Kronwall stretchered off the ice

[hf101]

I'm not sure McLeod could have hit him much differently.  Both going for the puck and McLeod delivered his check.  Kronwall turned back put himself in a bad position.   

 

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qhEPbJF2bI8/UmCN2xe8YnI/AAAAAAACRQI/7tgxaLJUJAc/s586/kronwall.gif

[yave1964]

Mcleod targeted the head from my angle. Morons like him and Kaleta have zero business in the game.

[hf101]

If Kronwall was standing straight rather than reaching back for the puck,  it would have been just an ordinary hit along the boards.  The hit also takes place right where the puck is.  

 

I'm curious to see how Shanny views this one.

[Polaris922]

I hope Kronwall is okay, but there's a shred of me that says he can't complain about this hit the way he leaps into others. I sincerely don't wish him hurt though.

[sarsippius]

Hmmm......Kronwall definitely put himself in a bad position. Cant drop your head to stare at the puck when you're flying into the corner with pressure on you.

That said, the player appears to leave his feet, I just can't tell from this angle whether it was before contact was made.

[yave1964]

Not a lot of flowers gonna be sent his way from throughout the league, that is for sure. Seriously though, the boarding call was justified and I hope McLeod gets looked at for this one.

[goalnut3133]

Hmmm, don't like this hit. Seems to me he had time to either ease up or turn away to avoid hitting him smack dab in the noggin'. Kronner was bent over before the impact, not simultaneously.  Probably gonna be a fairly stiff penalty.

[ruxpin]

First, I watched this now from the Red Wings feed and also the Avalanche feed.

 

I have to say the play-by-play guy for the Avalanche was almost gleeful.   The color-commentator (sorry, I don't know the names) was at least somewhat objective and felt it was a bad hit.

 

Second, the color guy for the Avs is right, IMO.  He could certainly see the numbers for long enough that he could have/should have slowed.     I think in the long history of hockey that is considered just an unfortunate consequence of a hard hit, but I have no doubt in my mind that McCleod sits for a few games.

 

Also, I just mentioned this in the shoutbox, but it is more appropriate here.   Did anyone notice the hit by Mitchell on Glendering immediately afterward?  That was pretty much a charging head shot as well.   I wonder if the Kronwall thing hadn't happened if that would have been a call on its own.

[yave1964]

Trevor Thompson ‏@iamtrevort 6s
Just spoke to Nick Kronwall. Knot on his forehead, couple scrapes but says he's fine, upset with putting himself in a bad position. #RedWings

 

  Kronwall blames himself for his positioning allowing the hit to happen. Something you just don't hear of very much.

[hf101]

here is the video

 

[ruxpin]

Kronwall blames himself for his positioning allowing the hit to happen. Something you just don't hear of very much.

 

No, you don't.  I like it.  It's refreshing.  Hope he's alright (and I'm probably the only fan of either Pennsylvania team who does)

[ruxpin]

@hf101

 

That's the better of the two feeds, I think.   Did you think the same about the Avs' play-by-play guy (almost gleeful)?

[yave1964]

Kronner says he will travel with the club to Phoenix and as of right now plans on playing in two nights. It amazes me that these guys can take these hits and plan on playing in two days (whether Holland allows him to or not is another question). I would not be out of bed for a week, lol

[hf101]

@ruxpin

 

I didn't see that feed, but there is mention in the comments. 

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/17/red-wings-niklas-kronwall-stretchered-off-mcleod-ejected-for-boarding/

 

“taste of his own medicine” according to the Avs play-by-play guy.

 

[yave1964]

@ruxpin

 

I didn't see that feed, but there is mention in the comments. 

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/17/red-wings-niklas-kronwall-stretchered-off-mcleod-ejected-for-boarding/

HF I know Kronwall has a rep for his hitting and it is easy to say live by the sword and die by the sword, let me tell you he is hands down bar none the absolute best open ice hitter in the game today, ABOUT THREE GAMES A YEAR. He really is more of a skilled player who drills some hapless sucker two or three times a year into next week. Other than that he is a 25 minute a game d-man with offensive skill who is a bit undersized and gets pushed around a little easier than I would like. His schtick forces other teams to play with their heads on a swivel because you never know if it is the night Kronwall will destroy someone. The last few seasons with the exception of the Voracek destruction most of his pinching in hits have not worked out.

[hf101]

@yave1964

 

Yep, he has a reputation for sure.  And I still think he has gotten away with a few head shots.

Nothing for this shot to the head on Coyle.

 

 

And if today's rules were in place in 2009 he would have been suspended for this hit to the head on Havat.

 

http://youtu.be/3KJm-qcnnC0

 

I was just looking back at some of his hits.   I wonder if tonight was payback for his hit on McGinn last April? 

 

[yave1964]

he more or less whiffed on Mcginn last year. Didn't really do much with the Coyle hit last year either. Frankly players have wised up and move a little more tentatively when he is out there which really was his intent from the get go. He certainly is no Kasparitis or anyone like that..... I would say he might be the new Scott Stevens but you guys had a history with him too.....

[ruxpin]

I wouldn't have given a penalty to any of those, HF (much less a suspension), but I think we argued about the Coyle hit before,  So I won't re-litigate that one.   I love those hits.  I'm sorry, but that's hockey to me.

[yave1964]

I wouldn't have given a penalty to any of those, HF (much less a suspension), but I think we argued about the Coyle hit before,  So I won't re-litigate that one.   I love those hits.  I'm sorry, but that's hockey to me.

totally agree. Again, been argued to death but take away those hits (including the one on Havlat) and it is ice skating.

[Polaris922]

Strongly disagree. Kronwall is one of the sneakiest dirty hitters in the league.

[ruxpin]

Strongly disagree. Kronwall is one of the sneakiest dirty hitters in the league.

 

 

LOL!  Says a guy who cheers for a team who had Ulf Samuelsson (who I loved as a player).    Sneaky-yes.    Dirty-certainly arguable.    Legal-yes.   Highly entertaining-YES

[ruxpin]

@Polaris922

 

You know, I'm thinking about this and now I've said on the same thread that I really like Kronwall and that I really liked Samuelsson.   Aside from the fact that someone will demand I surrender my Flyer-fan card  (kind of like surrendering my Blockbuster card at this point) people are going to start wondering if I also liked Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer.

 

I have always liked players that can keep the opponents honest and aware by having the threat of forever eating through a tube while staying within the letter of the law (although being right up against and bulging that letter).

 

Ulf, Kromwell, Stevens, Dale Hunter, etc.   There's a bit of an art form to it.   It's a delicate act and as a result, sometimes they cross.  At that point discipline is warranted.   But even a very skilled lion tamer sometimes gets bitten.  

 

And then there are players that just simply disregard the line and are complete imbeciles.    Felons on ice, if you will.  

 

Raffi Torres, Marty McSorely, Steve Downie, Sidney Crosby, Kasparitus, Bertuzzi, Sean Avery, etc.

 

 

There's just a difference to me.   This analogy just occurred to me.  I don't know if it works, but I like the hell out of it.   To me it's the difference between the person who is able to rip off the imbecile who really thought he had a long lost uncle in Nigeria and that $5000 through western union would really give him access to the millions (that dude deserves to get hit by being too utterly stupid to protect himself) and the guy who just randomly knifes someone in the middle of the food court at the mall (Bertuzzi, Torres, Downie, et al.).

[Haliax]

I don't really see anything wrong with those Kronwall hits. People only focus on him because he gets big hits like that more often than most. Thinking that he deserves to get injured because he throws big hits is a ridiculous mindset.

 

I didn't think there was too much wrong with this hit on Kronwall either. He said it himself, he put himself in that position to get hurt. Hopefully it is just mild and he doesn't miss time. It's still a bad hit and earned the penalty, but I don't really think McLeod deserves a suspension.

[flyerrod]

He certainly is no Kasparitis or anyone like that..... I would say he might be the new Scott Stevens but you guys had a history with him too.....

Kronwall takes fights with the same frequency that Kasparitus did but he does not hit like him.He tends to hit high like Scotty Stevens did but Stevens was never shy about dropping the mitts which Kronwall rarely if ever does. I would be a liar if I said I shed a tear for Kronwall (barring tears of joy) and it is satisfying to see him get a little come uppance. If it happened to him more frequently I think he might tone down some of his "borderline" hits but I seriously doubt he changes anything. I agree with @Haliax, bad hit, penalty called move on. Kronwall put himself in the position to be hit like that, he even said so himself.

[Habsterix]

I hate seeing stuff like that... I truly do. I can't help myself but to think back, however, at the good ol' days when players knew how to protect themselves, meaning that they rarely faced the boards, instead going shoulder to shoulder before going in the corners and the strongest one, the one who stood up, would take the puck. Today, the "winner" would take an interference penalty.

 

Since the arrival of several European players in the NHL, and the newer rules of hitting from behind, players are now using that position in order to avoid getting hit and it has now become second nature to do so. It's a fast game, with tons of intensity and a lot of money and importance, as much for the players as for the teams, is on the line and players put themselves at risk more than ever, with hope and a prayer that they won't get hit while in a vulnerable position. The onus is now 100% on the player forechecking and that, in my opinion, it absolutely wrong.

 

Hockey changes... rules do to. But this is living proof that it's not always for the best.

 

Hoping for speedy recoveries for both Boyle and Kronwall.