Id like to say Im surprised but Im not. TSNs Darren Dreger reports that the NHL will not be handing out a suspension to Boston D Johnny Boychuk for his head hunting of Chicago Captain Jonathon Toews.
Boston Typical.
Total sham and embarrassment for the NHL.
B
ston Bruins D, Johnny Boychuk, has a penchant for smashing the heads of his opponents. Sadly, Boychuk gets away with his idiocy.
If you missed Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, then you missed Boychuk's most recent flagrant head shot on an opponent. His victim: Blackhawks captain Jonathon Toews. Boychuk wasn't penalized for his dangerous disregard for Toews' head:
I see this as a Rule 48 violation as there's no question that Boychuk's principle point of contact was the head of Toews. Boychuk intended to scramble the brain of Toews. Mission accomplished.
In case you are a little fuzz on Rule 48, here's a refresher course:
Rule 48 - Illegal Check to the Head
48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.
48.2 Minor Penalty - For violation of this rule, a minor penalty shall be assessed.
48.3 Major Penalty - There is no provision for a major penalty for this rule.
48.4 Game Misconduct Penalty – There is no provision for a major penalty for this rule.
48.5 Match Penalty - The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent with an illegal check to the head.
If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion.
48.6 Fines and Suspensions – Any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconducts under this rule, in either regular League or playoff games, shall be suspended automatically for the next game his team plays. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.
If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion (refer to Rule 28).
Its hard to predict what penalties are going to be called in the Cup Finals because the refs swallow their whistles after the first period of games. Penalties called in the first period are time and time ignored in the late stages of the game and definitely not called in OT.
Typical NHL. Great battle between two great tea,s. Sketchy, inconsistent officiating.
Before the injury, Bickell-Toews-Kane had struck for two goals to make it a one-sided 2-0 game. The tip line of the Hawks was making the Lucic-Krejci-Horton-Chara-Seidenberg line crazy. The Bruins goon it up while 29-19-88 proceeded to fly up and down the ice.
Toews had win 75% of his draws (9 for 12). 75%. He had one hit, one takeaway and one blocked shot.
He had assists on both Kane goals.
He skated only 18 shifts for 12:56 TOI. Coach Quenneville kept Toews on the bench for the entire third period. He didn't get one shift in the final period.
Toews easily the best player on the ice for his team.
In his post Game 5 presser, Coach Quenneville called this series a "war". He said that Toews has an "upper body" ailment and je's hopeful for his captain to return to the lineup to play in Game 6 in Boston.
Thanks, Blackhawks TV
In my opinion, Boychuk took the law into his own hands when he gonged Toews. I think Boychuk deserves at the very least a one game suspension.
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