Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
There's no excuse for what Maxim Lapierre did to Scott Nichol when the Montreal Canadiens took on the San Jose Sharks Thursday night. Nichol had a partial breakaway where he rang the post with his shot only to be bumped from behind head-first into the boards.
Nichol wasn't digging for a rebound or harassing goaltender Carey Price after the shot. Lapierre had no reason to endanger him like that and thankfully, Nichol got up almost immediately but did not finish the third period. TSN analyst and former NHL player, Ray Ferraro, said it best by calling it a garbage play.
Who is the bigger villain here though? Is it Lapierre for the gutless check or referee Chris Lee who was stationed behind the net and had a perfect view of the play yet didn't call a penalty?
2 comments
Comments
I watched most of the 2nd and 3rd period of that game and of course the officiating was absolutely atrocious. NHL officiating is so inconsistent it makes me sick. Quit calling the tick tacky penalties and buckle down on the real ones like the Lapierre cheap shot. During the Flyers v Lightning game on Tuesday Dan Carcillo wa s crosschecked in the face and was injured on the ice for at least 15-20 seconds, guess what, no call. Thats just a small example of what I feel like is plaguing this league right now. Get the officials together and teach them the rules of the game, eliminate the BS penalties and crack down on the dangerous ones
by 88Flyers on Mar 5, 2010 12:11 PM EST reply actions
But obviously big dirty hits are more exciting for the fans. And obviously, if a player get’s tapped on the hands with a stick, it takes away a scoring chance and hooking should be called.
by The Burl 8 on Mar 5, 2010 1:07 PM EST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed