope they are given that chance to live their dreams. Which leads me to something I have been thinking about for a couple days. The players in the NHL have to be the most humble and honorable athletes in professional sports. I do not understand people when they argue over "Which is the better sport" - I usually let the conversation go until the "Big 3 - NFL, MLB, NBA have been brought into the mix" ... that is when I chime in "What about the NHL?" Most times I am met with statements like the game is boring, you cant see the puck, not enough scoring, and my favorite - it is to violent!


Like lambs to the slaughter - I start asking them questions ... "How many touchdowns are there in a 21 - 28 football game?" They normally answer with "Hello - 3 and 4!" Which I then say, so how is a 3 - 4 hockey game "not enough scoring?" That is where that argument normally ends and I move on to the next excuse.


I ask them what is exciting about football - they play for the same amount of time hockey does (1 hour), however, in football their "plays" last for 8 to 10 seconds then they get a break, most of the time the clock continues to count down, which tells me that as a fan - you are paying to watch grass grow. In Hockey - if the clock is counting, they are playing! I have had people try to tell me that Baseball is NOT boring, however, normally less than 25 seconds into their "reasoning" they, themselves, lose the point they were making and give up trying to make baseball un-boring. Don't get me wrong - Baseball is an amazing sport to go watch with a group of friends - a couple beers, bag of peanuts, nice sunny day, a live baseball game in front of you ... I agree baseball is a great sport to watch. But as athletes? The physical aspect of baseball I don't get. Moving on!


Basketball - you either love it or hate it. I can not stand the NBA, not because they are strong athletes, not because they are very talented (I cant sink a free throw to save my life!) ... my issue with the NBA has to do with attitude and character (this bleeds over into the NFL also - but it is more blatant in the NBA). The type of players who represent the NBA are not men I want my children looking up to. Most of the time - when interviewed after a game I will be lucky if I can understand 2 out of 10 words that the players use to convey their thoughts on the game. I believe that with the level of talent that are blessed enough to be in professional sports ... you should be respectful and honorable.

Now - I am not saying NHL players do not get into trouble. My post here is about the leagues and how they represent themselves. MLB with the Steroids scandal, NFL with Michael Vick and Terrell Owens, the NBA with their officiants working for the mob and calling fouls to affect the point spread!!! ARE YOU KIDDING??? The "you cant touch me" attitude that infect allot of these very talented athletes is going to be the undoing of many careers and possibly leagues and franchises.

However - the NHL is a league that is full of passion, honor, integrity, character ... sure they have their inner struggles and anomalies, but what they don't have is arrogance! They play the sport because that is what they were put here on earth to do. Hockey is their life - Hockey is their definition ... in order to break out of that mold, one has to set himself apart.

I may be biased on the NHL - but the record speaks for itself ... jump back a few postings and look at my thoughts on the NHL drug use policy!!! You want to completely unravel the NBA ... implement that policy and watch the rats abandon the sinking ship!!!

The Horse Wasn't Quite Dead

I wanted to share this video as a follow-up to a post I made late last month about public perception of the Bertuzzi event. I discussed how I felt that Bertuzzi's punishment was deserved but also how I felt that the public had quickly disowned him based on the result of the act and not the act itself. The video below is a perfect example of how public perception is based on the outcome of a cheap shot and not the intent or danger of the act itself.



Bill mentioned that Bertuzzi's shot ended a player's career and thus needs to be judged accordingly. My only issue with that is that we punish and judge much like our broken law system. If someone drinks a fifth of Jack, jumps behind the wheel of a car and crashes into a family of four they can have two very different outcomes in terms of punishment. If anyone dies, then chances are they're going to prison. However, if they only shatter a few pelvises and possibly make it difficult for them to walk for the rest of their life then their punishment is much less severe. My question is, what role did they play in the outcome of that crash? If no one died, they got lucky and get a lighter punishment which makes no sense to me. By no fault of their own did someone NOT die. This applies directly to the NHL.

The video I included above shows exactly what I'm talking about. If I remember correctly, Bure was fined for this and not suspended. In today's NHL, he would definitely be suspended. He would most likely be suspended for both the elbow and the very high slash he delivers early in the video but that's not the point. The point is that this had a very serious impact on Shane Churla's career costing him a lot of games that season. Frankly, he was never quite the same for the Stars afterwards. However, this event was never on the TV, never on the radio and no one cared simply because Bure got lucky that Churla didn't break his neck or suffer a career ending injury. There are a million of these instances where players got lucky not to cause the same kind of injury that Bertuzzi did but that one moment sticks out in everyone's head and I can't help but comment on the fact that he ends up being the whipping boy. The fact of the matter is that Bure continued to be a celebrated player, and still is today, despite an action that was, frankly, more dangerous and nastier than Bertuzzi's punch. Of course, sports are all about judging for yourself.

Oh, and I promise that this will be my last post on the topic. I simply couldn't help but share the video. The horse is officially glue.

Drew Remenda may return to the Sharks!

This is GREAT news. Drew use to be an analyst for the Sharks on TV and Radio back when I worked for the team. In 2005/06 he left the Sharks for the Canadian Network TV ... the rumor of Drew coming back to the Sharks is GREAT news to me. I enjoyed his wit, his sarcasm and his "on air" personality (along with his off air personality also) - He is just an all around good guy.

If this rumor is true ... Shark Fans will be very happy to hear the familiar voice again analyzing plays, teams, coaches and the like.

I'll throw my 2 cents worth of opinion into the Bertuzzi move ... Todd Bertuzzi's actions have ended an NHL players career. Some people think he did it with malice, others think that it was an unfortunate turn of events. If you don't know what Bertuzzi did - in March of 2004 Todd Bertuzzi played for the Canucks and they were playing the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. Steve Moore's back was to Todd because Todd was trying to instigate Steve into fighting with him (retaliation to a hit Steve Moore gave Naslund a month earlier) ... Steve would not even acknowledge Todd's attempt to fight with him (since Colorado was KILLING Vancouver 9 - 2) so Todd took a cheap shot, it happens, cheap shots are thrown just about EVERY game. Todd Bertuzzi took a very cheap shot from behind and hit Steve Moore in the temple which resulted in Steve Moore collapsing onto the ice with Bertuzzi on top of him. Bertuzzi fell onto Moore (who's head hit the ice) and gave him "concussion like" symptoms. Steve Moore has not played a game since, his career was ended because of the injuries he sustained from that incident.

Now - I will go back to what Clint said. Intent has to be considered when punishing players. There is NO excuse for a player to take a swing at another player with his stick - the intent of that action is to harm or injure the player. The hits and checks and fist fights are all part of hockey ... its a physical sport and when these men take the ice, its not about friendships, or who likes who ... its about their team winning! When someone gets called for boarding, cross checking, hooking, fighting, tripping, or any other penalty in hockey ... most of the time they are not victims. They are doing what they have to do to get the upper hand. With the new rules and changes coming to the NHL - we'll see how the form and shape the sport in the future.

Bertuzzi as a Duck will be interesting to watch. Especially since Anaheim and San Jose have such a rivalry ... I hope Todd is able to keep his retaliations fair.

Infamy Meets the OC

The infamous Todd Bertuzzi has signed a two-year deal with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks worth $8 million. While one of our soon-to-be contributors will surely cry foul, or just plain cry, I can't help but admit that Big Bert is a perfect fit for the team-toughness centric Ducks. He's got the size, nastiness and scoring touch that Brian Burke, Anaheim's GM, loves with a boiling passion. Of course, Burke's familiarity with the big power forward from his days as the Canucks' GM doesn't hurt either. Now whether or not his injury-prone corpse is worth $4 million a year is debatable but if he stays healthy this could be a great addition for the Ducks.

Now the question is Selanne and whether or not the fact that the money that could have been considered HIS money is now ear-marked for Mr. Bertuzzi signals the retirement of the great forward.

One other note on Bertuzzi and it's just my personal opinion. I think he's a great example of what happens when people judge and persecute based on the result of an action and not the intent. If Moore doesn't get knocked out by the punch, his neck doesn't get broken and we never think about the event again. If Moore gets knocked out and taken away on a stretcher but doesn't break his neck we STILL would never mention it in the same breath as the McSorley incident. Frankly, we'd never mention it at all. Now I agree that he deserved to be punished and, frankly, he probably deserved the punishment he got since he inflicted serious injury with a cheap shot. However, I think it's important to note that we see dangerous plays in every hockey game, we see THAT play (a punch to the back of the head) in almost every game, and we never flinch because no one leaves on a stretcher. If Pronger's nasty hit from behind in the playoffs on Holmstrom would have broken his neck or fractured his orbital bone would he be hated as much as Bertuzzi has been? I'm not sure but since it only split Holmstrom's face open no one cares.

Preparing for the 2007/2008 NHL Season!

Its to early to start a countdown - that would just depress us! However - Free Agency starts in 4 days ... July 1!!! Are YOU ready?