Maybe it is just because I am a Stars fan but......

Take a look at these videos and please someone explain to me the bit I am missing here...

Ryan Kesler, big hit on Comeau. Leaves his feet, deemed a great hit.
http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=139814&cmpid=nhl-rxl-twt

Nino Niederreiter, big hit on Gerbe. Leaves his feet, given a 2 min minor for interference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC1ZLG0rfP0

Mark Fistric, big hit on Niederreiter. Leaves his feet, given a 3 game suspension for an illegal hit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tS2xMuM2W4

So all 3 hits the hitter leaves his feet but only one is worthy of a suspension? Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying Niederreiter and Kesler should be suspended, quite the opposite. I fail to see how these are worthy of suspension. I had been on board with Shanahan up to now but there have been a few examples of inconsistency creeping in lately....

My Conclusions: Vancouver hockey market>Dallas hockey market

New York Islanders in East, Dallas in West...... Boston in East, Nashville in West (stupid....... but you see where im going here)

and to plagarise rocknrollnobody's awsome picture...... we can call it the shanny bear!!!!

rocknrollnobody wrote:

I think their only possible factor is the height he gains and as a result the power of a hit. To be honest I don't know how high a normal collision reaction is. I haven't paid attention to it that closely I know plenty of people in a position to say have said it happens I suppose the question is does it happen to this degree?. Looking at the last frame from the suspension vid he's up pretty high.

The only other difference which could possibly be found after scrutiny far beyond what should be looked at normally but as it's a suspension case. You could possibly say that Fistric's hit is rising more than the others. Sure they are all high chest but his is a little more chest and up where the others seem more level. I think if you look at the height and decide that's too much there's too much power going into the hit consider it rising a bit more than your examples and give him a game it makes a lot more sense.

My problem is if after accepting all of the above they say OK it's not enough. Then apply the suspension because there's a injury on the play then you get into very murky territory where they need to be a lot more careful. The injury comes from his collision with the ice I don't see how a lesser hit to a very minor degree doesn't cause the same injury. They have a tendancy to suspend to injury and it doesn't work unless you can have CLEAR causality.

The whole Miller thing showed it up completely, sure Lucic should have gotten a game maybe. What is clear is the hit didn't cause a concussion if anything did it was him getting a player in his face later. Then we find out two weeks later he isn't concussed it's a neck thing (which ironically would better prove the injury was on the Lucic player).

They really need to be a lot more strict in deciding whether injuries are directly as a result of these illegality in the play. Alternatively lets have external doctor's assess this stuff sure a game to your top DFD doesn't seem like a lot but staying in context ( and apologies for opening old wounds) I'm sure the Stars would have preferred an extra 1 or 2 points last season.

TLDR: 1 Game at most because of the extra height he got the extra games influenced by the injury "caused" by the play. Still a wrong decision at 3 games and a very close if incorrect one at 1 game.

When you check someone you are automatically thrown upwards, even if only for a short while. The person receiving the hit usuing goes in whichever direction they are forced, but the person throwing the hit is prepared, is tensed and is expecting the collision. I know when I've hit people I've had to regain my balance because I've left my skates.

Surely throwing hits at that power is no different, just that he gets lifted off his skates more than the others, and I believe that's the weak reasoning behind the suspension.

I can accept he did get a lot of height after the hit but the history of such hits and suspensions tends to be on the amount of height gained before a hit not as a result of. It looks to me that Fistric comes off his feet at the point of contact and not before.

Also if height is the only issue then I would argue Kesler got just as much height just look at this picture.



But again I think the reasoning for the suspension was weak and the way they posted on Twitter about how Keslers hit was so good just seems like a double standard. I love these kinds of hits and although I understand they can be difficult to determine what is clean and what isn't I think the injury had more weight here than they care to admit. It is unfortunate he was injured on the play but what's that age old saying? Keep your head up.

I completely agree Homer, I noticed that the NHL seemed to be making the height the main reason for the suspension, but it's simply because Fistric threw a hard hit. More force means more lift when you connect. Not a lot he can do about it.

Weak excuse, and yes, I think the injury played a part. If Neiderreiter wasn't hurt, then I don't know if anything would have happened, especially as there was no penalty called on-ice.

mc_homer wrote: the way they posted on Twitter about how Keslers hit was so good just seems like a double standard.

I couldn't help but think that when I saw the headline on NHL.com. They want to clamp down on dangerous hits and the injuries that come from them, yet the message they send out with these headlines is the complete opposite. They seem to want all the excitement that you get from the big hits, but with none of the consequences.

Paddywan wrote:They really need to be a lot more strict in deciding whether injuries are directly as a result of these illegality in the play. Alternatively lets have external doctor's assess this stuff sure a game to your top DFD doesn't seem like a lot but staying in context ( and apologies for opening old wounds) I'm sure the Stars would have preferred an extra 1 or 2 points last season.

A painful but very good point. These little things can make a big difference.

I'm not so sure that if you hit you automatically gain height, my authority on hitting is usually Johnny Boychuck. A quick Youtube search found a couple of great hits where his feet go no higher than the kick plate on the boards. Perhaps they are just different hits but that height sort of says you are jumping in rather than "standing up" perhaps they don't want to see those type of hits at this severity / power.