Stoll hit on Fowler (No discipline action)

[Digityman]

Did this hit deserve a suspension?

The hit itself was somewhat overshadowed by the Bryan Allen-Jordan Nolan fight, but the aftermath wasn’t — Fowler left the game with an upper-body injury and didn’t return, much to the consternation of the Ducks.

“If you saw the replay, Stoll hit him pretty good from behind,” Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau told the OC Register. “And I can understand why the refs didn’t call it. One was getting taken out. There’s another fight going on.

“But surely, you know, I saw the numbers when Stoll hit him. It was right from behind.”

Stoll defended his actions, saying he was actually trying to guide Fowler into the boards.

“I was just trying to carry him in and not go full bore at him,” Stoll explained (via Mayors’ Manor.) “So, I tried my best to do that, so we’ll see what happens.

“I didn’t want to push him in, so that’s why I grabbed the jersey a little bit.”

The Ducks haven’t given an update as to Fowler’s health. The entire team had a full day off Sunday, and team officials didn’t expect to update his status until Monday.

NBC Sports

[fan4ever]

Absolutely, classic boarding in my mind!

[flyerrod]

It looked like he grabbed his jersey so he could make sure he face planted him into the boards with his follow through......He probably would have left his feet and try to jump to avoid him if he had not been following through so well.......

[Podein25]

Absolutely, classic boarding in my mind!

On first view it looks like it, but then you look at it again and ask "why does Fowler stop like that and turn into the boards, at the worse possible time and angle?" And then you see that the goddamn ref is in his way and he's trying to avoid him! Bad situation all around.

My advice to Cam there would be: "keep going, run over the ref if you have to (maybe fire the puck high off the glass first to try and clear it)., but don't stop there. Better to kill the ref than scrape your brains off the glass."

[DaGreatGazoo]

I think it is classic boarding as well..but I'm not sure it's suspendable either. Every boarding penalty doesn't warrant a suspension, and in my opinion, this is one of them. To me, it looks like Fowler either ducks/crouches down at the last second, or loses his footing, which makes it even result even worse.

[jammer2]

@Podein25 At first glance, that's what I thought as well, Fowler put himself in a horrible position when he stopped at the worst possible point...and it even looked like he ducked down a bit just before the contact was made....if he was standing straight up, his head does not get crushed like that.

[Podein25]

@jammer2

Yeah, I don't quite understand why he seems to duck down/lean into the boards.

Partly just physics I guess, to do with stopping, maybe looking down to ensure the puck is still safe and preparing to go the other way. All in all, he's lucky not to have broken his neck. If Stoll had really wanted to hurt him he surely could have 'cause that's about as vulnerable a spot as a guy can be in.

Edited February 4, 2013 by Podein25

[mojo1917]

@Podein25

@jammer2

@DaGreatGazoo

thanks, when i watched that real time i thought, as you guys did that fowler made that situation every bit as dangerous as stoll.

then the slow motion replay where you see stoll "finishing his check" made me question what i saw real time.

i agree all around that fowler bears some of the blame for the outcome of that play as well as the ref.