If you have ever played hockey or knew anything about hockey you would know why it is dangerous to leave the ice and go airborne. When you look at average heights, a shoulder that would land in the chest or somewhere else in the torso is now landing in the neck/head area, which is dangerous to say the least, especially with elbow and shoulderpads now having hard plastic pads on top of the foam base with a thin layer of drifit material or nylon instead of the old sponge/foam covered by leather or thick vinyl(ish) material.So why can you not leave your feet...what's the rationale behind the rule? You lose all your power as soon as you're airborne - laws of physics and all that - so why do it? You are much more powerful when you stay on your skates. Is it because they don't want you to get elevated to where the head is? If so, why are hits to the head not outlawed?
That hit was SO dirty, whether the rule book says so or not. Imagine if he stayed on his skates and really hit him
Listen, the only thing wrong with this hit is that he tried to hurt someone.
He was pissed off that Christoph Schubert got him with a blindsider. If you are trying to make an elite team (Which I have done playing hockey in my life) you have do something that sets you apart from everyone on the ice that has already proven themselves...Same rules apply to the soccer community- if you just go out and 'do the job' when trying to make a team you will be cut...you need to do something top elevate above the rest- to get noticed. Whether it is a nice goal, beating a guy up, making a couple of big hits, demonstrating an excellent skating ability etc.
I am a McAmmond fan, back when he was a first or second year player I went to a summer hockey camp where he was one of the instructors...That next year I got a signed hockey card and a birthday card from him...He is a class act and a true long time NHL pro...I think it is terrible what has happened to him with the concussion he suffered at the close of last season, and to start this season off with one is tragic.
Steven Downie made a tough and hard hockey play that most bubble guys try to make. Downie has and always will be a playmaker, whether it is scoring a big goal against the USA or Russia in a gold medal game, making a huge hit on Evgeni Malkin who is twice his size to effectively remove him and his psyche from a game, or by willing his Peterborough Petes to an OHL final.
If Matt Cooke could hit the way Downie can he would have done this three or four times now...Cooke has the same character, just not as skilled, or as good a skater (and thus not as good a hitter, hitting doesn;t come from strength, it comes from your skating ability, which made Michael Peca the most dangerous open ice hitter in the NHL through the mid to late 90's at 5'10 and a touch over 180 at best)
He left his feet either right as he made contact or just after, it wasn;t like he was horizontal as he landed the blow to his head.
He did not charge (Meaning he coasted into the hit, he wasn't striding, other than the fact that he did leave his feet, when he did will probably have a lot to do with any suspension he receives)
McAmmond had his head down, and was breaking the Cardinal Rule of hockey- Never admire your pass, the rule isn;t 'keep your head up' or 'don;t showboat' the rule is never admire your pass, anyone who has played any Junior hockey or Semi Pro hockey will stress that...You know how much it enrages teammates on the pitch when someone makes a nice pass or plays a nice ball and admires it rather than getting back into free space...
This is being trumped up in the media as one of the Chicken shite moves of all time, right up there with recent events like McSorley v Brashear, Brooks Orpick's hit on Erik Cole, Bertuzzi's blindside bludgeoning of Steve Moore, and Chris Simons assult on Brian Holweg. And I think that is pretty unfair. And for Brian MCGratton to call him out in the media as a dirty player is a touch of pot calling the kettle black, at Least Downie may score a goal here and there during his NHL career.
Fact is it was a hard nosed play b y a guy trying to make the team.
The only line he crossed was that he was pissed off and intended to hurt someone.
The NHL rulebook has no rule against putting your shoulder into or through an opposition players face, and thus far, the NHL has done absolutely zero about 'Headshots'
I think the hit was dirty...But the only rule he broke was he intended to injure, and he received a match penalty for it- whick carries an indefinate suspension pending NHL review by Murray and Campbell.
I think he should only receive around 4-5 games considering the suspensions that surrounded the Circus acts I mentioned above.
The NHL NEEDS to address Headshots. But like Chris Pronger said- There is no rule against them...Untill there is (and there should be) A shoulder to the Jaw is still a good, hard nosed, hockey play.
