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Dubinsky Won't Be Disciplined by NHL for Koivu Hit: Right Call? |
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They say winning can take its toll on a team and that seems to be especially true for the Anaheim Ducks.
Anaheim came away with their second win in a row after taking down the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Sunday night. While the wins keep piling up for the Ducks, so do the injuries. This time it was veteran center Saku Koivu taking his licks.
Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky was given a major for interference and a game misconduct after he hit Koivu in the face late in the second period. The blow appeared to be a direct hit to Koivu's jaw, which left the vet laying prone on the ice and needing assistance to get back to the locker room.
Koivu becomes the latest casualty for the Ducks. Anaheim is already without Jakob Silfverberg, Mathieu Perreault, Viktor Fasth and Luca Sbisa just to name a few.
I feel like a broken record saying this but the injury bug has taken up permanent residence in Anaheim. The difference with Saku's injury is that it came from play that could have been avoided. As soon as Dubinksy lifted his elbow, I feel he was making a concerted effort to injure or maim his opponent and this is not the first time the Jackets forward has been involved in a questionable hit.
Apparently the NHL and I disagree on this...
The league has has elected to let this one slide. How many more need to be injured from these type of hit before the players decide to man up and learn to be more responsible with their hits? At this point somebody is going to have to die on the ice for things to change. It's obvious the NHL looks at this much differently than me by not even scheduling a hearing with Dubinsky.
I know there are many factors that go into the NHL's decision to suspend or not suspend and I respect that. I do, however, think the league has to do a better job of protecting its players. I think today's ruling or non-ruling sends a poor message to the rest of the league.
What do you guys think? Am I overreacting or should Dubinsky have received some type of additional punishment for the hit?
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