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Our Flyers site, Broad Street Hockey, has their initial reaction to the Salmela hit:
It wasn’t a terribly late hit regardless, but if the argument is that Carter caught Salmela late, the obvious rebuttal is that if Michael Leighton makes the initial save, Salmela is right in front of him to bang home a rebound. Carter took care of that. Otherwise, I would say that this is an unnecessary hit, but given that little nuance it’s hard to make that judgment.
Travis is right in this case in that the hit is unnecessary but its another hit for the league to look at trying to phase out of the game. For a player to rebreak his nose and lose several teeth is ridiculous for a hit that is technically legal.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Anssi Salmela had made a great play, but paid a devastating price.
After taking a great breakout pass while on the penalty kill from Travis Zajac, Salmela streaked across the blue line and around the Philadelphia Flyers defense. He cut across the slot and was able to lift a slick wrist shot past Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton, to put the Devils up 2-0 with a great shorthanded goal.
Immediately after letting the shot go however, Salmela was nailed by Jeff Carter. He was caught off balance by a vicious shoulder hit to the head, which sent him spinning through the air and onto the ice. Whether it was the original hit or a result of his face striking the ice, Salmela appeared seriously hurt and lay motionless on the ice.
He was eventually taken off the ice on a stretcher, as is the normal course of action for head injuries of this nature.
Jeff Carter was not penalized on the play, but the hit was eerily similar to Mike Richards' hit on David Booth from earlier in the season.
Check back for any updates on Salmela's condition here on SB Nation.
Salmela Walking And Talking; Has Broken Nose And Teeth
Usually when a player is taken off the ice on a stretcher, he’s at least taken to the hospital for observation. Apparently, there were no early signs of concussion and Salmela went to the Flyers locker room for treatment. Philadelphia beat writer Anthony SanFilippo reports that Salmela was walking around and talking in the locker room.
Jay Grossman also reports that Salmela has re-fractured his nose and has several broken teeth. While you certainly don’t wish for any injury, it’s a much better outcome than what it originally appeared to be just a few hours ago.
Feb 08 10:34p by Brandon Worley - 0 comments