Willy, why are we not surprised

[Stealyerfaceoff]

I really hope this pulls everyone together and lights a fire under them.  I have a feeling it might.

I'm with you on that Old Hat. Rally the troops. Caps vs the hens & DOPS.

With Murray in the net I like our chances.

[RavenCp]

I'm really disappointed, Pens injuring our players and get nothing. I'm really advocating that refs are mostly fair, just miss calls, make mistakes. Now I wish that hockey was judged by AI.   

[waynerivers]

How can you suspend a guy for a hit that wasn't even called a penalty at the time?  I'm not sure the hit was any different than hundreds of others.  Wilson is taller than the other guy so his shoulder hitting him in the jaw isn't that surprising.  This is just the result of the modern pussification of all contact sports.  Develop better equipment to cut down on concussions.  Take heavy contact out and you no longer have hockey.  One game would seem reasonable at most.  Three is an unfair advantage to the Pens who lost a 4th line scrub.

[Mickstix]

Just saw this on twitter.. 


"Caps recall Tim Winston. Will play on line with Kuznetsov and Ovechkin."

[alta]

It's just more proof of the top down bias against the Caps. Two of OV's three suspensions were for being too physical. The third was for doing what Cindey does at least 8 times every season yet has never been suspended for it. Willy got suspended for the first game of the season for a hit that happens three times a week in the regular season, and damn near every game in the playoffs. We have the OV rule where his sweater isn't supposed to fall inside the tailbone pad, so during play a player is supposed to make uniform adjustments instead of trying to play hockey. I'm willing to bet OldHats salary that if Wilson had hacked off another players finger there would've been a suspension, but since Buttman's darling did it, it's just an unfortunate hockey play.

Because of fan and player complaints we have the Cindey rule. Yet diving is rarely enforced. When it is, it's somehow matching minors. If a player dives to draw a penalty, how is there an infraction on the other player? If there was no dive, %99.99998 of the time there is no offending penalty in the first place. Has Cindey ever been suspended for his flagrant diving? Or his widely known dirty play? I don't pay enough attention to dirty players to know.

Next I expect to see the new Capitals rule. That would be where any given player isn't aloud to check anyone more than three inches shorter than himself lest there be inadvertent head contact on the follow through. Need I remind everyone that there is no high sticking if it happens on the follow through of a slapshot. I don't understand how that seems logical to the NHL rule makers, if they were truly trying to keep a level playing field.

Bettman used to do an hour a week on the NHL SiriusXM channel where he'd take fans questions. I don't know if he still does. If he does a Caps fan needs to ask him a few questions, and record it, for posterity.

The NHL really pisses me off sometimes.

ArJ, the NHL doesn't screw the Caps every single time they play the Hens in the post season. Last years game 7 looked more like the Caps just giving up when they clearly took the momentum in game 6. So we'll say 9 out of 10 times.

[alta]

Also, I fully expect the Hens to target someone in retaliation, especially if they are losing. That squad gets highly frustrated when losing and resorts to dirty play as a response. When they take out a Caps player there had better be equal punishment, at a minimum.

[DC_1908]

Also, I fully expect the Hens to target someone in retaliation, especially if they are losing. That squad gets highly frustrated when losing and resorts to dirty play as a response. When they take out a Caps player there had better be equal punishment, at a minimum.

Damn right!


Call Peluso up.  If they can get away with Olesniak, then we can, and should bring Peluso up

[DC_1908]

This proves the league bias to The Hens.


I’ve said they’ve been the two worst/luckiest Cup Winners before, now we can add near proof they’re Cups where fixed

[OldHat]

It's just more proof of the top down bias against the Caps. Two of OV's three suspensions were for being too physical. The third was for doing what Cindey does at least 8 times every season yet has never been suspended for it. Willy got suspended for the first game of the season for a hit that happens three times a week in the regular season, and damn near every game in the playoffs. We have the OV rule where his sweater isn't supposed to fall inside the tailbone pad, so during play a player is supposed to make uniform adjustments instead of trying to play hockey. I'm willing to bet OldHats salary that if Wilson had hacked off another players finger there would've been a suspension, but since Buttman's darling did it, it's just an unfortunate hockey play.

Because of fan and player complaints we have the Cindey rule. Yet diving is rarely enforced. When it is, it's somehow matching minors. If a player dives to draw a penalty, how is there an infraction on the other player? If there was no dive, %99.99998 of the time there is no offending penalty in the first place. Has Cindey ever been suspended for his flagrant diving? Or his widely known dirty play? I don't pay enough attention to dirty players to know.

Next I expect to see the new Capitals rule. That would be where any given player isn't aloud to check anyone more than three inches shorter than himself lest there be inadvertent head contact on the follow through. Need I remind everyone that there is no high sticking if it happens on the follow through of a slapshot. I don't understand how that seems logical to the NHL rule makers, if they were truly trying to keep a level playing field.

Bettman used to do an hour a week on the NHL SiriusXM channel where he'd take fans questions. I don't know if he still does. If he does a Caps fan needs to ask him a few questions, and record it, for posterity.

The NHL really pisses me off sometimes.

ArJ, the NHL doesn't screw the Caps every single time they play the Hens in the post season. Last years game 7 looked more like the Caps just giving up when they clearly took the momentum in game 6. So we'll say 9 out of 10 times.

Unless your name is Kolzig...  Remember that one?

[KitFisto]

Unless your name is Kolzig...  Remember that one?

Indeed I do.

[ArJunaZ]

I have a stepbrother that lives in Lower Burrell, PA and is a huge Penguins fan. He hates that Wilson got suspended. He thought it was a clean hit and feels that I may be right in suggesting for years that the league has a major bias against the Caps, especially when it comes to the Penguins. He wants to see a fair battle and does not think that's possible after the sick suspension.

[OldHat]

Indeed I do.

 And then a roughing on Jagr... Jagr? to go down 2 men in OT.  FUCKERS.

[KitFisto]

 And then a roughing on Jagr... Jagr? to go down 2 men in OT.  FUCKERS.

I was at that game. He was getting mugged in the corner and they called him. Couldn't believe it.

[DC_1908]

I’ve always been a big Pedro’s fan, and thought he’s been the best director of Player Marketing  yet. . .


But notice where he was born.

[Maacoshark]

I was at that game. He was getting mugged in the corner and they called him. Couldn't believe it.

   Are you guys talking about the series we lost to Tampa Bay

[Devise]

Because of fan and player complaints we have the Cindey rule. Yet diving is rarely enforced. When it is, it's somehow matching minors. If a player dives to draw a penalty, how is there an infraction on the other player? If there was no dive, %99.99998 of the time there is no offending penalty in the first place. Has Cindey ever been suspended for his flagrant diving? Or his widely known dirty play? I don't pay enough attention to dirty players to know.

I don't know if anyone has ever been suspended for diving. But to your diving to draw a penalty argument, there are instances where bringing two players to the box make sense. Not all dives are on plays that aren't penalties. You can get high sticked in the face and no sell it like a man, or you can throw you hands and stick in the air and make it blatantly obvious you were hit. It would still be a dive if they just nicked you and it wasn't nearly as bad as your making it out to be. If your natural reaction to the pain isn't to drop to the ice like a baby, then you should still get called for trying to sell it. Sometimes you'll see the refs get this right.


But more often than they get it wrong and miss the real blatant dives. And the real blatant cheap shots too if we are being honest. As much as we put all this blame on the refs, I think it's one hundred percent on the players. I do think the lack of the enforcer has created a situation where the game isn't nearly as honest as it used to be, but the players themselves still try very hard to manipulate the calls. They complain even when it's close or the ref got the call right but it was close the other way. They sell calls. All teams have players who do this, even us. Players will turn their backs intentionally to draw calls etc. When the refs are being manipulated like that all game, they are naturally going to get shit wrong because they may think a problem player is trying to sell something on either side. And in those instances sometimes hard refs will stop calling anything on either side, you see that sometimes late in playoff games.

[alta]

I don't know if anyone has ever been suspended for diving. But to your diving to draw a penalty argument, there are instances where bringing two players to the box make sense. Not all dives are on plays that aren't penalties. You can get high sticked in the face and no sell it like a man, or you can throw you hands and stick in the air and make it blatantly obvious you were hit. It would still be a dive if they just nicked you and it wasn't nearly as bad as your making it out to be. If your natural reaction to the pain isn't to drop to the ice like a baby, then you should still get called for trying to sell it. Sometimes you'll see the refs get this right.


But more often than they get it wrong and miss the real blatant dives. And the real blatant cheap shots too if we are being honest. As much as we put all this blame on the refs, I think it's one hundred percent on the players. I do think the lack of the enforcer has created a situation where the game isn't nearly as honest as it used to be, but the players themselves still try very hard to manipulate the calls. They complain even when it's close or the ref got the call right but it was close the other way. They sell calls. All teams have players who do this, even us. Players will turn their backs intentionally to draw calls etc. When the refs are being manipulated like that all game, they are naturally going to get shit wrong because they may think a problem player is trying to sell something on either side. And in those instances sometimes hard refs will stop calling anything on either side, you see that sometimes late in playoff games.

Point is, and it was in there, DOP has laid down the law the day after before. On bad hits that deserved further punishment and on hits where the zebras either missed it or like Willy's that were determined it was a legal check. Willy's isn't the first time, by a long shot. If they really wanted to fix diving they could do the same there, as they are fully aware of it.


I don't pay attention to Premier League, but didn't they fix the epic diving they get over there? Where a guy fiends injury only to have the camera show him burying his face in the turf to hide his laughter.

[KitFisto]

   Are you guys talking about the series we lost to Tampa Bay

Yeah

[BlackIce]

Actually, I was thinking and evaluating the Wilson hit pretty carefully over the last day.  Because of the laws of physics, the reason the other player got hit in the face was precisely BECAUSE Wilson followed the league directives regarding hitting, to the letter.  In other words, the calamity occurred precisely BECAUSE the hit was legal.  I'd give a long, detailed explanation, but you all are getting ready for the impending game 5 and wouldn't be interested.

[DC_1908]

Actually, I was thinking and evaluating the Wilson hit pretty carefully over the last day.  Because of the laws of physics, the reason the other player got hit in the face was precisely BECAUSE Wilson followed the league directives regarding hitting, to the letter.  In other words, the calamity occurred precisely BECAUSE the hit was legal.  I'd give a long, detailed explanation, but you all are getting ready for the impending game 5 and wouldn't be interested.

While admirable, that may not of been necessary.


Rule 48, like seemingly over  90% of the NHL rule book is obtoose, subjective nonsense that is designed as marketing, or in support of marketing to “allow” for inconsistent decisions.


When they do these hearings, they do it in reverse logic to create the narrative
-player hurt with ink to the head
-was there a conciussion? No.  But jaw is on the head, so will call it a “head it”, so it looks like we’re roughing up on head injuries.
-So we’re going to do a suspension:  LETS GO FRSNE BY FRANE AND WRITE THE STORY that begins with: “As the video clearly shows. . . “


They had Wilson’s suspension decided when the Hen payed on the ground and Lumpy called Gary and cried about his player getting hurt

Bottom line, the rules are written to allow manipulation and corruption by design.  So the definition of “legal” depends on the narrative they want to promote