Fighting in hockey

The draft that sent Crosby to the Pens was as rigged as the one that sent Ewing to the Knicks.

 

Bullshit, if they were going to rig it would have gone to Bettmans boy Burke or one Gary's mistakes in the south.

 

Not when Mario Lemieux was making very large noises internally about the mess of that organization which couldn't get a new rink built and owed him millions.

 

So that means it's rigged? I don't buy it for a second.

 

What the draft did do was it saved hockey in Pittsburgh, a bankrupt franchise with a dilapidated building. Had the Penguins left Pittsburgh on Bettman's watch, that would have been even more embarrassing than losing the Thrashers. It is one conspiracy theory I do buy into on the fringe. But also because the Oilers got screwed over in the lottery draft.

 

First post-lockout draft too for what that's worth. And Beef is right, Atlanta bailing for the 'peg is one thing, the pens leaving - whole owing Lemieux (who saved the franchise once before) millions is pretty bad optically.

 

The theory was advanced that having enforcers prevents opponents from "taking liberties" with star players. Clearly it doesn't.

 

Yes it does, concussions are going to happen. Not all concussion come on dirty plays.

 

Smasher - Clearly you don't know what you are talking about.

Crosby was not injured on borderline hits. The root cause of his injury was a collision with Dave Steckel that was, IMO, entirely Crosby's fault as he tried to cut in front of a guy who was moving in a straight line with a lot of speed. There was no penalty on the play, nor should there have been, and there was no retribution nor was the play prevented by the thought of retribution because it was accidental.

The second hit would not have occurred if the athletic trainers for the Pittsburgh Penguins had half a brain among them and held Crosby out with the obvious mild concussion from the first collision. That, more than any hit that occurred, is why he was out and is still out. The Hedman hit was the only one of the three that was a penalty - boarding - but it wasn't particularly vicious. And the presence of a fighter does not prevent a star player from being checked, but it definitely cuts down on the number of head-high hits they have to take.

The third "hit" that caused the re-injury was almost certainly from a collision with him own teammate. I know he's tried to blame a collision with Krecji, but there's a much more jarring hit from another Penguin he took in that game.

Again, I point you to the Gretzky-McSorley-Semenko example. Nowadays, there are fewer true "goons" out there because of the skating requirements to even get on the ice, but having a defenseman or a linemate who can fight absolutely makes most guys think twice about taking big runs at a star player. Find me one team in this league without 1-2 guys who know it's their role to fight if necessary. Even the vaunted pacifist Detroit Red Wings have at least two.

 

McSorely and Gretzky last played together in 96. Is there a more recent example of an enforcer who protects the star?

 

Oh good, the 12 year old is back.

 

Keep taking the high road Snepts.