Burrows not suspended for hit on Gaustad :Team 1040

[cuporbust]

[deized_kanuck604]

Hit was not suspend able or illegal. I like it!

[BanTSN]

Spector is just a smug, bitter Oilers homer with a long history of hating Burrows and trolling the Canucks.

Life has gotten even harder for Spector after trolling the Flames and Canucks endlessly. He was revelling in the hopes that the Canucks were declining and that the Oilers had a huge head start on the Flames rebuild - only to find that he once again had to face the fact that his Coilers are a lottery team, while the other Western Canadian teams fight for playoff spots.

City of Champions no more. Deadmonton is a hockey intelligence graveyard.

This. What a huge pile of fail.

[viking mama]

AS I said in the PGT, It is disgusting and bordering on manipulation the way the media on a nightly basis is playing judge on jury on a hit by hit basis. Their branding the NHL as a dirty violent league has IMHO influenced the league in trying to "clean up" the perceived problem and led to the situation we now have where the player's ability to police the game is gone. Replacing it is the DOPS which is not on the ice and can't effectively deal with the stuff that should be dealt with (until too late) and which has created a climate where players are encouraged to dive and embellish in an effort to get a player suspended. Players skating with their heads down, deliberately turning their back to the play, cutting across the middle of the ice, with the puck with their head down are all accepted practices now.

Players are no longer taking responsibility for their own safety and the game is, again IMHO, more dangerous than it used to be. Players are frustrated by these moving goal posts of what they can or cannot do and how players are taking advantage of there being no enforcers or repercussions for cheap shots so they take shots at guys themselves.

Get rid of the instigator and let the player dish out punishment and you will see the gutless cheap shot artists clean up their act. Burrows and Bieksa may both have had to "answer the bell" last night for the hits they dished out and that's okay with me. IF you want to play that way, you pay the price. I believe the players themselves would much rather go back to self policing than have the wheel of punishment in control.

//rant

^World, meet an old-school traditionalist and fossil.

You are wrong, wrong, and five more ways wrong, sir. The IIHF saved hockey,..that's why the NHL now chooses to go to the Olympics. The World Juniors is one of the best and most-watched hockey tournaments across this nation and around the Northern world. After learning and playing this game a certain way and attaining certain levels of respect during international competition,..why does the NHL then feel that they should still dumb-it-down again, and risk more long-term damage to the noggins, life and limbs of their highly-paid professionals? Why?

Is hockey even an elite sport? Should they not endeavor to protect their best assets, the players, like all of the other major leagues sports do.. by growing the game at all levels and setting some decent and universal standards,..or is the NHL just some lame entertainment industry that's partially scripted with heroes and villians and with rules that seem irrelevant on most nights? Is this a league of skill and speed,...or just something made-up for the ripe drama of constant violent retributions? Does all of the league's nonsensical ambiguity just create more anticipated violence as drawing-cards like in the WWE...or what?

Welcome to the 21st century, people! If the NHL would just use all of the 21st century technology at their disposal wisely, and then adequately vet and train their officials to use it properly - we would all be able to watch an amazing game and the 'best athletes in the world' cuing-up to play it in North America...and be creating many new and amazing icons in the sport. But, that concept has not yet been realized. And it wont,.. until Burke, Jacobs and the lap-dogs who follow those megalomaniacs let ex-players like Linden, Sakic, Yzerman, and the majority of the NHLPA lead 'em all towards a better way.

IMHO - the IIHF has got it right. That's the best model...unless you're a retro-grade neanderthal.

[dbark95]

Fraser halfhartedly defends the linesman's major penalty call by mentioning Gausted's "injury" five times in his piece. Why was Gausted on the ice for his next shift? Shouldn't the DOPeS(AFTEY) be insisting he follow the concussion protocol? I mean a bump like that could've killed him. Players are losing the ability to play everyday with that kind of recklessness! Sure, a 70 year old could shake off a hit like that and keep going, but that's the type of hit that's going to put an 80 year old out for at least a week...

yes, most of what follows "shift" is sarcasm, for the humor impaired among us.

Gaustad did not play the rest of the game.

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH021147.HTM

As you can see his last shift ended at 16:06 of the third period. The exact same time the Burrows major started.

[newgm]

It sure looks questionable in real time from the one replay, but if you look at it frame by frame there's little doubt that Gaustad turns into Burrows. Gaustad is 6'5 and yet he seems to brace himself as he"dives" into Burrows below the shoulder and then brings his glove up to protect his head as he drops to the ice.

It's just speculation, but there's a reason they chose not to suspend Burrows, that being there's likely multiple angles that we haven't seen.

I think juice from his angle picked up on the dive and unfortunately said the wrong thing.

So I guess we give the NHL credit this time for making the right call, no suspension.

[newgm]

Gaustad did not play the rest of the game.

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH021147.HTM

As you can see his last shift ended at 16:06 of the third period. The exact same time the Burrows major started.

Don't no what that proves, they're supposed to have a new rule that you have to leave the ice if you're suspected of(faking)a concussion for so many minutes in a quiet room, and obviously if he was injured then Burrows would have been suspended.

Not sure how much power play time a 4th liner like Gaustad would get even if he was on the bench?

[dbark95]

Easy. It proves that after the hit, Gaustad did not play a single second. So all the people saying he came back out to play his next shift, or the rest of the game, were just proven wrong.

[newgm]

Easy. It proves that after the hit, Gaustad did not play a single second. So all the people saying he came back out to play his next shift, or the rest of the game, were just proven wrong.

O.K. I didn't dispute that he didn't play, just that it doesn't necessarily mean he was injured.

[theminister]

I'm sure Juice said something to the effect that the 6'5" Goose was a bigger feline than Battlecat.

[William_Clarkson]

I'd hope so, that would be so stupid. If Gaustad had watched where he was fu**ing going, it wouldn't have happened. Burrows did extend, but watch out.

[dbark95]

O.K. I didn't dispute that he didn't play, just that it doesn't necessarily mean he was injured.

Yeah i was just replying to the handful of people claiming he continued to play the game, or his next shift.

[DIBdaQUIB]

^World, meet a old-school traditionalist and fossil.

You are wrong, wrong, and five more ways wrong, sir. The IIHF has saved hockey,..that's why the NHL chooses to go to the Olympics. The World Juniors is one of the best and most watched hockey tournaments across this nation and around the Northern world. After learning and playing this game a certain way and attaining certain levels of respect during international competition,..why does the NHL then feel that they should still dumb-it-down again, risking more long-term damage to the noggins, life and limbs of their highly-paid professionals? Why?

Is hockey even an elite sport? Do they endeavor to protect their best assets, the players, like all of the other major leagues sports do.. by growing the game at all levels and setting some decent and universal standards ,..or is it just a lame entertainment industry that's partially scripted with heroes and villians and where the rules seem irrelevant on most nights? Is this a league of skill and speed or just something made ripe for the drama of constant violence and retributions? Does all of the nonsensical ambiguity out there just make violence the more anticipated drawing-cards as in the WWE...or what?

Welcome to the 21st century, people! If the NHL would just use all of the 21st century technology at their disposal wisely, and then adequately vet and train their officials to use it properly - we would all be able to watch an amazing game and the 'best athletes in the world' cuing-up to play it in North America...and be creating many new and amazing icons in the sport. But, that concept has not yet been realized. And it wont,.. until Burke, Jacobs and the lap-dogs who follow those megalomaniacs let ex-players like Linden, Sakic and Yzerman lead 'em all towards a better way.

IMO - the IIHF has got it right. That's the best model...unless you're a retro-grade neanderthal.

I'm not quite old enough to be a Neanderthal...close, but not quite. I have watched hockey a long time though and have seen the increase in cheap-shots and assaults coincide with more and more rules and "discipline", along with the instigator rule. Maybe you should ask the players how they feel about it. How guys like Gretzky survived while Crosby is constantly assaulted and beat on under this new wonderful hockey style of yours.

Maybe you would should try ringette or ice-dancing, they would appear to be better suited to your tastes.

[goblix]

I'm not quite old enough to be a Neanderthal...close, but not quite. I have watched hockey a long time though and have seen the increase in cheap-shots and assaults coincide with more and more rules and "discipline", along with the instigator rule. Maybe you should ask the players how they feel about it. How guys like Gretzky survived while Crosby is constantly assaulted and beat on under this new wonderful hockey style of yours.

Maybe you would should try ringette or ice-dancing, they would appear to be better suited to your tastes.

It's not likely that the amount of cheapshots / unsafe hits have decreased or increased over time but more that the awareness has been aligned to make the similar types of plays more visible.

You add that with just the increased size, speed and strength of todays NHLer versus pre 2000's it's understandable why more injuries do occur.

Also in comparison of Gretzky and Crosby, Gretzky was one of the best in avoiding hits while Crosby plays an edgy game where players are more inclined to be agitated with him.

[DIBdaQUIB]

It's not likely that the amount of cheapshots / unsafe hits have decreased or increased over time but more that the awareness has been aligned to make the similar types of plays more visible.

You add that with just the increased size, speed and strength of todays NHLer versus pre 2000's it's understandable why more injuries do occur.

Also in comparison of Gretzky and Crosby, Gretzky was one of the best in avoiding hits while Crosby plays an edgy game where players are more inclined to be agitated with him.

Some good points but Gretzky had Semenko and McSorly..that was the biggest reason he survived.

[CANUCK-EXPRESS]

Hmmmmmm

[kloubek]

A little late to the game here....

I try to be as objective about the Canucks when it comes to situations like this. My thoughts on this play is this:

Burrows was absolutely trying to get in front of Gaustad. Gaustad put himself in a very bad position of not watching where he was going, but Burrows certainly could have seen this, and put himself in a position to lighten the situation. I don't buy Burrows' excuse that it happened so fast... he's got great coordination, and he had time to reposition himself.

But if you buy this thought, it becomes a situation like this: Who's responsibility is it in a 2-vehicle accident? Is it the person who distractedly veered into the oncoming lane of traffic, or is it the person who didn't get out of the way of the car that veered into their lane? In an insurance situation, it would be a 100% fault scenario against the former.

On the flip side, the fact that Burrows is a repeat offender and COULD have done something to alleviate the impact speaks to the other side of the coin.

So with all this said, I absolutely think the NHL made the right call, but I would not have been up in arms if he received a 1 game suspension either. Burrows is known (and rightfully so) as being a bit of a cheap player and I would love to see him be a little more sportsmanlike. He's the one remaining player on our team that came from an era where Luongo, Kesler and Lapierre all flopped around like fish to get penalty calls and generally played the game in a questionable manner at times. It was embarrassing then, and it's embarrassing now.

[Puck'nAnimal]

Was so damned pissed off last night I sent the NHL this message on Twitter.

@NHL Hey, next time if you want to be more obvious...put the refs in Nashville COLORS!!! Hey, Coley! Oughta burn your #5 jersey.

All they had to do was stick the referees in Nashville Colors and we'd see exactly how the game was officiated. 8-5 powerplay for the entire game.

[Benchsplinters]

What I don't understand out of all of last night is if Kevin Bieksa got a game misconduct, how does he not get assessed a penalty as well. Not complaining but should he have not gotten a two minute penalty hence giving Nashville a 5 on 3. Last nights officiating was absolutely bush league, glad at least the NHL got it right. I hope all these antics give the Canucks a we against the world attitude for the playoffs.

A misconduct penalty can be handed out without assessing a minor. Example: a player goes ballistic on a referee or linesman. The referee can assess a minor penalty for Unsportsman like conduct and or a misconduct.

[jmahyoung]

LOL. I had to laugh when I heard him bashing Burrows this morning.

Button is such a hack and couldn't accurately call a situation if his life depended on it. It's probably why he's leaching a living on the sidelines instead of being a manager.

I agree on the interference but it was very much embellished. Gaustad must've been smiling when he was watching the result on the screen. Too bad Bieksa got tossed for making his feelings known about the dive. Gaustad will be back and fine in there next game.

The fact that Bieksa got a game misconduct for simply speaking his mind that it was a dive and just standing there on the ice not having made any contact with Gaustad, then Burrows gets a 5 minute major and a game misconduct... that ref was angry at us.