Malkin gets game for swinging stick (poll)

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I voted option 2... Just right, no actual contact, dangerous play.

 

First off, side note...
Interesting that this incident with Malkin happens when just the other day, BEFORE any of this, while talking with some other hockey fans, one Pittsburgh fan in particular was absolutely INCENSED at me, because I said about Malkin:

"I think Malkin is a fantastic player, but what may ultimately hold him back from true greatness is his overall smarts. He can be easily baited and made to act in a way that can hurt his own team. Players like Crosby and Ovechkin are certainly targeted as well by other teams, but they are much smarter about picking their spots, even if they too lose their cool on occasion.
Malkin is ticking time bomb just waiting to go off if agitated enough."

 

He replied that "Angry Malkin is a scoring machine and that I was full of %$#@"

 

I wonder how many goals Malkin is gonna score while he cools his jets and the team plays on without him? Seems to me, Pittsburgh could use his goals ON the ice...not in the pressbox, no?

 

Anyways,  yea, this is nothing new with MalkinStein. Really good player, but just get someone to get under his skin a bit, and the guy just unravels.

 

Secondly, hats off to @yave1964 , I love the points he made regarding this incident.
Love reading his stuff and he certainly is a much more entertaining and thought provoking poster than some others who think they are writers, or even some so-called professionals who seem to "write" with a hockey stick firmly shoved up their bums.
And I don't always even agree with Yave, but the man can make some points...…. if I ever need a public defender and I am guilty as sin over something, I want HIM representing me.

As always, good stuff Sir.

But I digress.....
I agree with the punishment Malkin got, I think Raffl SHOULD have gotten at least a cross checking or a roughing penalty prior to things happening the way they did, and had the ref made a call then, perhaps Malkin doesn't do his impersonation of George Washington chopping down the Raffl tree.....then again, maybe it just delays the incident to another point in time when someone ELSE agitates MalkinStein enough to get him to act that way...…. really doesn't seem that difficult to get him there, that is for sure.

 

Did Raffl's actions warrant him being beheaded (or at least, an attempted beheading)? Absolutely not. But his hitting from behind, to the head, etc, definitely warranted some attention from the official.
Did Malkin INTEND to behead Raffl? Only MalkinStein knows for sure.

But MAN, that sure looks that way from where everyone watching saw it. Of course, since this IS Malkin, he could have just as easily just reacted without thinking... 'Hey, his %$#@hole is crosschecking me...hitting me in the head...why I outta…"  (Arm swings wildly, stick in had...SWOOSH)...and thankfully for all involved, he missed.

 

Either way, whether he intended to or not, it was a dangerous play, and simply not acceptable, no matter whether he missed or not. Period.
The NHL states with your standard high sticking penalties that the player is responsible for his stick, no?
So, if you clip someone "by accident" you are still looking at a two minute minor...maybe four if the guy you hit has thin facial skin, or you crack his mascara.

 

Seems to me, swinging your arm around with a stick attached to it would apply here....and NO, we aren't gonna wait to see if it connects or not.

"Angry Geno the Scoring Machine"
Sounds like the title of a good book.