Considering that the league sided with the Jackets and ruled that Derek Dorsett was on the ice as a result of a shift change and did not leave the bench to retaliate against Scuderi, and that the hit has been analyzed by those more knowledgeable than I and determined to be borderline legal/illegal, I'm OK with this. I would have preferred a suspension, but the attention given to Scuderi's thuggish tactics and the fact that he was actually fined even out in my mind.
Of course, that presumes that Jason Chimera is still OK. His neck bent in a really odd way when it hit the ice. I really hope that he feels well. I've grown to appreciate Jason this season as a real warrior, having already come back from a concussion resulting from the also-thuggish Belanger hit in the preseason.
I believe that Scuderi should have sat out one game. I do not believe he is a dirty player, but it was a bad hit.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts, Mr. Dark Blue Jacket, on the Richards hit on Booth? I cannot believe Richards got no punishment for that. It seems like there are a lot of bad hits happening this season. Do you think the NHL will step in at some point and change the rules?
Yeah, one game is fair to me.
ReplyDeleteI think this "Dirty Player" thing is a ruse. The NHL should remove that from consideration. If the hit is worthy of a punishment, dish out the punishment and deter future hits.
"Honest, officer, I'm a good person with no criminal record. I didn't mean to blow his head off with the shotgun that I went an purchased today!" Silliness, I tell you.
As for the Richards hit, I will plead ignorance. I have not seen it once but hear that it was as brutal as Chimera's first hit in the preseason from Belanger. If so, throw the book at the perpetrator. I don't care who you are and who you play for. Someone's going to get hurt...or die...out there.