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The title says it all. Punish the act, not the result.
What is the act in question? Brooks Orpik’s hit on Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews:
Act: Principal point of contact is the shoulder, puck was just released, elbow and shoulder tucked in.
Result: A rare huge hit delivered on one of the best players in the league. Toews is left injured to what appears to be the shoulder area.
The fact that Jonathan Toews was the recipient of the hit and he was injured is going to give this hit a lot more attention than it normally would.
I don’t believe the act merits discipline. I believe the hit was clean. I believe that is a hit that happens quite often in a game.
I thought the Blackhawks response to the hit was perfect, they chose to dominate the Penguins on the ice. The Penguins were fortunate that the Blackhawks did not tie the game. Instead of worrying about some farcical justice, the Blackhawks just played hockey. Great response. Other teams should take note.
Now if you think that I am playing favorites with my black and gold glasses on, here are two articles from this season where I aggressively condemn James Neal.
I don’t care what jerseys the players wear. I am a fan of hockey first. Jonathan Toews is a treasure that NHL fans are lucky to have. But tonight, Toews was hit hard by a clean hit and unfortunately got hurt. Hockey is still a contact sport.
I hope to see Jonathan Toews back in the near future; it is believed that his injury is day to day.
Here are some quotes from the incident:
Hossa on Orpik: "I know him as a fair guy. Obviously, some calls are tougher than others, and sometimes he’s on the borderline." #Blackhawks
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) March 31, 2014
Sharp on if it was hard after losing Toews: "Not really. It’s just hockey. You lose players all the time, someone’s got to step up."
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) March 31, 2014
Got to see the Toews/Orpik hit. I think the emotion over it is more about the person who got hit than the hit itself.
— Adam Proteau (@Proteautype) March 31, 2014
Orpik didn't want to talk about the hit. Said only, "No penalty. I think that hit happens 10 times a game." #Penguins
— Shelly Anderson (@pgshelly) March 31, 2014
I’ll have opinions about the game itself tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
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