Remember this?

[brelic]

I remember this like it was yesterday. This one hit in particular and the one Scott Stevens laid on him in the playoffs are burned in my mind forever. It actually makes me sick to watch it.

Even worse are those ****ers on the Pens bench congratulating Kasparitis. The league has come a long way, and anyone who says that it's becoming too 'soft' just needs to look at this. There's no place for deliberate hits to the head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tylu3vEWwE4&feature=player_embedded

[flyercanuck]

I'd rather not.

[brelic]

I'd rather not.

I know.

And those hits were deemed clean, hockey hits at the time. I love big open ice hits, but I never like seeing a guy who can barely stand up afterward.

[flyercanuck]

Stevens made a living off those hits. OK, he was a good defencemen without them,, but they were his trademark.

[hf101]

Last week or so, Lindros was on WIP and stated that it was "this" hit which is the one that was the worst and essentially changed his career.

[s3x]

Crazy to think Darius is going to be on the ice at the Alumni game, along with Chris & John, who of course were the ones that escorted Big E off the ice.

Edited December 13, 2011 by s3x

[doom88]

Ugh. Not watching that again, but a good history lesson. So. Angry.

[Lindbergh31]

I remember this like it was yesterday. This one hit in particular and the one Scott Stevens laid on him in the playoffs are burned in my mind forever. It actually makes me sick to watch it.

Even worse are those ****ers on the Pens bench congratulating Kasparitis. The league has come a long way, and anyone who says that it's becoming too 'soft' just needs to look at this. There's no place for deliberate hits to the head.

http://www.youtube.c...player_embedded

Is it ironic that now Pens fans aren't cheering about the hit on Crosby by Steckel and now Crosby is going through the same things as Lindros went through after the Kasparitis hit. Sadly Lindros was never the same after that Kasparitis hit and it looks like Crosby will never be the same. The Pens management should have told Sid to take the year off.

[Lucky13]

Ugh, I hadn't thought about that one in a long time.

Totally classless the way Kasparaitis and the other Penguins are smiling and laughing on the bench. #($*^ers.

[Dynamo 47]

Stevens made a living off those hits. OK, he was a good defencemen without them,, but they were his trademark.

True but one thing people forget about Stevens was that earlier in his career he was notorious for the dangerous checks at the knees. So he graduated from cheap shots at the knees to shots to the head. I still think the hit to Lindros in the 2000 playoffs was late and I definitely think the hit to Kariya in the playoffs was cheap. Kariya delivered the pass and it was like 1001, 1002 and then Stevens hit him.

Cheap as hell - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8up-tkxZ4r8

Here is one of his hits low on Domi. No love lost on Domi but he still could have seriously hurt him.

[Dynamo 47]

Stevens made a living off those hits. OK, he was a good defencemen without them,, but they were his trademark.

Here are some more; specifically going low on Leclair and Antoski and one of my favorites is eating some lefts from Dave Brown.

Here is the cheap shot artist going low on Leclair (2x) and Antoski -

I wish I had the Philadelphia feed in which Gene Hart and the color guy were ripping Stevens saying that now he is brave that the linesmen are in there -

[Dynamo 47]

Is it ironic that now Pens fans aren't cheering about the hit on Crosby by Steckel and now Crosby is going through the same things as Lindros went through after the Kasparitis hit. Sadly Lindros was never the same after that Kasparitis hit and it looks like Crosby will never be the same. The Pens management should have told Sid to take the year off.

I wasn't as pissed about the hit as the reaction of the Penguins. That alone should have cleared the benches.

But Eric has some moments against Kaspar as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fss1Qbl_gJA

[Dynamo 47]

Sorry last one. Someone should have shown Spicoli (from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) that you live by the sword (cheapshot) you die by it if you aren't prepared to drop your gloves

[flyercanuck]

We may as well include this...

[brelic]

The ironic this is that Stevens retired due to consussions too, didn't he? Anyway, the big thing I noticed with these hits is the lack of response by teammates.

I remember this Lindros hit on Dackell too... I was at the game and working for the Senators as part of gameday enterainment. We were the musicians that played live during TV timeouts and whistle stoppages. Well, when this hit happened, our game day producer just yelled out "play something!" because of their irrational fear of silence. My buddy, the keyboard player, was caught off guard and started playing this mellow piano bit that the journalists referred to the next day as a 'funeral dirge'. Anyway, he got razzed about that for quite a while.

[The Quigster]

Wayne Simmonds is the first stand-up guy the Flyers have had in a long time.

[Mad Dog]

The ironic this is that Stevens retired due to consussions too, didn't he?

I believe he did. But I don't remember any details surrounding his concussion. Does anybody remember how he got it?

[flyercanuck]

Stevens had many concussions. But the last one was a Pavel Kubina slapshot.

[brelic]

I believe he did. But I don't remember any details surrounding his concussion. Does anybody remember how he got it?

Here it is...

[Flyguys03]

Tough to watch, but clean hit. Gotta keep your head up when crossing the blueline.

[brelic]

Tough to watch, but clean hit. Gotta keep your head up when crossing the blueline.

For sure, but then the hitter doesn't have to target the head either. Until there are really severe penalties for it, it won't stop. I mean, look at what Downie got for hitting McAmmond... has *anyone* in the league gotten as severe a suspension since that time? Why didn't Steckl get 20 games, just like Downie? It was a deliberate hit to the head. Makes no sense... very Romper Room kind of discipline.

[Flyguys03]

How exactly should he have not targeted the head? Lindros' head was very low. Kasper went in for a legal check to the chest area. It just happens that lindro's head was in front of his chest instead of up where it should have been.

Steckl was incidental contact. He wasn't even looking at crosby when they hit each other.

[flyerrod]

I mean, look at what Downie got for hitting McAmmond... has *anyone* in the league gotten as severe a suspension since that time?

Schubert had just planted/ cross checked Downie face first into the boards in front of the ref and no call..Downie looked the ref straight in the eye and then headed towards McCammond like a freight train. To his credit, he got the ref to raise his arm.........

[brelic]

Look at this one...

I don't think anyone forgets this hit. And on the reverse angle, you can see Campbell leading with his shoulder to the head. He sent Umberger to another planet.

[xganarchy]

The Lindros hit(s) and the Umberger hit were "legal" then. It just pisses me off that everyone at the time was "oh well Lindros needs to skate with his head up!" (which was valid), BUT what were people saying when Richards leveled Booth? Fans were crying that it was dirty, illegal, etc. Now the league decides to start cracking down (rightfully so) AFTER we lose our best player in decades to concussions. Just the kind of luck Philly fans are used to i guess....