Hockey agent Allan Walsh was watching the Chicago-Phoenix playoff game on tv in the Northern California home of 1 of his clients Tuesday evening whenever a whistle stopped play and that he saw the Blackhawks' Marian Hossa laying around the ice.
"It had not been before the replay that you will saw what went down,Inch Walsh stated inside a telephone interview Wednesday.
From 4 or 5 angles, he viewed Coyotes enforcer Raffi Torres leave his ft and throw his left shoulder with all of his might underneath the face of Hossa, knocking him flat on his back.
"I understood immediately it had been as dirty a success as possible,Inch Walsh stated.
Stunningly, Torres didn't get a penalty as Hossa was shackled by a stretcher and brought towards the hospital. Hossa was later launched and can not have the ability to play in Thursday's Game 4 from the series.
Minutes later, Walsh continued Twitter to publish a chilling question:
"It has spiraled from unmanageable to total chaos. Will we actually need a person to die around the ice with this madness to prevent?Inch
As dramatic because it sounds, that's the question from the hour within the NHL 2010 nfl playoffs, that have converted into an awkward display of headhunting and thuggery at any given time when other leagues - namely the National football league- have grown to be serious about mind injuries and intentional attacks within their game.
"The NHL appears to simply respond and bang the drum of significant change, although maybe temporarily, when confronted with a media and fan firestorm over an accidents around the ice," Walsh stated. "I meant (the tweet) just as much to state, 'Is this what it takes for that league to finally take this problem seriously?' "
One only hope. The NHL 2010 nfl playoffs have barely begun, and already eight gamers happen to be suspended and 2 others happen to be penalized. Torres is nearly sure to be started out as he includes a hearing Friday he's suspended a minimum of for now. When the league is seriously interested in preventing this rash of violence, his punishment ought to be severe, as with, we'll help you pick up. Why must he be permitted back whatsoever throughout the 2010 nfl playoffs?
To date, the NHL continues to be delivering a myriad of strange, mixed messages to problem gamers. Some hits earn headgear others don't. Nashville star Shea Weber condemned Detroit forward Henrik Zetterberg's mind in to the glass in the finish of Game 1 of the series and also got away having a fine of just $2,500.
"If Weber was suspended for seven games, every player might have taken notice," Walsh stated. "It had been the very first significant mind shot from the 2010 nfl playoffs, and (NHL senior v . p . of player safety) Brendan Shanahan didn't do anything. That insufficient action stated, 'This is business as always.' That opened up the floodgates."
What is so surprising concerning the uneven response in the NHL to those crazy hits would be that the league includes a serious concussion problem, Walsh stated. It is a subject he's discussed and talked about frequently recently. "15 percent from the entire league was concussed this season,Inch he stated, "with injuries severe enough to overlook a minumum of one game. That's over 100 gamers."
Ironically, a primary reason is the fact that gamers now are extremely protected by hard-spend padding, "body armor," because he known as it, they feel they've free rein hitting competitors harder. "In 1970, these were putting on foam padding. You speak with gamers from that point plus they state that once they accustomed to hit somebody, it hurt. It had been painful. Even physical men could only hit so difficult because there is no one armor.
"Now, the gamers seem like transformers. The first intent ended up being to safeguard the players' shoulders. But a consequence is the fact that now, artists are using their shoulders against other individuals jaws. Which has brought towards the elevated frequency of concussions."
The NHL sees this just as much ado about hardly any. "This really is like people worrying concerning the rain at Woodstock," Toronto gm John Burke told USA TODAY Sports inside a quote that's making the models. "Yes, there is plenty of dirt, however it was the finest music gathering ever.Inch
Hockey fans clearly love fighting and striking. It will help drive interest and television rankings. But at what cost?
"With all of these concussions, with a few men getting had three in junior hockey and six within the NHL, what's going to their quality of existence be when they are fifty years old?Inch Walsh requested. "Can they be married with three kids and struggling with early onset dementia? Within the NHL, we do not understand what the reply is.Inch
RSS Feed