Good win...

[LHF]

Good win in the Hat last night! I don't know what happened to turn this ship in the right direction, but whatever it was, I hope it keeps up.

[CanesCrazy]

It is great to see these kids persevere and come out on top lately. They say Johnston and Erkamps are expected back on Saturday but let's hope that Tot and Leverton aren't simply replacing them on the injured list now. It would be nice to only have healthy scratches one day.

BTW good luck to Kovacs in the AJHL. I think this is the best thing for him right now and I hope he can see it that way too.

[TooLoud]

I, too am of the opinion that I'm not sure what has changed, but I am sure glad that it has. I was watching the game, and the Tigers were all over our boys, and I was thinking here we go again....but, for once, the breaks were going our way, and they missed at least two tap in goals. I don't know what happened after that, but the boys definitely got a bee under their bonnet, and started playing the way they have to play to win. Physical play, tenacious fore-checking, and all around in-your-face hockey. They are able to make very good teams look average when they play tough, and I hope the coaches are hammering this point home. For being a bunch of "lunch bucket" players, they are proving that being a nasty team to play against can beat talent every time. I hope that they can keep it up all year , and that the physical play does not do them in. Btw, what was up with Hood? The hit he levelled on Cowan was clean, was a shoulder to the chest, and was nowhere near the head. I am not sure, but if the WHL head office is directing the referees, it certainly explains the consistent inconsistency that seems to pervade this league's on and off ice disciplinary decisions.

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

Hood gets 3 games. I was at the game and don't remember his hit as being dirty. No penalty was even called at all on the play. It probably wasn't as dirty as Petrovic's intentional elbow and he only got 2 games. Different treatment for star players???
Can anyone find video of Hood's hit and post a link?

[SectionNDeserter]

Hood gets 3 games. I was at the game and don't remember his hit as being dirty. No penalty was even called at all on the play. It probably wasn't as dirty as Petrovic's intentional elbow and he only got 2 games. Different treatment for star players???
Can anyone find video of Hood's hit and post a link?Both were intentional shots to the head, really the only difference between the two of them was that Petrovic was either almost standing still or moving slightly in the same direction of Watson, and Hood was skating pretty good head-on with Cowen.

No real sense in trying to figure out WHL discipline this season, Kessy from Medicine Hat only got 4 games for a hit 10x worse than Hood's, and it was actually his FIFTH suspension. I would say that the team you play for seems to dictate your punishment in the WHL, more than the player.

[CanesCrazy]

:confused: Section N, I think you have your plays confused. Petrovic was skating full force when he hit Watson and both referees immediately put their arms up. Hood as almost standing still when Cowen with his head down, skated into Hood. Hood put his arms up and it certainly looks like it was at Cowen's chest to me too. Neither referee made a call.

If it was a hit to the head (and I don't believe it was) it was far less obvious than Petrovic's hit. I do not understand why this demanded a longer suspension.

[SectionNDeserter]

:confused: Section N, I think you have your plays confused. Petrovic was skating full force when he hit Watson and both referees immediately put their arms up.I saw the replay on the live webcast, and it wasn't very good, and it looked like Watson skated into Petrovic when he was already against the boards, but I looked at it again on the WHL website and it had a much better angle with more leading up to the hit. He wasn't skating full force, but he certainly did glide for about 20 feet before hitting him.


Hood as almost standing still when Cowen with his head down, skated into Hood. Hood put his arms up and it certainly looks like it was at Cowen's chest to me too. Neither referee made a call.They showed that replay a number of times on the webcast, and I laughed because the final one slowed to almost a stop on Hood's shoulder right in Cowen's face (making contact with no other part of his body), and the announcer said 'Perfect shoulder to chest hit' right at the point where the replay slowed down, clearly showing the shoulder making contact with the head. Also Cowen was chasing a second Lethbridge player that had the puck when Hood hit him, so it was also technically interference as well.

Cowen has a terrible reputation with the WHL on-ice officials, and it really isn't surprising that neither official put their arms up. Last season, Josh Caron absolutely drilled him from behind, fracturing his wrist, and the officials didn't put their arms up either, and after a lot of deliberation, they grudgingly gave Caron a double minor... I am sure that the league heard a lot about that one, as well as the two vicious spears he took from Linden Vey after two separate faceoffs during the playoffs last season as well. Hood could also be paying for the league's attempt to smooth things over.

[CanesCrazy]

I don't think it was anything personal against the kid. He was there, he had his head down and Hood nailed him. I still don't see the hit happening the same way as you but it is tough to tell so who knows. I'll respectfully agree to disagree.

Here are a couple of links. Each one shows one of the hits in question.

http://www.globallethbridge.com/video/sports+nov+30/video.html?v=2172588892&p=1&s=dd#sports

http://www.lethbridgehurricanes.com/video/index/id/352a02cc9156af48b4c99b7f6d5e582e

[Bocephus]

Loving the new .500 hockey the boys have been paying lately against decent teams.
A few players are really showing some quality. Watson immediately comes to mind.

[Tiger Trauma]

I don't think it was anything personal against the kid. He was there, he had his head down and Hood nailed him. I still don't see the hit happening the same way as you but it is tough to tell so who knows. I'll respectfully agree to disagree.

Here are a couple of links. Each one shows one of the hits in question.

http://www.globallethbridge.com/video/sports+nov+30/video.html?v=2172588892&p=1&s=dd#sports

http://www.lethbridgehurricanes.com/video/index/id/352a02cc9156af48b4c99b7f6d5e582e

Checking to the head and game misconducts this year seem to warrant a minimum of a 2 game suspension. At least every suspension this year for checking to the head have been at least 2 games if not more.

From a nuetral opinion of the rebel/canes hits.

A little hard to see the Graham Hood hit from that angle. Looked like their was a on on one battle for the puck and Hood comes in and steam rolls the rebel.

I assume contact to the head was made because otherwise it just looked like a minor interference penalty. Whl gave him their standard 2 games, and probably one more because of the interference of steamrolling a guy on a stationary 1 on 1 battle with the puck in the feet.
-----------------------------

The petrovic hit was potentially dirty. One of those reactionary plays where your going to miss a guy and stick a body part out to catch him, this case It seemd like more of a glancing blow/graze than a direct hit, as the canes player got up right away. If that elbow had really connected thier probably would have been a much longer suspension. but checking to the head seems to warrant a minumum of at least 2 games.
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alright my biased opinion....

As for the Kessy hit Section N mentioned earlier, Kessy is 6'3, hamilton is 5'9 and contact to the head was made. Kessy came in with speed, did a crossover and glided into the hit and half turned his back, HOWEVER contact to the head was made. He received the seemingly standard 2 for checking to the head + 2 for being a repeat offender, not to mention a beating from Weller in the following fight.

Edit: I think with all 3 hits if no contact to the head was made nobody would have been suspeneded.

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

Thanks for the link CanesCrazy. To me it is utterly amazing that Hood got 3 games to Petrovic's 2. The 2 hits are completely different but the main difference between the 2 hits is the INTENT TO INJURE. Petrovic was fully intending to cause a potentially very serious injury. He was retaliating for having been hammered into the stanchion at the Canes bench during an earlier shift, on what was a clean hit. If Hood made head contact, it was incidental. He was coasting at a very slow speed, did not jump up into the hit and did not raise an elbow or stick or anything.
Not that it will make a damn bit of difference, but the Canes need to raise a stink about this!

[mjw22]

Not that it will make a damn bit of difference, but the Canes need to raise a stink about this!

I agree . It's beating a dead horse but the amount /type of suspensions is getting ridiculous . Sometimes its just size difference or what used to be a good hit but now if the head gets touched SUSPENSION . I'm sending the commish a little song I reworded for him (see Mr Robison gen discussion ) .I know he doesn't give a crap what fans think but he'll know some fans give a crap about hitting in hockey.

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

now if the head gets touched SUSPENSION . .
Sorry but I have to disagree with you. You can make all the head contact you want if you are a star player or play for one of the favored teams. Go to the WHL site and watch the plays of the week. At about the 3:03 mark, Petrovic (yes the same Petrovic who got his wrist slapped for attempting to injure a Canes player) makes a full on hit to the head of a player. Was he penalized....no. He makes the plays of the week. Sorry to beat a dead horse but this is ridiculous.

[SectionNDeserter]

Petrovic (yes the same Petrovic who got his wrist slapped for attempting to injure a Canes player) makes a full on hit to the head of a player. Was he penalized....no. He makes the plays of the week.I have no idea what video you were watching, but I just watched it, and the primary point of contact was the shoulder/chest. If you thought that was a full on hit to the head, then I can understand why all of this is so confusing to you.