i just dont know if i can take another franchise player with no timetable anymore. it is getting ridiculous.
- stayinthefnnet

Well we arent going to get any good answers today most likely

Well we arent going to get any good answers today most likely
- Gunner Staal

What concerns me is not today, but tomorrow, since it sounds like his symptoms took a couple days to manifest last time.

What concerns me is not today, but tomorrow, since it sounds like his symptoms took a couple days to manifest last time.
- Emperor Filonius

At least this time they understand that time frame better. They should be experts by now.

i am actually more concerned about letang for playoff hockey than an unrelated topic. the pens are fluctuating between 4th and 6th in the standings. he eats a lot of minutes, is an offensive threat and is in the line up for the shoot out.

i am guessing lovejoy is back in the line up for a good while?? i am also interested in mr shanahan's interpretation of this. i was surprised to hear milbury's stat on 1100 reported concussions. that was kind of shocking to me. i love when those hits happen but i also dont want to see those players off the ice for periods of time. i hope this is not a long term injury.
- i'mjustafan

Simon Despres is also a great option. After looking at the hit multiple times I am leaning that it was more of a hit to the shoulder/chest. This may be me hoping and wishing more then anything but I don't think he wil be out long.

Simon Despres is also a great option. After looking at the hit multiple times I am leaning that it was more of a hit to the shoulder/chest. This may be me hoping and wishing more then anything but I don't think he wil be out long.
- kgrpitt

Despres should always be an option. I don't have many reservations about him.

Despres should always be an option. I don't have many reservations about him.
- Gunner Staal

Neither do I! As I see it I think they should call him up to get more experience in case we need him for the playoffs.

The Letang injury takes away from what was a really good, hard fought win. If he's out 'indefinitely' we're in trouble. Let's just hope he's not.

The Letang injury takes away from what was a really good, hard fought win. If he's out 'indefinitely' we're in trouble. Let's just hope he's not.
- canadianpenfan

It was a fantastically entertaining game.

For anyone who says that was a clean hit, I go back to the litmus test. Would you be saying the same thing if Matt Cooke did that?

For anyone who says that was a clean hit, I go back to the litmus test. Would you be saying the same thing if Matt Cooke did that?
- stevens87

It wasn't clean, it was a roughing penalty.

It wasn't clean, it was a roughing penalty.
- Gunner Staal

I like the people who keep saying "well Letang's head was down." So freaking what? Just because your head is down that makes it OK for someone else to try and take your head off? Plus, if Mike Milbury thinks it's a dirty hit, you have to wonder.

I like the people who keep saying "well Letang's head was down." So freaking what? Just because your head is down that makes it OK for someone else to try and take your head off? Plus, if Mike Milbury thinks it's a dirty hit, you have to wonder.
- stevens87

It wasn't that his head was down, its that he put his head at an extremely low elevation and left himself vulnerable. Nystrom certainly could have played his part different but his elbow and arm were tucked in. Both players were careless and thus you have a hockey play with an injury that neither player wanted before the play transpired.

Moving forward players will have to change their mindset of hitting. Hitting needs to have a main purpose of acquiring puck possession, not to inflict bodily harm. That is a culture change that will have to happen eventually.

At least the Pens have a few days to watch him... I'm sure he's out Saturday, so that gets them until Monday, and they have a chance to have their team doctors look at him before rushing any decision.

At least the Pens have a few days to watch him... I'm sure he's out Saturday, so that gets them until Monday, and they have a chance to have their team doctors look at him before rushing any decision.
- rival22

I'm confident they won't make the same mistakes they did last time with him. If they do then that is damning.

I like the people who keep saying "well Letang's head was down." So freaking what? Just because your head is down that makes it OK for someone else to try and take your head off? Plus, if Mike Milbury thinks it's a dirty hit, you have to wonder.
- stevens87

I didn't think it was a terribly dirty hit. Thought it was one that should have been avoided. And it's a perfect example of what they want to eliminate from hockey and want guys to show some respect for each other. Hopefully he is ok.

It wasn't that his head was down, its that he put his head at an extremely low elevation and left himself vulnerable. Nystrom certainly could have played his part different but his elbow and arm were tucked in. Both players were careless and thus you have a hockey play with an injury that neither player wanted before the play transpired.

Moving forward players will have to change their mindset of hitting. Hitting needs to have a main purpose of acquiring puck possession, not to inflict bodily harm. That is a culture change that will have to happen eventually.
- Gunner Staal

It's interesting to think about... all of this comes down to the players changing their way of doing something, and both sides are right.

Old school people say that players, like Letang in this situation, need to better protect themselves, and to be aware of putting themselves in danger. Players are willing to take bad hits to draw calls.

More progressive hockey people say that the hitters need to have more respect when hitting other players, and like you said in the last paragraph, "change their mindset of hitting."

Instead of this being a one on one debate like dumb and dumber had on TV last night, if both approaches were followed, we'd have less and less of these hits.

It wasn't that his head was down, its that he put his head at an extremely low elevation and left himself vulnerable. Nystrom certainly could have played his part different but his elbow and arm were tucked in. Both players were careless and thus you have a hockey play with an injury that neither player wanted before the play transpired.

Moving forward players will have to change their mindset of hitting. Hitting needs to have a main purpose of acquiring puck possession, not to inflict bodily harm. That is a culture change that will have to happen eventually.
- Gunner Staal

Listening to NHL on XM this morning, the one guy brought up a good point along those lines. Im summarizing, but basically he said that Letang shouldnt have to worry about being vulnerable because he is the one playing the puck. This isnt a situation of a guy blatantly turning his back to draw a boarding penalty. He goes for the puck. Nystrom doesnt attempt to play the puck, but instead goes for the hit, which would be an OK play if he doesnt make principal contact with the head. Letang already beat him to playing the puck when Nystrom decides the next best thing to do is lay the hit, therefore he is responsible for his actions.
In the end, Nystrom doesnt have to make that hit. Look at Cooke, this season he doesnt make that hit. He has changed his game. Whether or not Cooke would be crucified for the same hit is irrelevant. What matters is that players who typically make those kinds of questionable hits are capable of changing their game and Cooke is the evidence.

It's interesting to think about... all of this comes down to the players changing their way of doing something, and both sides are right.

Old school people say that players, like Letang in this situation, need to better protect themselves, and to be aware of putting themselves in danger. Players are willing to take bad hits to draw calls.

More progressive hockey people say that the hitters need to have more respect when hitting other players, and like you said in the last paragraph, "change their mindset of hitting."

Instead of this being a one on one debate like dumb and dumber had on TV last night, if both approaches were followed, we'd have less and less of these hits.
- rival22

I was lucky enough to have interactions with a former NHL defensemen who recently retired from pro hockey and he had that criticism. Hitting to hurt the other guy needs to end and hitting for puck possession needs to be priority 1.

Listening to NHL on XM this morning, the one guy brought up a good point along those lines. Im summarizing, but basically he said that Letang shouldnt have to worry about being vulnerable because he is the one playing the puck. This isnt a situation of a guy blatantly turning his back to draw a boarding penalty. He goes for the puck. Nystrom doesnt attempt to play the puck, but instead goes for the hit, which would be an OK play if he doesnt make principal contact with the head. Letang already beat him to playing the puck when Nystrom decides the next best thing to do is lay the hit, therefore he is responsible for his actions.
In the end, Nystrom doesnt have to make that hit. Look at Cooke, this season he doesnt make that hit. He has changed his game. Whether or not Cooke would be crucified for the same hit is irrelevant. What matters is that players who typically make those kinds of questionable hits are capable of changing their game and Cooke is the evidence.
- Rawdog9755

Can't argue with much of that. Nystrom surely is not innocent in any of it. If he had the mindset of hitting for puck possession, that play never happens.

The way I see it- Nystrom committed to the hit, didn't alter his path and kept his elbows down. Honestly, he could have pulled up but Letang put himself in that position. If there was more respect amongst players in this game Nystrom probably turns and avoids him. With that said he did nothing wrong imo and to anser the above post, Cooke is a bad example. If anyone else threw that hit on one of the Stars and got suspended I would be pissed. Cooke will get suspended for singing if they hear him.

What Letang did by lunging for the puck is no different than a player who turns to face the boards when he knows a hit is coming. It's really hard to kill your momentum once you've committed to a hit.

Listening to NHL on XM this morning, the one guy brought up a good point along those lines. Im summarizing, but basically he said that Letang shouldnt have to worry about being vulnerable because he is the one playing the puck. This isnt a situation of a guy blatantly turning his back to draw a boarding penalty. He goes for the puck. Nystrom doesnt attempt to play the puck, but instead goes for the hit, which would be an OK play if he doesnt make principal contact with the head. Letang already beat him to playing the puck when Nystrom decides the next best thing to do is lay the hit, therefore he is responsible for his actions.
In the end, Nystrom doesnt have to make that hit. Look at Cooke, this season he doesnt make that hit. He has changed his game. Whether or not Cooke would be crucified for the same hit is irrelevant. What matters is that players who typically make those kinds of questionable hits are capable of changing their game and Cooke is the evidence.
- Rawdog9755

That's the entire point. Principal contact wouldn't of been the head if Letang stays upright.

I don't like the Letang is to blame for putting himself in that position argument. Letang moved to try and avoid a hit by Nystrom, I am not going to penalize a guy for trying to avoid a hit. The cleanest of hits can still injure, so i don't see it being a problem a guy trying to protect himself. Had Nystrom played the puck and tried to hit letang where the puck was being played this would have been a non-issue because the hit would have missed. Instead Nystrom doesn't play the puck and changes his course to make sure he still gets Letang who is in a worse off position because he was trying to avoid the hit in the first place.

And to the guys who say they would have made the same hit. You are saying with a chance to keep the puck in your offensive zone, you ignore it and go for a hit that doesn't separate the player from the puck because it is already gone? That makes zero hockey sense to me. Nystrom realizes he isn't going to get to the puck before Letang, he has the chance to pinch against the boards and keep the puck in play, but he goes away from the puck to make a hit.

I like the people who keep saying "well Letang's head was down." So freaking what? Just because your head is down that makes it OK for someone else to try and take your head off? Plus, if Mike Milbury thinks it's a dirty hit, you have to wonder.
- stevens87

Well... I wouldn't rely on Milbury as evidence for your argument. The only guy whose opinion I respect less is Roenick's. Both are insufferable. I usually turn down the sound when those guys blather. It's hard to believe NBC has finally given the kind of coverage that hockey deserves and they have tools like those two ruining it.

I'd say your point with Cooke is spot on however. If Cooke did that, we're probably looking at 10 games at least........plus about 200 posts about what a dirty vag he is....

And to the guys who say they would have made the same hit. You are saying with a chance to keep the puck in your offensive zone, you ignore it and go for a hit that doesn't separate the player from the puck because it is already gone? That makes zero hockey sense to me. Nystrom realizes he isn't going to get to the puck before Letang, he has the chance to pinch against the boards and keep the puck in play, but he goes away from the puck to make a hit.
- PensFan1103

I am one of those people. You are taught that when you are taking the body to take the body, once you commit you commit to it. That eliminates any gray area where you pull up out of the hit AND miss the puck as well. It was clear Nystrom committed to the hit from the onset.

That is how most of these players were brought up. Myself included. If I still played check hockey I would have to change that mindset moving forward.

I am curuious what the discussion would be if it was Tangradi and not Letang.

Letang was playing the puck after coming off the boards from a hit, he was looking down yes, but he was trying to corral the puck. the hitter made no attempt to play the puck at all, and once he figured out he couldn't he went all in on the hit. This is the exact reason Max Pac was suspended for his hit on Letang. The head may not have been the target, but no effort was made on the puck

This should be an easy 2 games for Shannahan to dish out. But as we all have seen, he might not levy a fine.